Need some Boolit suggestions...Win'95 in .405

[IceKing02]

Being new to the board but with a well-established passion for leverguns I am in need of information...

I have a new model 1895 Winchester in .405 Winchester (also have a Ruger #1 Tropical in same). I am shooting Barnes TSX and Kodiak Premium Bonded Bullets with good success. Even so I have developed a bug...to shoot cast boolits in these firearms. The problem is that I haven't been able to find a source of cast bullets for this rifle and am looking for suggestions.

I have tried "ACE" cast bullets of 293grains in .410 caliber but I'd darn well swear that they were beginning to tumble by the 50yard marker...so, I guess that I'm really in need of .411 or better yet .412 lead bullets. Any help in this quest is appreciated. As well, I don't really care if the bullets are spire point or flat-nosed as we take most of our shots at <150yards, throught fair amounts of cover, and at large furry creatures with big claws/bad attitudes.

Thanks in advance,

IceKing02

[Wayne Smith]

Down at the bottom of the page, The Bullshop has a 350gr RNFP that I use in mine. I'm pushing it just at 2000fps and don't want to shoot a lot of them with that buttstock!

I think he also lists a 300gr boolit for the 405.

[Bullshop]

Yes we have several weights from about 300 to 400+. Some may be limited in diameter to .412"/.413" while others can go to about .415".
I have a custom barreld B-78 with a .4125" groove and .414" is about best in my rifle.
We offer (I think) diameters from .410" to .417" in .001" increments.
BIC/BS

[IceKing02]

Does this mean that I now have to slug my barrels so I can shoot Pb? I'm not saying that I can't do it but I've already got eight rifles and a pistol through which I intend to shoot only lead. Only my .257Wby Mag and .243 Winchester are shooting "premium" jacketed bullets...

IceKing02

[missionary5155]

If you ever get tired of launching lead globs from that Winny I get firsts dips ! If I live long enough I am gonnna come across a used one for sale when I have some "Plata" in hand.

[Jon K]

Does this mean that I now have to slug my barrels so I can shoot Pb? I'm not saying that I can't do it but I've already got eight rifles and a pistol through which I intend to shoot only lead.
IceKing02

Well............to get optimum performance and accuracy, you need proper fit to barrel, and until you do that, you're only guessing.

Jon

[StrawHat]

Not trying to take anything away from Bullshop but you could be your own source of boolits.

Lyman still makes the 412263 mold (the origianl boolit for the 1895). Others make good molds also. Cast your own, it's fun! (And addicting)

I have the 412263 and use it in my original 1895.

Another thing, yes, slug the bore to find out what you need. And scrub the bore! The copper deposits will be detrimental to the accuracy of the boolits.

The 405 WCF is a great cartridge for cast boolits, have fun!

[lar45]

Another option might be Mt. Baldy Bullets.
http://www.mtbaldybullets.com/asp/products.asp

They have a couple .411 pistol bullets includeing a 275gn Keith SWC.
They have rifle bullets at 310, 350 and 410 gn.
I don't know if they do custom sizeing like Bull Shop does. Bull Shop might be a better choice for getting something tailored to your gun.

A chamber cast will give you lots of info on your gun. I like to run a wad in from the muzzle and stop with about an inch of rifleing left to be included in the chamber cast. Then you'll have the throat size and length, lead and rifleing bore and groove.

Mountain molds used to sell a chamber cast alloy. I don't know if they still do.

[IceKing02]

Sorry...I couldn't resist So, anybody got a suggestion on the best source of slugging materials. I've read that you fill a case with lead, close it in the action and start the slug with a wood block. Then ya pound the slug down the barrel using a piece of steel rod and the lead-filled casing as a slug-stop. Remove sample/case combo and send to mold-maker. Sound right to you guys? Now I just need to find somebody to do the actual casting--I'm more interested in the loading, shooting and hunting portion of this whole operation. My plate is otherwise FULL!

IceKing02

[Bullshop]

I think we can get ya goin without quite so much trouble. It will be real good if you can simply drive a soft lead slug through your barrel. Then mik the slug and OD and ID of a fired case neck. That will give us enough to get ya going. Once you get some loads going you can try slight changes in boolit diameter in fine tuning the load.
Of the many guns I have questioned the owners about I dont recall any having less than a .412" groove and some as high as .415". I have an idea those boolits that were tumbling on you were undersize for your barrel.
BIC/BS

[Don McDowell]

My newmodel 95 gets along best with cast bullets .413 diameter.
Strawhats suggestion of the Lyman 412263 is a good one, if you don't want to build your own you can get them from Montana Bullet Works, (www.montanabulletworks.com)
I've also had some success with the lyman snover bullets for long range shooting.
Rcbs's 416 325gr gc bullet shoots pretty well if you're into gas checks.
If you can get heavy 41 mag pistol bullets at .411 with a gas check they'll shoot ok , but nothing great to write home about.
5744 has far and away been the best powder in my rifle with cast bullets.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, Lyman listed their #412263 as the original design of the factory bullet. The mold is still available from Midway. Its probably a double cav and if you cast rapidly with it, it will probably overheat faster than the single cavity does. So go slow or use another mold in tandem with it. With WW it weighs around 290 grains and mine which is an old single cav comes out measuring .413 which is just right for my old 95. A number of powders can be successfully used; IMR and Alliant-- 4320,3031,4064,4895,4198,4227, 2400 and Unique.... and probably quite a few others as well. How much of whichever one you want to use depends upon what you want to do with the loaded round, I suppose. The Unique loading of 16 grains is the lowest that I have and gives around 1460 fps. The first four IMR powders listed above can give the most powerful results and all show maximum velocities just above 2200 fps...and approximate factory velocity. I have tried as much as 57 grains of 3031... shown as yielding 2250 fps, just one time. Accuracy was reasonable, but the recoil was murder. After a lot of experimentation I backed down to 40 grains of 3031 which lists at 1500 fps; a lot pleasanter to shoot! I finally settled at 45 grains which shot the most accurately for me (1775 fps). I shot the bullets unsized, but lubed them with NRA 50/50 Alox-Beeswax formula and a slight roll crimp. Didn't get any leading. For hunting big game this cartridge is adequate for anything in the western hemisphere as it, when loaded approaching factory velocity, delivers muzzle energy of around 3200 foot pounds. Thats around/about what you get from a 375 H&H and its a hell of a brushbuster. I don't know what shape of buttplate you have on your rifle, but if it is curved, make sure you have it positioned correctly if you are using the burlier loadings. Ask me how I know. Anyway, I hope that at least some of the above this will help you enjoy your 405. LLS

[lar45]

I wouldn't want to run a steel rod down the barrel. Maybe Brass or Aluminum. A soft lead slug or round ball pushed through the barrel should give you the bore and groove measurements.
You could get some 3/8" Brass Round Bar to avoid damage to your barrel.
If you don't want to run a slug all the way through the barrel, then try hammering a slug in the muzzle end in about 1/4" ish, then use a pair of pliers to pull it out. This can get you close on the measurements, but will not show you a tight spot in the bore if there is one.

Bull Shop's directions sound good to me. Get something close, then try some larger and smaller and see how it shoots.

It's too bad a Win M94 won't feed the longer cartridges. Sounds like fun.

[Just Duke]

I still want this gun

[Just Duke]

We back.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...499#post441499