Author Topic: Cast bullet 45-70 (Read 911 times)

James B · « **on:** February 10, 2005, 04:49:02 AM »

I am thinking of going to the Quigley shoot and shooting the Buffalo Classic. For shots to 800 yards, what would be a good weight and style of cast bullet. I would like to find out what would work well and where I can buy them if I don't wish to cast my own. Thank you. I am kind of new to cast bullets for rifles. I have cast a lot of pistol bullets

LAH · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2005, 07:43:10 AM »

A bullet some seem to like is the Lyman 457132. I'm sure someone here can give you advice as to what to try. We cast the bullet below and also the Lyman 457125. Both these are over 500 grs. We have them in 9 BHN and 15 BHN sized .459 or .460 with LBT Blue.

Longcruise · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:00:42 AM »

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I would like to find out what would work well and where I can buy them if I don't wish to cast my own.

The 457125 mentioned above is pretty much an old standby and a good one to try.

I'm not familiar with the Quigly match. Is it BP only? If it's BP only, the 457125 will work fine but maybe not with the LBT lube and surely not in the harder cast form. The 9 BHN would be best for BP. If your'e allowed modern powder loads then the harder bullet lubed with LBT would probably be a better choice, IMO.

The fit of the bore ride nose is important with this type of bullet so you might want to slug your bore and then inquire of LAH as to the nose diameters available from them.

Sounds like fun, keep us posted on your preparations, etc.

LAH · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2005, 12:14:37 PM »

Enjoyed your home page Longcruise.........Nice

James B · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2005, 12:58:29 PM »

Thanks gentlemen. The Quigley match is for any single shot or lever gun with any kind of powder and any cast bullet with or without gas checks. The Montanan has the info posted on the NEF centerfire forum. I am attempting to get my Buffalo Classic lined around to try it. I need to find a good sight for it as well. I don't have a good place to cast bullets and ay my age I don't need to invest in a lot of bullet making stuff. :grin: The rifles must be 375 caliber or larger.

rk4570 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 11, 2005, 05:24:54 AM »

James, Go over to : www.buffaloarms.com
Dave has everything you will ever need!!
His Swaged bullets are great!! :grin:

Longcruise · « **Reply #6 on:** February 11, 2005, 05:57:57 AM »

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Enjoyed your home page Longcruise.........Nice

Thanks, it started out as a learning tool because I wanted to learn how so that I could publish my business web site. Now the "fun" site is bigger than the bus site.

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The Quigley match is for any single shot or lever gun with any kind of powder and any cast bullet with or without gas checks.

That opens the door to many possibilities! Loading the 45-70 with BP is a bit more elaborate than with modern powders, but in a way it's simpler too. I guess what I'm saying is it can be as complicated as you make it, if that makes any sense. :?

My 45-70 BP loads have much smaller SD's than my modern loads and are just as accurate. OTOH, my best modern loads use the same bullets and are much quicker to put together.

Given that you can use modern components, you don't need to use a bore ride nose bullet. You can, but you don,t need to! You could select a heavy bullet with a more modern configuration without a bore ride nose and still get the velocity up to the 1300 to 1400 fps range with no problem. The bore ride nose config is designed to keep more of the bullet out of the case to allow more capacity for BP. Not needed with a smokeless load!

powderburner · « **Reply #7 on:** February 11, 2005, 06:30:14 AM »

if you go to shoot at Quigley work up a load with the heaviest bullet you and your rifle can handle. with the trickey winds up there the heavier bullets will perform better ........Dean

sharps4590 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2005, 12:58:31 AM »

For 800 yard shooting I'd take a very close look at the Jones 540 gr. bullet. I've always used the RCBS 500BP and done well but at the longer ranges a couple buddies of mine will clean my clock using that bullet. If your rifle has a 1-18 twist I would use that bullet exclusively, providing it shot in that rifle. If it's 1-20 I'd try a box or two before I committed. Unfortunately I don't know where they are available pre-cast. Perhaps someone on this forum could help there if you're interested.

Vic

James B · « **Reply #9 on:** February 21, 2005, 01:19:39 PM »

Thanks for all the info. I am picking up some of my epuipment this weekend.