Mold for .458 double rifles

[snowwolfe]

Sometimes in the near future (hopefully a month of two) my Searcy double rifle in 450 Nitro Express 3 1/4 inch (.458 bore diameter) will be delivered. It will be regulated with 480 grain bullets and Searcy told me it will shoot either the 480's to 500 grain bullets to the same place.

Has anyone here ever cast for a modern .458 double rifle? If you did, have any mold recommendations?

Thank you

[Bullshop]

I just recently had a customer ask the same thing for the same reason.
I suggested a design from NEI that we have in inventory for one of Walts DD designs at 480gn.
If you are not familiar with the design it is a bore rider design with one large lube groove and two drive bands of about the same width and is gas checked.
The bore ride nose has parallel sides with what Walt called the DD ring at the beginning of the ogive. The boolit has three diameters, Groove on the shank, bore on the nose and right in between the two on the DD ring. The idea was that the thin ring would engrave easily to center the boolit with a chambered round. It does work very well and I have several molds in this design made by Walt in different calibers.
Sounds like this would be about perfect for your new rifle.
I just recently made some up to try in a 458 we just got in trade. They were quenched hardened to about 24 BHN and fired at 2000 fps muzzle velocity into frozen spruce logs at about 20 feet range. The logs were about 18" diameter and the shots were fired across the grain, bark to bark. The boolits were recovered in the third log a few inches in.
Total penetration was about 40" of frozen wood and the boolits were undeformed accept that the sides were worn smooth. The shape of the nose was just as it started out, round. Weight loss was very minimal. Should work very well on our local wooly mammoth.
BIC/BS

[snowwolfe]

Bullshop,
Thanks for the advice! What does the mold sell for? Not sure if these bullets would see any hunting use as I have a huge supply of jacketed ones. Looking for inexpensive plinkers.

Do you sell these cast boolits? Make more sense to try them before I start casting if you do.
Thanks

[johnly]

Sounds like you might want to gather a few different bullets from the folks here to try before buy. I know that I have a few molds im my collection that might be worth a try.

John

[mstarling]

Hi Snowwolfe,

I've used the 500 gr Lee RN and it works well especially if you want to have impact at a place similar to the jacketed ammo you'll use for the real thing.

Ask Butch if he might have a cast bullet load that he recommends for which the rifle would also be regulated.

[AkMike]

Daniel,
Will that hard of a boolit handle 2200 fps w/o leading also?

[snowwolfe]

Thanks msstarling. Do you use 5744 to load them? what alloy do you cast with?

Hey Mike, have any of those Lee molds I can "rent"?

[quasi]

Snow wolfe, if you can't afford a Lee mold, it is time to sell your double rifle!:smile:

[AkMike]

I don't have any for gas checks but several others for plain based.

LOL, he can borrow almost anything except my rifles and my wife!

[Bullshop]

snowwolfe
Yes Sir that is what we do here is sell boolits and lubes.
AkMike
Yes Sir I do believe they will. I have shot softer boolits faster but I have not been brave enough to try with these though.
BIC/BS

[snowwolfe]

Bullshop,
Can you fit 200 of those 500 grainers into one small flate rate box? The one that ships for about $6?

AkMike, Want to try some? If 200 fit into one box, you take 100, and I'll take a 100.

Quasi: I blew all my money on the rifle:)

[AkMike]

Sounds good to me!
But I bet he can fit alot more in that box! Fill`er up!

[Bullshop]

If you wanted them tossed in loose they may fit. Makes a mess of them though.
As a rule we stack our boolits neatly in rows in the boxes we use. This keeps the lube on the boolits not on the box. We don't just bag our boolits the way some do.
If you want them as cast it makes little difference accept that they may still get some dents that way.
Our standard shipping rates are $13.50 for up to 50 pounds.
BIC/BS

[snowwolfe]

Before I place an order for 300, what mold number from your web page are you using?
Would prefer they be lubed and sized so I am ok with the $13.50 shipping.

[Bullshop]

on our site - it does not have a picture - on the NEI site it is 346A - http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html it shows 440 grain - but it drops close to 480 grain -
Tina - Bull Shop Mom

[AkMike]

Here's the 346A.

Thank You Ma'am!

[451whitworth]

Sometimes in the near future (hopefully a month of two) my Searcy double rifle in 450 Nitro Express 3 1/4 inch (.458 bore diameter) will be delivered. It will be regulated with 480 grain bullets and Searcy told me it will shoot either the 480's to 500 grain bullets to the same place.

Has anyone here ever cast for a modern .458 double rifle? If you did, have any mold recommendations?

Thank you
i have used LBT moulds for years in double rifles, BPE and Nitro express with success. you picked one of the best calibers ever for your rifle. the .450 and the 500 in Nitro or BPE are the easiest to work with because of the standard bullet diameters. i shoot cast at full velocity with no problems.

[snowwolfe]

Seems the reintorduction of the caliber caught people by surprise. I posted a thread on the AF forum asking if anyone tried cast boolits in their 450 NE but have yet to get a response.

451whitworth, do you load for the 450 NE? If you do, what are some of your looads? What rifle fo you shoot them from?

[451whitworth]

Seems the reintorduction of the caliber caught people by surprise. I posted a thread on the AF forum asking if anyone tried cast boolits in their 450 NE but have yet to get a response.

451whitworth, do you load for the 450 NE? If you do, what are some of your looads? What rifle fo you shoot them from?

yes i load the 450 NE. i was given an Alex Henry rifle by an uncle who bought it in the early '70's when British rifles where not bringing much money because of the ammo situation. i could never afford a rifle like this at today's prices. since Hornady came out with brass that's what i use now. 55 grains of cordite is the original load and the accepted substitute is RL-15. the loading formula for NE cartridges works like this: 1.19 x original cordite load= grains of RL-15. so a good starting point will be 65 grains. most likely you will have to bump the charge up 1-3 grains to achieve regulation. the RL-15 loads for the NE rounds have been tested by the Birmingham Proof House and the Kynamco factory. the 450 NE dosen't need fillers like the bigger NE rounds. i shoot 500gr. LBT LFN's cast from WW. the great thing is since the velocity of these NE rounds are all 2050-2200 fps cast works fantastic at full power.

[AkMike]

Graeme Wright is showing full throttle loads of 84 to 87 gns of RL15 in the pressure testing area.

[snowwolfe]

451,
What mold are you using? GC or not? Sizing them to .458 or .459?

Thank you for the information

[451whitworth]

451,
What mold are you using? GC or not? Sizing them to .458 or .459?

Thank you for the information
458-500-LFN is the catalog number. i had my mould cut at .460" with a gas check for Gator checks. i size and lube at .460". i have had the pleasure of shooting a Searcy 470 NE and it was very accurate and easy to load for.