CB's for Thumper

[TXGunNut]

Think I'll do it this year, finally found a CB load, maybe three, that works in my .45-70 Guide Gun (Thumper). The 330 Gould HP (Lyman 457122) seems to like RL#7 and the 405 FP (Lyman 457193) seems to like IMR4198. Alloys were WW with just a touch of tin, starting loads in Lyman catalog were maybe .5 grains too hot. 330 was bouncing the scope eyepiece off my glasses and stringing a bit, 405 was stringing vertically also.
Couldn't find a decent load last year but the Gould mould is new and the 405's I shot last year were a bit harder. Had to harvest a nice pig w/ a j-word RP 405 SP.
This year's going to be different. Dunno which boolit I'll choose, think I'll load up some more with a little less powder and see what tomorrow brings.

[Fenring]

That Gould will go crazy when it hits pork.

[TXGunNut]

Would you use the 330 Gould or the 405 FP? Guessing the Gould will be doing a lazy 1800fps, the 405 an even more stately 1500. May actually shoot a deer this year but either will do fine for a S. Texas deer.

[Fenring]

I would probably go with the Gould. Unless really big, mud encrusted boars were on the menu. I think you will get more emphatic kills with the HP on run of the mill pigs. Certainly, I've found the 275gr Devastator at 1650fps out of my .44 to be a real "bang-flop" proposition. Very happy with it - your boolit is heavier and going faster so it should kill pigs like lightning.

[superior]

Try a plain based 405 from pure lead (stick-on w/w) at about 1200-1400. Very accurate in my guide gun and will blow a half dollar sized hole through a hog. He won't care if it's not a hollow point. Air-cooled w/w will do a quarter sized hole. Either way, penetration shouldn't be an issue.

[JJC]

I'm trying a 45 cal 395 gr 60/40 stick on clip on ww. Heated and quenched. Will let you know when I get some testing done. 50/50 water dropped, like I did, or some variation of seems to be one of the popular methods of some hunters here.

[TXGunNut]

Thanks, guys. Latest boolits are softest yet and are 100% clip-ons. Last year's boolits were 20-1 and 30-1 commercial alloys. Hadn't considered going softer until now. Seems I'm going in the right direction. Headed to the range to try out last week's WW boolit loads, right after a bit more coffee.
Will definitely try a little softer recipe soon. I'm trying to keep velocity up as I'm a terrible judge of distance. Seems that out past 100 yds 2-300 fps makes a big difference in trajectory.

[TXGunNut]

Thumper beat me up pretty good today but I had good results with the 405's, Gould boolit was pretty disappointing. Think I'll drop both charges a full grain and try again when my shoulder heals up. Bore cleaned up nicely after 20 rounds, little or no leading. May cast a few softer boolits in the morning and let them rest for the next session.

[crabo]

Try a blend of 50/50 air cooled pure lead and WW. I am getting 1500 fps with 40 grains of 3031 with the 460420 plain based boolit. I don't get any leading, great accuracy, and the recoil isn't bad.

I've probably shot 150 since I last cleaned it and don't plan on cleaning the bore anytime soon. I did firelap it and my BIL's and neither one lead up with that load.

[GrayFox]

TXGun Nut: With the 457193 where are you crimping? I crimped a dummy round in the last groove before the front band and I jammed the action as it was too long. With a BP or Pyrodex load I could crimp over the front band and they'd go through the action for sure. GF

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

TXGun Nut,

Go with the boolit with the biggest meplat.

I took an elk Aug. 1st with a 465gr boolit from a mold made by Bruce - BABore.

He recommended 50/50 WW/Lead water quenched and propelled by H335.

This is combo is the best combination I have found for my RUGER #1s - 45/70.

At 1600 - 1700fps, that boolit was AWESOME in taking game.

Great high quality molds, and Bruce is very helpful.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[TXGunNut]

With the 457193 where are you crimping?-GrayFox

Lyman lists an overall length of 2.550 for this boolit and the 457122, I've had good luck following their recomendations. With the 457193 it's very similar to a SWC in a .45acp, the 457122 crimps into what we normally consider a crimp groove.

[TXGunNut]

Go with the boolit with the biggest meplat.-Ol' Coot

That seems to be the boolit design my GG seems to prefer but will continue to test the Gould boolit as well. If I find a boolit that almost-but-won't-quite fill my needs I'll go the custom mould route. At this point I'm plugging along on one variable at a time and I'll get there someday. Had some 30-1 commercial alloy and some WW's already cast so I loaded them today. Seems yesterday's best performers were likely 20-1 commercial instead of WW's. I dropped the powder charge behind both boolits by a full grain (I know, two variables! ) so I'm in Trapdoor territory for the 405's and below Marlin starting loads for the Gould.
Next casting session will involve more Pb if one of these doesn't work out.

[TXGunNut]

The 405's (both 100% clip-ons and comm. 30-1) worked great today, having shoulder issues so 3-shot groups were very good, 5-shot groups were just tolerable. No idea what happened to the 330's, forgot their POA was somewhat higher and simply zinged them over the backer board (& into the backstop!).
Will be pouring the 50/50 cocktail into the 457193 tomorrow, guess I'll give the Gould one more try as well.

[TXGunNut]

Loaded up the 50/50 WW alloy boolits that I cast last weekend. Put the 405's over 35 grs 4198, the Gould 457122 over 38 of the same. All those boolits sitting on the bench next to some 45-90 brass talked me into a bit of BP loading, stuffed 75 grs of FFg under the 405, 80 under the Gould 330. Thumper's going to have a bit of company on the bench tomorrow. My Sharps (AKA Boomer) has a couple of loads that need testing too!

[TXGunNut]

Looks like the 405 is going hunting this year! Load worked quite well, put 8 out of 10 into 2.5" @ 100yds, first flier was from a cold oily bore and the other was.....did I mention the little brute's name is "Thumper"? Having shoulder issues lately and this little project isn't helping. (Couldn't find an "OUCH" icon.)

[Fenring]

That will git 'r' done.

[pls1911]

Go with ww/pure 50-50, the Ranch Dog 350 heat treated and ice water quenched, and 40-45 grains of RL-7.
Huge meplat, hard (22+), and malleable not to break up, this penetrates whatever it hits and holds together through heavy shoulders, hip joints and jawbones.
If you're looking heavier slugs, go the RD-425 route.
However, it's punishing at full house loads and won't kill anything mo' deader.

[45-70 Ranger]

Having a GG for over a year now (as opposed to the old Sharps and Trapdoors that were sold for house down payment......well, let's not go there).....but now limited to the GG, I've tried many cast rounds that were in my inventory. The best pig stopper I have is the simple Lee 340 RNFP. Driven to about 1250 to 1300 cast in a soft alloy (nearly pure lead with a touch of linotype) the wound channel is impressive. Prints close groups off the bench (no rest other than holding it up with my hot little hands) where they're fighting to get into the same hole at 50 and spread to no less than 2" at 100. Williams 5D rear and factory bead up front.

Been working with the 405 HB and had issues with the mould, but still looking for the right combination to get it tight. Had a real problem with the old Ideal 385 gr. 457124 that served as my main mould for well over 45+ years in my Sharps and TD's. The longer bullet wouldn't stablize in the GG. Keyholed a bunch. The shorter Lee's in 340 are tackdrivers, and hit the hogs I shoot weekly, right in the sweetspot. Have yet to have one get up after taking one hit. I'm not pushing them above 1250 and my 12 year old grandson shoots the GG with that load and askes for more rounds I think it's something under 10 or 12 pounds of free recoil. Sweet to shoot and drops critters at the same time. (I'd post a pic of some of the pigs I've shot, but I have no idea how to do so here. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed wehn it comes to computers.)

Hope you have a great hunt. And by the way, like yourself, my GG got a name too! "Nemisis Enforcer" My daughter in law gave it that one. Kinda fits it too as everything I hit with it goes to the ground like being hit with an anti-tank round

Enjoy and be safe,

Wade

[TXGunNut]

Another RD fan! I was just looking at his .45-70 moulds earlier, will look @ the Lee 340 as well. Case expanding die and taper crimp dies should be in the mailbox tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm pushing my cast boolits too hard, 45-70 Ranger. I have some very accurate j-word bullet loads at velocities that match the .450 Marlin (and mebbe a bit more) but Texas deer and hogs just don't need rhino-roller loads.
Wish I had video of my most recent hog; nice 200-225 boar literally dropped in it's tracks. Too bad it was a RP J-word 405, will do better next time.