File the plug down.

[armednfree]

I have a Lee 405 HB mold. It shoots well with Trailboss but nothing much hotter. I would like to use it for hunting at about 15-1600 fps. I was thinking about filing the plug off.

Thoughts on this? I understand that will take it to about 420 grains.

I tumble lube this boollit 45-45-10, two coats.

[runfiverun]

nothing much hotter?
have you seen the pressure trail boss creates?
it works on low gas volume not low pressure.

anyway for 15-1600 fps loads I would recommend a gas check design, most plain based rifle type loads seem to do their best work in the 13-1400 fps area.
I can beat this in pistol caliber lever guns [357/44/45 colt] but the rifle type rounds [375 win/45-70 etc] seem to want a G/C to get into that zone
for me at least.

[JohnH]

I've no criticism of what you want to do, I'm just curios why. The original loading pushing a 405 grain bullet to 1300 fps will shoot completely through the chest of an American Bison. Literally tens of thousands were killed with such loads. As I see it the 45-70 is not and never will be a flat shooter. The best way of getting the thing to shoot flat is to go to lighter bullets but regardless it will still have a rainbow trajectory. The humble 30-30 has a superior trajectory. If you want to turn up the juice, use 3031, Reloder 7, 4895, 748. Loads using those powders have been on the books for decades and work very well. As it is, the 45-70 is an excellent short range medium heavy and heavy game cartridge. The high velocity loading of a 300 grain bullet at 1800 fps is a sure fire killer on whitetails. Quoting John Taffin as my experience is the same, "The hits are obvious and unmistakable" I've used that same Lee mold, casting pure lead and have taken several deer with it. I always had a problem with the plug not maintaining casting temp and the slug having an air pocket in the hollow point, didn't keep it from killing deer. You might want to try their 340 grainer.

[dubber123]

JohnH, I'd suggest drilling a slightly over plug sized hole in a block of steel, aluminum, brass etc. and put this block on a hot plate. When you pull the plug, sit it in this block while you drop the boolit and get ready to pour again. It keeps the pin hot and makes life much easier.

[MtGun44]

That mold was SPECIFICALLY designed for Trapdoor Springfields,
to give them an accurate load at original .45-70 government velocity
loads, about 1300 fps or so. With 12 gr of Unique, it is really accurate
in my old, worn Trapdoor, pretty much the only thing that shoots well
in that gun.

It will shoot all the way through anything living on this continent if cast
from a modest alloy like air cooled wheelweights. Not sure exactly
what more a rifle needs to do, although it is not ever going to be "flat
shooting".

[GoodOlBoy]

It's a $20 mold. Lee makes a 340, a 405 flat base, a 450, and two 500 grain molds for 45-70 NOT counting the one you have and every one of them is $20 a piece. If it were me I would put that one aside and pickup a second $20 mold for what you want to do. If time is money the amount of time it would take to change that mold would cost considerably more than $20 for most folks.

GoodOlBoy

[rintinglen]

^^^^^What he said.
If you want a heavier boolit, spend the 25 odd dollars and buy a different mold. Filing the HB stud will be time consuming, and may not result in a useful boolit.