What bullet to start Sharps' shooting?

[ButlerFord45]

I've been loading 45-70 for my '86 for a couple of years with 405grainers and am happy with them for this rifle.  I'm new to Sharps and to casting, and am having a good time with both.  I know I probably should order a bunch of different bullets to try before trying to cast a particular bullet for my rifle, but I'm having a good time with casting.  So with that in mind, what bullet/mould would you recomend to start with?  I would like to start with 480+ and prefer to start with 500 or better, no gas checks.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Butler,
   Ole pard, first mould is one of the best is the Lyman 475125 the old gov Bullet this always shoots well in any 45-70. Saeco makes a excellent copy of the same bullet and I prefer it to the laymanm its called the 1881. Another excellent bullet is the Lyman 475132 the Postell its a excellent bullet. Any of these 3 will get you off to a excellent start.  As you get more comfortable with them you may want to try a Paul Jones Creedmoor but these are a $180 and change with shipping. Or perhaps A Steve Brooks mould ??

Hope this gets you started !
                 Kenny Wasserburger

[Coydog C.]

BF,

   Like many guys in this sport, I started with a Lyman mould, mine was the 457132 Postell. Most of the guys I know that shoot this bullet love it, and I did pretty well with it in my 2.1”.

   When my 2.6” arrived I wanted something a little heavier, so I ordered an NEI copy of the PJ Creedmoor bullet, and again this did pretty well too. Unfortunately my Lyman 457132 mould started acting up, so I ordered a NEI Postell copy. This mould cast a pretty bullet and it shot very well in my 2.1” so I was pretty happy. The NEI Moulds were pretty good really, they cast nice bullets that shot well. They were a little finicky as far as bullets sticking, but so was the Lyman and I was used to it.

The NEI moulds went for about $90.00 in steel and I used these moulds for around 4 years. All this time I’d read about, and spoke with guys using custom moulds from Brooks and Paul Jones. But, I figured what the heck, I’m doing OK with what I’ve got, and $150 for a mould is pretty steep. Then one day I ran into some extra money and there was nothing waiting on my wish list so I figured I’d see what the big deal was about custom moulds. Since I was mostly shooting my 2.6” then I decided I’d give Paul Jones a call about an “Honest to God PJ Creedmoor Mould”, we discussed what alloy I was using and what diameter bullets had shot well in the past. He then recommended a diameter, and I went with it.

When the mould arrived it “screamed” quality! It cast good bullets the 1st casting session after nothing but a good cleaning beforehand. The bullets were round and they were beautiful! Casting with this mould was (and is) a dream, bullets fell from the mould with one tap on the handle pivot EVERY time. I’d like to finish my story by saying that my group sizes were cut in half, but they weren’t, accuracy stayed about the same. But, my casting sessions were greatly improved, with my other moulds I’d cast 130 bullets to get 100 “keepers”. Now I’m down to casting 110, and I’ll get 105 that make weight and visual inspection. A great savings in time and aggravation.

Two weeks ago I ordered another mould from Paul Jones for a new rifle I’ve got coming. They’re still $150.00, but I didn’t bat an eye this time, I KNOW it’s worth it. So now I’ve got around $300 worth of moulds sitting unused, and a $150 mould that I use all the time. Funny thing is, IF I’d listened to some of those guys 4 years ago, I’d have been happier sooner, and about $300 richer.

I’d take a hard look at one of the “custom” moulds. Sometimes a little more money up front is cheaper in the long run.

Chuck

[Coydog C.]

Marsh my friend, it's not how you're running that matters it's where you're running.

Try grocery stores, and antique shops.

That's where all the wealthier widows and divorcees hang out!

 :eek:

Either that or you'd be surpirsed how easy it is to knock over a 7-11!

 :lol:

Chuck

[ButlerFord45]

I wasn't ignorin' ya'll, I wuz thankin' and that' a time consunin thang fur me to do.   I thought I had it all figured out, after lookin', readin, askin' and just plain pesterin' people, I had it down to two moulds, 125 or 132 Lyman, and which ever ya'll suggested the most wuz' tha' one I was gonna start with. Then Coydog gotta throw in that idear of a custom mould, sounds lik wizdum an' xperence.  
Hell, now I'm worse off than I wuz afor I axked! :-D  :-D  :-D