Sizing Cast Bullets for an Armi Sport Spencer 56-50 - corrected title & post

Two Flints · May 23, 2007, 07:25:20 AM

Hello SSS,

There is always a need to know more about what works for you when shooting your Spencer.

For those of you who shoot Armi Sport Spencers, 56-50, how do you size cast your bullets. What STEP By STEP or procedure is involved? What dies do you use and from where were they obtained?

Everyone benefits from the information that is posted on SSS. So, please offer what you know so all of us can have more fun shooting our Spencers

Tuolumne Lawman · May 23, 2007, 10:16:56 AM

Hoedy to the camp.

Generally speaking, I have never heard of anyone re-sizing 56-56s.

From what I have heard, during the war, the nominal bore was .54 in the grooves, and .52 to the lands. I should check Marcot on that, but I don't recall seeing it in his book. I have seen them mostly .54 or under, though I heard of one that was .542. Technology and war time production left rifle bores less than an exact science, and generally there were wide tollerances. If I remember right, the pimp rifle is .536 or .537. That may have been the other original I owned, however, as I have only slugged one and don't rememeber which one! The Rapine 535370 worked excellent in both.

The Rapine 535370 is more popular, as it is suited for most 1860 bores. You can also use fairly hard cast bullets like I do, preventing them from coming apart in the action the way pure lead tends to, and reducing leading. My understanding is that the rapine 546375 is for larger bores and should only be used with pure lead, so it can swedge down to bore size. I have no experience with the 546375, however. In any case, the bearing surfaces of the heeled bullets is fairly short.

As for casting, I use the medium setting on the Lee lead pot, cast about a dozen "toss 'ems" to heat the mold, then cast. I pause a few minutes about every 25 to let the mold cool a might. I wait for the small blob on the top of the sprue plate to harden before taping the sprue plate to the side with a piece of wood closet poll about 10 inches long. If you do it too soon, it will smear the base.

If the lead mix is too hot, it will creep between the mold block and the sprue plate, causing a thin flashing on the base. The hard mix (1/20 alloy, wheel weights and a tad of linotype) has a hazy finish, rather than the shiny of the pure lead.

Hell-Er High Water · May 23, 2007, 01:11:47 PM

I size and lube my 56-50 bullets in a Lyman Lubesizer. Lyman 0.512" size die, SPG or DD's Pearl lube and a plain, flat bottom nose punch. You can make a custom nose punch using 5 minute epoxy in a standard nose punch of similar shape and a greased bullet to give you the exact shape you need if the flat bottom punch will not work with your particular bullet.

Lyman lubesize dies are available from Midway and othere sources.

The Lubesizer is also available from Midway and other sources but good buys on used ones can often be found on eBay.

The Lyman and the RCBS lubesizers use the same size dies and Lyman dies are interchangeable with the RCBS dies and visa-versa so an RCBS lubesizer will work just as well.

HHW

Appalachian Ed · May 23, 2007, 01:16:09 PM

I don't shoot and Armi-Sport, but I cast lead and lead alloys for 9 different calibers and I size all the bullets I cast. Even Miniballs. I don't know what you mean by Re-size, but it is common practice to size cast bullets, by running them through a sizer.
I size my bullets to a .002 - .003 over bore size. You can slug your bore, or for a production gun the size is easy enough to find published. Unless you get really lucky, you will not be able to buy a mould that is the exact size you need. Even if you do, your bullets will vary based on the temp you poured your lead at. I size, and lube, my Spencer bullets to .512. My Romano mould throws them at about .514. Another example is I size 45-70 bullets to .457, most my moulds throw .459 or .458. I use either a Lyman Luberisizer or a RCBS luber and sizer. Dies can be bought off the shelf up to .512, about that you can find them customer made up to .579. I size .54 minie's from .542 all the way down to .535.

Tuolumne Lawman · May 23, 2007, 01:26:58 PM

Heck,

I spent all that time pontificating about the wrong caliber<g>. I guess you just have 56-56 on the brain, Two Flints

.

For the Armi Sport 56-50, I probally still wouldn't soften my alloy. I sized .512, used the same lubes as the 56-56 (Lee Alox for 777, and beeswax/crisco for BP.

Appalachian Ed · May 23, 2007, 02:55:00 PM

I find the crisco is too soft in the heat, and it burns when fired. I have had the best luck with SPG or MCM when loading the Holly Black.

-Ed

Fox Creek Kid · May 23, 2007, 03:02:22 PM

I pan lube and load as my Armisport 56-50 can chamber (and shoot well) the Rapine 350-T as cast. Before you size any bullet, try chambering a dummy round with an unsized bullet. If it chambers then you're good to go. Usually, the biggest bullet that will chamber will shoot the best.

Tuolumne Lawman · May 23, 2007, 03:32:32 PM

I/ve had goog luck with the 2/1 Beeswax/crisco. I thought of olive oil instead of crisco, maybe 3 or 4/1 Beeswax/Olive oil.

Two Flints · May 23, 2007, 03:34:53 PM

TL,

You're right, I do have 56-56 on the brain.

Too much going on here in Maine. Trying to plant 20 6' white cedar trees before the Black Flies get me!

Rocky ground, mucky, not a pleasant activity

Thanks for your post just the same!

Two Flints

Drydock · May 23, 2007, 08:51:53 PM

I shoot lead in 7 different BP calibers, and several smokeless, and size none of them. If it will chamber, it does not need to be sized.

French Jack · May 25, 2007, 10:16:55 AM

For the 56-50 Taylor, I purchased a lube/sizer from Lee in .515 . This is a special order and costs you all of 25 bucks plus postage. On my bullets, I pan lube and the sizer cleans off the excess and insures the bullet is not lop sided. So, I have to say very little to no sizing is done to the bullets. All I want to accomplish is to clean off the excess lube and make sure the lube is uniform.