PP hunting bullet

[Kurt]

Nobody has posted here for a while so I think I will start one for a PP hunting bullet.

I'm getting ready to have a specific mould made for my .44-77 for a hunting bullet that will load in the rifle reliable after several shots fired.

A lot of the original Sharps moulds I have seen and had some used to cast bullets were tapered round nosed. I know some of you will wrinkle your nose with the thought of using a tapered bullet but I have a Tom Ballard mould for the .45 that is tapered and cast some with a original sharps mould and they work great for load and shoot as many times as I wanted.
There must have been a reason that a lot of the old PP bullet moulds were tapered and I think it was the reason I want one for hunting.

I have used the two step bullets and they are ok but the bore riding portion is sort of like a GG that is not supported in the throat and could also create a problem with fouling build up that would make a second shot iffy.
The Ballard mould has a base of .448 and a .010 taper just below the start of the ogive that makes a good fit in the case when it is patched with .002" paper that will fit a case for a now standard chamber so the bullet does not have to have a crimp and stay in the case while carried in a cartridge belt and it can be loaded just off the lands so you can load in a fouled throat and still hold accuracy and not use a bullet several thousands under bore diameter that can create other undesirables. I dont like a bullet patched to far under bore diameter to be able to shoot dirty with out having a bullet that wont seat.

What are some of your thoughts ??

Kurt

[Don McDowell]

I like that 2 diameter bullet from the Old West mould. It's the one Sam dubbed the tank buster.. But at any rate it will hold hunting accuracy for 10-15 rounds at 300 yds. If'n ya need more than that at one sitting, you may need to go back and work on shootin skills or just get your meat at the grocers.

[Kurt]

Don, I'm starting to go blind, just need more then 1 shot

You gave some of those tank busters and they shot pretty good.

[Don McDowell]

I'm hoping it warms up a bit and I can get some of those cast in the 1.1 inch length. I'll be curious to see how well they shoot at that length.

[Kurt]

I pretty much settled on the 1.3" for mine.

[Don McDowell]

1.35 is what this rifle likes the best.
Those 1.1 inch bullets you sent from your Brooks mould shoot pretty decent, and I shot 7 or 8 of those without wiping the bore.

[Kurt]

Your pretty close to 490 gr with that 1.35 Have you checked the speed?
I havent checked my 77 or the 100 to see what thet will do.

[Don McDowell]

Yes they're doing around 1250.I worked on that speed and accuracy deal pretty hard so as to be sure and make the requirements at Raton.
Haven't clocked the shorter bullets.

[Kurt]

That 1.1 should go over 440 gr, and the 1.35 will still make velocity. I think you should be good to go with what you have.

[Don McDowell]

The one I poured up the other night when messing with the new leadpot, weighed 408, had some wrinkles but not so much, that the weight would go past 410.
I tried making some of those KAL bullets in between the 1.1 and 1.35 but couldn't get the accuracy I wanted, and there's some stability issues past 800 yds even at 1.35, but out to 600 they sure shoot lights out.
But those bullets at 1.1 I believe would make fine hunting bullets as well.