45-70 mold question

[Moondawg]

I am new to casting for rifle (but not pistol). My question, I recently acquired a Browning 1885 BPC Highwall, with the Badger barrel. Generally speaking, for that rifle barrel combination, what would be a good, accurate 500 gr boolit mold for silhouette and general shooting. I am partial to saeco molds for pistol boolits? Does Saeco make such a mold?

[475BH]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite/CurMolds/default.html

[mustanggt]

Just had a group buy a few months ago that is a 500gr cut by Swede at NOE. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet as am busy with other projects. Looks like a fine boolit though. That was a big group buy so there may be plenty of guys to help you out.

[peerlesscowboy]

Lyman 457125

[montana_charlie]

Does Saeco make such a mold?
http://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/88-bullet-moulds-charts
Click on the left-hand page of designs.

CM

[44man]

Lyman 457125
This boolit did not work in my Browning. Badger barrels run on the large size, around .4593"+. It has a 1 in 18" twist.
I would not use less then .460".
The Postell did not shoot good either. Even the 500 gr RCBS was too small.
The closest I came to a good boolit is the 500 gr Gov't boolit at .460" from Rapine and a .500 gr Dave Farmer made a mold for.
I still have a lot of work to do but because I quit BPCR because of finances, I put it off.
It is a hard gun to work with with shallow rifling and 8 lands and grooves. Sort of a micro groove.

[44man]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite/CurMolds/default.html
The 463-515 looks like a good boolit.
You can't use gas checks for BPCR so some of those are out.

[peerlesscowboy]

This boolit did not work in my Browning. Badger barrels run on the large size, around .4593"+. It has a 1 in 18" twist.
I would not use less then .460".
The Postell did not shoot good either. Even the 500 gr RCBS was too small.
The closest I came to a good boolit is the 500 gr Gov't boolit at .460" from Rapine and a .500 gr Dave Farmer made a mold for.
I still have a lot of work to do but because I quit BPCR because of finances, I put it off.
It is a hard gun to work with with shallow rifling and 8 lands and grooves. Sort of a micro groove.
I shoot the Lyman 457125 in my Miroku Winchester 1885 hiwall "Creedmore" .45-90 w/badger barrel & they shoot good, size 'em (459) and lube with SPG.

John C. Saubak

[bobthenailer]

i also have a browning bpcr , im pretty sure they came from the factory with a badger barrel. I use the saeco #020 540 gr fpgc , 50 grs -aa 3100 , 2 1/2 inch 25 shot group at 200 yards with a scope

[cajun shooter]

Try the Saeco 745 bullet mould. It's bullets would just make one large hole for me at 100 and 200 yds out of my 1874 Pedersoli Sharps with 34inch barrel. The load was with 63 grains of Goex Cartridge with a .030 over powder card. The charge was compressed with a compression die so that the slight crimp was over the first driving band. This would of course depend on the chamber of your rifle.

[44man]

Try the Saeco 745 bullet mould. It's bullets would just make one large hole for me at 100 and 200 yds out of my 1874 Pedersoli Sharps with 34inch barrel. The load was with 63 grains of Goex Cartridge with a .030 over powder card. The charge was compressed with a compression die so that the slight crimp was over the first driving band. This would of course depend on the chamber of your rifle.
That Sharps is one great gun. My friend shoots one and it will handle boolits mine will not. He uses the Postell.
Every Lyman and RCBS mold I bought is undersize at .457".
Before I quit, I was experimenting with a .464" boolit in the Browning and it shows promise.

[peerlesscowboy]

Every Lyman and RCBS mold I bought is undersize at .457".
My Lyman 457125 drops @ .4595" cast from Ly#2 alloy. If I was using softer alloy I assume they'd be more like .459"? My RCBS 45-500-BPS mould drops about .001" smaller.

John C. Saubak

[adrians]

457125 ,,,, "beagle if needed" :twisted:[smilie=1::evil:

[44man]

My friend with the Pedersoli Sharps is the worst caster I ever knew. Never a single boolit I would shoot with wrinkles, bad bases, etc. He has more lead on the garage floor then in the pot. :veryconfu
He tries all kinds of stuff like over loading by compressing powder in stages, using wads or none at all, I could go on for a week! :bigsmyl2:
Yet his gun shoots them all.
My problem is long range stability. I put a big scope on the Browning and have actually shot 1" and 2" groups at 200 yards but boolits go haywire at about 300 and I can't keep them on a ram at 500 meters.
I am 100% stupid with the BPCR but can keep boolits on a ram at 500 with my revolvers.
One problem I had with the Browning was the aluminum trigger with the steel insert. The insert was wearing and it got to the point that it would go off when I closed the gun. I had to hold the hammer back. I made a new trigger from tool steel to fix it. (Ever fire a rifle with a 1/2 oz trigger?)
I will take all of the help I can get because I am a dud with this gun.

[cajun shooter]

One other thing that I would like to say about pouring the large bullets for the 45-70. In my experience with the bullets past 450 grains or so it is much better to ladle pour than try to bottom pour from my RCBS PRO MELT. I also heat the mould on a large single burner hot plate rather than on the edge of my pot. When I try using the bottom pour I have a very high reject box and with the ladle it is just the opposite. When weighed the bullets are with in tenths of each other. I shoot a 20-1 alloy also. I use a Wagge pot for the ladle work. I wish you the best on finding your answer.

[Mark Daiute]

I am new to casting for rifle (but not pistol). My question, I recently acquired a Browning 1885 BPC Highwall, with the Badger barrel. Generally speaking, for that rifle barrel combination, what would be a good, accurate 500 gr boolit mold for silhouette and general shooting. I am partial to saeco molds for pistol boolits? Does Saeco make such a mold?


I have the SAECO mold. I'm using straight lead and 20-1 lead tin and it is casting at .458±. I need .460+ for my trapdoors. I don't want to shoot hard alloys and I don't think changing the alloy is going to gain me .002. I think .458 is good for your rifle. I have plenty that I could send out to you to try and maybe we could work something out.