LIGHTWEIGHT .45/70 boolit

[Bucks Owin]

Seems like most of the mowlds (and advice for which mowlds are "best") concern boolits of 330 grs and up. Are there any light bullet candidates for a "target/plinking" round that is more economical on the ol' lead supply? A guy can empty a pot in a hurry casting the big boolits!

Just wondered,

Dennis

[Dutch4122]

Lee 457-340-F is the first thing that comes to mind; available in single cavity only so it will consume more time than lead. Lyman makes the 457191 (also a single cavity) and it is a bevel base if that matters to you. RCBS has the 45-300-FNGC as well as the 45-325-FNPB which are both available in a two cavity. Saeco's #015 is a 300 grn FNPB and you can get it in a 1, 2, or 4 cavity; they also have the #017 which is a 350 grn FNGC available in a 1 or 2 cavity.

Can you tell I just happened to have the Midway catalog in front of me when I read your post.;)

[ANeat]

Call Balisticast; They have some 45/70 designs that you can get that weigh less than 200gr. Here is a link http://www.ballisti-cast.com/Bullet%20Designs%20Page%207.htm Look at #947. I had them make me a mould a few weeks ago (45acp) and I had it in less than 2 weeks:-D

Adam

[dragonrider]

There are two in my Lyman catalog, circa 1973, so they may not be made anymore, first is a 457127 at 210 grn, and a 457130 at 145 grns. if you could find them, might be worth a try.

[montana_charlie]

NEI has this one at 150 grains...
CM

[PatMarlin]

I hear tell round balls shoot real accurate out of Marlin 45-70's. Never tried it yet.

[Bucks Owin]

Thanks all. Got some stuff to ponder now! :)

Dennis

[lovedogs]

Here in Montana we just fill our moulds with water then set them out on the porch a minute or two. When it's froze we dump the ice bullets into the freezer 'til we have a good supply. Then we go outside an' loads up a batch. No need to size or lube. If you stay outside they won't thaw. If it's a cold enough day they freeze so hard they are like linotype bullets and will stand firing. O' course this only works in the winter time.

[LET-CA]

Here in Montana we just fill our moulds with water then set them out on the porch a minute or two. When it's froze we dump the ice bullets into the freezer 'til we have a good supply. Then we go outside an' loads up a batch. No need to size or lube. If you stay outside they won't thaw. If it's a cold enough day they freeze so hard they are like linotype bullets and will stand firing. O' course this only works in the winter time.

My wife has been able to incorporate one of them "ice rifles" into her eyeballs. I've seen her kill teenage kids with just a stare. Drops 'em dead in their tracks. I've learned not to mess with her when she's got her game face on. . .

[Maven]

Here's another endorsement of the Lee 340gr. CB! It performed wonderfully for me yesterday from my Marlin .45-70 (Microgroove) sized to .459" over 13gr. Unique. Using a 4X scope, I was able to put 10 into 1.25" x 1.5" @ 100 yds. Also, although lighter CB's are more economical to cast, they also have a shorter bearing surface, which affects accuracy and the max. velocity to which they can be driven.

[PatMarlin]

Yep- my guide gun puts those 340 LEE's in a happy place on the target.

I think that mold's a must have no matter what.. :drinks:

[SharpsShooter]

Uh?...Light boolits?? That's the 450 to 550gr range...right???:mrgreen:
SS

[onceabull]

Bucks----------: Western Bullets in Missoula will sell you some of the Lyman 457130 collar button boolits should you want to try before purchasing a mould.. Onceabull

[Bucks Owin]

Bucks----------: Western Bullets in Missoula will sell you some of the Lyman 457130 collar button boolits should you want to try before purchasing a mould.. Onceabull

GREAT tip amigo! Much obliged!

Dennis

[TCLouis]

was any indication the RCBS 300 Grain bullet may fit the bill.
Still a lot of lead, but may fit your bill. I shot the GC version today, but will cast some PBs soon and will report results with that boolit.

The Lee 340 does well and does not lead at the moderate velocities I am shooting, but sure does NOT have much of a set of lube grooves.

The 340 Lee penetrates about 9-11" in my clay backstop and opens quite a cavity.
Little bit of meplat and mass (momentum) go a long way! !
This is with 9 grains of Red Dot.
7 grains shoots better groups though. Gonna carry that out to 100 yards and see if the boolit has lost stability from that slow start.

Anyone out there have Quickload and able to calculate info for

340 Lee, 300 RCBS and 7, 9, 10, 12 grains of Red Dot??

[mooman76]

I was thinking of trying some round balls or the Lee REAL Bullets!

[Bucks Owin]

was any indication the RCBS 300 Grain bullet may fit the bill.
Still a lot of lead, but may fit your bill. I shot the GC version today, but will cast some PBs soon and will report results with that boolit.

The Lee 340 does well and does not lead at the moderate velocities I am shooting, but sure does NOT have much of a set of lube grooves.

The 340 Lee penetrates about 9-11" in my clay backstop and opens quite a cavity.
Little bit of meplat and mass (momentum) go a long way! !
This is with 9 grains of Red Dot.
7 grains shoots better groups though. Gonna carry that out to 100 yards and see if the bollit has lost stability from that slow start.

Anyone out there have Quickload and able to calculate info for

340 Lee, 300 RCBS and 7, 9, 10, 12 grains of Red Dot??


Thanks for the info. Mostly I'm looking for a "lead economical" plinker. Seems a shame to throw 300+ grs of hard to come by alloy at a paper target 50 or 100 yds away, knowhatta mean? ;)

Dennis

BTW, something in the 180 to 220 gr area might just get a fast enough start to flatten the trajectory a little out to 200 yds or so....(Hey! Maybe it'll be a .45/70 "varmint load"!) :D

[TCLouis]

Dennis since you are shooting at home, build a backstop and harvest lead as it comes to the surface and melt down in big batches to "even" out the alloy.

I recover all the come to the surface and throw them in a bucke for just that purpose.

Being a real cheapskate, WW alloyis about as fancy as I get.

I will test some REAL bullets tomorrow and see how they fit. Might be an interesting experiment, might as well try some of the 45 cal HB minies too.

If they are large enough to hold in the case I will report what I find using the typical Red Dot loads I have been using!

[PGBsuperior]

Seems like most of the mowlds (and advice for which mowlds are "best") concern boolits of 330 grs and up. Are there any light bullet candidates for a "target/plinking" round that is more economical on the ol' lead supply? A guy can empty a pot in a hurry casting the big boolits!

Just wondered,

Dennis

Well, I do cast a 300 grain gas checked boolit for that caliber. Interested?

Amy

[drinks]

For plinking, I use the Lee 456-220 1R, this is the bullet for the Ruger Old Army revolver.
Drops at .456" from my mold, but I made a .459" reamer and reamed the drive bands out to that size, improved groups from 2 1/2" at 50 yds to 1 3/4 - 2" at 50 yds, still plenty to stop attacking tin cans and ferocious Fox squirrels.
10GR of Herco is a good load, or 8gr Universal, I get 1100-1200fps with those .
The Lee REALs are too small, .450" or so out of the mold.

[45 2.1]

Larry Gibson had a post some time ago about a Rapine 460 diameter 250gr. plinking boolit for the 45 rifles. He sent me some to draw up and try. Its a very good design that warrants a group buy.

[Howdy Doody]

I hear tell round balls shoot real accurate out of Marlin 45-70's. Never tried it yet.

Yup, I shoot them. I shoot them in an H&R handi rifle. I only use them for an event in cowboy action shooting called a plainsman match. The targets are only 35 to 50 yards out and large steel, sometimes maybe a gong or a buffalo. It is a BP event.

I use the same 457 balls I cast for my Ruger Old Army revolvers. I down load considerably. Use only 40grs of BP and some breakfast food filler, I like Creme of Wheat myself, and insert ball and use a heavy crimp.

I have never tried them for real accuracy or any more distance than 50 yards, but they shoot fine, look like they kick like a mule, but actually are pretty mild. Only for a single shot of course and a 458 would probably fit the lands better too, but it does work.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Catshooter has a light bullet 6 cavity mould group buy at the moment.

[HORNET]

This topic keeps popping back up and I keep seeing references to the 457130 collar button mold. Anybody ever try the old hollow-based designs for .45 Colt? I'm thinking specifically of the 45468 (175 gr) which would probably cast about .457 out of a moderately hard alloy, although some of the old black powder revolver designs might also work ( didn't LEE make one of their automatic core pin molds at one time??) and would provide a lot more bearing surface for bore alignment. :coffee: :Fire:

[Bucks Owin]

This topic keeps popping back up and I keep seeing references to the 457130 collar button mold. Anybody ever try the old hollow-based designs for .45 Colt? I'm thinking specifically of the 45468 (175 gr) which would probably cast about .457 out of a moderately hard alloy, although some of the old black powder revolver designs might also work ( didn't LEE make one of their automatic core pin molds at one time??) and would provide a lot more bearing surface for bore alignment. :coffee: :Fire:

Good thought. I'll check that out....

Dennis

[Larry Gibson]

Larry Gibson had a post some time ago about a Rapine 460 diameter 250gr. plinking boolit for the 45 rifles. He sent me some to draw up and try. Its a very good design that warrants a group buy.

I have used the Lee 546-220-R with the based reamed as described. I have used the Lyman collar buttons and I have shot RBs. I have used over sized .45 Colt 250 gr bullets and hollow based bullets. I have tried several other designs also. None of them performs as well as the Rapine 460-250. I managed to get two of the double cavity Rapine moulds cut with the same reamer. They actually cast a 270-275 gr bullet at .460". I shoot these over 8 gr of Bullseye mostly in my H&R trapdoors. velocity is 1050 fps. It is nothing to get 10 shot ragged holes at 50 yards of less than 1.5". I have shot this load with amazing accuracy to 500 yards (what a hoot!). If you are considering a group buy I would suggest a copy of this bullet vs the other light bullets mentioned. I have yet to find a light weight bullet (under 300 gr) of other design that matches this bullets accuracy or versatility.

Larry Gibson

[felix]

Bob, Larry, what does this boolit look like? I'm interested. ... felix

[45 2.1]

Bob, Larry, what does this boolit look like? I'm interested. ... felix

I have the original drawn. I will try to post it if I can get a good connection at home.

[45 2.1]

Rapine 460-250:

[hpdrifter]

I'd like to have one of them in a GB.[smilie=1:

[45 2.1]

So would I, now just get 23 others and a Honcho for it.

[hpdrifter]

Ya know, that looks a lot like a Lee REAL boolit. hmmmm

[Larry Gibson]

Ya know, that looks a lot like a Lee REAL boolit. hmmmm

I have the Lee REAL bullet also (both weights in .50 cal), they are not the same and really don't look the same. They functin differently also, the REAL has a tapered bearing surface and is intended to "bump" up.The Rapine bullet has parallel bearing surfaces and shoult fit the bore or be slightly oversize.

Larry Gibson

[porkchop bob]

I am interested in two. :drinks:

Thanks, Bob

[Bucks Owin]

Rapine 460-250:

Looks kinda like Lee's "Improved Minie" I once had in .58 cal...(Except that boolit had a hollow base)

Dennis

[hpdrifter]

I have the Lee REAL bullet also (both weights in .50 cal), they are not the same and really don't look the same. They functin differently also, the REAL has a tapered bearing surface and is intended to "bump" up.The Rapine bullet has parallel bearing surfaces and shoult fit the bore or be slightly oversize.

Larry Gibson
Iffin you ran that .467 bullet thru a .458/9 sizer, it might have a small parallel side????

Just something for plinkin with the H&R, not target work or for tube mags.

[Rangerone]

I am in for one if we do it...