45/70 mold for cowboy loads

[Loki]

I am looking for a mold to cast bullets in the 300 gr. class. These would be cast from wheel weight lead. I want to load them down for easy shooting, i.e. cowboy type loads. Can this be done with wheel weight lead, or is it too hard ? Do I need to use pure lead, and if so what lube ? All of the commercial bullets in this class that I have tried so far are too hard and don't obturate and seal the bore, thus poor accuracy. Any ideas or suggestions would be great ! :-)

[Dale53]

In my Marlin 45/70 lever action (1895 with conventional rifling) I get excellent results from the Lee 340 gr and WW+2% tin. 1.5" at 100 yards using mild loads (1200-1300 fps) with the powder of your choice. I use no fillers...

Dale53

[Frank46]

Loki, what type rifle and have you yet slugged the barrel?. Slugging will give you the bore dimensions needed to help you with your quest. In the 45-70 I like to size my boolits .002 over groove diameter. This way they seal off the expanding powder gasses behind them. As you have already found out, the hard cast bullets won't obturate and thus cause gas cutting and leading. Frank

[Buckshot]

................The mentioned Lee 340gr slug is nice, if it drops large enough to use. I bought 2 of these moulds several months apart and both drop their slugs at just a weensy over .458".

Lyman makes a nice little 300 grainer. They actually spec it at 292grs but my copy with WW drops at .459" and 303grs. It's a FNPB design.

.................Buckshot

[August]

Just get some Bear Creek, Moly coated bullets and be done with it.

[txpete]

in my 1895SS I have bullets drop .4585 and very good accuracy in my malin (ballard rifling) standard issued sights

340 lee unsized tumbled lubed
27.0 grs AA5744
rem brass
win lr primer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/txpete/thumper.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/txpete/340gr4570001.jpg

[Dale53]

Nice picture!

Dale53

[threett1]

The Lyman 458122 hollow point mold shoots good out of many guns. Mine drops straight WW alloy right at 340gr. Kills deer real dead fast as I found out this last season. :)