Winchester 45-60 old molds

[Traffer]

Hi, not sure if this is the correct place to post this but here goes: I just purchased some old casting stuff. With it are 2 Winchester 45-60 single cavity iron hand molds. Both are rusty but they came with some bullets that were cast in them. One closes up tight but (I don't know much about this stuff) neither have the sprue plates. One has the screw out where the sprue plate would bolt on. The other has the screw broken off with a big stump of the screw still in. If anybody thinks they are worth taking pictures of and posting, I will do that. If you want to give me some history on them that is good too.

[1989toddm]

For sure take pics and post them!


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[Traffer]

OK, here are pictures:
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[Bent Ramrod]

The .45-60 was chambered in the 1876 model Winchester repeater. Winchester furnished loading tools and bullet moulds for all the calibers they offered in their rifles. Typically, the boolits cast from the Winchester moulds were the nominal exact size of the bore diameters, so no sizing was necessary. In practical terms, they were frequently undersized for the bores and it was fortunate that black powder would size them up on firing.

The moulds originally came, as yours do, with integral metal tangs for handles. According to Chamberlain, the wood handled moulds were first offered in the June, 1890 catalog, so your time frame is somewhere between 1876 and 1890.

If you are "into" this kind of stuff, Chamberlain's Early Loading Tools and Bullet Moulds is a great reference.

[Traffer]

Is there anyone out there interested in acquiring these? Before I go ahead and clean them up and make sprue plates for them. Maybe somebody would like them the way they are.

[1989toddm]

I don't need them, have the molds I need for my 45-70, but I like seeing the old stuff. Do they both cast the same boolit?


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[Traffer]

1989toddm
Yup, same bullet in each mold. Yes these would hardly be practical to use except for a novelty. Only single cavity, even if they were to drop perfect bullets, they don't compare to the modern molds. I was going to clean them up and make sprue plates just because I like things to work the way they were intended. But if someone were to want them in their old patina for conversation pieces I will forgo the work.

[1989toddm]

I would be interested in one depending on price or trade value. Send me a pm with what you could use in trade.


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[Traffer]

I need a lot of stuff. Just started in reloading. If you have stuff you want to get rid of, we could work a deal where I could give you the mold and some more money. I will PM you.

[Traffer]

Here are some more pictures. The one shows that the mold with the stump of the screw sticking out is in a little better condition. And close up's of the two where the sprue plate would attach. Also is a picture of my current powder measure. I made it from 22lr cases (different sizes interchangeable) and a cotter pin stuck into a piece of plastic coat hanger for the handle. Hah!
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