Suggest a pair of molds in .44 magnum & 45/70

[kingstrider]

Well I'm tooling up for casting my own boolits and wanted a couple of suggestions for molds in both .44 magnum and 45/70 calibers. Both are intended to produce fodder for my Marlin 1894 and 1895 rifles as well as a S&W 629. Cost is a big consideration right now so I'm mainly looking at LEE molds to get started.

The .44 will be used primarily for plinking but will also double for hunting whitetails in central Kentucky. As such, my average shots are usually limited to well under 75 yards. Would you guys suggest one of the 240 grain SWC designs (C429-240-SWC or TL430-240-SWC) or perhaps the 310 grain C430-310-RF?

As far as the 45/70 goes, I'm mainly just looking for a plinking load that's easy on the shoulder. Right now I'm sort of torn between the 340 grain #457-340-F and the 405 grain #459-405-HB molds. Unless I missed it, only the heavier bullet is a gas check design so which would be the more accurate of the two at lower velocity loads?

[Scrounger]

The best solution is to scroll down to the bottom of this page to where the sponsors are listed and click on RanchDog Molds. Gary is a very active member here and sells molds he has custom designed for his beloved Marlins. Bullets for the .44s and .45-70 are his specialty. His prices are very good, he can furnish loading data for the bullets, and he is a great guy to work with. What more could you ask?

[IcerUSA]

First ,Welcome to Cast Boolits.

I think you will find that the Lee 44-310-F will make a fine hunting boolit in the 44 but it does need the gas check .

Might want to take a look at Ranchdogs site also , link at the bottom of the page . He has some nice hunting designs in boolits .

Plinker in 44 would probable be anything from 150 to 250 that will shoot good out of your gun ,SWC , RNFP , FWC , most any will do good with proper bore fit .

I think you will find that the 45-70 standard is the 405gn boolit , the 350gn is also a good one and saves some lead also .

Alot of choses in those to calibers , and don't forget that you could also use round balls for plinkers in them also if inclined to do so , only your barrel will tell what it likes , slug the bore to be sure of the size needed .

Do a search for 44 mag loads and 45-70 loads and you will see what I mean as there are tons of info here .

Since I came here I have acquired molds and more molds , my 44 Blackhawks shoot just about anything well and my Marlin GG likes the 405gn as the OAL works in the feed tube well , my Buffalo Classic can take larger slugs as they can be loaded long and I got a 165gn plinker GB mould that is fun to shoot in the 45-70 .

As they say once you take the first step into casting your own you may become hooked and then there is no limit to the end of your journey . Some here even have moulds waiting for guns to shoot them in so tread lightly and you maybe saved , dought it but welcome to the world of rolling your own .


Keith

[Dale53]

All of my deer have been taken with cast bullets in revolvers (Ohio does not permit deer hunting with centerfire rifles - just muzzle loaders, shotguns, and handguns). My choice has been the handgun for many, many reasons.

I second Ranch Dogs web site. I have personally bought moulds from Ranch Dog for my Marlins. He has spent the time and effort to really enlarge the knowledge pool for Marlin's lever actions. It would be wise to listen to what he has to say. Really good info as well as specific moulds with bullets TAILORED to the Marlins. They are, in my humble opinion, better than you can get elsewhere and also priced way less than you would expect for custom moulds.

Dale53

[kingstrider]

First ,Welcome to Cast Boolits.

I think you will find that the Lee 44-310-F will make a fine hunting boolit in the 44 but it does need the gas check .

Might want to take a look at Ranchdogs site also , link at the bottom of the page . He has some nice hunting designs in boolits .

Alot of choses in those to calibers , and don't forget that you could also use round balls for plinkers in them also if inclined to do so , only your barrel will tell what it likes , slug the bore to be sure of the size needed .





Keith

Hey thanks! I looked at Ranchdogs site and the prices are reasonable. I've never heard of using round balls in anything but muzzleloaders so will have to look into that some more. One more question, when choosing between the 2- and 6-cavity molds, which would you guys suggest and why? I'm thinking of ordering the 350 grain 45/70 mold but they are out of the 2-cavity molds right now. I don't mind to spend a little extra to speed productivity so am wondering what any disadvantages of a 6-cavity design are.

