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asp
10-27-2012, 10:17 AM
Hi everybody. My name is Anthony and I've been lurking here for a few months. I have made a couple purchases in the swappin and selling section, but no real posts yet, so here is my intro!

I picked up a RCBS 45 405 gr FN gc at a local shop as my first mold and managed to score a Star luber-sizer here in the classifieds with a .458 die. Perfect! With the help of a local friend who also happens to be a member here, I've picked up the process and have finally got my own operation going. No gas checks yet, but everyone knows that a thread is worthless without pictures.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy79/aspoirier/IMAG0835.jpg

I made 3 different loads for my H&R Handi, all with the same boolit and seated to the crimp groove.

37.5 gr IMR 4198- a little stout, about the same recoil, maybe a touch more, than Hornady Lever Evolution 325 gr
33 gr IMR 4198- on the lighter side, could shoot all day long
15 gr of Unique held down by a 22lr bore swab inside the case (Didn't have dracon)- extremely light load, going to work it lighter, maybe down to 11 or 12 gr

They all shoot great, no leading, but I think putting gas checks on is my next order of business and working the load a little hotter. Everyone loves a shoulder-breaking .45-70 :veryconfu

I now also have 3 other molds, a 4 cav Lyman 452488, Lyman 357446, and a Lee 309-170-F and hope to continue learning all about this new hobby, excuse me, addiction.

This forum has been a huge help getting me started and I just wanted to say thanks. I'm looking forward to learning more and eventually contributing to some of the cool research and projects that happen here.

popper
10-27-2012, 11:15 AM
Now the real question, how's the targets look?
Everyone loves a shoulder-breaking .45-70 Yea, right. Good job.

Michael J. Spangler
10-27-2012, 01:47 PM
Rocking man. Great pics and a perfect intro to the addiction

PS Paul
10-27-2012, 02:16 PM
Welcome to the forum, asp! For your first casting session, the result sure looks nice. That should be a good shooter, I would think? but you never know until you try.

Are you willing/able to post the results from these boolits when you go out to the range? That would kinda "complete the story" and really show there is success out there for first-timers who are hesitant to give it a whirl. Kinda like you- lurkers who finally give it a go, you know?
Paul

Shiloh
10-27-2012, 02:39 PM
Welcome to the board.
Well done, nice looking boolits. Thanks for the pix!! They make the thread.

Shiloh

PS Paul
10-27-2012, 03:08 PM
BTW, I too was a lurker for about 2 years before I finally joined up. Although I've been at it for 25+ years, I still learn something almost every day, which is part of the reason for doin' it our way in the first place. Info is pretty much priceless, you know?

wv109323
10-27-2012, 03:19 PM
Welcome to the forum. It looks like you are off to a good start.
I shot some of the Hornady Leverelolution ammo in my Marlin 1895 and it is all I could stand. For some reason the Marlin has a lot of kick.

OnHoPr
10-27-2012, 04:43 PM
Decent looking boolit. I think that top load is ready for chipmunks. I was looking at one of those Handi rifles in the 500 S&W, but i don't know about that, I think my glasses would fall off.

Wolfer
10-27-2012, 10:03 PM
I prefer the term passion, if I had an addiction I'd feel like I need to quit or go to meetings so I know I'm not addicted.
I could stop casting any time I want, I just don't want.

runfiverun
10-27-2012, 10:40 PM
wait.
i would be pretty leery of shooting the unique loads with that swab on top of the powder.
unique doesn't really need a powder positioner.
sometimes it helps sometimes it don't matter.
that swab couuld be pushed forward against the boolits base pushing air in between them.
this is how a chamber get's ringed.
i'm not saying it certainly will happen,i'm saying it certainly raises the chances of it happening exponentially.

asp
10-27-2012, 11:18 PM
Thanks for the responses everyone

Mike was the one kind enough to give me a hand getting started here.

No real target results yet with the .45-70. The first range trip was plinking with some buddies but I did this at 100 yards with my Marlin XL7 in 30-06 at 100 yards. Apparently my rifle likes 56 gr IMR 4198 under a sierra 168 gr HPBT.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy79/aspoirier/IMAG0836.jpg

Next time I hit the 100 yard I will put a few of these through my gun while on a bench rest.

