I've been given 40 or so linotype 370 gr boolits 459 diameter. I checked hardness and they are 10 on SAECO tester. I have a Martlin 1895. Would these work well for hunting? My other lead hunting boolits are much softer. Input? Got any suggestions for load data?
I would recommend that you do a pound cast of your 1895 and measure the diameter of the unrifled portion of the throat ahead of the case mouth, before the rifling starts. My experience with Marlin MicroGroove barrels in all calibers is that they run "large" and to use a hard linotype bullet of only .459" diameter, you are setting yourself up for some severe leading!
For hunting I use soft 1:30 tin-lead alloy at .462" diameter in mine with RL7 powder. Your mileage may vary.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
I'd recast em bigger and softer. Or trade em. Somebody will send you 80-100 softer .460-ish boolits for 40+ pure Lino boolits.
KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.
I guess they'll go back on the shelf and I'll order a 405 gr mold. I don't have any 458 molds. I just wanted to load sumptin up for hunting tomorrow. I'm out of factory and to cheap to buy more.
405 Flat nose in 50/50 ww and pb work well? will measure throat and order suitable size die.
For me, I would only use the hard bullets at the upper reaches of velocity, however I always use some tin to get better mold fillout and prevent the bullet from fracturing on big bones.
Knowing no better at the time, I cast Lyman Gould 457122 HPs in linotype for my 1972 vintage Marlin 1895. Even sized them 0.458, as was recommended in those pre-awakening days. Loaded over 16 grains of Unique (the Lyman manual listed a max of 19 grains), they would explode like varmint slugs in a jackrabbit.
On one well remembered afternoon, I carried this rifle in my right hand, thumb on the down hammer, barrel resting on my right shoulder. Walking the hill country acreage of the family place, at different times, four john rabbits burst from nearby brush and attained warp speed in a few leaps. Those few leaps constituted the rest of their lives, because I could snap that rifle down to shooting position, cocking it on the way and put the front bead on the fur, looking through the Lyman 66 with Merit disc. They were no more than 30 feet away, so no lead was needed. They opened up so flat, I could have run them through a scanner.
Not all 1895s are microgroove - what year is your rifle? have you slugged the bore?
Reloading Data Project - (in retirement)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/reloadersrfrnce/
I have the same marlin /microgroove 45/70 and have done pound cast ,.459 works great in mine!I do not know about Saco hardness but with my Lee tester,BHN of 10 ain't that hard ,mine will run 1500fps with no leading all day !
72 vintage, first one to hit McBrides Guns in Austin, and, though an early one, is microgroove.Originally Posted by wiljen
No, I've not slugged it.
I used to haunt McBrides when I was a student at UT in the early '70s. Great gunstore. Just didn't have much money then.
I also have a Marlin 1895 45-70 that I have been wanting to try cast in. Would love to try PP boolits.
While mine was not a microgroove barrel, my experience mirrors Edward's post. Mine was a Ruger No.1 and a H&R Handi rifle. 10 to 13 BHN and sized .459 shot like a dream and no leading. Took my Ruger 1 up to about 1300fps using air cooled wheel weights. The only leading I ever got was with a box of commercial cast 400 gr'ners , sized .457. one shot was all that was needed to lead the bore. Didn't have my LBT hardness tester at the time so I can't say just how hard they were but you could not mark one. If you already have them, load up a few and shoot them to see how they do. My best loads was with SR 4759 can't remember exact charge but thinking I found online or in Lyman's Cast Bullet manual. Sorry I got rid of mine. Had several good molds and like I said cast shot so good, they never saw a jacketed bullet. Like they say, your mileage may vary, but if I had the bullets already, I definitely try them. Merry Christmas.
I slugged my bore. It's 458. I started getting brass together to reload a few test rounds. Hornady brass 2.032 RP brass 2.090. My RCBS die won't even form a crimp on the Hornady brass. Didin't realize the length difference. Guess I gotta cut down my seating die. SOOOO much fun.
shoot them. Youll find that hard bullets usually shoot better then soft in any good gun. That's why we are all chasing jacket bullet accuracy. Ive shot game as big as 1000lb buffalo and have done tons of penetration testing with linotype and have never seen a bullet fracture. As a matter of fact the only bullets ive seen fracture are water dropped ww bullets and even then it was only bullets like swc that have a sharp transition from the nose to the shoulder. Ive busted bone with them and pushed them lengthwise through animals with no problem. Most of what you will be told about it happening is urban ledgons that people gleamed off the internet. Not ACTUAL hunting experience. Ive hear people make such dumb statements as lineotyp bullets shatter when shooting a steel target. Try it with ANY bullet and the results will be the same. Also forget all the bs about bullets bumping up. If you need your bullet to bump up to get accuracy theres something wrong with your gun that needs to be fixed and bumping a bullet up to a blob of lead sure isn't ever going to give you the same accuracy as a bullet that leaves the barrel as it was designed.
The Hornady brass sounds like it's from their levolution product, they make it short, I don't remember why. I would not suggest standardizing around it.
Loaded the lino over 42.6 gr AA2230C. Installed skinner sights. about 1 inch groups at 50 yds. and pleasant to shoot. Segregated hornady short brass. Havent decided what do do with em yet
You may want to check BST, someone was looking for a few hundred pieces and will to trade for full length.
My micro- groove Marlin .45-70 will shoot lino cast boolits without to much leadingjust cleansd it after about fifty rounds of hard cast linotype boolits very little leading the bore on my rifle slugs at .458 with no tight spots try sluging your barrel and go from there. most of the time I shoot w-w and they work even better.
Good question. Linotype is typically 25 to 30ish BHN. 10 BHN is only about 4 pionts up from pure lead. "Hard Cast" bullets are usually in the high teens BHN.
Motor
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote