45cal. cast bullets learning session..

PaulT

PaulT

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Hi all,

I thought I would cast some bullet (over 200) for my 45-70 and try the 340gr LEE mould that came with the rifle, so I bought a LEE bullet sizing/lube kit and a box of Hornady GC, only to realize after that I can't put a gas check on them because they have the full flat base, no gas check option on this mould :eek: . Talk about learning something....

Tried to find one for a 405gr with GS but couldn't. I contacted LEE for availlability of such a mould and they responded with a $150 setup + cost of the mould for which I find to be too $$$ for me :mad: , or to use there 500gr mould which have the GC option. I don't want to shoot some 500gr out of my Marlin as I can predict a massive increase in recoil.. ouch.

Any of you guys know where I could find a 405gr bullet mould with GC option for a 45-70?

I will shoot them 340gr for plinking but I will have to keep velocity below 1400fps to prevent "lead fouling" as many mentionned but would like to shoot some heavier cast bullets in the 405gr with GC for hunting with a bit more fps.

What do you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance
 
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Lyman and RCBS both make 45 cal gas check moulds. You could try working up your loads, sometimes you can get the velocity up quite a ways without too much leading.

44Bore
 
44Bore said:
Lyman and RCBS both make 45 cal gas check moulds. You could try working up your loads, sometimes you can get the velocity up quite a ways without too much leading.

44Bore
Click to expand...

Yah.. I checked on Lyman's website and no 405gr FN with GS mould. They have the 475gr RN with GS but that's not good for me.

RCBS does have one but :eek: almost 3 times more $$$ is it that better if compared to the LEE mould?

Maybe I don't need to put a gas check, the more it goes, the more I am :confused: .
From what I have read.. it looks that passed or around 1400fps, leading occurs and a GC is recommended to kinda prevent that from happening (correct me if I am wrong, as I don't know much about cast bullets)....

So,if I want to hunt moose and black bear (within 150yds) would a cast bullet of 405gr shot at MV of +-1600fps need a GC ? Is it a general rule that leading occurs at these velocity or do I need to test and see what happens?
Would it have enough power to shoot a moose at 150yds if MV is around 1400/1500fps? That way, I could just shoot some 405gr without GC and end of story... no more problems..

My impatience of using my rifle with cast bullet made me buy a bullet sizer/lube kit (that I didn't need with these 340gr as they are already .457) and a box of 45cal Hornady GC (that I could not install on these bullets) and now it looks that I want to spend more to use these GC, god, when I start, I can't seem to see the end :eek: so if I can just shoot some 405gr without GC and without too much leading, I will just buy a cheap LEE mould at $30 and that's it..
 
It seems that Lee has the cheapest moulds by far so ... live with what you have. You can push harder bullets faster. Linotype is a good example of this. Try chatting on castboolits.com they guys know their stuff.
 
There's a good chance you can exceed 1400fps with plain base bullets, especially with a slow twist barrel. Also, you may not need a hard alloy to do it. My rifle does fine with 20 : 1.

With respect to whether 1400+/- is enough power, especially with 405gr +, remember what wiped the buffalo off the plains.

Lee's molds are o.k. but mine have worn out over time(10 yrs or so) while others have not.

Also, I really dislike those bent sprue plates on some of the .457 molds as the bullet bases are'nt flat.

You should probably experiment with sizing your bullet even if it is already .457, because sometimes a very little sizing helps.

If you decide to pursue another mold, you might want to take a look at Cast Bullet Engineering's selection of molds - they are brass, mine have been very good and the exchange rate with the $Australian makes them relatively reasonable.

Good luck, hope some of this helps.
 
Moulds

For my purpose the RCBS moulds are worth the money and will last a couple of lifetimes with care. The Lee standard moulds are not really very well made but they can get you started. The RCBS mould actually drops a bullet in the 410- 425 grain range depending on alloy used. RCBS also have a mould (2 cavity) that drops a bullet of about 325 grains . Both are stepped for gas check.If you visit the Cast Boolit forum they regularly organize group buys of 6 cavity moulds from Lee. They get enough guys that the set up fee is removed. These moulds are much better made mould than the standard ones and the price is generally pretty good.

Paper patching is an option but not with the mould you currently have. Paper patch moulds are typically close to bore diameter not groove diameter as two wraps of paper complete the full diameter.

If you order a new mould slug the bore of your rifle and order a mould that will drop .001 to .002 larger than actual groove diameter of the rifle. Get sizing dies to match.
 
Leading is sometimes caused more by a combination of Hard cast bullet....undersized for barrel..as burning powder escapes beside bullet and melts lead as she goes!! NEI and Saeco make moulds for heavy bullets w/gc. I size my bullets to .458 or .459 not .457!!!!M.T.Chambers shows 465gr. and 480gr. Hardcast gas check bullets made to order any hardness or any dia. you want!
 
I've never understood the need to shoot anything over 340-350 in a 45 cal....Anyhoo, It's not about speed,its a function of hardness-bore fit-chamber pressure-lube...How much cure time did you give em?What lube?Did you quench em or air cool. The guys at castboolits are going to ask this(me being one of them)..And as a rule if your trying to rotate a projectile at any speed stay away from lee molds
 
I've only ever used Lee mold's in my Pedesoli Sharp's.I use 400 gr HP that I've tumbled lube and paper patched. Same for my 500gr Lee mold, and I've never had a leading problem.
I like to use pure lead for paper patching since the bullet wont be touching the barrel at all.
For tumble lube I lube,size,and tumble lube twice more. I try to fill all the lube groove's for maximum affect.
 
Longer cast bullets provide better penetration,and usually better accuracy, heat treating and quenching harden cast bullets for sure but, it also makes them brittle, also...over time...heat treated bullets loose their hardness...these factors are o.k. for target shooting....but I would try to lose the antimony and add lots of tin that way your bullet holds together....so out with wheel weights and in with pure lead and pure tin mixed 10-1.
 
You may also want to check out Cast Boolits for good info on molds, bullets etc. They also have group mold buys that make the price for custom molds much more reasonable as well as discussions on good loads for cast boolits.


Edit - just realized others have pointed out the obvious, previously. :( Must have been one of those days.
 
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PaulT... there are two .45 cal. group buys going on at the castboolit site now and yes they ship to Canada....they will run you between $73.00 and $80.00CDN depending on the exchange rate......If you are shooting a Marlin with a Micro Groove barrel you will most likely need a fat bullet .460+ ....fact is I find .460 sized bullets shoot better than .459 sized bullets in my Ballard rifled Marlin.... be aware casting and shooting your own cast bullets can be flusterating at times....but if you are a tinker'r you'll enjoy it...good luck and we'll see you over at castboolits....:)
I might add you don't need a 405 gr. bullet at 2000 fps to kill......you could probably drive a 255 gr .45 Colt hard cast bullet thru a moose broadside at 1000fps.....
 
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