I did a bit of messing around with this big NEI 260g bullet. I'm still going to wade through the 1:20 batch before going to anything a little harder if I continue to get any leading. I have reduced the powder charge to 4.5g of Red Dot and will spend a bit more time working on accuracy. I'll take it to the range on Monday with the test mule, which is also one of my favorite carry pieces and is with me most of the time.

I hope your project goes well.

Is that .45 AR? I know little about wadcutter bullets in big bore revolvers. My only experience with them was fifteen or more years ago using a like new Lyman mould that cast about a 185 grain .44 caliber wadcutter. I was unable to get these bullets to shoot and was never able to determine the reason for the very poor accuracy. As I recall, I tried all the known tricks and nothing worked.

I'm curious to know how your bullets do as far as accuracy. Years ago, Walt Melander, the original owner of NEI, made excellent bullet moulds, as good or better than any you'd find at the time.

How do they fit the throats of your gun? I would also try a soft lube like SPG. You could try water hardening them by dropping right from the mold into a can of cold water to see if that helps, but usually using a harder bullet is not the cure for leading with low velocity loads.

Larry

If you get that big bullet up to 850fps..............

it will work for Black Bear protection, with deep penetration, if needed.

Very nice looking weapon.

If leading is the problem, my experience is you can pretty much stop right there. Everything else is more or less just fluff.

Will the one end of that bullet accept a gas check ?

Hope you can solve the leading problem.

I think the short end is designed for a gas check. I'm not getting a ton of lead, just a bit of spray above the forcing cone. The large end will fit into the barrel, the tight end accepts a sizing down to .451, which is where the gas check bevel is located. This will be the winter challenge this year. I just got out of the shop where I cast up sixty in my hardcast mixture of 50/50 lead/linotype. They formed well and turned nice and frosty upon cooling. The mold is marked .451 220...I don't know how he got it down to 220, I get readings all the way to 260 with 1:20, 254 with HC. For an aluminum mold it throws a nice bullet, ordinarily I'm not a fan of aluminum...I get surprised from time to time. I was never a big fan of brass until I got my hands on an NOE mold out of Australia, terrific mold. I have a few aluminum molds that throw nice balls for my muzzle loaders on from Moose Molds is amazing, he's no longer in business. It seems the newer Lee molds are holding up better than before, more secure locking pins.

It's evident from your picture that you're loading the bullet backwards. The long part is meant to ride the bore. I have a similar mold from NEI.