.45-70 casting alloy question

[roscoe]

Right now I'm casting a NOE .257 round for my air rifle. I'm using 97.5% lead, 2.5% tin from Roto Metals.

I have a few bullets coming from Missouri Bullet Co for testing. I plan only on shooting paper and steel between 100 & 500 yards, no hunting.
What lead tin ratio should I consider?

[John Boy]

What lead tin ratio should I consider?
1:16 The Dan Theodore tested alloy ratio

[runfiverun]

20-1 works for a lot of guy's in my area.
depending on what your intended use is,[plain base 1300 fps type loads] that 2.5% tin alloy could work quite well also.
it's probably called 40-1 anyway.

[44man]

Strange things happen in the 45-70. In my BPCR I use 20 to 1 mostly but once I tried my WW metal and got leading, not bad but there it was.
Now when I tried smokeless, WW metal did good and so did 20 to 1. The soft lead did wonderful with 3031 powder, had some groups at 50 yards looking like one hole.
Soft and the 45-70 go together, I have yet to try it in my 45-70 revolver and need to since my hard boolits go through deer like a sharp stick. I did bad once by using a 420 gr HP made from 50-50 alloy, heat treated. I destroyed a whole shoulder on exit and the whole off side was blood shot head to butt.
For target only you need to try each alloy. Even a powder change might mean an alloy change. In a rifle I really like 3031. Recoil is softer and accuracy is tops. 4198 will beat you and I never had luck with Unique, etc.

[Jim..47]

I never used lead boolits for deer hunting, but wheel weights seemed to work good for plinking and paper. I used H322 for powder out of my Contender pistol. I tried all the recommended powders in Lyman's book, but H322 out did them all. My son found the same results with his Encore pistol and he shot a full rifle load (that is with Hornaday HP's 300 Gn.s His group was 1-1/2 inches at 150 yds.

[hickfu]

I would mix your alloy 50/50 with pure and use H322 as the powder...
second choice is 3031, I use both.
Short range powder puff loads = 2400

[country gent]

I use 20-1 with most of my BPCR loads. I load Black Powder loads for BPCR Shilouette. 40-65 45-70 and 45-90 and soon 38-55. I tried 30-1 and had some mild loss of accuracy at longer ranges. At 45-70 pressures with black powder or substitute loads ( loads in the same 1200-1250 fps range) harder bullets dont always obtrate to seal the barrel and can cause some leading. You didnt state what rifle barrel length or twist you had. On alot of these reproductions 28-30" is standard with up to 34 not unussual. These longer barrels can present issues needing more lube to get to the muzzle

[Scharfschuetze]

You didn't say what rifle you are shooting, but I'm assuming it is a modern one.

I've never found modern 45/70 barrels too finicky about alloys if velocities are kept to 1,300 or so. Some of my best long range loads have been with just straight COWW at 1,300 fps out of H&R or Marlin rifles. For your goal of paper punching and steel through 500 yards there isn't really any need for too hard of a boolit. That said, I've also had great results with commercially cast boolits that are way harder than needed. The Oregon Trail 405 grain boolit is always a good choice for modern barrels and can withstand velocities high enough to separate your shoulder when fired from a light rifle.

With my original Trapdoors and their 3 groove barrels, a soft alloy shoots best and the classic 1 in 20 mix is the cat's meow. With BP I use an SPG type lube and with smokeless I default to the 50/50 NRA formula.

[bdicki]

I'm using 20/1

[44man]

I got a batch of Oregon Trail boolits to test and they were just too small at .457" for my Browning rifle. I need .460" so the Rapine boolits shot best. When he made molds you could get the size you needed but my friend retired.

[Scharfschuetze]

I got a batch of Oregon Trail boolits to test and they were just too small at .457" for my Browning rifle. I need .460" so the Rapine boolits shot best. When he made molds you could get the size you needed but my friend retired.

I sometimes stop by the Oregon Trail shop in Baker City, Oregon when going to or coming from hunting trips or to visit kin in Wyoming and Colorado. Next time I stop by there (perhaps in early April), I'll ask them about it. It never occurred to me to ask about their sizing before as the .459" size that I get has always been just right for my Marlin and H&R rifles. One advantage of buying directly from them at the shop is that if they have unsized and unlubed boolits in stock, you can buy those. I picked up 1,000 unsized and unlubed 405 grain boolits last August. Give me a minute and I'll open up one of the boxes and measure the unsized boolits.

I once had a Browing 1895 BPCR rifle. It too leaded badly with anything but unsized boolits at +.460."

By the way, I have a Rapine mould for the 45/70. Too bad he retired as he was a trendsetter for quality and customer needs.

Update: Here is an unsized 405 grain OT boolit.