brotherhood of the 45-70

[two bit okie]

al righty then, new 45-70 mold supposed to two hole, 350 gr lee. when sorting them out what is the break point for different weights. As in 349 to 351, 348 to 352, and what do you use for back to the pot weight.

these are the biggst I have ever cast, so I am curious.

[JReed]

I would keep the 349-351 range and melt ones that are greater then +/- 1 grn.

[Old Ranger]

I use the very same method that as JReed stated so well in his reply. Give or take 1 gr either way from the average you cast. By the way, is that the Lee 340RNFP mould? If so, that is the best mould I have for the 45-70. That mould cast some of the most accurate bullets I've ever used in my Marlin Guide Gun. With proper care one can expect really good looking and performing bullets from that mould. Sounds like you're casting a might soft with that weight. Good to go to about 1350 fps with an Alox mix and proper sizing. Going up to around 1550 with a harder mix was about as fast as I could push it with no leading. It does have shallow lube grooves and that puts a damper on anything too fast....ok, I've rattled on enough. But I love the 45-70 and have loaded for it well over 45+ years and still going strong....sorta, I'm old now

Wade

[Cast Bullet Hunter]

+/- 1% of bullet weight. Unless you are shooting bench rest you will never know the difference between this ans +/- 1 grain.

[Shasta]

When I weigh my bullets, I usually group them in one grain increments. Bullet weight will vary depending on the alloy used, but let's say I am using that Lee 350 gr. mold, and with my alloy they drop out of the mold averaging 355 grains. I then sort them by weight allowing 1/2 grain up or down, so the 356 grain pile can weigh 355.6 to 356.5 for an average weight of 356 gr., the 355 grain pile can weigh 354.6 to 355.5, the 354 grain pile can weigh 353.6 to 354.5, etc. My self-imposed maximum allowable light weight for any given cast bullet is one-half percent of ideal weight. One-half percent of 355 grains is 1.775 grains, so for that ideal weight 355 grain bullet with that alloy, I would round 1.775 grains off to two grains and reject any bullet not making my 353 grain pile.

I keep each one grain increment pile seperate, storing and shooting those bullets together so that in theory any given box of loaded ammo will not vary more than one grain in bullet weight, and all ammo loaded from that batch of alloy will give me 99% weight consistency from one box to the next.

This is just my own personal standard which may not make a lot of sense, but it is my way of quality control.

SHASTA

[6pt-sika]

For my own needs I cast maybe 1,000 bullets for the 45-70 each year in more then one weight and maybe 5,000 for the 44 MAG/444 and also of many many weights .

Over the years of shooting lots and lots of paper as well as animals I have NEVER weight sorted any of them . And I've never had a problem . When I cast I look for wrinkles and thats about it . With the 44 and 45 cal bullets a grain or two makes a very minute difference .

Two grains difference in a 350 grain bullet is only .006 % . Personally I wouldn't bother .

[shooter]

For my own needs I cast maybe 1,000 bullets for the 45-70 each year in more then one weight and maybe 5,000 for the 44 MAG/444 and also of many many weights .

Over the years of shooting lots and lots of paper as well as animals I have NEVER weight sorted any of them . And I've never had a problem . When I cast I look for wrinkles and thats about it . With the 44 and 45 cal bullets a grain or two makes a very minute difference .

Two grains difference in a 350 grain bullet is only .006 % . Personally I wouldn't bother .

My experience is the same. I have never weighed my cast bullets and only look for wrinkles in the driving bands and a good base on the bullet. The ones that don't meet those requirements are tossed back in the pot. If they have a good base and driving bands, but have wrinkles on the nose I just keep them separate and mark the primer with a sharpie to designate that they are not for hunting, only for plinking. I have never had an accuracy issue by doing this. As 6pt pointed out, at those weights a grain or two or even three or four won't make much difference in field accuracy. I have occasional flyers that may be attributed to lighter/heavier bullets, but even the flyers stay in the kill zone 99% of the time.

[guido4198]

On the heavy bullets...350-400 and up...I use +/- 1.0 gn.
For lighter cast bullets...like 180's...I'm using +/- 0.5 gn.
Does it make a difference ??? Don't know. Never took the out-liers(?) to the range. I know it makes me happy to have a variable eliminated for so little extra effort.

[Shasta]

The thread linked below did not generate much interest, but it ties into this thread nicely:


http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=40126


SHASTA

[6pt-sika]

The bottom line is this ,

If you feel the need to weight sort then by all means do it !

But if you don't it's a waste of time .

I follow the "waste of time" school !

[Sixgun]

Like 6-Point and Shooter, I don't give a rats butt how much they weigh. I look for sharp edges and a perfect base. I've tested tens of thou. of cast and have concluded that the bullet fit (to the throat and groove) and perfection of the base is more important than several grains of weight either way.

Now, if your shooting bench rest, thats another story. But who really cares if your shooting a 1" group or a 1 and 1/2" group?

Any disciplined neurotic detailed inspection of the bullets takes the fun, motivation, AND your time away.-------------------------Sixgun

[Blaine]

Not the same thing, kinda, but I find it way faster and just as accurate to use dippers for .44 mag, 45-70, and other short range loads.....I don't shoot paper (much) and I'm "on" if the little white rocks blow up when I shoot at them When I get off my can and start loading .284, .218, and a couple others, I shall be a bit more careful.