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Thread: 45/70 bullet casting

  1. #1
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    45/70 bullet casting

    Anyone casting their own bullets for 45/70.?? Iv got a Lee double mold which is easy to use but im finding my bullets are coming out undersize at .454"
    instead of .458". What mold are you using.??

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim56 View Post
    Anyone casting their own bullets for 45/70.?? Iv got a Lee double mold which is easy to use but im finding my bullets are coming out undersize at .454"
    instead of .458". What mold are you using.??
    how hard are your bullets

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim56 View Post
    Anyone casting their own bullets for 45/70.?? Iv got a Lee double mold which is easy to use but im finding my bullets are coming out undersize at .454"
    instead of .458". What mold are you using.??
    I had problems of a different kind with .45-70 Lee moulds - the 500gr bullets were coming out at around 515 -518gr, and the 405gr bullets were coming at around 425-ish.

    Getting them changed FOC seems to have solved the problem - mostly - the 500s are 505-ish and the 405s are around 408/9.

    Your problem might be related to your mix. Lee expect you to use as near-as-darnit pure lead and to make sure that you leave a good pool on top while it's setting to avoid what you are seeing. Try pouring slower and leaving a good pool around the sprue and see how it goes.

  4. #4
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    Using wheel weights and always overfill each chamber. May try a pure lead/tin mix and see what difference I get. Iv been casting for 45/70 for many
    years but have only noticed the size difference recently. When I sold my Ruger number 1 I let the mold go with it. Wish id kept it now.

  5. #5
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    45-70

    I have found with Lee moulds a soft alloy works best and I use 2 at a time when casting,
    one starts to get to hot and cause trouble, put to one side and use the other,
    they all come out close to size and no under size ones,
    the old moulds are better as the new ones tend to have bending problems in the handles,
    I do like there 6 gang moulds,
    doctored a 300gr 452 so it drops 320gr 458 and it saves loads of time casting,
    T

  6. #6
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    Many Thanks for your replys gents. Half tempted to run a small dreval around the grooves of the mold then get a .458" sizing die.
    Will try a pure lead cast next session and see what comes out but these bullets won't be hard enough for Marlin use. The other
    option is to buy another mold such as the Llyman.

  7. #7
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    Before you go any further I suggest you slug your bore to find out what size it is, there are plenty of tutorials on how to slug you bore out there. Marlin seem to make it a habit to make their barrels oversize. This is what has given rise to the myth that micro groove barrels wont shoot cast bullets. My Marlin 45-70 was .4588", seeing as my mould cast out at .460" I either shot the bullets as is with a dip lube or used a .460" sizing die.100 yard groups under 2" were common, which I didn't thing was too bad considering I was using only a 4X scope and no sling. I slugged two other Marlin .45-70s and a quite a few .44 and .357 magnum rifles and they were all at least one and a half thou over size. Cast bullets need to be at groove diameter or larger to shoot accurately.

    Try other alloys, pure lead shrinks more than alloys, when I played with making moulds I found that whilst with alloy I could cut the cavity to the bullet size required, pure lead needed the cavity to be at least .003" larger for a bullet of .45 diameter. Also, try casting hotter, particularly with ensuring a hot mould and a good puddle of metal on the spru plate. Forget about trying to open up a mould with a dremel, unless you have it set up in a lathe to control the cutting, in which case you are better off using a profiled boring bar or spoon cutter. Instead try lapping it out with grinding paste. For instructions on working on Lee moulds look up "Leementing" at the castboolits forum
    Last edited by andrew375; 09-12-2018 at 08:17 PM.

  8. #8
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    You could Beagle the mould (look it up on Cast Boolit Forum) or get yourself a decent NOE mould.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by dodgyrog View Post
    You could Beagle the mould (look it up on Cast Boolit Forum) or get yourself a decent NOE mould.
    beagling is putting plumbers heat resistant silver tape on one or both sides of the mold as close to the shape of the bullet.
    if you cannot find any i will post some down to you.....it does work

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim56 View Post
    Using wheel weights and always overfill each chamber. May try a pure lead/tin mix and see what difference I get. Iv been casting for 45/70 for many
    years but have only noticed the size difference recently. When I sold my Ruger number 1 I let the mold go with it. Wish id kept it now.
    Check your wheel weights are lead. The new ones are made of zinc and zinc shrinks unevenly when it cools.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by enfield2band View Post
    Check your wheel weights are lead. The new ones are made of zinc and zinc shrinks unevenly when it cools.
    You might check the weight of your cast bullets. A wheelweight bullet weighs in at around 80% of a pure lead bullet.......don't ask how I know.

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