New Guy, and opinions wanted...

[mommicked]

Hey, y'all. My name is Mitch and I live near the Southern NC Outer Banks, and proud to be native to the area. I'm an electrician, hunter, target shooter. I'm a less than perfect Christian husband and father of two lil wild Indians.:-D

I'm fairly new to casting, and am head over heels in love with paper patching for the 45-70 Marlin (I hang out some at Marlin Owners). I have been casting my own using Lee molds(.452 300gr LC, .457 340gr, .457405gr). I got about 1500 lbs of construction sheet lead from a demolition job a year ago, and that sealed my fate, I had to start casting.

I'm looking to buy a custom mold to make the perfect mold for .45-70, to shoot in my Marlin 1895. I want a good hunting bullet for deer and black bear. I'm looking to the 325-350 grain weight range for tradjectory. I'm unsure of the alloy I'll settle on, but prolly WW or softer. I want a bullet that opens and expands, not just punches a hole through.

I'm thinking of a .452/350 grain hollow base (to tuck the tails in) or a GC that could be used (eventually) in a .45LC should I wind up with one. I think the bullet should have grease grooves (yeah, even for a patched bullet). I've thought this "magic bullet" over forwards and backwards, and the more I think about it the more confused I get. Does anyone here do bullet design therapy?

Mitch

[Bass Ackward]

I'm a less than perfect Christian husband and father of two lil wild Indians.:-D

I'm fairly new to casting, and am head over heels in love with paper patching for the 45-70 Marlin


Mitch,

Less than perfect huh? Well, maybe you will fit in. :grin:

Anyway, you know how you hear that theory about how people select dogs based upon how they look like them, well I have the same theory about bullets.

My wife prefers short and fat boolits. We won't go there. Judging from the board, paper patchers tend to be not wrapped to tight or a little twisted. :grin:

Yooze in the right place. I can't help ya persoanlly , but then there is a lot of folks I can't help. I've gotten used to it and just want to welcome you to the board.

[dragonrider]

Hi Mitch, welcome to the board. I am also 45-70 lover but I have a TCR 87 single shot instead of a lever gun. Bullets for this cal are numerous to say the least and what will work for me may not for you. You need to try as many as you can in the weight range you mentioned. I have a 300, 350,405, and 475 grns and I need a few more. In my rifle they need to be sized at .460"/.461", again yours may be different, most likely it is. You will need to slug your barrel to be sure.

[44woody]

Mitch try Dan at moumtain moulds I don't know there address right off hand do a google on it and you should find it another place you might try is Magma Engineering Co. there phone # is 480-987-3301 and talk to Marry there I know some boys out in TX. that shoot a 45/70 that I cast some for and they like the 405gr rf better than the liter bullete and they are cast out of soft lead and welcom to the board :castmine: 44Woody

[SharpsShooter]

Welcome to the board! If you like the 45-70, you will find yourself amongst many here. If you just intend to hunt with it the Lyman 330gr "Gould" hollow point would not be too bad a choice. I personally favor heavier boolits in the more weighty regions of 500+ grains with black powder as a first choice of propellant. With smokeless loadings in my 1895 Marlin, I like the 420gr Lyman 457193. It has a nice large meplat and when cast in 20:1 it is a fine preformer on about anything you might choose to hunt on this side of the world.

SS

[1Shirt]

Pretty much agree with Sharpshooter about the Gould HP. I am also very partial to a 405 plain base flat nose Ohas that I drive over 26 gr of 2400. Welcome!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[kodiak1]

mommicked Welcome aboard
Ken.

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome to the board! I'm in VA Beach, not too far from you. I don't have a 45-70 at the moment, but have loaded and developed BP loads for an original Trapdoor. I have the 520 gr Lyman mold if you don't. 457125, I think. Anyway, close to the original rifle bullet. I've not paper patched, but am coming close to it with my Steyr 8x56R! And another like it on the way.

Another less than perfect Christian husband, but then LOML isn't a perfect wife, just more perfect than I! I shoot at the A&P outdoor Range just north of the NC line. My best friend and I are sometimes there together.

[mommicked]

Thanks fellers! Wayne, I live near Harkers Island, about 4 1/2 hours south of you. I like to get up to your area about every other year for a weekend with the wife(One year VA, the other Wilmington NC/Myrtle Beach). We often stop at the Hilltop Brewery for supper. A buddy of mine just left Hampton, and is now stationed in Maine. We shot last year at a NICE public range, somewhere just west of Williamsburg.

I'm new to casting, but find it addictive and fun. I like soft bullets at all different velocities from trapdoor speeds right up to "did you bring any BC powders with ya?":groner: I hope to do a lot more after deer season, and hope to take my first cast bullet game this season(they're a gonna have to be thick, folks:-D ). I've looked at the Gould Hollowpoint (thanks to the late Mr. Paul Matthews) and like what I see except that they're tried tested and true. I guess I just wanna re-invent the wheel and with no good reason.

