Which boolit- 457125 or 457132?

[saz]

Which one would be a better all around boolit? I am still learning and will eventually be shooting some sillywetts and some long range, but eventually want to plunk the $ down for a PJC or Steve Brooks etc. BTW, it will be for a pedersoli sharps in 45/70.

[Bullshop]

I think the 132 is the Postell right? If yes then I think it the better of the two.
I dont like the thin drive bands on the 125 even though some folks do good shooting with it. I have heard the 125 referred to as the government bullet but it is not really a very close match to the original gov. design.
BA has a very close match to the original Gov design.

[NickSS]

I have both and both are good bullets. I went to the postel to get a heavier bullet for long range but both shoot equally well in the rifles I tried them in. Eventually I want to get a really close copy of the original GI bullet as I would like to have it for my trapdoors.

[Don McDowell]

If you're just going to use it for target shooting then go with the Postell. If you want to pull double duty and add hunting to the mix then go with the government bullet.
Saeco has a really good "government" bullet.

[saz]

I was leaning to the postell boolit, but kept the government boolit in consideration because when I read Mike Venturino's book he kept the 125 in such high regard. It will be used primarily for punching paper and steel, as my rifle is a little heavy for hunting. But I have heard a lot about issues with Lyman's quality lately. Anyone have any insight on their molds these days?

[Don McDowell]

A couple of the Lyman moulds I've got in the last few years weren't so hot, but the last 3 have been just fine.
You might want to look at this bullet for a government bullet http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,2973.html

[mustanggt]

I have a 457132 that I bought new last year and it isn't so hot. It is out of round consistenly, so it's not my technique. It shot fine at 100yds but I'm not so sure it would do well at long range. I have many old lyman moulds and they are outstanding so if you're fortunate enough to get a postell in an older mould you might want to snap it up. I find 457125 being sold on ebay alot. Most are old lymans. Been wanting to bid on those myself.

[bigted]

i just purchased from midway 2 lyman moulds. one of which is the 125..500ge rn. both the moulds i bought are small in dia. they barely go .458 with the 125 being the worst one. i rarely find a boolit cast with this mould that is over .457 and a few going .4575. im a new caster as well so i wondered if it may be my tecknique. i get full fill-out and the weight seems to be fairly close to the same for all boolits so im kinda thinking that my moulds are gonna have to be meassaged a small bit to open them up.......id go for the old ones found where you can find em.

just my 2

[montana_charlie]

Which one would be a better all around boolit? I am still learning and will eventually be shooting some sillywetts and some long range, but eventually want to plunk the $ down for a PJC or Steve Brooks etc. BTW, it will be for a pedersoli sharps in 45/70.
Picking a 'first try' bullet mould for a new-to-you rifle is usually something of a toss-up. It is made easier if the demands will not be too great, because it allows the selection of a 'general purpose' bullet design.

The 457125 is a general purpose design that almost any .45 rifle can be made to shoot reasonably well. So, if a guy absolutely could only afford one mould, this one would pretty much guarantee 'useful' ammunition.



The Postell and Creedmoor (Jones or Brooks) are more specialized, as they are considered to be long range bullets. Either can be made to shoot well in most any gun, but a given rifle may like one a bit more than the other.
It begins to boil down to the slight difference in shape of the bullet...and how it fits into the chamber/throat of the gun.

If he picked one of these, a guy would need to be able to afford two moulds. If he couldn't quite get his groups down to his version of 'tiny', he would probably just have to buy the other...for comparison.



A Pedersoli owner who is looking for that 'first mould' owes it to himself to consider the PGT bullet. It is a design that follows the same basic criteria as the Postell and Creedmoor(s), but it was designed to fit the chamber/throat of his gun. That should make it a good bet for the guy who will be limited to one mould.

Paul Jones is the only current source, and he calls it the 'Pedersoli Chamber' bullet.

And, finally, a Pedersoli owner will want a mould which drops a .460" bullet.

CM

[ian45662]

I will again bring up the saeco mold if it is for trapdoor. I tried the 457125 on the advise that it was a copy of the govt design. After I got it I realized it wasnt and although I am sure it is a fine bullet it wasnt the best for the trapdoor at least in my case it wasnt. The saceo on the other hand is GREAT in my trapdoor but I have no idea how it would do in other rifles. My saeco mold drops at .460 by the way with 20:1 alloy

[Kenny Wasserburger]

The Saeco 1881 bullet is awesome, the Lyman 125 bullet is also a good shooter. Paul Jones makes an even better one.

The Postell the 132 is a good bullet for long range, for a off the shelf mould. Once you get casting down pat try a BACO Money, and never look back.

KW
The Lunger

[LarryM]

I got my Lyman 457125 Thursday. Cast up a batch with it Friday.
The mold cast a good bullet. I was using pretty much the same mostly pure lead alloy I use for muzzle loader round balls. The bullets came out on the skinny side. I was going to sort them by weight but my Hornady/Pacific scale tops out at 509.9 gr. the bullets bottomed out so...??
I'm going to work up another batch of alloy and go closer to 20:1 and see what that does for me.

If that doesn't get me closer to what I want I'll be ordering a Saeco mold.

[GuzziRider]

Just a thought to pass along. I have had Lyman moulds in the past, 457125 was one of them, that were out of spec. The one I had cast a .004" undersized nose. Not ever going to get that one to shoot to well. Anyway, I sent the mould back to Lyman with a bullet cast form it and they replaced it with a new one. Still have that one and have had good results with it. Had a Seaco 745 that I sent back too. Again they replaced it. Its been a few years back that I did this but I would hope Lyman will stand behind their products today too. Worth a try instead of keeping one that is too far out to work.

[BSkerj]

I just bought a older Ideal 457125 that is like new from a forum member . I have not shot it yet but if it shoots anything like it falls out of the mould I will be a happy camper. It is falling out at .460 and 514 grains using a RCBS 750 scale consistantly with WW's. I am going to buy up every older Ideal that I can find.

[Seth Hawkins]

Have you considered the Lyman 457677? It's tapered design allows me to get a full 70 grains of Swiss 1.5Fg powder in a W-W case. I've had good results with it out to 200 yds. There are no ranges longer than 200 yds near me, so I can't comment on it's performance past that distance. I shoot them "as cast" and pan lube with SPG. A few breaths thru a blow tube between shots allows the next round to chamber without effort.