Lee Loader

Horseman wrote:You guys make me ashamed of myself. I haven't cast, reloaded or shot a round in months.

You're not alone. I nearly run out of .45ACP, and need to load a few urgently. Never touched the press during summer.

My dirty brass boxes already start overflowing, little bags and shotshell boxes full of dirty brass everywhere.

Horseman don't feel bad I thought I was done for the year casting and reloading until some lady at church gave me a bunch of pipe lead. Now I have to get off my duff and make ingots and look for some hard lead to mix with it. Then going through my bullets I find my 380 bullets are gone and need to cast more of them.

I understand Horseman. I don't know how much I would be doing if I didn't have to keep after the hogs. For me, it is all about hunting. My pistol shooting friends are either committed to work further away or buried so I'm just not sure how much pistol shooting I will be doing in the future. A little training to keep in shape for conceal carry. This is also why my revolvers hit the road.

I'm making myself work at the hunting and I'm going to put together a couple of hard public hunts a year in order to whip my old guy friends into shape and keep us moving as we get older. Already did the Aransas NWR hunt which is really code for US Army Ranger Selection. I hate that swamp! Next up is a rolling plains mule deer hunt. Once the hunting stops, I might as well sell everything as I won't have any interest in shooting.

Off to get a truck load of oat seed to top dress all my food plots. Got to keep the whitetails coming so I can keep shooting!

I poured a few hot ones the other day .
I know ,but we're not purists, in the picture Mountain Moulds 453-350 custom ,35-200 Lee, NOE 358-228 35XCB and 312-230.
The NOE moulds are 2+2 GC and PB . The Lee is a 6C . The Mountain Mould is only a 2C but is a custom mould for a project rifle in the home stretch .
I have to say after last spring and casting several 100 22,25 and 27 cal bullets these big ones in 4,5,6 C moulds will sure eat up a 20# Lee pot in a hurry . It isn't surprising really when 1 hole in that 45 mould holds more lead than the 5-6 cavity 225-55 . At 700-1200 gr at a time it sure eats it up.

The look good RB. The 453-350 looks interesting!

Besides killing some bounty squirrels at work the last couple weeks I have not shot a firearm in nearly a year (no range, no land). I last cast in February I think.

I did a masterful job of nearly duplicating the Lee 457-340 that drops out at 453 instead of 460 and at 350 gr instead of 353 . Same meplat , .062 longer , no crimp groove. It's for a 4 shooter SR Mauser with a modified Rhineland kit . It should make enough thump that I won't miss the 92' in hog camp and be able to take that 150yd shot on hogzilla should it come up.

RBHarter wrote:I did a masterful job of nearly duplicating the Lee 457-340 that drops out at 453 instead of 460 and at 350 gr instead of 353 . Same meplat , .062 longer , no crimp groove. It's for a 4 shooter SR Mauser with a modified Rhineland kit . It should make enough thump that I won't miss the 92' in hog camp and be able to take that 150yd shot on hogzilla should it come up.

Sounds interesting. Don't know anything about Mausers, what is the cartridge?

It is a 45 Raptor .
What it really is is a 460 S&W adapted to a 308 case trimed to 1.8" . It will run up about 45kpsi and deliver the lever gun , 95' and 1895 Marlin , 45-70 level performance . I figure it should be enough to wreck a hog even a pretty big 1 .

In other news I went to the regional quarterly big show and scored 1940s vintage Cramer #45 mould in a delightful little 30 cal 162 gr bullet . Outside of over heating the handles it is a very nice mould to run . I also ran 5# of 452-255 s in a Lee 6 cavity ........talk about shifting gears . The jump from the and pouring a quarter lb at a time to just under 2 bullets including sprue pour is hard .

I picked up some new molds . I guess I'm subconsciously filling out the library before the big switch and move the first part of 18' .

I ran them today along with 1 that I've had a while and really like .
In one picture a NOE copy of the 454424 with a 60s vintage Lyman 454424 .
The NOE has a slightly longer nose and casts about 5 gr heavier .
The other should show the new Lee Minnie HB and a 270-145 and a 279-124 for a 264 WM and a 6.8 Rem. I think the WM would probably shoot 175 with the twist available , in cast anyway . The 270-145 may also see some trials as a paper patched in the 6.8 SPC .