Need 450/400 NE mould suggestions

[singleshot]

I'm mulling over buying a 400 Jeffery NE rifle AKA 450/400 NE 3", but won't even consider it if I can't find a suitable mould. Will I have to go custom, or does something already exist. From what I can tell the grooves are .411 so I'll need a .412 mould. Thoughts?

[Piedmont]

It is so easy to find a suitable mold these days. If one isn't available in a regular line of molds (RCBS, Lyman, etc.) you can design what you want and order if from Accurate Molds or Mountain Molds and for not much more than garden variety molds. Don't let the mold stop you! Other makers can make you a roundnose if you want your ammo to look traditional.

Do you mean the grooves are .411"?

Is this a double rifle or a single shot?

[singleshot]

Sorry Piedmont. I did mean "grooves" not "lands." Lands should be .400". And upon further research, I think the GROOVES might actually be .410". Sources don't seem to agree on this. This is a Ruger #1 rifle. My research also turned up a twist of either 1:14" or 15" depending upon which source I reference. I'm guessing it will stabilize 450 grains or so, but a 400 grain mould would be fine. I plan to shoot mostly plain-based cast, with a few full-tilt loads getting a good "paper patch." I like a decent meplat. What kind of boolit would you design using mountainmolds.com?

[Piedmont]

Well since this isn't a double rifle you don't have to worry about barrel regulation, so about any weight you want will work. Do slug your rifle barrel, because what they are supposed to measure frequently they do not. If I am remembering correctly it used from 300 to 400 grain bullets. That is a large capacity case.

It is all up to you what to order. You could even buy a mold from someone and have it turned into a hollowpoint. If you are going to use paper patch you don't even need any meplat because you can get if going fast enough to expand any point shape. Are you going to hunt at all with your lighter, non-paper patch loads? If so, what type of animals?

That cartridge was a favorite of John Pondoro Taylor. He considered it the smallest cartridge that was completely adequate on any animal under any conditions (even charging).

[Piedmont]

I have another thought. They made those Rugers in .405 Winchester, too, which is a straight case around 2.5" long. That might be a better cast bullet cartridge because the capacity is smaller, yet with smokeless you can really hop it up if you desire.

[singleshot]

Plain-based cast could sub for black bear, wild boar, and maybe oryx, but mostly will be used to stop "charging" paper and steel targets. :-)

Paper-patched for griz, elk and moose. If I ever get to take a trip to Africa, this would be the rifle for cape buff and elephant.

I don't have anything against the 405 win, but the rifle I'm considering just so happens to be a 450/400. Strangely, components and reloading equipment seem easier to find for 450/400 than 405 win.

Extra case capacity doesn't bother me, I've had success using various fillers to make a larger cartridge perform like a smaller one. My two favorites are coarse ground wheat and used coffee grounds thanks to Nobade, and I won't be buying any more wheat when that's gone.

[Piedmont]

OK. It is a cool looking round. I found two pieces of brass for it at a range long ago. A heavy bullet might help with combustion, so maybe something around 400 grains. A 2/3 meplat will still give you decent accuracy out a ways should you want some long range plinking. Since you will design it yourself, find out how long the throat is and combine the neck length with the throat length and make that the length of the band section of your mold.

[Nobade]

Hi there Singleshot! Cool rifle you're looking at. I want one of those myself. Now that Hornady is making cases it's not a big deal to get going.

As for boolits, check this out:
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=41-390P-D.png
It is the one I designed for my 416 Taylor. Depending on the throat length in your new rifle and how heavy a boolit you want to shoot, that shape modified in length and diameter to fit your actual rifle should work great. It has been fantastically accurate for me and offers all the hit you could ask for in a shoulder fired rifle.

Once you get the rifle in you can make a chamber cast and see just what shape the boolit needs to be to fit well.

Oh, watch the coffee grounds - I dried them in the oven, baked them in the sun, put them in a plastic baggie and they still grew mold after a while. I'm not sure how they would behave if loaded for a long time. They do make good case filler though!

-Nobade

[singleshot]

Hi Nobade! It's been too long.

Not to hijack my own thread....but.....here goes:

I had the same exact thing happen to me, so I finally poked holes in the top of the container to allow air flow and put them in a dry place. That seems to have helped. Not sure how long they'll hold up, but when mold appears, I just throw 'em back in the oven. Question: would mold eat smokeless powder? Any microbiologists around here?