Paper Patching a GC style Boolit

[GregLaROCHE]

I have a .45-70 500gr mould from Lee. I have used it a lot with smokeless powder and powder coating. I have paper patched 405gr PB with smokless powder.

I was wondering how much of a difference there would be in performance, paper patching a GC style boolit over a PB boolit.

Thanks

[country gent]

You would need to size the grease grooved bullet down a lot to paper patch it. Even to groove dia you looking at .008 addition with the paper. Bullet would need sized down to .450 or so to start with for a groove dia wrapped bullet. For a bore rider .443 or so is the starting point so your looking at sizing down .015 or so to get there. Both these operations may be several passes to get sized down, the second is more a swage down than sizing.

While more expensive a paper patched mould is probably the way to go. A set of the lee blank moulds and a drill press and you can make the mould. More work and set up is important. A correct sized drill and drill the body then form grind the nose on the drill and cut the nose. leave it a little undersized and lapp up to size and finish.

[GregLaROCHE]

You’re right I didn’t think of that. For the 405gr I ordered some smaller diameter boolits. That’s a good idea about buying a blank mold. I’ve seen that some of the mold makers are starting to produce straight sided molds. Of course I’m going to have to pay a lot more. I still have a lot of the undersized 405’s left and will start with them.

Thanks for the input.

[BrentD]

It is quite doable. Size the bullet down to .452 and use a 9# paper or so. Better yet, if you have a .458 or .459 sizer, try wrapping the bullet you have and then sizing it with the paper on. This can work quite well. You are doing a substantial reduction in diameter, but if the alloy is soft, you may be able to make it work.

I have a .452" bullet that wrap and then size down to .450". It's not a greaser, but it is a similar substantial amount of resizing.

[Keith]

I tried sizing a wrapped bullet once in a Lee sizer. I ended up with a ring tail of paper hanging down.
Perhaps the push rod is not a tight enough fit in the die. Have not tried since.

[BrentD]

That is more an effect of technique and how you place the bullet on the ram before you sizes. In the meantime, you can simply folded it under and shoot it

[beltfed]

FWIW,
My deer hunt load for my 358 Win uses a PP bullet as follows:
Lyman 358318, nom 250 gr rn gc bullet cast of 9+1 ww/lino.
Age 20 days min. Size thru .360 die, no lube.
Patch with 20# 100% rag bond paper, do the "twisted tail" wet patching. Paper length to just over lap on to the bore dia ogive.
Let dry. Clip the tail w/in about 1/8-3/16" of bullet base.
Rack up the bullets nose first on a piece of corrugated with holes to snug fit.
Spray the patched bullet "area" with dry Teflon spray. Let dry.
Now, Size the bullet again thru the 0.360 die, this time with lubing.
Prep the FLS cases (formed from neck expanded WW 308 cases-thinner necks)
by running a 0.358 M die, setting it to slightly flare the case.
Load , seat bullet as usual to magazine length.
My load gets me 2350fps from my 24" barrel. Hunting accuracy.
Kills deer Very Well.
Just shoot them thru the shoulders. Deer Drops on the spot AND,
only about a 3-4" diameter wound channel to trim from the meat.
beltfed/arnie

[beltfed]

Oh, forgot to mention that for the H&I dies: I chuck my ejector punches
in lathe and run an appropriate size center drill into the top end deep enough
to leave about a 0.060" or so ring. So the tail on the PP bullets kind of fit into
the resulting cavity. And seems like I get less bleed of lube under the bullet base
beltfed/arnie

[beltfed]

Oh, forgot to mention that for the H&I dies: I chuck my ejector punches
in lathe and run an appropriate size center drill into the top end deep enough
to leave about a 0.060" or so ring. So the tail on the PP bullets kind of fit into
the resulting cavity. And seems like I get less bleed of lube under the bullet base
beltfed/arnie