How safe is this?

[Edward429451]

I got pretty leaded up in my new guide gun with those 405 Lee's first two times out. I had sized them to 457. Reading on here indicates I was too small in diameter and that some of you guys are shooting them at 460 unsized and just lubed.

Last night I went ahead and cast a few more and they fall out at 460 to 4605 and I lubed them in one of Lees lube melt kits and they lubed up nice.

My question is, without slugging the barrel...How safe am I to just go ahead and load em up (blind) and shoot em?

I have RX7 and was wondering about the starting load of 40.0g. Do you think I'll be alright with that load or should I maybe reduce 3 to 5g to be on the safe side?

[45 2.1]

Shoot them as is and try the listed starting load first. A little large lead bullet won't have much effect on starting pressure.

[Buckshot]

................Long as there's enough room in the chamber for the case to let'em go you'll have no problems.

..............Buckshot

[buck1]

A pure lead sinker will be easy to push through the bbl. Its better to know, and its not hard to find out. You should be OK if you start low and work your way up slowly. BUT ITS BETTER TO KNOW FOR SURE.......... Buck

[Ricochet]

Like Buckshot said, the important thing is that the cartridge with the bullet loaded in it will chamber freely and isn't too tight at the neck. It needs to expand very slightly to let the bullet out. A lead alloy bullet .003" or more bigger than the barrel's groove diameter's no problem, it'll swage right down on firing. The barrel throat's the best sizing die you've got.

[Edward429451]

Well, judging from my expanded casemouth diameter vs a loaded cartridge diameter, I should be ok. Also, I could swear that I read about a poster here that said he didn't slug and just shot some 460's and everything was fine but I can't remember who it was.

I'll load some with starting loads tonight and see how it goes. I figger it'll KB on the first shot or else everything will be fine. Little to no leading and closer to the bullseye...

Thanks guys.

[cbrick]

Slugging the barrel is pretty simple. You already have the mould. Now all you need is some stick on (not clip on) wheel weights. At a BHN of 5 they make great bore slugs. Clean the barrel, run a lightly oiled patch through the barrel and tap the stick on WW bullet through. Don't forget to clean the oil out of the bore.

Rick

[Dale53]

A perfect test to determine if your rifle will handle a .460" bullet, is to try to slip it into a fired case (from that rifle). If the bullet slips right in (before you size the case) there will be NO problem.

Dale53

[Edward429451]

Yeah a .460 slips right in a fired case so I should be ok then. Especially considering that nominal jacketed diameter is 458 already. I've always been told to go over by .001 for cast and didn't really think that .002 would be a big deal but one never knows so best to ask.

I've been real hesitant to slug it because I have never done it and don't really know how hard it would be to get a slug through that long barrel. From what you describe, its just tap tap tap and it goes through rather easily.

Do you think I'd have a much harder time using a ww slug vs a pure lead one? (I have lots of those on hand)

[felix]

Actually, the final sized boolit should be such that the boolit won't go in WITHOUT some friction, especially with the neck thickness of that brass, assuming the brass has not been altered by neck turning. ... felix

[drinks]

Edward;
The barrel specs for H&R, at least, allow .002" + - , from the nominal diameter and this is considered safe with jacketed bullets, so the much softer cast bullets would be no problem at any reasonable close size, likely .004-.005" + -.
My .45-70 Handi barrel is .4565" and I have fired unsized , as cast bullets ,of .4605" with no problems