Will a SWC feed through a Win 1873"

[greenjoytj]

I have read that cast SWC bullets don't feed reliably through lever action rifles.

I want to know if the RCBS bullet mold 45-270-SAA which casts a SWC bullet, will feed through a Win 1873. Also will it carry enough lube for a 24" barrel to use with BP?

I have a Miroku built Winchester 1873 in 45 Colt on order, so I want to start acquiring powder and bullet supplies to feed it.

I have a LEE 452-255-RF-DC mold that I cast with 20:1 alloy for my Ruger New Vaqueros, it works with BP in a 5.5" barrel. This bullet has very small lube grooves, I'm not sure if it will work through a 24" barrel with BP.

I also have a SAECO #955 255 gr. RNFP that I haven't cast with yet. I got it for the RNFP style, weight and what looks like a big lube groove. Hopefully it will work in a 24" barrel with BP.

I'm sure I have will work with smokeless powders in short and long barrel.

[JSnover]

Can't answer the specifics but I have had no trouble firing cast/lubed SWC from my Marlin 1894, smokeless and black.

[square butte]

The 1873 is a straight in push out of the carrier block, unlike 1892's and 1894's ( both of these are ramp feed) . Less chance of a feeding problem with (SWC's) semi wadcutters out of the 1873's and 1866's. As long as you have the correct cartridge overall length, you should feed fine.

[T-Bird]

Square butte is correct, I have a Miroku 1873, the oal is what's important, because of the way the action works.

[danmat]

My 1873 Miroku 357 feeds everything I have run through it with out a hitch.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I don't have much Lever Gun experience but have an idea; If you want Keith-like ballistics and can pick a TC (truncated cone) bullet, that might feed better than an SWC in a lever gun, and would have a nice flat meplat for safety and hard impact on game. Maybe someone has tried those?

[35 Whelen]

I have a Uberti 1873 .44 Magnum and it won't feed the cast bullet from the Lee SWC mould for diddly, but it will a bullet from the RCBS 44-250KT wonderfully. I have the RCBS 45 mould you're talking about and love it for my revolvers but have never tried it in a lever.

As far as lube capacity and BP goes, I've found there are a couple of things to consider. First and foremost is the powder. In my 1866 Uberti Sporting Rifle 44-40 with its 24" barrel, I've tried some old GOEX and some new Swiss 3Fg. Even with this bullet:



...and it's giant lube groove, the GOEX would foul the bore out in 5 rounds while the Swiss was good for 25 or more. Granted, I was using a bullet lube designed for smokeless powder (TAC-1, available here in the vendors section), but it proves that good quality powder fouls less.

I have one of the Lee moulds you're talking about and I don't think there's any way that bullet would work in a 24" barrel. I'd suggest you look at one of these:



It'll hold plenty of lube for BP, but can be used just as well for smokeless. I use the .44 caliber version for smokeless and BP in my 44-40. Heck, last year I shot a buck with it. NOE frequently has 15% off sales, just sign up for their email specials and you'll know when they happen.

35W