Lyman 457125 mould

[Flintlock Hokie]

If my Shiloh Sharps .45-70 ever gets here I'll start with a Lyman 457125 boolit. What diameter can I expect that mould to produce with 20:1 alloy? I read that boolits should be at, or no more than 0.001" over, groove diameter. Is it a given that I'll have to size the boolits to suit a Shiloh Sharps?

Thanks

[Nobade]

That mould has been made for so many years, with so many cherries, that there is no telling how big your particular one is going to cast. More than likely you'll need to size it a bit, if nothing more than to round it up and get lube in the grooves, but if it will fit into a fired case it's safe to shoot, just might not give top notch accuracy. Those Shiloh barrels usually run right on the money so you're looking at a ,458" or .459" boolit. Just have to cast some up and see what you get.

-Nobade

[country gent]

Another area on the 457125 to watch for fit is the nose dia. You want close to bore dia as this bulletis a nose rider. Since this mold is a single cavity in lyman mold blocks lapping is a viable option if needed.

[Gunlaker]

If you really want that design, you could get Steve Brooks to make you a copy of it. At least that way you'd have known dimensions and ou could save your lubrisizer for hanging rags on like I do :-)
Chris.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I use a Paul Jones 550gn Creedmoor that casts at .460"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/550gnPGT_zpsb7ebc472.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/550gnPGT_zpsb7ebc472.jpg.html)

[Don McDowell]

If my Shiloh Sharps .45-70 ever gets here I'll start with a Lyman 457125 boolit. What diameter can I expect that mould to produce with 20:1 alloy? I read that boolits should be at, or no more than 0.001" over, groove diameter. Is it a given that I'll have to size the boolits to suit a Shiloh Sharps?

Thanks

It's hard to tell what diameter your 457132 blocks will drop at. Buffalo Arms blocks will drop the bullet at the diameter they say they will, and as already pointed out Brooks will as well.
Your Shiloh will likely prefer grease groove bullets at .458, whether or not you'll have to size the bullets will depend on how much over .459 the bullets drop out of the mould, if it casts under .458 sizing won't do much for you.

[montana_charlie]

I read that boolits should be at, or no more than 0.001" over, groove diameter. Is it a given that I'll have to size the boolits to suit a Shiloh Sharps?
If the seated bullet will chamber freely, you can probably expect it to 'size itself' to your bore.
Shiloh Sharps chambers are usually said to be 'tight', so even if the mould throws bullets a tad on the small side, you will probably get good performance.

That '1 or 2 over groove' rule-of-thumb is aimed more at people who use smokless powder ... which needs to have the bore sealed BEFORE the powder burn.

CM

[EDG]

I once bought some bullets cast in an older 457125 mold. The driving bands were .460 but the nose was .440.
The nose is about .010 undersize and allows the nose to slump to one side. Needless to say the bullets are terrible.

Fired the same day with the same load were some Brooks 500 grain bullets.
The Brooks bullets grouped about 1". The Lyman bullet grouped about 7".