Cast Boolit Bubbas - a plea for help

[flashhole]

Took the plunge and started casting my own boolits for my 45-70 Guide Gun. Lead is smelted wheel weights. The bullet is droppd from a Lee mold and is 341 grains. No gas check, flat base with 3 driving bands. The bullets are casting nicely with the mold and dropping at .458 diameter. I run them through the Lee sizer die, no problem. I used one to slug my bore on the Guide Gun. Great fit. The first batch was brush lubed with Lee Liquid Alox and they came out great.

I need a load for this 340 grain non-gas-checked bullet, probably in the Springfield pressure range. I'm sure the rifle can take a lot more charge/pressure than the bullet can stand. My first loads were the bottom end of the load range using 54 grains of Varget powder. Crappy results. I want to use it for woods hunting here in NY.

Anyone able to offer any advice? I'm not lookig for hot loads, I get that with my jacketed bullets and H4895 powder. What has worked for you?

[geargnasher]

Begin with a Trapdoor Springfield starting load of Alliant Reloder 7 and put enough Cream-o'-Wheat on top of it to yield about a quarter's thickness compression when seating the boolit. Put a gentle roll crimp in the groove if you can, but make sure they'll cycle through the gun and eject a loaded round.

Gear

[btroj]

A fatter bullet might help too. Other than that gear told you what you need to know.

[Larry Gibson]

Way too much Varget for that weight cast bullet. Drop back to 40 gr and use a 1-1 1/4 gr dacron filler. Work up in 1 gr increments until accuracy goes south. Better would be to find some 2400, 5744, 4759 or 4198 for that bullet.

Also suggest you add 2% tin to your WWs for a much better alloy.

Larry Gibson

[aspangler]

A+ on the 2400. I use 25 gr with dacron filler under the Lee 405 fn. Same load will give you about 1600 fps with you 340 gr boolit. I get 1450 with mine and stay in the Trapdoor pressure range.

[flashhole]

Good inputs guys, keep em coming.

[runfiverun]

you didn't mention a velocity window you want to work within.
but i'd bet some of alliant's 2400 and a tuft of Dacron would do what's necessary.

[flashhole]

I'd like to get out to 200 yards with the cast bullet but don't know if I can push it fast enough.

[Lead Fred]

I use only Reloader 7 in my 45/70s. It pushes the 405s & 425s real nice. We whack the 200 yard gong all the time out of the GG.
I use 34 grs, so your load should be a tad less. Ive used up to 42grs, and sent them down range at 1750fps.

A limbsaver 10003, is a real asset to any Marlin GG.

[TXGunNut]

My GG likes a fatter boolit and RL7. If you can find a Ranch Dog 460-350 I can highly recommend it. Keep your eye out for a Group Buy on this excellent design. I never could get my GG to shoot a 458 plain-base boolit.

[geargnasher]

His mould is dropping .458", and is plain-based. If he wants no leading, accuracy with velocity and boolits that small in a Marlin, he will probably need more than Dacron behind that boolit. Reloder 7 works very well in the 350-450 grain range, especially with a granular filler. With better boolit fit, 2400 and Dacron would be my second choice.

Gear

[1Shirt]

Suggest considering beagling, and starting load of about 20 gr. of 2400 and working up half a grain at a time until satisfactory accuracy is a achieved. I use about a half grain fluffed Dacron over powder.
1Shirt!

[MtGun44]

Bigger diam and/or try 12 gr Unique. I was really surprised you called
54 gr Varget a bottom end load. That should be pretty hot, probably
too how with a naked base.

Bill

[grouch]

I'd say about 24gr 2400 or 13gr Unique, if you size, use the Lee sizer, hand lube with any decent automotive grease, and don't bother with the case filler.
Grouch

[DLCTEX]

I prefer 4759 for that boolit and start with 26 gr. I opened the mould by spinning a boolit coated with valve grinding compound to make a .460 boolit.

[flashhole]

I loaded some with 42 grains of Varget and will give them a try. Where do you buy dacron?

[Lead Fred]

Fabric store or good will

I just asked the medium woman for an old pillow.

Dont forget a .030 veggie wad between your powder and filler