Please identify these bullets

[diginit]

Bullets.jpgA friend gave me these and I am not sure if they are compatable with an 1858 Remington New Army over 30g of APP BP substitute. Does anyone recognize these? .454 RN. Composition of lead and lube (which is actually dark blue) is my main question. I don't want to use hard lead or smokeless lube in a black powder handgun. Not sure of the weight either. He thinks they are 230g. TIA

[bigbossman]

First, you need to weight them to be sure of the weight. Then..... what is the bore measurement of the pistol?

[jsanch03]

[ar15barrels]

Hardness is easy to COMPARE with a ball bearing and a vise.
Take a ball bearing and place it between a bullet of known hardness (soft or hard does not matter as long as you know if it's soft or hard) and the bullet of unknown hardness and pinch all 3 of them in a vise so that 1 bullet is on each vise jaw and the ball bearing is between them.
Squeeze them until the ball bearing imprints into both bullets.
Take them out of the vise and measure the diameters of the dents.
There are charts that will let you compare the hardness values based on the diameters of the dents if you know the actual hardness of your test standard bullet.

Equal hardness will give equal size dents.
The softer bullet will get a larger diameter (deeper too) dent than the harder bullet.

[Sandspider500]

Those are a copy of an Hensley and Gibbs #34, they should be around 230gr. It looks like magma's copy with that bevel base. Not sure if that hard crayon lube is gonna work for yah. You could always melt the lube off in the oven.

[Sandspider500]

Missouri bullets softball bhn 18, could be it but, a lot of Commerical casters use that same mold.

Meister bullets


Matt's bullets

[Elgatodeacero]

It is almost certain those are not pure lead, and you want to only use pure lead projectiles in black powder guns.

Those are probably Lyman #2 alloy or harder, and that is smokeless bullet lube.

If they measure .454 then intended for use in .45 Colt smokeless cartridges. If they measure .452 then intended for .45 ACP.

[pacrat]

.454" with harder lead rather than pure lead. Will make loading into .450" cylinder throats a very hard push.

Both Uberti and Pietta typically have .450" throats. Firing into .458" barrel grooves.

If you can get them stuffed in the cylinder. They would be safe to shoot, and give accuracy on a par with pure lead. Because not even pure lead at BP pressure are going to obturate .008"

I've never measured, or know anyone that can confirm numbers on an original 1858.


ETA ....Ya might want to get one of these. https://www.amazon.com/Traditions-Pe.../dp/B000PW45GS

[sigstroker]

Give them the thumbnail test.