PPB Question

[mongo40]

I will eventually get around to trying the PP thing but need a little info, don't like buying stuff I don't need. Wondering what size mold I should get? Currently I have a Lee Mold that throws a 500 gr. RN solid base .459 bullet that I've been shooting out of my Taylor & Co. 45-70 Sharps. I took a lead bullet and drove it into my Shiloh Sharps barrel lastnight then popped it back out an mic'd it and got .452, so wondering what size mold I should get for my Shiloh. Since this PP thing is new to me I may ask a totally stupid question but please bear with me, I was in the Infantry for 22 yrs and we like pictures! Was wondering if I could get a bullet sizer and run my current bullet through it to resize it down to a proper PP size? Or please recommend a mold for it. Thanks.

Chris W.

[GregLaROCHE]

I tried to do that with a NOE sizer. I had to get a smaller punch, but the smallest insert didn’t get the boolit small enough to really work well. I’ve thought about asking if I could order a smaller insert, but am now doing other things. A lot probably depends on your throat and bore sizes. If you order a mould, consider getting one without grease groves. You don’t need them with paper patching.

[Don McDowell]

Buy a dedicated patched bullet mould, sizing a greaser down and patching it seldom works very well.
As I said on the Shiloh forum if that's a B serial numbered gun, .446 diameter bullet wrapped in Seth Cole 55y or 55w is darned hard to beat for accuracy.

[mongo40]

Thanks Don I haven't seen your reply over on Shiloh Forum yet, Yes it is a B series Shiloh I bought used but not much, I think its an LRE, when looking at the Shiloh site. I sent them an email with my serial # and description to find out exactly what I do have but haven't heard back yet. I'm not familiar with what Seth Cole is or what the Y and W mean' but I do know how to Google. I'll try and find some. Thanks
Chris

[ian45662]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200916/a4feb7f15ac573edd40dd51fa7408737.jpg
Here is what a greaser sized down and then patched up to groove diameter can do. It leased something terrible. You can see where it pinched some paper


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Don McDowell]

Check Amazon for seth cole 55y and 55w paper.

[rfd]

I will eventually get around to trying the PP thing but need a little info, don't like buying stuff I don't need. Wondering what size mold I should get? Currently I have a Lee Mold that throws a 500 gr. RN solid base .459 bullet that I've been shooting out of my Taylor & Co. 45-70 Sharps. I took a lead bullet and drove it into my Shiloh Sharps barrel lastnight then popped it back out an mic'd it and got .452, so wondering what size mold I should get for my Shiloh. Since this PP thing is new to me I may ask a totally stupid question but please bear with me, I was in the Infantry for 22 yrs and we like pictures! Was wondering if I could get a bullet sizer and run my current bullet through it to resize it down to a proper PP size? Or please recommend a mold for it. Thanks.

Chris W.

chris, ya got a PM ...

[mongo40]

Rfd, can't send you no more pm's till you clear out some space! Says you've reached your max!
Chris

[rfd]

Rfd, can't send you no more pm's till you clear out some space! Says you've reached your max!
Chris

resolved.

[Chemoman]

you can resize your 459 bullet but you have to do it in steps. i paperpatch a 50 cal. my swaging die is .50. i then reduce to .498, then to 495, then to .491. i use case lube on the bullets. it may seem like a lot of work and steps but it isnt really. i can knock them out fast. my barrel is a 1/28 twist and a 450 grain bullets shoots real fine. the reason for the .50 die, i used to knarl it up lube it and start it with a starter in a muzzleloader. i would like a 491 die from corbin but they are expensive. again if you reduce your bullet in size, do it in steps and lube it a little.

[Lead pot]

you can resize your 459 bullet but you have to do it in steps. i paperpatch a 50 cal. my swaging die is .50. i then reduce to .498, then to 495, then to .491. i use case lube on the bullets. it may seem like a lot of work and steps but it isnt really. i can knock them out fast. my barrel is a 1/28 twist and a 450 grain bullets shoots real fine. the reason for the .50 die, i used to knarl it up lube it and start it with a starter in a muzzleloader. i would like a 491 die from corbin but they are expensive. again if you reduce your bullet in size, do it in steps and lube it a little.

