Trying to Use One GG Bullet For BPCR & Muzzleloader

[Themoose]

I am trying to get my 45 Muzzleloaders and a 45-70 Sharps to use bullets from the same mold. In theory I should be able to use resize and paperpatching to do that, but can I just resize and not paperpatching?

I would like to use a lubed bullet for hunting. Would it be possible to resize from .460 to .452 successfully if I go in .002 increments an keep enough lube groove to work using NOE push thru sizer?

[rmark]

I have a Lyman .451 Volunteer mold I've just started using with a Pedersoli Tryon Creedmoor. The Lyman mold casts at .454 with soft lead, I size the lubed bullet down first to .452 then to .450 in two steps using Lee push through sizers. The lube grooves look to be about half as wide as on the original as cast bullet.

[Themoose]

Thanks rmark, That was what I was afraid of... I'm concerned that it would not carry enough lube to keep fouling soft. I could possibly get by with using lubed felt wad to make up the difference. thanks again for your info... anyone else try this?

[indian joe]

Thanks rmark, That was what I was afraid of... I'm concerned that it would not carry enough lube to keep fouling soft. I could possibly get by with using lubed felt wad to make up the difference. thanks again for your info... anyone else try this?

Have not tried this particular one but from similar experiments - 460 down to 452 I dont think you will have enough lube groove left to work in the muzzle loader ??

[country gent]

Pan lubing first and then sizing down may help preserve the grease grooves some as the lube will help lower them compressing some

[idahoron]

I have sized from 459 to 451. I didn't shoot them Greased but it was not super good. I shot them patched and had marginal luck at best. Like was already said the GG tends to smear and you get some wicked finning that goes on.

[rmark]

Wicked finning of the base is what I got when I tried a one step no lube .454 to .451 sizing. Kind of like the 1959 Cadillac of bullets.

I use a really soft half beeswax, half olive oil pan lube, not much stiffness to resist compressing the grooves when sizing.

[Good Cheer]

Themoose,
Yeah, that much lead moving takes swage dies to produce a good boolit.
In .45 caliber my solution has been to have the muzzleloader bore to fit "off the shelf" molds.
In .50 caliber I've sized boolits from .515 to .499 just to try it. Had the fins and scrunchy grooves discussed above. Across the yard they flew pretty straight. If an east Texas baconosaurus was in the back yard he'd a been in a heap of trouble.
Now I'm paper patching .515's and sizing to .519, shooting in a .520 bore.
Each path to boolit bliss has its drawbacks.

[indian joe]

Themoose,
Yeah, that much lead moving takes swage dies to produce a good boolit.
In .45 caliber my solution has been to have the muzzleloader bore to fit "off the shelf" molds.
In .50 caliber I've sized boolits from .515 to .499 just to try it. Had the fins and scrunchy grooves discussed above. Across the yard they flew pretty straight. If an east Texas baconosaurus was in the back yard he'd a been in a heap of trouble.
Now I'm paper patching .515's and sizing to .519, shooting in a .520 bore.
Each path to boolit bliss has its drawbacks.

I have a new and novel solution to this problem for "Themoose" -- buy a LEE mold for your muzzle loader - the price is up some ($30.98) plus postage - still aint gonna break the bank........

[bedbugbilly]

,008 is a lot to size down - I'm assuming you are using soft lead - the lead has to go somewhere when sizing down and usually it will be the grooves that take the beating. Unless you have the sizing dies already, what you spend on Lee push through dies to get down 008 isn't going to save you a whole lot over just buying a mold in the right size that you need.

I have had to resize down one boolit abut .005 to get it to work in the throat of my GEW98 Mauser - it was a royal PIA and what suffered the most were the lube grooves - plus, being a plain base boolit - I have totrim flash from the base of each of them. When done, they didn't shoot well at all. The mold soon took a hike and I didn't even wave goodbye.

If you have a boolit design that you'd like to use, but it's too big . . . you could send it to Tom at Accurate with the size you want the design to be in when finally cast and he could cut you one I would think.

[Themoose]

Thanks to all for your thoughts. What I had in mind was getting a HP Gould mold. Right now putting that to the back burner. As for Lee ml bullets, I am not a fan of their design. I do have some custom molds, but not in my budget at this time. Again thanks to all. You gave me what I need to think about.