[Maven]

kingstrider, I have 3 of the molds you mention, the 240gr. Keith TL; the 340gr. FP for the .45-70; and the 405gr. HB, also for the .45-70. Although the TL mold casts a trifle small, it is very accurate in my Ruger Super Blackhawk, shooting into 1" @ 25yds. from a rest with open sights. The rifle bullets are also accurate IF you size them to the correct diameter for your rifle's bore. Both will average 2 m.o.a. or smaller with loads ~1,300fps - 1,400fps from a Marlin #336 with Microgroove rifling.

[Down South]

You might check the group buys. There were a couple 45-70 Mould buys going on and you may still be able to get on one of them.

[jack19512]

For my 45/70 I like the Lee 340 gr. double cavity mold. It works real well. For my 44 mag I just purchased the Lee 240 gr. SWC double cavity mold. I haven't got a chance to shoot the 44 mag yet. I like the double cavity molds the best. I don't cast and/or shoot hundreds at a time so the double cavity molds work real well for me.

[Lloyd Smale]

good molds are cheaper in the long run. A mold like an rcbs will last your lifetime. Lee two cavitys are throw aways for me. Id recomend a rcbs 240 swcgc for your 44 and the rcbs 405 rfgc for your 4570. Both have proven to be some of the most accurate bullets i shoot and are well made good casting molds. if price is that big of a deal watch the classifieds and ebay and buy them used

[IcerUSA]

One thing about the 6 bangers is that they are made better , alinement pins and bushings are a world better than the pin and angle setup on the 2 bangers and as a plus even if you don't shoot much in a hour you could have enough boolits to last awhile .

Look on eBay also as sometimes you can get a mould for a decent price and sometimes not , I set a price and if I get out bid , more power to them , especialy if they pay more than new ones cost .

If you go with the Lee mould please read the Leementing sticky , lot of good info than can make them work so much better and can also help with the steel moulds .

For the price the 2 cavities are good to learn with as the cost is low enough that you could get a few to play with , but then again I started with the 6 cavities and didn't know squat about casting , I've only bought 1 Lee 2 cavity and that was the 44-310 but I now have a 6 cavity in that one also , good thing it's a pistol mould as my 444 does real well with it .

Jump in with both feet , it's a nice hobby and if it's not really your cup of tea you can always sell the stuff , here or eBay and it won't take too long to unload it .

Keith

[Bass Ackward]

Before I buy anything, I would look at what bullet diameters you need. If you need say .429 or .430 for the 44, and your mix is straight WW, then a factory LEE will serve you well to start as that's about all you are going to get out of it. Same with the RCBS.

And buying another brand cut for a larger diameter may not perform as well for you after size it way down. On the other hand, if you need .433 and a brand that tends to run smaller, you are just about screwed for anything less than Linotype or better which can be very expensive.

What mold design works best is very often tied to which one fits your gun the best with the mix you intend to use. All production guns are not the same from throat dimensions to bore dimensions. The method of lubrication that you choose is a consideration also.

So slug and see what you have so that you will know what choices to look at.

[44man]

GET THE RANCH DOG MOLDS! They cast large enough so you can size to anything you need.
They also shoot super from the revolver too.
I use Felix lube on them, I HATE LLA! [smilie=1:

[Boomer Mikey]

The RD 265 grain 44 and the RD 350 grain 45-70 molds will do everything for 44 and 45-70 you will ever need to do.

Lee 2 cavity molds are OK to see if this is something you want to do (break down easily); 6 cavity molds are much better quality.

RCBS molds are excellent (I have many) but pricey @ $70.99 each.

Boomer :Fire:

[oldhickory]

I shoot a S&W629-3 with the Lyman 429421 250gr LSWC Keith style and will shoot nothing else in that gun. Unfortunatly, it won't feed through a lever action.