When you reduce a bullet more than 2 or 3 thousands your changing the whole profile of the ogive plus starting the base to finn between the die and base punch even doing it in steps, but it will still shoot but going 8-9 thousands all bets are off.
I swage bullets using both Corbins dies and presses, fine equipment but running a bullet .448" through a .444 die shaves a bunch of lead off the sides and really makes an ugly looking bullet. :)

[Chemoman]

i dont understand your reply. nothing is shaved off of my bullets. they are smooth and round and perfect. going from .50 in steps to .491 is not a problem with my push through reducing dies. i dont know what kind of dies you have but they cant be like mine. mine ruin nothing. i know beyond a doubt if i had about 3 dies of the right size i could reduce his 459 bullet to 451 and it would look very nice.

[rfd]

i dont understand your reply. nothing is shaved off of my bullets. they are smooth and round and perfect. going from .50 in steps to .491 is not a problem with my push through reducing dies. i dont know what kind of dies you have but they cant be like mine. mine ruin nothing. i know beyond a doubt if i had about 3 dies of the right size i could reduce his 459 bullet to 451 and it would look very nice.

reducing much in bullet diameter will change the the transition of the base/body at the body taper point to the nose (ogive). in doing so, the entire design of the bullet has been changed, be it for the worse or better, for flight and consistent accuracy. your gun and you will be the judge.

[Chemoman]

ill have to stop here as i guess my perfect bullets are not perfect. one ragged hole groups mean what? its strange how with out seeing what i have i can be nulified, but thats the internet.

[rfd]

again, i'll repeat what you clearly missed ...

in doing so, the entire design of the bullet has been changed, be it for the worse or better, for flight and consistent accuracy. your gun and you will be the judge.

... IOW, you mess with bullet design, yer gambling. in your case, congrats - you won.

[Lead pot]

ill have to stop here as i guess my perfect bullets are not perfect. one ragged hole groups mean what? its strange how with out seeing what i have i can be nulified, but thats the internet.

LOL, I have shot many one shot ragged holes in my life LOL

Hey, Welcome to the forum. You will get some agreements and some disagreements :) but keep a stiff upper lip. :)

[country gent]

I believe if I were going to attempt sizing a bullet down that far I would opt for a 3 roll roll sizer where the bullet is inserted and the rolls turned reducing dia to a set stop. With this set up forces would be radial and even. not pushing thru the length of the bullet.

One of the properties of lead s its malleability and ease to work. Its a dead metal and the rollers would squeeze it down with out force on the nose. I have bumped noses up in swage dies and pushing on the nose to form the base down may have the same effect swelling the nose slightly. If this causes problems depends on YOUR rifle.

But it is also far easier and faster to cast what you need than to build special equipment and add extra steps to the process. If you can make the swage dies to do this you can also make a mould ( a ideal perfection style) to cast the bullet you need.

[Lead pot]

i dont understand your reply. nothing is shaved off of my bullets. they are smooth and round and perfect. going from .50 in steps to .491 is not a problem with my push through reducing dies. i dont know what kind of dies you have but they cant be like mine. mine ruin nothing. i know beyond a doubt if i had about 3 dies of the right size i could reduce his 459 bullet to 451 and it would look very nice.


I just pushed these through my Corbin swage die. The center GG and the two other are the same cast from the same mould for my .44-77 sharps.
The center bullet is .446" GG and I ran these through a core swage die that is .441" so I know I reduced then in one .005" step instead of a two step process that it should have used but I don't have a die that is .443" you can see that the shank was lengthened and the ogive is shorter but the ogive did not get pushed back but this GG was hard cast at 15 BHN? with a mix of #2 Lyman. That is the only reason the nose held it's profile but it shaved off 10.3 gr of the alloy and it this would have been a PP bullet the sane dimensions from the start the change would have been more. Yes it's still a fair looking bullet but it's profile has completely changed not taking the loss of the GG in mind.
You cant compress lead but you can make it flow
Now running that same bullet through a lube sizer die or even a Lee push through most of the lead will pass by the base punch that is not as closely mated like the Corbin swage dies and a lot of that lead that got shaved off with the swage die would have passed by the base punch because of the loose fit they have. (my lee push through have anyway)
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