Baryngyl
10-28-2012, 12:25 PM
wait.
i would be pretty leery of shooting the unique loads with that swab on top of the powder.
unique doesn't really need a powder positioner.
sometimes it helps sometimes it don't matter.
that swab couuld be pushed forward against the boolits base pushing air in between them.
this is how a chamber get's ringed.
i'm not saying it certainly will happen,i'm saying it certainly raises the chances of it happening exponentially.
I agree with this about not needing the swab.

I know it's not the same cartridge or bullet even but in my 458 win mag w/340gr and 500gr bullets I used 16gr of Unique without any kind of powder positioner and they worked fine.



Michael Grace

Michael J. Spangler
10-28-2012, 10:54 PM
Ok hijack time
What causes ringing?
Also why is unique not as position sensitive as other powders? Easier ignition?

Alright I did some reading on both subjects but would like to see what else people have to say.

runfiverun
10-29-2012, 12:46 AM
sometimes unique benefits from a powder positioner.
however a filler like dacron that touches both the powder and is slightly compressed by the boolit is the proper way to do it.
in my 45-70 with either a 405 or a 435 i use 22.5 grs of 2400 and a tuft of dacron to hold everything in place.
mu buddy uses a 405 and 10 grs of unique without a filler.
he was having some accuracy issues i talked him into trying the dacron and it definatly helped.
the filler in affect makes the chamber smaller and makes for better ignition.
but you have to account for it in your load, it will act like more powder in the case.

however anything that can be pumped forward can act like a solid piston like in your car [through partial burning or just velocity] and try to compress the air behind the boolit [you know something like a primer blowing over/through the powder]
that is where the ring comes from.

OnHoPr
10-29-2012, 07:24 AM
asp, are you quite sure about that load in the 06?

asp
10-30-2012, 12:37 AM
sometimes unique benefits from a powder positioner.
however a filler like dacron that touches both the powder and is slightly compressed by the boolit is the proper way to do it.
in my 45-70 with either a 405 or a 435 i use 22.5 grs of 2400 and a tuft of dacron to hold everything in place.
mu buddy uses a 405 and 10 grs of unique without a filler.
he was having some accuracy issues i talked him into trying the dacron and it definatly helped.
the filler in affect makes the chamber smaller and makes for better ignition.
but you have to account for it in your load, it will act like more powder in the case.

however anything that can be pumped forward can act like a solid piston like in your car [through partial burning or just velocity] and try to compress the air behind the boolit [you know something like a primer blowing over/through the powder]
that is where the ring comes from.
learn something everyday, thanks for the info.


asp, are you quite sure about that load in the 06?
yes and no.

i double checked... it was in fact 56.0 gr, but it was IMR 4350, not 4198.

That's what I get for writing my posts from memory, without my notes handy. Good catch.


Over the weekend I pciked up some trailbos0s... Maybe this week I will be able to put some actual accuracy tests on paper for my cast boolits with several loads.

mpmarty
10-30-2012, 02:26 AM
Favorite load in my 45/70s is 15gr Unique and 25gr 2400 with 350 gr RD cast boolits.

Wayne Smith
10-30-2012, 07:57 AM
Last I checked Blammer has gas checks.

asp
10-30-2012, 08:29 AM
Last I checked Blammer has gas checks.

Thanks for pointing me to him. I'm on the fence about whether I want to buy gas checks or make them for both .30 and .45. I don't shoot much volume of .45-70 (yet) but I could see it being really handy to be able to produce them myself.

asp
11-13-2012, 10:06 AM
To bring this thread full circle, here are some target pics. I was having a generally off-day, but I shot these groups both at 25 yards with my H&R Handi-Rifle with peep sights.

33 gr IMR 4198, some vertical stringing. Maybe a combination of me having a bad day or the load not being great for the gun. Either way, no leading. It's certainly minute-of-deer, but not even close to putting a bunch of boolits into the same hole. I just need to work up a load and figure out what my gun likes.
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy79/aspoirier/IMAG2113.jpg

12 gr Unique no filler. A little bit of horizontal spread but no virtually no vertical stringing.
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy79/aspoirier/IMAG2112.jpg


To bring this back to reality- I do not have the Midas Touch. I also tried my first batch of cast .45's (452488, just like the 452460 but one big lube groove instead of 2) and 357446 in my 1911 and Security Six respectively. The 357446 were great. I didn't take the time to take a picture of the target, but they were definitely all shooting the way they ought to. The .45's... not so much. Maybe I need to be more picky about culling reject boolits, I'm not sure. I have a couple more things to try before I draw any conclusions, but my target was very ugly.