Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Lyman 330gr Hollowpoint mold

Ordered one to use in my Ruger $1 45/70. Anyone with experience? Plan to use with faster burning rifle powder, probably Springfield type loads. Have pure lead and Lyman #2 ingots that Ive been mixing ingot for ingot for my 45Colt. Any suggestions for hardness? Thanks in advance.

That mix will be somewhere around 10-11 BHN [probably] & should do fine at 12-1300 FPS. I've never shot this bullet. I use the RCBS 45-300-FN & love it for a lite load.

I used to use that Lyman bullet a lot in the 45 Colt, sized down to .453" and lubing the two rear grooves. It's a good accurate bullet, although it can be improved a bit by expanding the hollow point opening so that the hole is tapered instead of mostly straight. (I did this with a pointed top punch in a Lyman lubrisizer.) With the improved hollow point, it worked very well at ~1200 fps, cast from clip on wheel weight alloy.

It shot well paper patched too, if you're into that sort of thing.

I used a few in an original Winchester 1876 in 45/60 loaded over a full case of black powder. It was accurate enough to put down a whitetail doe at roughly 20 yards. No idea on expansion as the bullet passed through both sides.

I was given 40 something of these bullets so have little knowledge of them. I can say they were a bit harder than plain lead but definitely softer than Linotype as could scratch them with a fingernail though not easily. They also showed no sign of tumbling-something that could not be said of many other bullets I tried when sized to the same diameter. Velocity was a little under 1300 fps as I recall.

Had one of the early 4 digit #1's in 45/70 & killed a very big muley buck in the Selway many years ago using that bullet cast from 70/30 alloy, WW & lead. I used a heavy charge of 3031 & the bullet was under the hide on the off side at about 55 yds. Not a huge racked buck but body wise he was one of the biggest I've ever killed. Traded that rifle to Jed Wilson, sheriff of Lemhi County, Idaho & friend of Elmer Keith's.

Dick

I've tried lots of bullets in .45-70s. I seldom shoot the two I have now, but I settled on the 330 Lyman Gould HP years ago. I don't shoot long range, but 100 yard group sizes are probably comparable to any of the others, including the Lyman 420 grain #457193, a very good .45-70 bullet. Recoil is noticeably lighter, but I only load to around 1500 fps.

I have loaded that in 45-70 with 4.4 grains of Clays, right when the buddies are starting to wise-crack about missing the steel target @ 200 it gets a nice clang. Holding about 8-10 feet over the plate. Fired in a No. 1 I verify that it cleared the barrel EVERY time. Guessing in the 500 fps range. Great fun watching that big slug bounce back 5-6 feet. Pick them up and re-cycle them into the lead pot.

I have also loaded it a 450 Nitro Express with Trail Boss for a little more thump but just as much fun clankin' and ringin'.

At these speeds about any range scrap/soft lead works just as long as it fills the mold.

I have been shooting this bullet for years in my various Marlin 45-70's with Deep Cut Rifling.. I have cast it of scrap WW. BHN 11.5. Up to about 1500fps it does great. It will expand on game some. Has been very effective on deer. Consider about 150yds as max range due to trajectory. Also have made paper patch bullets with it by wrapping in 9lb onion skin paper. Need to note Ruger No 1's tend to have a shallow rifling. May need to have a little harder bullet in it for best accuracy. Dropping the hot bullet right from the mold into a bucket of cold water will quench it & make it considerably harder. Just a thought.

There are LOTS of us that shoot the Lyman Gould in our Muzzleloaders, I had a Solid Pin made for my Gould Mold so i can pour both Hollow point, and Solids. The Gould is an AWESOME Bullet!!







Target is on Far Bank, 107 Yards to be exact, Peep sights, 1:30 Twist Green Mountain LRH Barrel in a TC Hawken Stock, Lyman 17AHB Globe with Lee Shaver’s fine BPCR insert


Hollow point


Solid version

Idaholewis, what don't you come back & visit after you've learned how to shoot!! Very nice looking bullets & GREAT shooting!

Dick

Idaholewis,
Great shooting and load work-up..
I also like that portable bench as the one I built years ago is a pain in the arse to haul around..
Yours give me ideers...

I used Rugged buddy saw horse legs, if you do a quick google search for Rugged buddy shooting benches you will see Lots of different ways to build a bench using these things 👍

http://www.ruggedbuddy.com/Rugged-Buddy-Sawhorse.html