45-70 mold concensus

[Sprue]

I picked up a used 1895g and I'm looking to see what molds are out there along with your opinions.

I've been doing a lot of searching for various molds but I'm a little wary on what to go with.

Keep in mind I want to keep costs down, I'm not afraid of single or double cav molds in general.


Is it necessary to go with a Gas Check type? I've never used them before. I make my own lube and use a RCBS luberisizer.
I would rather not go with TL molds but I haven't ruled them out.
I'm thinking of either a 3-350g or 405gr boolit.

What mold do you use or recommend?.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have been using Lyman #457124 a single cavity, listed as a 405 grain round nose. Actually it weighs around 385 grains with WW but weight depends on the metal used....i.e how much tin you add to the mix. My mold casts them at .457-458which is just right for the 3 rifles I fire them in. As for loadings, there are many to choose from. I like to operate in the 1200-1300 fps velocity range so I don't get slammed around a lot. I tried Lyman #457125 which is a 500 grainer, but found the recoil even at the velocity mentioned above, as being a bit harsh. LLS

[Dale53]

I have had good luck with Lee's 457-340-F in my 1895 Marlin 45/70. It will reliably shoot 1.5" groups at 100 yards with a modest load of RL-7. As long as you keep the velocity below 1500 fps, you will not need gas checks. Over that I definitely recommend a gas check design.

I have recently acquired Ranch Dog's 350 gr Bullet moulds along with the custom Lee Sizer for higher velocity loads:

http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/

Good luck!
Dale53

[HCL]

RCBS 45-405 has been my favorite, have not tried it without the GC so could not tell you about that.
Very accurate and cycles well.
Mike

[rusty marlin]

I cast two .45-70 bullets
The Lee 405HB from 20:1, shoots great over black or smokeless.
And the Lyman 457122, 330grain PBHP. But I havn't shot these yet. Too hot in the attic to sit down to lube them. A bought the mold based on good reviews by other .45-70 shooters.

[Lloyd Smale]

i agree
RCBS 45-405 has been my favorite, have not tried it without the GC so could not tell you about that.
Very accurate and cycles well.
Mike

[Jack Stanley]

I only have two molds for the 45/70 I use , one being a double cavity LBT mold that wieghs in at about three hundred and forty grains . One cavity is cut for gas check and the other is a plain base . My other mold is a Lyman bullet that weighs in at around four hindred and twenty grains and I think it's a plain base .

I like them both a lot because they do everything I want to do without any fuss at all .

Jack

[pdawg_shooter]

Lyman 451114 for me. 2 wraps of 16lb and a full charge of AA2495.

[threett1]

The Lyman 457122 is hard to beat. Its the Gould hollowpoint and shoots great in my Guide Gun, the short version of yours. Casts out about 340gr with my alloy and does a number on deer and small to medium hogs.

[6pt-sika]

When I first started casting I was shooting the Lee 457-340 and 457-405 solid base !

I didn't size them and tumble lubed everything . They shot just fine for me !

Then later I got setup with a Lyman 4500 and started using the Lyman 457122 run thru a .459 sizer and lubed with Thompson's Blue Angel !

None of these were gas check designs , matter of fact I killed a big bodied 6 pointer with the 457122 .

Now I cast mostly the Ranch Dog 460-350 and 460-425 . Both of these are GC designs and both shoot well in my 1895Cb and 1895 that is 1978 vintage . They also still like the Lyman 457122 it just takes a good bit longer to make a nice pile of those HP bullets from a singel cavity mould !

[Doc Highwall]

If you go to the group buy section their is a group buy for 462420 GC about 405grs. in a six cavity that is going on right now. I will be ordering one of these shortly myself. I think this will work well with a 30:1 mix with out leading for hunting.

[Jon K]

Lyman #457122.........Shoots great in my 1895 CB with BP. 3"@200m.
Haven't tried it with smokeless yet, so can't say.

I shoot Saeco #015 300 grain with 28 gr/5744 @1409 fps 9 sd in my 1895 CB.

Jon

[Dale53]

I also have the Lyman 457122. It makes probably the best deer bullet going. The disadvantage is as stated above, it takes a good bit of time to cast them (hollow point single cavity mould).

The solution is simple, get a Ranch Dog six cavity mould or use Lee's 457-340-F and cast a bunch for practice, then use the 457122 for hunting.

Works for me...

Dale53

[NickSS]

I shoot several boolits in my 1895 marlins but my favorit is the RCBS 45-325 FN. I like it a lot and it performs well in my rifles. I have thought about adding a lyman 457122 gould hollow point mold to my collection but have not gotten around to it. I shoot a lot of the Lyman 457124 385 gr boolit in my single shots and have shot some through my lever guns. It is one accurate boolit and works well with either black or smokless. If you plan to hund animals that need extra penetration like moose or bear I use the Lyman 457193 405 gr flat point. It has too much penetration for deer though.