Lee Hollow Base suitable with smokeless?

[xtratoy]

I am looking at the Lee 405 gr Hollow Base mold .459. Is this bullet OK with smokeless powder or is the hollow base a blackpowder only design? It is for use in my TC Contender.

[ian45662]

I shoot a that same mold with smokeless powder. Trail boss to be exact

[mooman76]

I shot it with Unique in my trapdoor. It has a pretty sturdy base so it should be no problem.

[ian45662]

Thats what im shooting it in mooman. What alloy and charge are you using?

[turbo1889]

45-70 loads have three different levels plus the contender pistol loads (which can also be used in BFR revolvers). Long story short I have no problem using it in all of the loads except level-3 loads. I use harder lead for loads above trap door pressure levels (level-2 loads and some of the contender loads).

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Its just the classic 147g 38 hollowbase wadcutter on steriods right?
CF

[xtratoy]

I know Max 45-70 pressure in Contenders is 28000-32000 PSI but most data I find for 45-70 is CUP. It appears that Trapdoor data is safe to use to work up with but it would be nice to find a Contender specific loading manual.

[turbo1889]

I don't know of any contender specific loading manual but I have several Lyman loading manuals with a separate section of loads in several cartridges including the 45-70 with load data specific for the contender pistol and I have seen contender specific load listings in other manuals as well.

[nanuk]

I bought some extra base pins to file down to make a heavier, thicker base on my Lee 405HB

Just to try out.

[Larry Gibson]

I am looking at the Lee 405 gr Hollow Base mold .459. Is this bullet OK with smokeless powder or is the hollow base a blackpowder only design? It is for use in my TC Contender.

It will work ok but a good bullet with a FB like Lyman 457124, lee's 357-340-F or or 457-405-F would prove better if you don't want a GC'd bullet for your TC.

Larry Gibson

[xtratoy]

I tried the lee 340 gr .457 mold a bunch of years ago and the boolits leaded terribly. I tried them soft, medium and hard and I sold the mold. I am hoping that a mold that throws a larger diameter ( .459 ) will do better. I have been shooting jacketed out of it and want to retry the cast boolits with it. This was with a brand new barrel that may have been rough finished in the bore/rifling. I see that lee has one 45-70 mold that uses a gas check but I don't want to shoot a 500 gr. load. I am trying to pick up a mold from someone local if his is the .459 one.

[mooman76]

Thats what im shooting it in mooman. What alloy and charge are you using?

I use a soft alloy. Not sure exactly but probably in the 30-1 range. I believe I was using 14gr max but I'll have to get back with you on that.

[MtGun44]

I use soft alloy and shoot it with 10-12 gr Unique in a Trapdoor Springfield. It is the
only thing that will group well, and shoots into about 3-4" at 100 yds.

Bill

[xtratoy]

I talked to the guy with the mold and it is one of the Lee .457 molds. I decided to pass as I wasn't successful with a Lee .457 diameter boolit before. As often as I shoot this barrel ( not very ) I guess I will shoot my supply of j-bullets in it.

[Texantothecore]

I have one of those molds but I expect to beagle and lap it out to .458 or .459 and using a soft lead mix. It looks like a good bullet and I have had some good reports on it from other shooters.

[Texantothecore]

I am hoping the holllow base with give the good contact in the rifling so the lapping and beagling will happen only after I have determined that the base is not doing what I hoped it would do.

[curator]

The "hollow base" on the Lee .459/405 bullet is not for base expansion but to get the bullet to the correct size and weight. The "skirt" around the base cavity is way to thick to expand like the minnie bullet design. It does indeed shoot well with smokeless powder but has a lot of lube capacity because it was made originally for black powder. I lube only the bottom groove and shoot it with 23-25 grains of SR4759 in my 1888 Trapdoor Springfield and NEI Handi-rifle.

[lbaize3]

+1 on curator's post. I use the Lee HB 405 grain in my rifles. It drops at .460 with the alloy I use and I dip the boolit in liquid alox for lube. Using a 20,000psi load of AA2015 it shoots better than my old body can hold the rifle. Really like that boolit, but am waiting for the NOE 45 caliber mold that will be made in July of this year. A 385 grain HP cast boolit....

[Swampman]

I have one of the Lee 405HB molds and I can't get good bullets out of it no matter what I do. No problems with any of the other bullets I mold.

[Larry Gibson]

I tried the lee 340 gr .457 mold a bunch of years ago and the boolits leaded terribly. I tried them soft, medium and hard and I sold the mold. I am hoping that a mold that throws a larger diameter ( .459 ) will do better. I have been shooting jacketed out of it and want to retry the cast boolits with it. This was with a brand new barrel that may have been rough finished in the bore/rifling. I see that lee has one 45-70 mold that uses a gas check but I don't want to shoot a 500 gr. load. I am trying to pick up a mold from someone local if his is the .459 one.

Was that the "as cast" size or after sizing in the Lee sizer? I've used several of the Lee moulds mentioned and they all dropped "as cast" at .459 - .460. I never had any leading but I was sizing .459 and using Javelina lube. My very old 459-405-HB drops at .464 - .465.

Larry Gibson