Hi all,
I tracked down a nice condition Dutch Beaumont a few months back and have been itching to build some rounds for her.
I've got the brass (betram, crazy expensive), the dies (CH4D, also pricey) and everything else I need. I've slugged the bore (.454-.455) and made a chamber casting.
But I'm stuck on one issue: how hard or soft should the boolits be?
My plan is to make two loads: one approximating the military load, using a lee 340gr 457-340-F and one with a larger slug from a 385-gr Lyman 457124.
I was thinking at first that I wanted the softest possible boolit since the original slugs were likely pure lead or similar. But given that these babies will eventually travel 1300 or 1400 fps, I'm not so sure.
The boolits I've turned out so far with both moulds register below BNH 8 according to my LEE hardness tester. I'm thinking this might be too soft.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences would be greatly appreciated. I've read the other threads about loading for this rifle but haven't seen much discussion of boolit hardness.