The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Could anyone point me at moulds to replicate these two GM bullets:


250gr RNFP


180gr Truncated cone


Many thanks,

Ben

Bullet heads - Come on Krank, up your game.

I would have a look at Accurate moulds web site and see what Tom has, if he doesn't have those designs then he will make them at your behest to your specification at no extra cost.

Any reason why you are wedded to those particular designs other than that is what you have been using?

If you are going the casting route then most FPRN bullet designs in the weights you want will work so long as they drop bullets to fit your gun.

In fact if casting your own you can then rectify the weaknesses and issues of the bought bullets, namely too hard an alloy along with usually being undersize and using and in-effective "lubricant".

Go for "pure" lead with a smidgeon of tin to aid castability and size to fit the freebore, so long as it will chamber, or failing that at least 2 thou over groove diameter and you will be good to go.

1066 wrote:Bullet heads - Come on Krank, up your game.

It is function of ignorant staff and ignorant shooters, evidently they called them "heads" as there was continued confusion in ordering as people didn't know that a bullet and a loaded round were two different things, so rather than do the right thing and educate they went to the lowest and called bullets bullet heads and now we have this confusing nonsense.

At least krankies must be a little less confused but at the expense of perpetrating a dangerous misnaming convention, still profit before accuracy.

dromia wrote:I would have a look at Accurate moulds web site and see what Tom has, if he doesn't have those designs then he will make them at your behest to your specification at no extra cost.

Any reason why you are wedded to those particular designs other than that is what you have been using?

If you are going the casting route then most FPRN bullet designs in the weights you want will work so long as they drop bullets to fit your gun.

In fact if casting your own you can then rectify the weaknesses and issues of the bought bullets, namely too hard an alloy along with usually being undersize and using and in-effective "lubricant".

Go for "pure" lead with a smidgeon of tin to aid castability and size to fit the freebore, so long as it will chamber, or failing that at least 2 thou over groove diameter and you will be good to go.

Thanks Dromia.

I've been casting successfully for other guns but I'm embarrassed to say that for two (Ballard-rifled JM Marlins) I've never-bettered these two commercial bullets. I've done chamber cast, slugged bore, played with alloy, lubes, powder coat... However, I haven't tried replicating what I know shoots so well in these two guns (.454 and .358, hardcast, hard lube etc!)

It's frustrated the hell out of me! I still have a lot to learn about casting.

Have a look at MP moulds too.
EU based so no duty - yet!
Off hand I think saeco made similar to these but finding them will be hard.
Lee make a 45 mould very similar - I used to have one when I had a couple of 45colts.
Decent bullet.

Is it just group tightness or is it worse than that?

Have you worked up loads for the different bullets that you have tried or just tried them with the existing load?

Bullet fit is king in cast bullet accuracy, how big a diameter are the bullets you have tried in relation to the measurements you have taken from your rifle?

Cast bullets are not difficult, they are just different.

MP won't make to your design like Accurate will.

mag41uk wrote:Have a look at MP moulds too.
EU based so no duty - yet!
Off hand I think saeco made similar to these but finding them will be hard.
Lee make a 45 mould very similar - I used to have one when I had a couple of 45colts.
Decent bullet.

Thanks, I have a few of Miha's moulds, some from his site, others from cast bullet forum specials. NOE likewise.

They are probably from a magma mould as they make automatic casting machines.

dromia wrote:Is it just group tightness or is it worse than that?

Have you worked up loads for the different bullets that you have tried or just tried them with the existing load?

Bullet fit is king in cast bullet accuracy, how big a diameter are the bullets you have tried in relation to the measurements you have taken from your rifle?

Cast bullets are not difficult, they are just different.

MP won't make to your design like Accurate will.

The 45Colt is proving more recalcitrant than the 357Mag, for which I have developed some loads that are pretty close to the 180gr T/C.

The 45Colt loads are not tumbling but at 50m the term "group" is generous. I was interested by a side-by side comparison of rounds that came with the gun (I'm wary of shooting someone else's homeloads but these were allegedly in regular use in the same gun...) compared with my pet load (10shots on the right):



Sizing wise, I've tried a few sizes (over) the throat and the bore diameter.

I've tried various powders and charge weights (all would be classed as light/cowboy loads). VV N340, GM3, Bullseye, Unique and Trail Boss (I think). The good load with the 250gr GM Hardcast is 5.6gr of GM3 or N340.

I need to go over my records, collate the (years worth of!) data and see what I have and haven't done.

If I go down the custom route, I'll get in touch with Tom at Accurate moulds. I've only had one custom mould made ("Mjöllnir",.460" 460gr wide meplat), which was by Mountain Moulds some years ago now. Not sure if they're still trading.

Thanks.