457-405 too skinny

[randyrat]

I bought a Lee double 457-405 PB It's too skinny dang it. I need a .459 and I don't think they make it. I've been able to beagle it with aluminum tape to .4585 but I can't get it any fatter even with different alloys.
I bought the mold a long time ago so sending it back is a no go. Is that all they make is a .457 or did I get a skinny mold.
One other question; Who in their right mind uses a .457 for a 45-70
Why do they cause havoc like this?
I am able to paper patch these and make them work.

I do see they make a .459-405 (only one design) and a .459-500 (one design) all the others are .457 dia

[onondaga]

The reason is that they work fine in a .458 Win Mag. Not every .45 Cal. mold in the world centers around the 45-70.

Besides, I see the number of posts you have since 2007, You must have run across posts on the easy way to open molds in addition to what you have tried.

Gary

[longbow]

You should be able to lap it out.

I lapped an aluminum mould out over 0.003" to make it work and it came out very well. It doesn't take a lot of work with aluminum but you do have to be careful.

Longbow

[randyrat]

Yes, I tried lapping...maybe I'm not using an aggressive enough valve grinding compound. I think I have the FINE...I'll take another crack at it.
I never thought about the 458 Win....But all the .457s are under the category 45-70 rifle bullet molds. Look at all the people shooting 45-70 with boolits. You would think LEE would cater to them a bit, at least with a couple lighter boolit designs also. Well, there are other companies out there making all kinds of molds for the 45-70.
I thought I would ask, at least, before I call them up and wine over the phone and make a fool out of myself.

[Frozone]

458 works fine in my Ruger #1, fits pretty well in my marlin GG, too.

[35remington]

Easy.

Send it to Lee. Ask them to replace it with one that will cast to .460."

You'll have to pay for it, probably, but that's exactly what I did and exactly what I got.

Pat Shono helped me.

In all fairness, it casts to pretty much what they say it will.....457 to .458." No false advertising there, but I also wonder why it didn't get offered in .459" as being more useful in the wide range of 45 caliber rifles.

I don't wonder any more, just cast with a suitable bullet.

[Keyston44]

I have the same mold and it drops .459
Key

[Skipper]

The Lee 459-405-HB drops at .459+ using Lyman #2 alloy.


http://leeprecision.com/userfiles/images/BulletMoldGrid_web(1).jpg

[45-70 Ranger]

Randyrat,

I cast for years with an old Ideal 457124 for my 45-70's, but it failed to shoot well in my Marlin GG. On a chance, I got a Lee 340 RNFP mould. It was said to be .457" and in #2 mix it mikes around .4585". In soft lead, which is all I have now as no WW in my area, it will drop at .4575".

Now I'm real old school and love the iron moulds, but the Lee mould has done better than I thought it would. The lube grooves are shallow, and I can't drive it too fast in the soft mix, but it is super accruate in the GG sized at .457". I know that many that have Marlins will say that is too small and you gotta size for the big throat in this design. Yet in my weapon with a bore of .4563", sized at .457 with this Lee bullet, is just the ticket for tight groups with my weapon.

My old trusted Ideal that I've used for well over 45 years, has been retired. I now use only the Lee 340 (that hits 350 gr in soft mix) in my Marlin and it is just dandy. I hope that you get with Lee and tell them of your problem. I'm sure that they will help you out. Their customer service is quite good.

Best of luck,
Wade

[Snyd]

Can any of you guys tell me the nose to crimp groove and the total length of that lee 457-405? If I were to size em down to .454 will there still be a decent crimp groove left?

I have an RCBS 45-405-fn and the crimp groove is really small on it. I'm having boolits jump crimp in my 4" 454 Redhawk. Plus it's a little long in the nose.

Would anyone be willing to mail/sell or trade me a few unsized, no lube?