Need some help with my Henry 45-70 loads....

[highmountaincaster]

Hey fellas, so I got into the whole bullet casting ordeal and boy is that fun. Right now I have a noe 460425 bullet mold, it's a brass one, It drops some nice bullets. Anyway after i tried many different loads I ended up close to using 41gr of RL-7, my alloy is just air cooled wheel weights and test at a 12Bhn. It's pushing 1614fps using a chrono. Seems like the faster I push them the tighter my groups are getting. Shouldn't I be getting some bad leading or striping bullets pushing soft bullets so fast? And I'm hesitant to go any higher than 41gr. I do get some leading in the last few inches of my bore I am using BAC lube with bullets sized to .459. Also does anybody else use RL-7 using heavy bullets?

[highmountaincaster]

I got back from the range today after loading up some with 40gr RL-7 and 40.5gr RL-7. Accuracy seems to be a real hit or miss, my first group was about 3inches at 50yds ( yes I know that isnt very good at all). My second load was 40.5gr it measured about 6inches with one flyer that went way high. And I had leading in the last 6inches of my barrel. I dont know why I am getting leading. I am using BAC lube, I even tried 45\45\10 and bore butter. All with the same results. I actually would like to be down around 1500fps but groups open up a lot when I go that slow. Any you fellas have any ideas at all???? I am really stumped on this one....

[Bird]

highmountaincaster,
Tell us more about the mold. Is it plain based or gas checked?
1600fps is pushing it, and I would expect to see leading with a plain based bullet. In any event, you don't want to see any leading. I would look for a load around 1300 to 1400fps.
if its the ranch dog mold, have you seen this page? http://ranchdogoutdoors.com/data/NOE/PDF/40/460425RF_4570Govt.pdf
I would try starting in the lower pressure range, maybe 34 grains of powder or even 31 grains as a starting point.

[highmountaincaster]

Bird, yes it's the noe mold 460425. I am messing around with black powder right now. But I will try running a lower charge and see what happens.

[Gaterskiner]

I ended up with 3 loads for my 45-70 guide gun. A 525 Gr. pile driver with 39 Grains RL7 . 425 Ranch dog 42.3 gr and A 350 gr cast with 45.5 gr . Been A while since I worked these up But all shoot well. Bullets sized to .460. that .350 load is A kicker.

[44man]

Make some Felix lube to try. I grew to hate Alox in any form. I believe it burns in the bore and leaves ash near the muzzle to pick up lead. Smoke from the muzzle came from somewhere, can't have smoke without fire. It STINKS too.
The stuff was made to coat metal to prevent rust but every car I had with it rusted out faster then plain steel. It hardened, pulled loose so road salt got under it.
Who ever thought it was a boolit lube???

[highmountaincaster]

After casting my first boolits and taken it to the range many of times finding a load. I learned a ton of information on casting and shooting lead boolits. After trying many different powders and two different bullet molds and different bullet hardnesses, I finally found a load. Using the NOE 460425 mold using air cooled wheel weights with a bdn of 11 sized to .459 and 426gr lubed with Lars BAC lube on top of 35gr of reloader-7 yeilded 1450fps and a impressive group with a 4x Nikon monarc African scope. I been doing 5 shot groups at 50yds. 4shots were .9 and 3 of those were under .5. I did have one flyer that threw a few inches to the right. (Disclaimer this load is what I found to be accurate in MY gun and so should NOT be assumed safe in yours.) I am having a hard time casting boolits with the noe brass mold took me all day to get 50 made they just keep coming out with the lube grooves being slightly rounded but the bases are nice and square I tried adding tin up to 4% and tried from very low temps to high temps also tried smoking it and it doesn't seem to change anything. I hear brass molds are finicky but lol I say so!!!! Anyone have any suggestions or tips when pouring these bid boolits on how to get a nicely filled out boolit???!!!!!

[725]

Others will chime in, but I'd try casting faster to get the mold to a higher temp. Let the first 20 go by the wayside and just keep casting. I've found that when my mold gets to the right temp and I have a good alloy, they start coming out pretty good. Good luck.

[Bird]

Keep the lead flow centered on the sprue hole when pouring. Pour speed at about 2+ seconds per cavity. Clean mould with acetone and q-tip. I only use graphite or soft pencil as mold lube. 2% tin should be more than enough. Make sure the mould is hot enough. See if you can cast a bullet that is partially frosted halfway up the nose, which should be close to the perfect casting temp.

[highmountaincaster]

I will definitely give it a try bird, first I am going to clean it again as you suggested....

[stubert]

I have a NOE 460-350 gr. brass mold , I have the temp. probe on it. The mold will not throw good bullets it hits 450 deg. After that it is a dream to use. And use a hot plate.

[highmountaincaster]

How can I approximately know what temp my mold is if I don't have a prob hole in it?Does any one have a noe 460425 bullet mold as i have that can tell me about how many pours a minute there doing to get good boolits? Subert , how many hours do you do a minute?

[Bird]

I do 1/60th of an hour in a minute.:mrgreen: I couldn't resist.
1 complete cycle for a 2 cavity mould takes me about 20 seconds or so. Exact time is not that important, as heat will build in the mould regardless.
Do about 6 or 7 pours. These first pours will be discards. You will notice the shine on the bullets. Keep pouring and watch the bullets that drop from the mould. As heat builds in the mould, you will see the cast bullets change from a shiny surface to a frosted surface as you progress. The mould is then hot enough. You will need to keep the mould temperature under control by cooling the mould base with a damp cloth laid on the bench or in a shallow dish. Touch the mould on the cloth for a couple of seconds to remove excess heat. You should be able to conrol the mould heat to the point that you can get a cooler bullet tip, which is at the base of the mould and will be shiny, and a hotter frosted look for the remainder of the bullet. Dont cool the sprue plate. Sometimes it is good to pour extra lead on the plate to keep the top of the mould and plate hot so the lead gets sucked down onto the bullet base as it cools. If the lead smears or the center of the bullet is pulled out when you open the sprue plate, then wait a little longer before opening the sprue plate.
Your bullets do not have to be frosted, but it will give you an initial feel for the temperature of the mould.
You will be able to tell the temperature your mould likes by the sound it makes when you cool it with the cloth. Do a search for shiny and frosted bullets, and you can see what I mean.

[Bird]

I should add, The bullets should drop easily from the mold. If they start to stick or grab, then the mould is probably too hot and will need to be cooled as above for a couple of seconds.

[44man]

I will definitely give it a try bird, first I am going to clean it again as you suggested....
Don't bother. Brass molds need to be HOT! They seem to lose heat faster. I don't like them.

[Tom Herman]

I ran into similar mold problems (rounded driving bands) with my .455 Webley mould: The remedy was a HOT alloy (ca. 925 degrees), and starting out with a hot mould... I heat all of mine on an electric stove to about medium.
That allows me to cast maybe two two bullets before I start spitting out good ones.
Best of Luck!

-Tom

[Norske]

Since your rifle seems to like loads a little hotter than over-the-counter, consider this just a reference point. My 1967 Lyman reloading manual (my first) contains "factory equivalent" loads. For a 400 gr bullet, the powder charge listed is 38.5gr IMR031. It's very pleasant to shoot.