1895 GS loads

[akriverrat]

hello all, i was reffered off another forum when i asked some casting questions so im here for your expertise. i have a new marlin 1895 GS that sparked my intrest to do my own casting and reloading. i have alot of equipment to buy now including moulds. i am intrested in hunting as well as shooting with the bullets i cast. i have about 800 pounds of sheet lead that i aquired off a hospital job and plan on putting this to use if its not too much a hassle to get the consistency i need to get accurate and hard enogh loads for hunting. so my first question would be on the moulds. i am looking at the lyman 457122 for a hunting round as its says its a proven hunting load. problem is im not seeing what its been proven on. i am planning on using my loads on bigger game, large moose,and caribou. bear protection i can cast larger solid loads for bone breaking. so i am looking for first hand experiance with the lyman 45-330 gould express and what your thoughts are on this load. if you would suggest a different round i would like to hear why as well. thank you for helping me with my new up coming hobby.

[No_1]

Welcome to the board. You are at the right place to find out what you want to know. I do not use that boolit but there are some here that do and I am sure they will chime it.

Robert

[454PB]

Welcome to the forum!

I haven't used the mould you mentioned. I cast three different boolits for 45/70, but the only one I've used on meat is the Lee 500 gr. GC. I found it doesn't even slow down on Deer size animals, and is just the ticket for Elk at under 150 yards. I suspect your 330 gr. Lyman boolit would be fine up to Elk and Bear size game, but I would go with a heavier boolit if I was hunting Moose.

[akriverrat]

another one that i was told would work better than the lighter boolits is the 405 grain but the discussion was more on accuracy. are you shooting your deer behind the shoulder? i am not wanting to ruin too much meat but i also want a quick kill. if im shooting a 405 grain for moose how hard a bullet would you suggest and where would you place it? if i was to pass it through the lungs behind the shoulder and out the other side would thsi bullet also knock that sucker down? with the slower velocity i would imagine alot of force behind that boolit rather than the animal not even knowing its hit.

[WHITETAIL]

:pakriverrat, Welcome to the froum!
I like you have a new 45-70 and want a good boolet for it.
So I posed the same question?
What I was told was the 300 gould bullet was a great
deer boolet.
But others said to try the 405 RCBS boolet.
Well, the 330 boolet was a great sucess in
wet news print at 100 yards.
The 405 boolet also showed good mushrooming.
But I ran out of time for deer season.
So I just used the 405 for both deer and bear.
The deer was dead before it went 20 yards.
As far as bear, still looking.:coffeecom
:castmine:

[DLCTEX]

Take a look at Ranch Dog Molds, link found at the bottom of the page. Tested and proven by forum members.

[HCL]

Hard to beat the RCBS 45-405 for accuracy or performance. My 1895GS is my go to gun for everything around here. You will really like yours..
With hard cast boolits you dont have to worry about ruining alot of meat, they make about a 1/2" dia hole in and out, very little meat damage. No expansion required, its a big boolit that makes two holes.
I use nothing but water dropped WW and find they work really well. Mould fill out is fine without adding tin. I keep the velocity about 1950fps, they give outstand penetration without the boolit coming apart on large bones. Anything over that and you would have to get creative on your alloys to keep them together. Not to mention the recoil becomes abusive to you and the gun.
Where in AK are you located? I am in Palmer.
Mike

[EMC45]

I use the Lee 405gr RNFP. I killed 2 deer this year with it. Didn't even slow down at all.

[hunterns]

You will love the rifle, and cast is the way to go in 45-70. I shoot 405 flat base, 350gr GC and 425gr GC. I let my hunting buddy shoot his moose this year with this rifle using the 350GC from a Seaco mold it took a off shoulder to stop the bullet. The moose was close to 900lbs he was shot at 25 yards. I have shot a black bear with the same round and he never went anywhere but on his face. I going to try the 425gr this year I had made by mountain Molds. It's design is similar to the Ranch Dog mold mentioned.

[Parson]

I would like to make a suggestion if I may. I was in a similar situation as you with the same rifle. I too had a bunch of lead, again like you some of it came from a hospital x-ray room remod. Dan over in Delta Junction needed some of that soft lead (he casts and sells commercially) so I swapped lead for cast bullets (he had a good variety available) I settled on a 475gr. wfn gas check, accurate and heavey enough to punch through almost anything and feeds through a lever action flawlessly. You can look him up at www.bullshop.gunloads.com

[HCL]

+1 on Dan, just plain good people! Give him a holler...

http://www.bullshop.gunloads.com/

[akriverrat]

thanks for all your replies. i have been looking at the ranch dog molds and the 405 grain rcbs has racked up enough suggestions that i better give it a try. i might also look up dan for a small trade. i dont wnat to give up too much lead as i also make lead, powder coated jigs for the fishing season. one thing i am noticing is that most recipes are calling for linotype lead which is not what i have i dont believe. its looking like it will be easier for me to just aquire clip on wheel weights for my boolit casting. unless the therory of the wheel weight lead 50/50 mix is actually as good of a mix as i have heard. mike i am located in Eagle River but travel out sometimes for work. last summer i spent in delta junction working on a power plant in greely. too bad i didnt know about dan and i was going to get a 1895 over the summer.

[Parson]

If what you have did indeed come from an xray room, you have pure lead and it is very dersirable for a number of applications. Except for muzzel loaders it should be alloyed with something else and that something else will vary with your end use. Straight wheel weights is most versital. Your pure lead mixed 50/50 with linotype is equal to Lawrence Magnum alloy, almost identical to Lymon #2 in hardness. Black powder shooters would almost kill to get a batch of pure lead as big as yours, mixed with a little tin it is perfect for them. I dont think I would mix the pure with wheel weights, save it and use the ww straight, just my opinion

[Wayne Smith]

50/50 lead and ww is a very good mix for slightly hard boolits. I am casting the 457122 but have yet to use it on game. It is a very small hollowpoint. It is the classic eastern deer boolit. In your shoes I would want a larger boolit, 405 gr at a minimum. A 405 with a good sized meplat is probably one of your best choices. There is a group buy going on now that probably fits that definition, and I would bet that there will be an extra or two. It should be coming in probably in January or Feb.

If you are willing to push these boolits relatively fast 50/50 will expand in a solid boolit. If you can get some tin than 10% tin will make boolits that have penetrated through two bison standing side beside. I don't think you will have problems with penetration.

[akriverrat]

so if i cast straight ww lead then i am looking at a kill behind the shoulder passing all the way through and the animal running off a few yards before falling. and if i use 50/50 WW lead then i am looking at a hit behind the shoulder passing all the way through and making themoose do a backflip and drop where it stands?

wayne are you telling me that if i shoot a 50/50 mix then i need to push them through my barrel pretty fast because of expansion or are you saying it will expand in the animal if i push it through pretty fast? thanks again for all your comments.