45-70 trail boss only -pure lead ok?

[thejanitor]

We like to plink with our 45-70s with trailboss and I have a mold and a bunch or pure lead. If we are only using them at low speed would the pure lead be usable if we sized/lubed them just like a harder bullet? I have a zillion 405 remington jacketed for faster hunting loads, but just for fun plinking could pure lead 405gr bullets be used in a 45-70 with trailboss? Thanks thejanitor

[45-70.gov]

i have thought the same thing
i have a few 45-70s  and  1000 pounds of pure lead

these would be  like a muzzle loader ...and they thrive on pure lead
i wonder if they will mushroom on deer or small game

could just  add 10%  or 20%  in wheel weights

i have run pure lead  in a 357mag  handi rifle
185 gr  WFN  with  a gas check  [starting  load  of  H110] with  good results

[thejanitor]

I am not sure what twist is on my Handi rifle but my muzzle loader I shot maxi balls out of was 1-32 twist.  I sure wouldn't want to make a bunch and then find they skip the rifling. (had that issue trying to shoot a patched round ball out of the 1-32 twist muzzle loader with any speed it just blew the patch and accuracy was not really even measurable. Could shoot SLOW light loads but but no hunting type load.)
I wouldn't want to strip the outer part of the bullet off and have to remove it from the rifling. But thought it could be do-able if the speed was slow enough.
My mold is the hollow based lee 405 but the TB load might not even be hot and fast enough to flare the base out into the rifling.....
Thanks for the reply any others please chime in. Thanks thejanitor

[keith44]

it should work Ok if velocity is kept low, AND you can get the pure lead to cast well enough.  You might need to add some tin to get the mold to fill out and cast a good bullet.  BPCR shooters use a 1:20 to 1:30 tin lead alloy.  With velocities running 900 to 1,200 fps and a good soft lube trailboss should give good results.

[thejanitor]

Thank you, I will try to mix them a little harder so they mold right. I should be able to find some ww to mix in. shouldn't be hard to find out if it worked ok or not. Thanks all,  thejanitor

[Lloyd Smale]

we used to shoot alot of bullets cast in the 340 lee mold and a round ball mold out of pure or close to it with 3 grains of bullseye. Had no problem with leading at those speeds and all we did was cast them and coat them with lee alox and push them by had into an unsized case. Just reprimed them and used a lee dipper for measuring the powder. It is not hard like some people think to cast with pure. Just turn the temp up a bit. What was real funny was when we shot those bullets at steal targets. They werent going fast enough to come apart and youd find great big mushroomed (flattened) bullets on the ground right by the steal. We used to pick them up and throw em back in the pot.