Mold recommendations please

[Rokkit Syinss]

Rifle is a .45-70 Pedersoli Down Under Sharps, 34" barrel, throat is .460", grooves are .459"

One or two cavity, aluminum or cast iron. Must drop 1:20 at .460" to .462", no HP or HB styles. I prefer lots of lube groove for long barrels, my usual lube for boolits I cast is LBT blue soft. Purpose is strictly ringing steel at 100-300 yards. Loads will be smokeless. Please provide specific mold numbers as some makers have dozens of designs.

325-375 grain weight range

400-450 grain weight range

PS- with .459" commercial boolits, hard (Lasercast) or soft (9 BHN from a friend) this rifle leads badly. Badly is defined as fire 20 rounds then push 25-30 grains of lead out of the barrel. Yes, I actually weighed what I pushed out it was so bad.

[Grmps]

If you take up powder coating, you can easily add several thousandths to a regular mold's boolit dimension. (** different powders add different dimensions)

A friends 45-70 needed .461 fodder

[Bent Ramrod]

My go-to starting boolit for .45-70s is the Ideal 457124. Nominally, it’s 405 grains, but it seems to vary between 385 and 405 depending on alloy.

Other designs might edge it a little, particularly as ranges and winds increase, but it is never a bad starting point for ranges out to 400 yards. I’ve cast it with everything from pure lead to range scrap and it’s always performed well.

I like your handle. Did you work at Redstone?

[Rokkit Syinss]

My go-to starting boolit for .45-70s is the Ideal 457124. Nominally, it’s 405 grains, but it seems to vary between 385 and 405 depending on alloy.

Other designs might edge it a little, particularly as ranges and winds increase, but it is never a bad starting point for ranges out to 400 yards. I’ve cast it with everything from pure lead to range scrap and it’s always performed well.

I like your handle. Did you work at Redstone?

Thanks. Any idea what diameter it drops 1:20 alloy? .460" is my absolute minimum.

I used to work at NASA Goddard and retired down here.

[jmort]

Tell Tom at Accurate what you want and that is what you will get

[MT Chambers]

You could contact Dick Dastardly for one of his "big lube" molds.

[Bent Ramrod]

Mine casts around 0.459” IIRC. Don’t know what the newer Lymans cast at; you could call Lyman and check. A custom maker ought to be able to cut the cavity at the diameter you need.

[Wayne Smith]

A custom maker will cut the mold to size according to the alloy you use. Change alloy, change diameter. Tom at accurate will ask you to specify your alloy.

[Rokkit Syinss]

Been a busy week with garden canning, casting .30 cals and making thermocouple mounts for a PID. Meanwhile I managed to get an Arsenal 330gr and NOE 396gr (PB abd GC cavities in one mold) to try.

Look for a quick & dirty thermocouple mount post later today. No cutting, no drilling just a few easily available parts, one bend, white vinegar soak to remove galvanizing and a little cold blue to prevent rust.

[59sharps]

Moose mould has several different ones.