LBT 45 cal bullet for BPCR

[R J Talley]

Veral, I have one of your LBT moulds in 45 cal that I really like (500 grn LFN).  However, it is strictly a smokeless bullet. It just doesn't seem to carry enough lube for BP and a 34" barrel. Also, for the longer ranges out to 500 and 1,000 yards, I need a spitzer type nose. What do you have to offer that gives me lots of lube capacity and a spitzer design at about 500-540 grns using 1/20 alloy? I really want to use an LBT mould. None others cast as well nor release as well. In truth, your sprue plates are so far ahead of every one else it's not funny. What do you advise for a strictly BP long range bullet in 45 cal?

[rk4570]

Veral, I am also shooting BP & would be interested in your thoughts in 45 cal molds. I have some thoughts on a 45 cal long range bullet with narrow & shallow grease grooves. There has been a lot of talk about this style of bullet for mid & longe BP shooting.   Thanks for you input, Richard

[Veral]

I don't mention it in my catalog, but I have cut a lot of black powder molds.

   Any design I offer is good for blackpowder if the customer asked in his order for me to cut lube grooves for black powder.   Groove depth should always be somewhat deeper than the rifling, which is deep on some older black powder rifles, but shallow or deep makes no difference that I've ever heard of, so long as grooves are deeper than the rifling.

   It definately is crucial that maximum grease grooves be put in for black powder, to keep lead off the barrel and to keep powder soft.  That's the way I set them up, with great success.

[swifty]

Hi Veral:
I have bought your book and want to do some casting for 45-70 bpcr.
The 500 grain bullet seems to bullet of choice. However, several seem to be a nose  bore ride design. Frome what I read in your book that is not a great design.
I plan to use for 100, and 200 yard target shooting as well as hunting.
Which model do you suggest?

[Veral]

For your ranges, a full diameter hard bullet with SP nose works best.  It can be seated deeply enough to chamber easily and allow enough powder for adaquate speed for 200 yard ranges.

For longer range shooting, bore ride round nose bullets will shoot with anything in standard rifles.  The nose should be small enough to slip into the rifling over fouling, and the alloy soft enough so the entire bullet upsets to a perfect fit, producing a bullet that has rifling full length and just a round ball at the tip.  Most long range BP shooters use spitzers, but fitting them and keeping the bore clean enough so they chamber is a hassle, and if the alloy is soft enough to get the upset described above, the pointed nose always lays off center and out of balance, making accuacy touchy to obtain.

If any of you want to shoot at longer ranges, pointy spitzes made with hard alloy really work well, but the gun must be throated for them to get adaquate powder for the speed required, or desired, which means swabbing the throat area every shot.