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luna butte
11-24-2011, 06:05 PM
i have been wanting to start casting my own. i am thinking about getting the 354g improved minnie mold for my 50 cal BPI-connecticut valley arms Elkhorn pro magnum with a 1:28 twist. i have been shooting 300g powerbelts for the last 2 years and though they have been plenty good enough, i like casting.

my biggest question is, will i need a wad of any kind beween the boolit and powder? i kind of assume that i will.

any other tips are plenty welcome as i really only use this gun to hunt with as i like the seasons that are available better than the modern firearm season around here. this gun usually gets shot a few times before the season opener to check the sights and then once during the season before it gets put away for the year. if i could shoot it for less than what seems like 2 bucks per shot then i think i would use it quite it more often.

725
11-24-2011, 07:01 PM
It should shoot the improved mini's just fine. They seem to perform well with a smaller amount of powder than the hunting loads. Because they are a hollow base boolit, I would not use a wad between the powder and boolit. Best way to find out is just shoot a bunch. I used to shoot power belts and they work just fine. I've stopped using them because of price and the fact that now I cast and enjoy it so much.

Welcome to the casting addiction.

mooman76
11-24-2011, 08:57 PM
I have never tried it with a wad but some report it helps and some that it doesn't. Like 725 said it's just one of those things you have to try and see how it does.

luna butte
11-25-2011, 01:26 AM
cool, if it's not a must have item then i will try it w/out first then go from there. i have a few felt lookin wads that a guy gave me but i wasn't sure if shooting with out em would cause me any trouble.

thanks

mooman76
11-25-2011, 11:31 PM
I never have tried using a wad. Mostly because I hadn't heard of it till coming here and I haven't shot my MLs that much the past few years and haven't shot my inline for a real long time. I didn't care for the accuracy it gave me but it was good enough for deer. I would like to try it again with a wad but I will start out with the Lee REALs first to see how they do. The minies didn't fit so good and I had to basically drive them down the bore like a REAL so I might as well use the REAL. Good luck.

frontier gander
11-25-2011, 11:57 PM
yes i certainly would use a wad. I was shooting my CVA Optima with American Pioneer as thats all i had left and the 250 REAL with a LUBED wad, cutting holes at 60 yards. Its always worth a shot.

luna butte
11-26-2011, 01:26 PM
They seem to perform well with a smaller amount of powder than the hunting loads.

this quote i find interesting, Are the improved minnies a satisfactory hunting bullet? i have read on here that alot of folks are using around 80g of powder with them so i thought i would start there with 777 though i also have a jug of pyrodex that i could use.

what say you?

mooman76
11-26-2011, 03:36 PM
777 is more powerful so you may want to start 10 or 15 gr less and work up.

corey012778
11-27-2011, 12:05 AM
i am not shooting 50cal improved minnies yet. I am 45cal improved minnies out of an win apex (made by cva) 1-28twist. only 65grs of triple 7 3fg. if i did the math right, around 80grs of 2f powder. if that helps.

luna butte
12-01-2011, 01:31 PM
alright dudes, i am a bit scared now. i flebayed this mold (http://leeprecision.com/xcart/MOLD-500-354-M.html) for cheap and now i am wondering how or what i should use as a lube. LLA, bore butter, or something else? help me out please

oh yea, i thought i was buying a regular lube groove type mold for some darn reason. i am not going to return it though i don't know how to lube it or what to lube it with.

frontier gander
12-01-2011, 01:53 PM
put some bore butter or crisco in a little plastic sandwich bag and work the bullets around in the lube. You dont need a lot and you certainly dont have to fill the entire grooves. Just give it a good skim and its ready.

Maven
12-01-2011, 02:29 PM
luna butte, As frontier gander, et. al., suggested, I too would recommend using a wad with Lee REAL's or Lyman-T/C-Saeco Maxi-Balls, but NOT with the Lee hollow base Improved Minie Ball. I tried the latter in my 1:28" twist Knight rifle with no more than 60gr. loose FFg and found the 50yd. point of impact was entirely different with v. without a wad. Btw, filling the hollow base with lube (Bore Butter) also changed the point of impact, but not as much as the wad did. Your gun may have different preferences than mine, so I'd suggest trying the Lee Improved Minie with AND without a wad.

swheeler
12-01-2011, 03:26 PM
i have been wanting to start casting my own. i am thinking about getting the 354g improved minnie mold for my 50 cal BPI-connecticut valley arms Elkhorn pro magnum with a 1:28 twist. i have been shooting 300g powerbelts for the last 2 years and though they have been plenty good enough, i like casting.

my biggest question is, will i need a wad of any kind beween the boolit and powder? i kind of assume that i will.

any other tips are plenty welcome as i really only use this gun to hunt with as i like the seasons that are available better than the modern firearm season around here. this gun usually gets shot a few times before the season opener to check the sights and then once during the season before it gets put away for the year. if i could shoot it for less than what seems like 2 bucks per shot then i think i would use it quite it more often.

I do believe the 354 gr Minie ball by Lee is called the MODERN MINIE, sometimes referred to as the trash can and a very different design than the Minie advertised as 360 gr. IMPROVED MINIE. I have the improved Minie and it shoots nicely in my CVA with 1-48 twist but does not do as well in my 28 inch twist inline, I use a 370 gr Maxi ball for it.

luna butte
12-01-2011, 03:54 PM
dang it, i thought i had my terminology correct but i can now see i was wrong again. if you all need me i will be searching the archives, for the lee trash can mold hehe

luna butte
12-12-2011, 08:27 PM
well, i casted up about 80 trashcan minies and started shooting for groups at 60grains of 777 increasing by 5grains every third or fourth shot depending on whether or not i called a flyer. i stepped off 50 paces and set my target up, and used a couple of bales of hay as a rest to shoot from.

60g without wad= 8"+ patterns
60g with wad = 5"+ patterns
65g w/out wad = 4.75"
70g w/out wad = 4"
75g w/out wad = 2.5"
80g w/out wad = 8"+ pattern

i was pretty disgusted and went to the house. i then wrapped a few in telephone book paper and cut me out a few felt wads from an old hat, a few days later i got a chance to shoot it some more and i started out at 75g and used both the paper patched minies and the lubed felt wads. things looked to be shaping up perty good with the first two shots touching but the third shot blew up and hit about 10" low. i was running late so i put it away until today. i ran another group of pp'ed minies with felt wads and they were all over the board putting me back to square one. i then shot a group of naked minies with a wad and they grouped prety poor as well.

i remembered getting a bag of 370g maxi balls in a trade last year so loaded up a few them with a wad and finally was able to put a group together. i used 80g 777, felt wad and bore buttered maxiball. i put eight of them through a 2" hole. i fired the first 4 with a spit patch between each and the last 4 loading as fast as i could to try and see how well my second shot at ol bucky would behave.

anybody want to buy target minie mold? i just don't think i will be able to get it to work out with my gun.

thanks for the help