LEE 457 405gr mold?

[Huntsman]

Hello there all, I just picked up a Lee 405gr .459HB mold for my 45/70.
1st of all did i get the right mold for my Marlin 45-70?
2nd I also bought a .457 sizer .
Can I size a .459 boolit to .457?
Thanks in advance:-?

[sandhillscowboy]

huntsman yes you can about .002 is about all that you want go over, other wise you start to push to much lead around

[jack19512]

Hello there all, I just picked up a Lee 405gr .459HB mold for my 45/70.
1st of all did i get the right mold for my Marlin 45-70?
2nd I also bought a .457 sizer .
Can I size a .459 boolit to .457?
Thanks in advance:-?






I have the 405 gr. mold and it shoots very well in my 45/70. I prefer the 340 gr. though but both shoot well. Yes you can size a .459 boolit to .457.

[dualsport]

Might try one as cast/unsized in a dummy round, see if it chambers ok. Lots of times for me a boolit that's a couple thousandths over groove diameter is more accurate, less leading. I shoot my Lee 405s unsized in my H&R 45-70.

[Huntsman]

Thanks guys, I tried to resize one and the boolit got stuck in the re-sizer. I lubed it too. Maybe I need alot more lube? I used the Alox that came with the sizer.
I ended up taking a blow-torch to it to melt it out. I did however make a dummy round and it chambered perfectly in my Marlin.
Whats the difference between a "hollow base" and a flat base?

[Wayne Smith]

First things first - go get a hollow sinker and a brass/bronze 1/4" or 3/8" rod longer than your barrel. Oil your barrel. Use a mallet to drive the sinker into the muzzle of your rifle, use the rod to push it the rest of the way through the barrel, feeling for tight spots.

Get a micrometer or find someone who has one and knows how to use it. Measure the groove of your barrel by measuring the high spots of the slug. Size your boolit .002" larger than the groove of your rifle.

Now you know what size sizer to get. I assume the sizer you got was the Lee? What kind of press have you mounted it in? I use a RCBS JR3 and have sized unlubed boolits in a Lee sizer without problems.

What kind of alloy are you using?

A hollow base boolit is one that has a depression in the base. It is sometimes used to adjust the weight of the boolit and is sometimes used to encourage expansion of the boolit into the bore, as in the minie ball used in muzzle loading rifles.

[John Guedry]

I use that mold and get good results.

[Huntsman]

Yes it is a Lee sizer(457) and WW and assorted lead.
So then I won't need a gas-check for smokeless powder with this mold?
I have Varget on hand and found data for this combo.

[454PB]

That boolit works well in my Marlin GS. I slugged my barrel at .457", and I size to .4585". No gas checks needed if velocity is held around 1600 fps.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

As stated, slug your bore, make a dummy to check function, Your Marlin will probably like the .459 boolit better than sizing down to .457....mine like .460-.462, so do your home work if you are looking for an accurate load...have fun, working up a good load for Your gun is half the fun.:lovebooli

[pdawg_shooter]

I regularly size my .459/.460 cast bullets down to .4515 for paper patching. Use a push through die an it work fine. Accuracy is good. Performance on game if you use soft lead is all one can ask for.

[XWrench3]

first, you probably will not even need to use the sizer. i throw 460" boolits into my guide gun with no trouble. the advantage to a hollow base bullet, is the pressure from the powder burning will force the bullet to seal up tight to the bore of the barrel, usually virtually eliminating leading problems.

[rhead]

It is a good mold. My Marlin likes them at .462.

[Tazman1602]

Thanks guys, I tried to resize one and the boolit got stuck in the re-sizer. I lubed it too. Maybe I need alot more lube? I used the Alox that came with the sizer.
I ended up taking a blow-torch to it to melt it out. I did however make a dummy round and it chambered perfectly in my Marlin.
Whats the difference between a "hollow base" and a flat base?

Next time you do this Huntsman take some Hornady one-shot or other aerosol case lube used for resizing and spray the bullet with it then let it dry and it won't stick. Another member posted this here and it's worked very well for me with those big bullets.

You *can* anneal (make softer...) the sizer by melting them out. When mine get stuck I usually just beat them out after drilling a small hole through the middle -- I have not had this problem since using the case lube trick though.

Art

[BrianB]

Huntsman,

at .459, I would not resize. So far as leading goes, lube with Alox as per the instructions. I have shot in the neighborhood of 1,600-1,700 fps with absolutely no leading using .459 bullets and Lee Liquid Alox.

No you won't need a gas check. Unless the mold was designed for gas checks, I doubt you could get one on the bullets anyway. Don't worry about spending the money on a resizer only to find it was wasted money...I did the exact same thing!