Favorite .45-70 cast boolit for lever gun?

[StrawHat]

Glad to help.

[Bouv]

Since last Friday I am a proud owner of a Browning 1886 in .45-70. Yesterday I've cast some Lee .459-405-HB, some of you use this bullet in leverguns. I am a bit in doubt if it is safe to use this bullet in my Browning, because the nose is the same diameter than the primer. What are your experiences?
Sooner or later I will order a mold from Accurate, at present I am waiting for a mold for my Henry in .44-40. It has been shipped 5 weeks ago and did not arrive until now ....

Greetings from Bavaria!

[40-82 hiker]

Since last Friday I am a proud owner of a Browning 1886 in .45-70. Yesterday I've cast some Lee .459-405-HB, some of you use this bullet in leverguns. I am a bit in doubt if it is safe to use this bullet in my Browning, because the nose is the same diameter than the primer. What are your experiences?
Sooner or later I will order a mold from Accurate, at present I am waiting for a mold for my Henry in .44-40. It has been shipped 5 weeks ago and dit not arrive until now ....

Greetings from Bavaria!

Just my 2 cents:

Since you've molded them, shoot them one at a time, or load one in the magazine and one in the chamber and have fun. I'm too cautious about such things, and would not tempt fate as to load more than one in the magazine. Besides, the 405gr. RN boolit I'm molding for my TD is my most accurate load in my '86 Win. after much testing of other boolits. Someone recommended I do this in this thread, and sure enough I'm having a ball with this load. Saved me having to buy another mold, at least for now. Until then, I've got a two shooter! Besides, I like the slower rate of fire while at the range. Swimming upstream, but fun...

I made a jig and filed the nose off of some as recommended, but realized it was buying me little since all I am doing is target shooting. They shot okay, however.

Thinking I'm going to eventually get the Accurate 300gr. mold (46-300B), however. It is a good boolit design, shot well, uses less lead, and the recoil was very tame. If I didn't already have my 405 RN mold, I'd really be tempted to get Tom's 46-405M which Jailer recommended. Looks like a nice boolit.

[longbow]

When I had my 1895 Marlin in the 1970's (wish I still had it) I tried several boolits and found the Lyman 457124 worked very well for me. Kinda mid range weight. It shot well over both hot smokeless loads, with less recoil than heavier boolits, and over BP as well. It just seemed like a good gun/boolit combination to me.That boolit is round nose but I never had any issues with loading in a tube magazine. Nowadays if I were to get another .45-70 Marlin I would be looking at boolits between 300 and 400 grs. with a moderate meplat.There's lots of good choices out there and lots of suggestions so far.If you get an Accurate mold you will not be disappointed! Tom does excellent work.Longbow

[Bouv]

Thank you both for your answers. 40-82 hiker, what you said was in my mind as I wrote the post. I also don't want to tempt fate
I bought the Lee .459-405-HB a few months ago for my Sharps, but haven't tried it. For my Browning I would like to use a 405 gr boolit for both smokeless and black powder. And it will be an Accurate, heard only good things about.

[40-82 hiker]

When I had my 1895 Marlin in the 1970's (wish I still had it) I tried several boolits and found the Lyman 457124 worked very well for me. Kinda mid range weight. It shot well over both hot smokeless loads, with less recoil than heavier boolits, and over BP as well. It just seemed like a good gun/boolit combination to me.That boolit is round nose but I never had any issues with loading in a tube magazine. Nowadays if I were to get another .45-70 Marlin I would be looking at boolits between 300 and 400 grs. with a moderate meplat.There's lots of good choices out there and lots of suggestions so far.If you get an Accurate mold you will not be disappointed! Tom does excellent work.Longbow

457124 Yep. This is the boolit I'm using now in my TD and '86 Win. and discussed above. Using 1:20 it comes in a barely over 400 grains for me. Really does seem to be a good all around boolit for .45-70.

I just can't bring myself to stack them, though. Glad it worked out for you. Too chicken to try it myself, but really glad to hear it can be done.

[longbow]

Well, nowadays I am older and a bit smarter so I might think twice about using the round nose boolit in a tube mag. However, the nose is very round and blunt and the cartridges do lay on an angle so I doubt a primer would ever be set off but... a meplat would solve that and make for a better hunting boolit as well.

I shot some screaming loads from that Marlin (Hornady Marlin top end loads) and it recoiled fiercely with those loads but no primers set off. Still, like I said, I would think twice about it now.

I also lucked out in that the boolits cast in that Lyman mould seemed to fit the Marlin just fine with no leading. I was definitely not smart enough to slug the bore in those days. After all I bought a .457" boolit mould didn't I? It has to fit doesn't it? Got lucky that time!

I do not recall if I ever weighed any to check them but they were noticeably shorter than boolits from a .405 gr. mould I had so I have to think they weighed under 400 grs.... but I probably never weighed the 405 gr. boolits either. After all that's what the mould is supposed to cast so it must right?

Yeah, definitely older and I hope a bit smarter.

Longbow

[nhrifle]

The Lee 405 solid base is what I have been shooting for a few years now and am never disappointed with it. Works with both smokeless and black powder.