Favorite Accurate Mold for 45-70

[Biggin]

Howdy y'all I'm looking for a good all around mold for 45-70 that has a wide flat nose but will cycle through a Marlin 1895.
I really like the molds that Tom at Accurate Molds makes. He has several designs that are basically the same model except one is plain based and the other is gas checked. I'm thinking something in the 350 to 400gr range is what I want. Anyway if you have experience with these I would like some opinions.

P.S. I did try to search the forum but when I type in 45-70 I get everything but 45-70
Who knows
Thanks Biggin

[Winger Ed.]

Use a outside search engine and it'll bring up pages and pages of .45-70 articles and postings from other forums
even getting into their archives. For whatever you want to do with it, the caliber is well plowed ground.

I use a soft RCBS 405 FN in my Marlin CB that I think is a 26" barrel, drops at 424 grains.
Even with mid-range loads, it took awhile to figure out which end of it was more dangerous than the other.
Using it with Holy Black FF, its almost pleasant to shoot. Smokeless loads with it are not for the meek.
Once I've used up the ones I've already cast, I'll be switching over to something MUCH lighter.

[Biggin]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't want to rehash a subject that's probably been covered numerous times.

[Kai]

NOE 45-300. A 300gr gc flat point design.

[StrawHat]

I no longer have any use for the 45-70. But, when I did, I only hunted or practiced for hunting. I favored two bullets. One, the Gould bullet. The other was a 405 grain that was nearly a wadcutter. I found that the blunter the shape of the nose the more straight line penetration you would get.

To your point, I saw no need for a gas check.

kevin

[Bigslug]

When it comes to a .45-70 in the weight range you're looking for, it really comes down to one "flying telephone pole" vs. another. Your nose length is limited by what the gun can feed and the shanks are pretty much interchangeable. Provided the diameters match the gun, there shouldn't be much mystery to getting them all to shoot well. The variables you want to ponder are:

How hard do you plan to drive it? (gas check for much over 1600 fps vs. PB for the cowboy to "getting stout" level loads)

Do you care about trajectory (more aerodynamic nose) or are you all about short range, blunt force trauma?

The .34" meplat options are perhaps my favorite thing in the world to shoot milk jugs with. At around 1600 fps, the effect can best be described as "detonation". The downside is that accuracy may come unglued on you much over about 175 yards.

My Dad killed his 2014 buck with the RCBS 405-FN-GC out of a Marlin. Cast hard and driven to a "kills at both ends" velocity, it has been crazy accurate across it and several other rifles. Smaller meplat, but a good overall compromise bullet.

Looking at the Accurate catalog now, I'd give serious consideration to measuring the gun carefully and going custom diameters on the 46-405-BP so it drops at the size I want. It's got a .33" nose with a taper that should provide good feeding with a time-saving tumble lube shank.

[Edward]

My favorite is NOE s 350-460 -FN sized to 458 2 cav PB/GC .Never could choose ,they both work and deer couldn't either !/Ed

[Biggin]

Thanks for the replies im not looking for long range most likely 150yds or less. Not really looking for high pressure loads either. Mostly looking for a deer/ bear load for short range

[Bigslug]

Well, just so you get the most out of the experience. . .

If you look at the blueprints, you'll see that some of the molds in the Accurate catalog have front bands that are smaller in diameter than the .460" shank behind the crimp groove. This would be advantageous if your rifle has a really short throat and can prevent sticky chambering issues. If it's a little roomier, then less need for it.

Pound-casting your chamber will tell the tale. Whatever that tale is, for your application, I personally would want a little of that slop in the throat area to permit fast and easy cycling. You will probably be able to get that with a full diameter front band to an extent, but for a short range brush gun, I'd avoid a blueprint that is going to almost entirely fill the throat to the point of the band kissing the lands. Most of these 400-ish grain bullets have a generous driving band BEHIND the crimp groove as well as a long shank to handle your bore centering needs. Achieving accuracy shouldn't be a problem - I'd put the priority on hassle-free function.

The 46-405D is very like the older, no longer listed .34" meplat NOE that I know to run in Marlins.

405N - basically same bullet with fewer, but larger lube grooves.

405M - same shank as the N with a slightly more tapered nose and a .33" meplat

405BP - same bullet as the M in tumble lube format.

405A - gas checked if you decide you want to push soft alloys faster, but the big meplats do a lot of that work for you without expansion.

That would be the pool I'd play in. With a good chamber cast, I might have Tom customize the front band length and diameter, but like I say, probably not needed for what you're doing. Size the shank to optimize for your groove diameter & call it a day.

[waco]

This one was designed to feed like butter through your Marlin. I love this mold. Hard hitter.
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-405V

[sukivel]

This one was designed to feed like butter through your Marlin. I love this mold. Hard hitter.
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-405V

If I was starting anew with 45-70 this is the perfect one and only ONE I would get.

I think…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fenderman57]

This one was designed to feed like butter through your Marlin. I love this mold. Hard hitter.
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-405V

That one in the 490 gr version is my favorite, also feeds perfect in a Henry.

[oldblinddog]

This is the one you want: https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-340L
It is a copy of the Lyman 457122 but without the hollowpoint pin. Use the same data from Lyman #4. You only need to go to trapdoor velocities for deer/bear.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Not A current Accurate design, but Accurate would match them, the RCBS 45-300-FN or the NOE 460-315-RF are the bullets I like for my Marlin 1895. A 300 grain bullet at 2200 normally exits bull elk, with lighter loads it is very accurate in my two Marlin 1895's, an early no safety curved butt plate and a Remlin cowboy. Get 4 -300grain or 3-400 grain? Unless you are going well past 350 yards, more bullet weight just adds recoil. Even at 1500fps, a 300 grain bullet works very well on most game.