Ranch Dog TL460-425RF

[DLCTEX]

The new mold came today, so I fired up the pot and had at it. While the pot was heating I scrubbed the mold cavities with dish soap and an old toothbrush. I then dunked the mold in the melt to bring it uo to temp. As usual, the boolits were wrinkled and remained so after 25 or 30 casts, so I cooled it down and cleaned it again. Again a dunk in the melt and with the pot running hot, I began casting again. Still wrinkles, so tried pressure casting with the sprue plate held against the spout. This got mostly unwrinkled boolits, but very frosty. I cooled the mold and turned the pot down to 7 (Lee pot), the 6, then 5. The oils finally burned off and I began getting beautiful, shiney,well filled boolits that fell from the mold like hot butter. This is with straight WW metal. I plan to dip lube them with LLA and then again with JPW. Any one have experience with these? I'm thinking of using R-7, or 3031. I may give SR-4759 a try with a tuft of dacron, but 400 fps slower with only a 500 psi pressure drop doesn't seem like a good trade-off.

[Ole]

I got that same mold in the mail today as well.

I'm not making any boolits with it though until I get my hands on a .460" sizer die and some gas checks.

[timbuck]

I got that same mold in the mail today as well.

I'm not making any boolits with it though until I get my hands on a .460" sizer die and some gas checks.


Same here. Contacted Buckshot for a sizer.

[DLCTEX]

Last night I gaschecked and Dip lubed (JPW) some of the boolits. 3 dips are too much. I used a .457 size die in my Lyman 45 and just pressed them into it enough to attach the check. I loaded one round this morning (ran out of time) with 26 gr. SR4759 and fired it. It hit poa at about 25 yds.(gopher mound). This evening I loaded 6 more with 28 gr. They really tear up a gopher mound. I will have to load some up with 3031 and R-7, plus more of the SR4759 and bench them to see what they do. They dropped at .460 and are .0005 wider at the seams. I had to seat them all the way to the top groove to get them to chamber. I may ream out an extra .457 mold to .460 to lube them in the lubesizer. We'll see how the JPW works out.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Hullo Dale, you don't say what you are shooting, so I'm guessing 45/70 and maybe a Marlin lever?? If so the .460 should work fine, it does in mine.

The powder question, I use a lot of RL-7 and 3031, 4198 and 4895 are good also. I'm to old to worry about anything newer than the RL-7. I use it more than the others because it meters really well. I also get good accuracy and velocity with it, but nothing you can't get with 3031.

By the way RD has some 350 gr. .460 mold in stock at this time, if your inclined to liter boolits[smilie=w:

If you get anymore aluminum molds, you can save some grief by dropping them in some mineral spirits for 12-24 hours and then cleaning them with soap and water, this gets all the oil out of them the first time and you should get good boolits quicker. IMHO[s[smilie=1:milie=1:

[Ranch Dog]

Hey fellows

I wash my molds with Coleman fuel before I cast. I get them wet, brush them down with a toothbrush, and rinse them. It takes a minute or two and the air dry in seconds. I then set my mold on top on my pot while I prep the alloy and it is up to heat when I get ready to cast. When I finish the session and after the mold cools, I spray it with WD-40 and wipe it down prior to storage.

As far a heat goes, I monitor the temperature of my pot every 15 minutes and adjust accordingly. I've settled on a temperature that runs between 700° to 750° which requires small adjustments between the 6 and 7 index on both of my Lee Pro 4-20s.

With the volume of molting lead vs. aluminum body, these molds can over heat so I keep a damp rag on my casting bench. Damp... not wet. When my bullets frost over or start to stick, I set the mold on the rag for a few seconds. This cooling becomes part of the casting cycle in that I get X amount of drops and then X seconds on the rag.

The TLC460-425-RF is a extremely impressive bullet especially when pushed to it's full potential from the Marlin rifles. I favor it in my 1895MR (450 Marlin) and shoot it's little brother from my 1895G. Steelbanger son, Michael, used this rifle for his hog hunt on my place and found out that multiple kills with a single shot was the name of the game.

My most accurate load to date is 42.5-grains of H4895. I expect to see .65 to .70 MOA any time I shoot it. This isn't a max power load, sitting right at 30.0K PSI and 1450 FPS, but it will kill a gopher at 100 yards! I consider a full charge of H4895 to be 47.0-grains. Here is a 100-yard target.

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/TLC460425RF/Targets/1895MRH4895425.jpg

Definitely a thing of beauty!

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/TLC460425RF/Images/TLC460_Loaded.jpg

[DLCTEX]

Yes, it is a Marlin lever action, thought I had posted that, but it's in a different thread. An 1895 Guide gun, ported, SS. We have been told in other forums that it will safely take the Ruger #1 loads, but I really don't care if it will as I don't really want to shoot anything hotter than the hottest Loads Lyman reccomends in the Cast Bullet Handbook.
BTW Michael, how do you like that Lee Classic Cast Turret? I don't see the safety Prime on it. I use mine more than I do my Lee hand Auto prime now.

[dk17hmr]

I have the RD 311-165, I use it in all my 30 cals. I dont even have a lever action centerfire. I also lube and size them in my RCBS, just because I dont like the way LLA smells.

I am going to have to get this mold someday, I have a feeling my dads Sharps 45-70, my 45-70 and 450 Marlin Handi rifles will like it.

[Ranch Dog]

BTW Michael, how do you like that Lee Classic Cast Turret? I don't see the safety Prime on it. I use mine more than I do my Lee hand Auto prime now.

My press is the stand Lee Turret. I've used it for about 9 years now, XXK rounds a year! I did replace the head on it this past year. It got a little too much play it it. I'm still using the Auto-Prime but I suspect the Safety Prime is a great tool as I've never had a problem with the similar system on my LoadMaster.

[44man]

The new mold came today, so I fired up the pot and had at it. While the pot was heating I scrubbed the mold cavities with dish soap and an old toothbrush. I then dunked the mold in the melt to bring it uo to temp. As usual, the boolits were wrinkled and remained so after 25 or 30 casts, so I cooled it down and cleaned it again. Again a dunk in the melt and with the pot running hot, I began casting again. Still wrinkles, so tried pressure casting with the sprue plate held against the spout. This got mostly unwrinkled boolits, but very frosty. I cooled the mold and turned the pot down to 7 (Lee pot), the 6, then 5. The oils finally burned off and I began getting beautiful, shiney,well filled boolits that fell from the mold like hot butter. This is with straight WW metal. I plan to dip lube them with LLA and then again with JPW. Any one have experience with these? I'm thinking of using R-7, or 3031. I may give SR-4759 a try with a tuft of dacron, but 400 fps slower with only a 500 psi pressure drop doesn't seem like a good trade-off.
Dale, 4759 is a great powder and works better with the shorter barrels like my BFR 10" although it gives super accuracy in about anything. With your rifle, you are free to use slower powders.
3031 is very accurate in a rifle and as RD says 4895 is also great.
I kind of steer away from 4198, I had bad pressure excursions in my revolver but it might be OK in a rifle.
Keep us posted with groups. My friend has the 45-70 guide gun so I am interested.