The 45/70 is an 1884 Springfield. I use a variety of boolits in that one.

Lee 459-405-HB A good all around boolit for the 45/70.

Lyman 457124 A 385gr. boolit with a very blunt round nose.

Lyman 457125 The most accurate boolit I've ever used in a 45/70. The draw back for you may be that it's a 500gr. boolit. If recoil is a factor.

[MakeMineA10mm]

If you want to load one style of bullet that will work in both your S&W 629 and the Marlin 1894 AND you want it to be a good hunting bullet, I suggest you get a mould for a 240gr - 285gr RNFP. Ranch Dog has them (I'd go with the 265gr one), as does Lyman (#429667-240grs and #429640-285grs respectively) and Saeco (#429 - 240grs).

RCBS, Lee, and others have made their Round-Flats either really light (for the cowboy shooters) or really heavy (for the big & nasty animal hunters), so they don't fit as well as the other suggestions.

I say that because I treat the S&W N-frame pistols as "thoroughbreds," as described by John Taffin. He makes excellent points about the S&W being able to handle the hottest loads, but only in moderation. Many silohuette-shooters shot their 29s and 629s loose in the 80s and 90s, firing thousands of heavy-bullet hot 44 Mag loads. Taffin suggests shooting the S&W N-Frames with light to medium loads 90% of the time, and reserving the heavy loads for only when really needed.

For this point, as well as seating depth vs. powder capacity (and powder you intend to use), real needs as far as penetration, and recoil / conserving your lead supply, the 240s to 265s will do it all.

The real thing to watch is to make sure the nose-to-crimp groove is short enough to make ammo that feeds through the lever-guns, the meplat is wide enough to have good killing power, and the shape of the taper on the ogive doesn't cause feeding problems.

[725]

In case you haven't noticed, there is a strong admiration for Ranch Dog moulds. With good reason. They are great.

Some / many call the one and two cavity Lee moulds a lesser mould than the vaunted 6 cavity. Might be but I have many and make superior boolits with them. For many applications, I prefer the two cavity. Just starting out I would lean toward the two cavities. After you make 5 or 10 thousand boolits from the $20 Lee two cavities, what the heck, go and look at the $70 6 cavitites. Hope you enjoy this fun hobby.

[jack19512]

Some / many call the one and two cavity Lee moulds a lesser mould than the vaunted 6 cavity. Might be but I have many and make superior boolits with them. For many applications, I prefer the two cavity. Just starting out I would lean toward the two cavities. After you make 5 or 10 thousand boolits from the $20 Lee two cavities, what the heck, go and look at the $70 6 cavitites.





I would have to agree with you 100%. All of my molds are the Lee one and two cavity type and they all make excellent bullets. I don't know why anybody would knock them. :confused: I am really starting to believe it has more to do with the person doing the casting than the mold. [smilie=1:

[725]

Could be, jack19512. Whatever winds your clock. Some want the 6 bangers, and I have a bunch of them and they are really good, too. (Once you get past the falling out alignment pins, stripped screws, added set screw pivot points, etc.) I just like the two cavity jobs. After decades of casting with a one holer, I still feel like I'm high speed with a 2 banger. Wish some of the group buys were for the 2 holers. (and yes I know if I would get off my lazy rear end and honcho some of the major work it must take to do that, I could get my custom 2 holers.) Trust me when I say I'm a better worker bee than management type.

[Christian for Israel]

some of my lee molds are more than 20 years old, have made untold thousands of boolits and still make perfect castings. i fully expect them to last at least another 20 years...close enough to a lifetime for me.

throw away molds huh...right. :roll:

[missionary5155]

I do not shoot a 44 mag... But for a plinker I like the 350 and less boolits... less lead.. less recoil... and a 300+ bullet will drop any critter I have ever come across woods or desert loafing.

[missionary5155]

I do not shoot a 44 mag... But for a plinker I like the 350 and less boolits... less lead.. less recoil... and a 300+ bullet will drop any critter I have ever come across woods or desert loafing.
I forgot to write for my 45-70.[smilie=1: