First 45/70 casting session!! Did OK....

[sharpshooter81]

Well, just another newbie story about my first casting session....I got my Lee Mold a few days ago....its the .459-405gr-HB for the 45/70. I had about 300 lbs of wheels weights already cast down into 2.5 lb ingots (did that while I was waiting for my mold to arrive). I read a lot about the Lee hollow base bullet molds....seems sometimes its hard to cast a good base with this mold SO.....I filed the hollow base pin flat....After getting the old Coleman stove fired up, getting everything up to temp, I cast the first dozen and put them directly back into the pot (figured it would take a few to get he hang of it)....Then I cast 55 more "good" ones.....just wanted to see how I could do....Out of that 55, seven were rejects, the other 48 were excellent!! Filing that HB pin out of the bottom of the mold made my bullets jump from 405 gr to 416-418 grain.....checked the base of all 48 with a micrometer and they varied from .460-.463....pretty consistent IMO....The only thing is that the noses of some of the bullets seem a little rough,...kinda like the sprue plate is roughing them up a bit in the sprue cutting process....any ideas how that can be fixed???....Other than that, had a great time casting, cant wait to do it again....Nice shiny, well filled out bullets are pretty!!! LOL....

[stubshaft]

Need pics!

[Max Brand]

Need pics!

Yup, without pics it didn't happen.

Here's an example, my 530 grainers as dropped for my 45/70



Glad you were happy with the boolits and congratulations, now you know that it can be done!


Max

[Denny303]

In my limited experince, ive only ever used lee molds to date, 45/70 included, and i have found that there is a "middle ground" if you will, of mold temperature and material temperature that your boolits will be drop perfect. too low mold temp and the nose will be deformed and the bands wont fill out nice and sharp. too hot and the bullets get frosty, but more importantly the mold will become too hot and will bind/mar/gauld on the aluminum when u cut the sprue. the more you cast the better you will get, good luck!!!

[63 Shiloh]

Max, do those nice big boolits function through a Marlin lever gun mate?

I have been thinking about asking Tom from Accurate Molds to make me a 535gn 'Piledriver' DC brass mold for a few weeks now.

Mike

Yup, without pics it didn't happen.

Here's an example, my 530 grainers as dropped for my 45/70



Glad you were happy with the boolits and congratulations, now you know that it can be done!


Max

[Max Brand]

Max, do those nice big boolits function through a Marlin lever gun mate?

I have been thinking about asking Tom from Accurate Molds to make me a 535gn 'Piledriver' DC brass mold for a few weeks now.

Mike

Mike,

Those are actually cast up for my Marlin 1895 and they function quite well in it. The mould is an RCBS 45-500-FN and they drop right at 530 grains with straight WW alloy.

Max