Who makes good adjustable weight molds? Where can you find used molds? I'm sure some folks look down on 'em, but I'm glad the good folks at Lee make inexpensive ones or I might not have tried all this madness.

Mitch

[Yance]

Mitch;

Knew you were from "Down East" from your "handle". I have kin up to Atlantic.

www.mountainmolds.com for your "perfect" mould. Dan has a DIY (design it yourself) program that works quite well.

From the other end of The State.

[Yance]

Oops! Looks like Dan still isn't up and runnin' yet. He moved from Pocatello, (I thnk) to Cottonwood and was hoping to have his shop back in business by August. Just checked his site and he's still working on the shop.

[9.3X62AL]

Mommicked--

Welcome to The Asylum. You arrive insane even before a good initiation, wanting to do the paper jacket bit in the 45-70.

Judging by your reference to Mr. Matthews, it sounds like you've read his book on the subject. Good. I also dabble around with the 45-70 a fair bit, using a Ruger #1 with what is politely called a "Government Ballseat". A more accurate assessment of its contours might bring to mind concrete city curb profiles. ABRUPT is the word that occurs to me, and the Marlin is usually chambered in similar fashion.

I mention this based on some paper patching adventures had with this rifle of mine--that abrupt leade profile is quite adept at peeling back that laboriously applied paper jacket, and sending an undersized soft lead slug toward the muzzle with a good bit of pressure behind it, which capably acts like a blowtorch--plating the bore wonderfully and comprehensively with lead, and bushing the bore down to about 39-40 caliber in 5 rounds or so. Figure on roughly .001" per round fired. The WHIRRRRRRRR of boolits cartwheeling downrange after being influenced by this newly-applied bore surface is your first clue that the stock leade profile might not get along with paper jackets very well. Confirmation comes when viewing the bore through the Ruger's loading port--and seeing that it resembles water pipes excavated at Pompeii.

Now, if your Marlin digests paper patches without the above drama sequence--I'm heartily happy to hear that. BUT--if things go south, don't dismiss full-sized castings. I say this because my #1 will reliably place 5 rounds inside 1.25" at 100 yards with 405 grain castings from a $13 Lee single cavity mold with boring regularity. Expansion like that possible with soft/unalloyed lead is great--hell, even roundballs from front-loaders can rivet up some on impact--but let's remember that the boolit is already almost 46 caliber, and it won't shrink much :-)

A LOT of 45 rifle molds won't produce boolits fat enough to fit the throats of many rifles chambered in 45-70. Dunno if you've slugged your bore and throat yet. That idea of patching up some 45 revolver boolits has merit--I did the same thing with some Lyman #358430's in pure lead for my 9.3 x 62, and they shot GREAT. If your rifle dotes on your patched slugs, NEVER MIND.

[Bigjohn]

mommicked;

Welcome to the board from south of the equator.

I have and shoot several rifles in 45/70 with smokeless and BP. I have PP'd some boolits from an aussie built mold but no shooting just yet.

I am led to believe the secret for LA rifles is to patch passed the start of the ogive so the patch leading edge does not get caught on the leade of the rifling. Also seating the projectiles far enough into the case so the patch can not get caught on any sharp edges as it loads into the magazine then chamber.

The diameter of boolit/patch depends on your barrel dimensions.

In your previous post you mentioned the "Late Paul Matthews"; as an avid reader of his works on the art of single shot rifle shooting, I was not aware that he had departed for the great range in the sky. When did this happen?

:drinks:
John.

[VTDW]

Mitch,

It is good to see you here. There is so much knowledge freely shared here it is going to make your head spin brother.:drinks: Be sure to create some folders because you are sure going to cut and paste LOTS of great information from those that have already earned the T-shirt.:mrgreen:

Dave

[Buckshot]

..............mommicked, let me add my welcome also. Since you say you paper patch alloy is no problem at all. Cast your slug of pure lead, patch it and shoot it to the level you can stand. You'll have the finest big bore hunting boolit known to mankind.

A couple good inexpensive slugs that should work like gangbusters would be either the Lee 340gr or the Lee 405gr. Both have suitable meplats, and both are plain based designs. I have patched enough of the 405gr Lee's to sink a bass boat. Just wrap them, lube with Lee LA and then run them through a .459" size die. I've fired them to a bit over 2,000 fps from a MAS36 bolt action converted to 45-70.

................Buckshot

[Wayne Smith]

That would have been the range at the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area, a very nice one. It's about 1.5 hours from me, while the A&P range is about 45min south of me on Princess Anne. Chickahominy is free, A&P cost, but the yearly fee isn't bad.

"Crazy" is relative - I'm a psychologist and I know!

[KTN]

Mommicked,[smilie=s: from Finland.
You are stepping on a steep and slippery surface,but you are not alone here:-D.
How about you make your own PP boolit mold?It's not that that difficult[smilie=1: .Here is picture of my #4 mold I made..45 cal 324gr PP.I almost got it right:roll:.

[PatMarlin]

RanchDog's still got some 420gr 6 banger group buy molds available... :drinks: