4570 Mold for Three Greatly Different Rifles

[Themoose]

I guess I'm getting to my senior moments more often now, but I am confused by the mold identification numbers and what diameter they really produce... I have cast bullets for my muzzleloaders, slugs for my shotguns, and 45-70 bullets for BPCR... having said all that, none of these projectiles were sized... I recently acquired a 4 cavity mold for 45 ACP then also got a Lyman 450 lube sizer... now I have a tool that should provide me some versatility... pretty straight forward... then on to my next step where I totally get lost...

I am an avid deer hunter who also happens to own a Ruger # 3 in 45-70, and a variety of Muzzleloaders in 45 & 50 Caliber... I cast full bore bullets for the latter two.

I wondered if I could take a mold such as the 330 gr Gould 457122 and use it for:
1. 45-70 deer load with less recoil in Ruger #3 using WW or # 2 alloy
2. 50 cal muzzleloading load using MMP or Harvestor sabot using either soft
lead or WW or # 2 alloy
3. size bullet in two step process to use as fullsize in 45 Cal Muzzloaders
using pure lead

If I want to get good cast bullet performance out of a centerfire rifle, don't I want a bullet that is about .001 over the stated caliber diameter... in this case a .459 or .460 bullet for a .458 bore? The actual cast size shouldn't be smaller? If my logic is correct my critical decision is in choosing a mold for the 45-70 bullet, then
trying it in the other applications(sizing and alloy used being the variables).

Like most of us today, I can no longer afford to buy everything I would like, but am looking for ways to stretch my dollars and still produce good results. A bullet in the 330-350 range seems like a very good candidate in the rifles I use.. Your thoughts are appreciated.


TheMoose

[AnthonyB]

No experience with #3, but #1 and #2 will work well.
Tony

[45 2.1]

Your choice and methods (all are used) listed above will serve you very well.............. order the Lyman Gould 457122 and be happy. You might try a soft 50:1 to 40:1 (Lead/Tin) alloy in place of pure lead in the applications above. The Gould boolit can be sized to 0.454" and paperpatched with 9 Lb. onionskin for your #3 also. The Gould hollow point pin allows very good expansion.

[Doc_Stihl]

That 457122 probably won't hold enough lube to make your muzzleloader happy, especialy after sizing it down.

Another good option would be to go get a lee mold for each situation. Better fit, cheap, and wicked easy. Lee single cavity HB molds for the front stuffers are easy to use and work well.

[wiljen]

If you find as Doc suggests that the muzzle loader wants more lube than the 457122 provides, consider putting a lube cookie between the wad and the bullet and try that.

[Themoose]

Thanks to all for the timely responses... Sounds like I may be able to do some experimenting with one bullet as I had hoped... Can someone tell me what diameter bullet the Gould 457122 drops straight from the mold, or does that depend on the alloy used?

TheMoose

[pdawg_shooter]

Or.....you could use the 451114 and patch it up to fit any 45cal rifle.

[Dale53]

The Gould bullet was specifically designed as THE bullet in a black powder 45/70 for deer. It fits that description prefectly. I cast them of 30/1 lead/tin for proper expansion.

l have a good friend that has a four cavity Lyman mould in the solid version of the 457322. That makes for a perfect set up. Use the solid ones (high production) for practice and the separate single cavity hollow point mould (low production) for actual hunting. I can hardly get better than that.

I have both a Ruger #3 in 45/70 and a Marlin 1895 in 45/70. I do NOT look at the 45/70 as a high velocity round (although in either platform it can be loaded hot enough with smokeless to rattle your eyeballs). A really practical load for most deer hunting (and black bear and hogs, for that matter) is a duplex load (10% smokeless RL-7 next to the primer and a compressed load of 90% black powder under the bullet). You get black powder pressures, slightly greater performance than straight black and no fouling. You can shoot literally all day long without wiping or cleaning. This is a superb 150 yard large game load.

Years ago, I built a duplex powder measure for my black powder cartridge rifles that makes loading duplex a breeze.

FWIW
Dale53