Mihec 455 220gr hollow base MANSTOPPER

[30CalTy]

I cast about a hundred of these in poor light as soon as dinner was done last night. I have a S&W 2nd Model HE with enormous cylinders and bore (4585) so I went with the 457 flavor. With the 3:1 WW-to-softlead alloy I had at the time in the pot, these drop at 4585-459 with a 775F melt.

https://i.imgur.com/9snacQZ.jpg

Don't have a sizer in the right flavor; am going to double coat these in Lee Liquid Alox (LLA). Thoughts on Unique or Bullseye loads with Fiocci (small primer) brass?

Going to need all the help I can get with loads.


ETA: these are not the finest bullets I cast. Was getting dark on the back porch, and I see now I was swinging the sprue plate to early on the first 2-3 dozen after things got working well. I realize I should be using a 1:1 or softer alloy.

[Bigslug]

Bullseye's going to be the better choice for the .455 MKII case's smaller volume. I tinkered with either Titegroup or Unique in my Webley with the 265 grain MKII bullet and was getting a lot of unburned granules and erratic velocities out of Hornady large-primer cases.

The regulation spec for the MKII was 580fps +/- 30fps measured 30 feet from the muzzle. I ended up at 3.4 grains of Red Dot at 612 fps with the chrono about ten feet downrange, so I figure I'm right in there, if a little toward the top end. The spec for this MKIV wadcutter we just received is about 600 fps - I may just keep the same charge, or try dropping down to 3.2 for both.

I would patently ignore the Handloads.com page for the .455 Webley, or at least back off those specs considerably, as it all looks to be too hot. I'm guessing there was a lot of confusion over the earlier black powder MKI load (which WAS 700 fps+) versus the cordite loads for the shorter MKII case which were all about 600 fps.

Then again, if you aren't trying for historical accuracy, you aren't likely to break your S&W with any of those loads.

I might get mine fired up this weekend. The official "King's Alloy" for that bullet is the same 12-1 they were using for Martinis. Seems a little extravagant for a 600fps pistol round (they probably had an active lobbyist from the Welsh tin miner's union working back in the day), but I may go that way anyway on one batch just for the sake of a more scientific jug shoot. I'll probably end up with my 30-1 analog rendered from jacketed range scrap or 40-1 from old shotgun slugs. I'm also pretty eager to drop the solid pins in for the Redhawk .45C - those will NOT be powder-puff target loads.:mrgreen:

[USSR]

I cast my .455 inch bullets this morning. I like to use a soft alloy (97 Pb/2.5 Sn/0.5 Sb) with hollow base wadcutters. The bullets came out at .455" and weighed 228 grains. Lubrisized them with my .455" die and BAC lube. I loaded up some Starline .45 Colt cases with 6.5gr of Unique for a mild load out of my 25-5. Shot well, and more importantly, shot to POA. With heavy bullets and loads, even with the rear sight all the way down, loads shoot high. Very happy as I knew I would be with anything Miha produces.

Don

[Bigslug]

222444

Fired mine up tonight using renderings from jacketed range pickups, estimated to be 25-1 or 30-1, pouring in the 885F ballpark. Needed to add some extra tin for fillout, so estimating it to be roughly 20-1. Dropping right in there for diameter and are weighing 229-ish grains.

Hopefully going to line up a row of milk jugs atop the Altar of Science soon!

[TheGrimReaper]

DANG!!! Those look awsome!!!

[Steppenwolf]

222444

Fired mine up tonight using renderings from jacketed range pickups, estimated to be 25-1 or 30-1, pouring in the 885F ballpark. Needed to add some extra tin for fillout, so estimating it to be roughly 20-1. Dropping right in there for diameter and are weighing 229-ish grains.

Hopefully going to line up a row of milk jugs atop the Altar of Science soon!

Would you be interested in selling some of those? Thanks.

[MiHec]

I still have some of this molds.
PM me if you want one