To gas check or not to gas check...

[22to45]

I am thinking of getting a Lee 405 grain FB mold for the 45/70. I currently cast 500 gr gas check bullets for it, and wonder if I will have poorer performance with the bullets without gas checks..

[Piedmont]

What velocity? What gun? Is the Lee 405 you are interested in the hollow base version? It will come down to bullet fit and velocity desired.

[22to45]

I shoot a bolt gun, a siamese mauser that was converted to 45/70. I load the 500 grain boolits quite hot, 1890 fps, but it is less than 8 lbs, and kicks the @#$ out of my shoulder, it is too kick heavy for me to play with. I would like to get 1500 fps out of the flat base boolits, and get good accuracy.

[Larry Gibson]

I get very good accuracy out of my Siamese mause 450-400-70 (alright...it's a 45-70) with hard cast flat and bevel base bullets up through just short of 1600 fps. The target was fired at 100 yards. The Leupold scope has a course crosshair that covers 1/3 of the bullseye covering all of the group showing. Group would have been better with a finer crosshair but it ain't bad now so I won't "fix it". That is a Midway on sale cast bullet at 413 gr. It is over 43 gr milsurp 4895 with a 1 gr dacron filler. Velocity is 1575 fps. Load 1 gr more powder and the group goes to 6" +. Depends on the bullet how close to that you'll get.

My experience with the 45-70 is anytime I want to push a cast bullet over 1500 - 1600 fps I'll use a GC'd bullet for best accuracy, otherwise it can get frustrating fast. I push the Lee C457-500-FC at 2150 fps, the Lyman 458483 at 2200 fps and a Barnes 400 SP jacketed bullets at 2300 fps. All of those out of the 8 1/2 lbs rifle of mine let you know you've pulled a trigger, especially off the bench.

Larry Gibson

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
SHADES OF WILL SHAKESPEARE:Fire::Fire:.