PP boolit types

[vulture47]

I don't have any molds to cast regular PP boolits, so is it passable to just patch a grease grooved slug? I am going to try PP some slugs for my .577 Snider and I've never seen a designated PP boolit mold for that caliber. By the way, if this is an old question I apologize, new to the forum, did some checking on here but haven't found any posts about this topic, will keep looking. Thanks.

[dualsport]

I've read some stuff here about that, just can't remember where. I think it's a matter of subtracting the total thickness of the paper to find the bullet diameter you need. If I recall you can use different thicknesses of paper and build it up to what you need. Maybe a conical for a .54 muzzleloader would do in a pinch 'til you find a good bullet. I don't know, just guessing.

[docone31]

I routinely size conventional molds and patch them up.
Your .577 is a large one. I patch .30cal.
It is quite likely, you will be able to do it. It is a question of finding your size for the groove.

[Lead pot]

vulture47

I have a old Lyman 577-611-AW bullet mould that works really good for the .577 patched.
If you can find one it will cast a .573 hollow based bullet and a lee push through die will take another .003 off it and that would make it a very good PP bullet for that Snider.
If you have some free bore you don't have to size down if you find some .0016 thick paper.
It would make it a very good shooter.

[yondering]

Patching grease groove boolits works fine. (unlubed of course) If it is round and made of lead, you can paper patch it!
I suggest patching them as cast, then sizing back down. This compresses the paper, making it more durable, and in my opinion, better able to grip the rifling. Do you have a sizer for that .577 though?

[Southern Son]

I am patching a GG boolit for my 458WinMag. Casts at .459, I run it through one of those Lee dies that squeezes it back to .451. There are still grooves, but they are only very shallow. When you get the patch on good and tight, you can see where the grooves were when the patch dries.

[pdawg_shooter]

Over the years I have had a number of PP molds, all now gone. I have better luck with grooved bullets sized to bore diameter + .001/.0015 and patched back up to groove diameter + .001 to .003. Lube them and load them.

[yeahbub]

Welcome to the board, vulture47! I've been patching full diameter grooved boolits for the duration of my patching adventures. One of these days I'll get around to ordering a mold specifically for patching but, right now, I'm too busy getting great results with the full dia. molds I have now. Maybe when I get a round tuit, which I hear is a prerequisite for such things.

I usually patch, lube and size them within the first 48 hours, while they are still soft regardless of alloy. I'm assuming you'll be casting soft lead or a lead/tin mix, so how old they are won't be a consideration. I like to keep to the minimum number of steps, so, if they aren't big enough to make sizing difficult, I'll patch them as cast. Once the patches are dry, I tumble them in a little bit of 1/1 Johnson Paste Wax/Lee Liguid Alox and size them once they're dry. The paper can't absorb much, so enough to make them shiny is all they need for smokeless loads. Some folks tumble-lube them again after sizing and claim easier loading, but I've not noticed a difference. With genuine black, you'll probably have to modify that.