Question on bullet alloy for .45-70

[roscoe]

I've decided I want to cast some .45-70 bullets for silhouette and paper shooting only. I have some lead from Roto Metals that shows on the label; 1 to 40 (97.5% lead, 2.5% tin)

How would this ratio work out for silhouette shooting? I currently shooting a .535 grain cast, Lyman Postell 457132 purchased from Buffalo Arms. It shows as being 20-1.

[Hickory]

40-1 should give you a good start if you don't push it too hard.

[country gent]

I cast all of my shillouette bullets from 20-1 and it does very well for me in my rifles ( 38-55, 40-65, 45-70, and 45-90) loaded over BP. I load for 1150-1200 fps velocity. Use a lube desighned for what your doing IE a good BP lube with BP loads SPG, emmerts. Or a lube meant for smokeless if duplicatio loads are to be used. I have worked with alloies from 30-1 to a alloy of 20-1 with 3% wheel weights added for the atimony. 20-1 seems to seal the bore well and shoots good, it also appears to transfer energy to the steel targets better.

[buckshotshoey]

I use a fairly soft alloy in mine. I think its about 40 to 1. But i am coming to the conclusion that i need something harder. Loaded up some cast WW's and going to try them. If my groups tighten up, i know im on the right track. If the results improve, and my research says it should, I will buy some Hard Cast from Roto Metals to firm up my lead stock.

Lots of good advice on this forum. But what it really comes down to is.......Do what your barrel tells you to do. You just have to know how to listen. And really, thats the biggest thing i learned on this forum.....half the fun is getting there. The successes, the failures, the questions, the answers. Just have fun with the experimentation.

[runfiverun]

20-1 seems to be a standard like 2/6/92 is for the commercial casters.
you have 40-1 so start with that, adding a little tin and trying 30-1 or even 25-1 side by side shouldn't be all that hard and can show you a little something right off the bat.

[Scharfschuetze]

You didn't say what your rifle or barrel is. I think that will have some impact on your alloy. Out of curiosity, what is it?

My original 45/70 barrels get a pretty soft alloy like 20-1 or softer (without any antimony) in order to shoot well in the 3 groove military barrels. My modern 45/70 rifles (H&R Trapdoors and a Marlin 1895) really don't give a hoot one way or the other and often a harder alloy like Lyman #2 or Linotype shoots the best in these. Velocity, lube and sizing will all probably have more impact on your success than the exact alloy.

As Buckshotshoey notes above, your barrel will tell you what it likes best.

Good luck! Let us know what you settle on.

[17nut]

I have a Marlin 94 in 44MAG with the dreaded micro groove barrel.
I cast 1:33 and add a gascheck, that i push to @1750fps and havent cleaned my barrel the past 4500shots.
A small lie! It sees a boresnake twice a year wether it needs it or not.

[Tenbender]

Why shoot expensive alloy at paper ? I just use wheel weight lead. It is cheap and shoots well. Now for a hunting round I mix it 50 50 with pure.

[Lloyd Smale]

if accuracy is the main goal then start at ww and go up in hardness from there. A lot of my lever guns seem to like about 16-19bhn for there best accuracy.