Slow Twist Bullet Moulds

[BE Wild Willy]

I have recently acquired a T/C PA hunter. Anybody have any suggestions on bullet moulds for 1-66" rifles? I'm gonna test fire some 240gr.PA conicals, 275gr. Maxi-hunters, & PRBs. Have never cast my own, would like to, so was looking for some advise.

 

[robhof]

robhof

If you don't mind spending a little more money for custom; check out Veral Smith at LBT, Lead bullet Technology, his molds are the most accurate I've owned and he'll give advice for the best perfomance in any caliber or twist rate. Usually though the best performer in the slow twist rate is the patched ball. A short conical, a sort of 1/2 ball, is what I have for my ROA and it does as well as the round balls, better than the Lee conical made for it.

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Thanks for the reply. Do you have a mold for the ball-ett style conical? If so, is it from LBT? I have fired many LBT bullets through my big bore 5-shot 45 colt ruger with great success.

 

[arcticap]

Being short 240 grain conicals, the PA Conical and similar Buffalo Ballet offer some potential for good accuracy from a 1 in 66" barrel.
The Lee REAL is a popular casting bullet having a similar weight but its performance would need to be tested in your rifle.
Some conicals will shoot more accurately loaded with a wool over-powder wad underneath and some don't.
My friend's 1 in 66" Great Plains Rifle shot the Buffalo Ballets very accurately out to 70 yards with a wool wad.
Conical bullets need to be cast from pure lead.

The Lee REAL mold comes in 2 weights

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1276791581.3108=/html/catalog/blackpow.html

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Thanks Arcticap. I have already been eye-balling the Lee 250gr.REAL mould which is easily acquired and inexpensive. Guess I'll have to experiment with and without wad.

 

[Jefferson Herb]

1-66 mold

I purchased a Lee 50 cal minnie mold,that will not shoot in my 1-28 gm barrel.I read on track of the wolf about hollow base minnies are for slower twist because of the weight foreward design.Lee molds are inexpensive as well.

 

[MCgunner]

I bought a 1:24 twist years ago, wanted to try a conical to cast. Unknowingly, I purchased the 250 grain Lee REAL mold. It didn't work for squat. That tight twist demands a heavy, 360 grain improved Minie or heavier or a sabot. The 250 REAL MIGHT work in a 1:66, but that's really a round ball twist. I'm thinking 1:48 might be the target twist rate for that bullet. .50 cal BTW. If I was shooting a 1:66, I'd stick to patched round ball. I'm kind of wanting one, actually, to shoot patched round ball. With conicals, you have to scrub the bore at least every 3 rounds to maintain any sort of accuracy. The patch will scrub the bore for you and you can get more shots per scrubbing. Scrubbing the bore at the range is a royal pain.

 

[badpenny]

thats a roundball twist,might stabilize a ballet,but probably nothing longer.

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Thanks Fellas. I'm gonna have to try PRBs for sure, knowledge of the patch performing the swabbing task is good to know. Also will try real BP for the first time. The economics alone of shooting PRBs & BP makes sense to me.