Good afternoon and Merry christmas to all:
I've been lurking around this forum for a couple of years and threading on the Handloads.com for the same. Both forums are very informative and very nice and knowledgable on both.
Maybe some background is in order. I'm 58 years. Been a fabricator/welder most of my working career. Might get to retire in about 7 years, the good Lord willin. Been reloading since I was 16.
I started PP'ing a few weeks ago. I was encouraged by a fellow worker and gun collector. He is also a real lover of the older BP cartridge rifles. I have Read Paul Mathew's book "The Paper Jacket". Very good reading. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to get started in PP'ing.
To begin with, I shoot a H&R Buffalo Classic in 45-70. I do want to get a Rolling Block in 45-70 in the next couple of years. If any of you fella's have the Rolling Block in 45-70, I would appreciate any information on best choice and price and accuracy etc.
I have two moulds of my own but have borrowed others. So far my favorite is the Lyman 457132 that I have I tried the Lee 405 grain HB which was my first. I could only shoot them to about 1225 fps then start to lose accuracy. I figured if that is all the speed I could get, I would go to a bigger bullet. I switched to the bigger 457132 mould which drops out at 530 grains with ww's.
The naked and pp'ed bullets both shoot well at about 1250 fps. I'm still expierimenting with upping the velocity a little with the pp'ed bullets. I do know that anything above 1400 fps, starts to get real uncomfortable in the light rifle. Maybe I should leave it alone, the velocities are on parr with the BP loadings and flat trajectories just are not going to happen with this cartridge. I did install a piece of lead filled copper pipe in the stock which helped to dampen recoil considerably.
I have been patching with tracing velum paper of .002 thick. I size the cast bullets to .454 and use two wraps. The dried patched bullets are coming out .459 to .460. I do not size the patched bullet as some do. I lube them, load them and shoot them. All I get is confetti out the barrel which is what is supposed to happen. No blowby. Sorry for the long post.
Jack