I think I found the recipe....

[Mossyrock]

I wasn't able to recover my 50 yard target, but the same load went into about 2.5 inches, about three inches low.  I'll give it a good wringing out at 50 yards next time I get to the range....maybe when it isn't raining.   

[Fox Creek Kid]

Why are you quenching, hence hardening the WW alloy? Please explain, and thanks

[Mossyrock]

Why are you quenching, hence hardening the WW alloy? Please explain, and thanks

Someone else here mentioned that Romano suggested using pure Linotype, resulting in a very hard bullet, for best accuracy.  Having had fair (but not great) accuracy with 1:20 alloy (soft), and Lyman #2 (harder), I thought I would try an even harder bullet to see if that improved accuracy at all.  I have to say that the harder, water-quenched, wheel weight alloy gave significantly better accuracy than the 1:20.  Like I said...I THINK I am where I want to be.  Now I just need some good, steady bench time (both reloading and shooting) to make sure I am dialed in.  THEN I will cut down the front sight to bring the point of impact up to a 50 yard zero.

[Two Flints]

Mossyrock,

Is this the "recipe" you are referring to?  Just curious.  Two Flints

Romano Spencer Load Information

Posted by Mike w/34th on N-SSA on Monday, January 17, 2005

I have one of Larry's guns, and it's a work of art. Getting it to shoot took some work, but once you find the magic formula, it's right on. Here's what I use (on Larry's recommendation):

Brass: reformed BELL .50-70 cartridges from Buffalo Arms
Primer: magnum large pistol primer Use the hottest you can get.
Powder: 40 gr. FFFg GOEX. Rumor is that Swiss will shoot even better.
Lube: pan lube with SPG or use lubricizer
Bullet: Romano Spencer mould cast in 9 parts linotype/1 part pure lead.

No filler or wad, so be sure to wipe any lube off the base of your bullet before you assemble the round. And like Ken says, use a heavy crimp.

That bullet alloy gives you a Brinell hardness in the 19 range, which is harder than you can get with wheel weights or tin alloy, even quenching them. I got a pack of 100 from (now defunct) Liberty Shooting Supply, and I was amazed at how well they shot. It was like night and day compared to "hard" lead bullets I'd made, and that's what I've been casting myself ever since. That was really the key to getting my gun to shoot. With wheel weights, I was shooting "minute of barn door" groups. With the really hard bullets, it became a pigeon killer.

[Mossyrock]

While I've never seen that particular posting, that's it in a nutshell!  I don't have any linotype, but waterquenching hardens up wheel weight alloy pretty well.  If I can FIND some linotype, I might give that a try.  I think the REAL question here is this:  How the heck did he fit 40gr of fffg Goex in that case?      I can drop tube that much into the case, but it requires a LOT of compression to seat the bullet.