Cast Bullets for 416 Rigby and 458 Win Mag.

jethunter

jethunter

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Is anyone here casting for the 416 Rigby or 458 Winmag? I want to start casting bullets for both these heavy hitters but I have no experience with casting for either one.

Looking for feedback, especially on the 416. Mold suggestions, bullet weights, etc. Any info at all appreciated.

I'm going to try some of my own 415 gr 45-70 bullets in the 458. Anyone else use 45-70 bullets in a .458 winmag? :)
 
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I tried a lee mold in 45-70 340 grain out of my .458. Accuracy was dismal. My standard cast load is a lee 500 grain gas checked slug. Sized to .458 with 1.5 inches of half inch plumbers Teflon tape for a lube,wrapped around the base. Gives 3 even wraps and with that I am getting 1 inch at 50 yards.
 
I load cast for the 45-70, 458 win. mag. and the 458 lott. with ex. results. gas checks for full velocity, and trail boss, for plain base. with my 458 win. with trail boss, I can hit the 12in gong all day at 200 yards.
 
I cast and loaded up some 530 grain plain base yesterday for my .458 Lott and they worked fairly well with 25 grains of 4759. Load them hotter and accuracy went to hell. I guess I have a plinking load.

Gas checked 350 grain bullets work well in my .416 with 4759 or 5744 at close to full speeds. cast GC bullets in the .375 are fun, at about the same speed as the .416.

Id say that if you're only going to get one mold, get one with a gas check.
 
I ordered a .411" (410 gr.) mold (with gas check) from an online custom mold manufacturer for my 450/400 3" NE (Verney Carron double rifle and Ruger No. 1 ).
Using a .416 gas check and Trail Boss, accuracy was excellent, To my surprise, it regulated in the double rifle at 50 yards while roughly duplicating the performance of a black powder 45-70 load.

Lots of fun, easy to shoot and no doubt capable of taking a deer. (zero leading problems).
 
A-zone said:
I ordered a .411" (410 gr.) mold (with gas check) from an online custom mold manufacturer for my 450/400 3" NE (Verney Carron double rifle and Ruger No. 1 ).
Using a .416 gas check and Trail Boss, accuracy was excellent, To my surprise, it regulated in the double rifle at 50 yards while roughly duplicating the performance of a black powder 45-70 load.

Lots of fun, easy to shoot and no doubt capable of taking a deer. (zero leading problems).
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That's a little bit amazing that a .411" bullet works well in a .416" barrel. I wouldn't have expected that.
 
I'm going with a gas check mold for sure. There are some nice looking 416 molds in the Accurate Molds catalogue. has anyone ever tried any of them?
 
Dogleg said:
530 grain, plain based, un-sized and tumble lubed, 25 grains of 4759. Might be good for practice or something.

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Nothing wrong with that target. I have a 530(?) gr PB Postell mold on order for the 45-70. Judging by your results it looks like it would be worth trying in the 458 as well.
 
A-zone said:
The 450/400 3" NE has a .410" bore.

The .416 gas check happens to fit and works well with reduced loads (as you would expect with Trail Boss).
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I would have had serious doubts that bullet would shoot at all in a .416 if you hadn't told me it did. Just goes to show we never quit learning.

The surprising part is that an unsupported gas check can seal up .005" of bore gap at 12,000 psi pressure. Maybe the bullet is obturating (fancy word for expanding) to fit the rifling. That would be my guess but it doesn't really matter why, as long as it works for you. :
 
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I hope I'm not creating any confusion. The bullet isn't being shot in a .416 bore. It is a .411" bullet and it's being shot in a .410 bore (that's what the 450/400 3" Nitro Express is, in modern rifles).

The bullet is fitted with a .416" gas check that is sized down to .411".

My point in posting it here is simply to describe my good experience with a .40 cal cast bullet in a medium bore rifle.

If I was casting for the .416 Rigby, I would not hesitate in ordering an appropriate mold and, based on my experience with the 450-400, I would get a mold set up for a gas check.

But I wouldn't shoot a .411 bullet in a .416, with or without gas check. To clarify, I have not shot the .411" cast bullet in anything other than a .410" bore. (but it is fitted with a .416" gas check, sized down to .411").

Hope that clarifies things.



jethunter said:
I would have had serious doubts that bullet would shoot at all in a .416 if you hadn't told me it did. Just goes to show we never quit learning.

The surprising part is that an unsupported gas check can seal up .005" of bore gap at 12,000 psi pressure. Maybe the bullet is obturating (fancy word for expanding) to fit the rifling. That would be my guess but it doesn't really matter why, as long as it works for you. :
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A-zone said:
I hope I'm not creating any confusion. The bullet isn't being shot in a .416 bore. It is a .411" bullet and it's being shot in a .410 bore (that's what the 450/400 3" Nitro Express is, in modern rifles).

The bullet is fitted with a .416" gas check that is sized down to .411".

My point in posting it here is simply to describe my good experience with a .40 cal cast bullet in a medium bore rifle.

If I was casting for the .416 Rigby, I would not hesitate in ordering an appropriate mold and, based on my experience with the 450-400, I would get a mold set up for a gas check.

But I wouldn't shoot a .411 bullet in a .416, with or without gas check. To clarify, I have not shot the .411" cast bullet in anything other than a .410" bore. (but it is fitted with a .416" gas check, sized down to .411").

Hope that clarifies things.
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OK, that makes more sense. I thought you meant you were shooting it in a 416.
 
I think Ardent had a custom mold for .416 Rigby for sale on the EE. Might still have it.
I think a lot of the poor results people have using light 45/70 boolits in the 458 mag rifles is long jump to the rifling. Long throat in the win mag to accommodate the long heavy jacketed bullets. I could be wrong though as I've never had anything to do with one.
 
The lower velocities of these cartridges and the high cost of jacketed bullets for practising seem to make cast bullets a natural choice. I guess there just aren't many people in Canada that are casting or shooting 416 or 458. Too bad.
 
I shoot cast bevel base 525 gr in a heavy barreled 458 Win. If I keep velocity under 1180 fps accuracy is superb. Like "Sawzall" mentioned short cast bullets don't work well in my 458, needs 500's and 525's. I make my own jacketed bullets and buy cast. Backwards EH!
 
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