Rossi Rifleman

GasGuzzler wrote:I had 62 pounds of WWs sent in a flat rate box and a postal employee in his personal dually brought it to the house. I ASSume because it was more weight than the carrier is required to deliver.

Post up pics when you got rolling.

I'm not certain what current regs are but I THINK there was a 50# or 75# limit at one time. Heavier than that and I think they can drop you a note that YOU have to pick it up in person.
Typically the heaviest thing that was shipped through the mail was Encyclopedias back when they made them and they typically were shipped in two containers. A full large flat rate box of lead would be a heavy son of a gun.

Rural letter carriers are NOT supplied with a vehicle. Some of them are still running either the old DJs and I suspect many may have ended up purchasing surplused LLVs (three lies for the price of one from what I've heard) that the postal system replaced the DJs with. The city route carriers are typically required to be uniformed and their vehicles are supplied. Rural carriers are not typically uniformed and they supply and maintain their own vehicles. The IRS decided once upon a time to try and tax the rural carriers unused vehicle allowance. After they audited a bunch of the carriers I understand the word went out 'NEVER MIND!' Seems a whole lot of the carriers kept enough records that they could claim more than the allowance.

Ohio3Wheels wrote:

TinMan wrote:OK, the is a shiny new Lee Pro 4-20 enroute to the casa........and my mailman delivered the first shipment of Lyman #2 to the door (thanks Gary.... .....next time holler at me and I will come to the truck and carry it in myself ) this is like Christmas time all over.

My postman gets a strained expression when some of my stuff arrives.

Did you decide on a mold or 3 yet?

Make smoke,

No, still trying to figure out which mold(s) I would like to start with. I am trying to avoid buying something that ain't gonna work for me. My hope is to find a proper load for the Rossi and my RedHawk because I figure they can both handle the same loads. Don't really know which way to jump on that yet. I am still looking thru the tomes of info on the Castboolits site.

Tinman,

You have probably said it before but I didn't find it right away, so I'll as again. What caliber are you going to cast for initially? We all have favorites, and can give you some hints as to what molds/bullets work better. Some shapes will make learning how to cast a little easier, while others (like any of the Keith type SWC styles) will sometimes make you want to throw all your casting equipment into the nearest lake! All those sharp square corners, and square cut grease grooves, can make getting the bullets out of the mold a chore. And a truncated cone type with rounded grease groove and no crimp groove will usually just fall right out.

I would recommend getting a couple of the Lee two cavity molds to begin with. They are cheap enough to use as a learning tool and if you find you do not like the bullet later, you haven't lost much. If you do like the bullet, then later after you have mastered the two hole, get the same bullet in a six cavity mold. And the learning will start all over again!!! I strongly suggest that you do not start out with a four or six hole model. Learning with the two hole is so much easier.

Hi Don, thanks for the two vs six tip, I would not have thought that it would be an issue. I will begin loading the .45 LC for now. I also have a 45/70 and might pop for a .454 if I ever trip over one at a good price so there will likely be more to learn if and when I get into those calibers.

PS I do have an RCBS single cavity mold that I bought a while back "just because". It is stamped with the following: 45 - 405 - FN and it has 4 grooves. Without any other information, but seeing how long the cavity is (1.03/04") I am thinking it might be for the 405 gr bullet that is used in a 45/70 ?

PPS is there any way to know which diameter a mold is without actually doing a casting? Or is that information coded somewhere in those numbers? Using my calipers I can get a tad over .45"....like 45.70" and 45.75"

A Google search can help until you memorize every brands' nomenclature. Your mold is commonly used in 45-70 but will service others too. I just sold one of those. Bought it at an estate sale.

Reminds me...Lee double hole molds come with cheap serviceable handles. Pretty much no one else includes handles. Makes Lee that much better a learning tool. Other brands require a $40 set of handles unless you use Lee six hole handles on others' molds (once again, cheaper and considered serviceable).

You might use that mold for .454, don't know that I would.

If you bought verified lead I'd be less worried about bullet design while learning than if you were trying to learn on a six holer OR making your alloy.

I started my casting journey by learning to smelt and pour before I ever turned on my 4-20 or even cleaned my first new mold.

In the end I have recent first time attempts top of mind and others have valuable long time experience. Both are important to a new starter.

I know that the "idea" of owning the 454 is strong, It got me too so I bought one. I shoot it less than any of the others. If I had a real need for it then I might like it and shoot it more. But I don't.

Keeping the mold hot enough but not to hot is a lot easier with the smaller molds, and getting the mold hot enough in the first place is sometimes a chore with the 4-5-6 hole models. Especially in the smaller calibers where there is not a lot of lead relative to the size of the mold blocks. After you get a little knowledge with the little ones, it will be a lot easier to manage the heat,with the big ones.

sounds like this one http://www.rcbs.com/Products/Bullet-Cas ... N-600.aspx

Yes, that should be a 45-70 bullet. I have the Lee version that I shoot in my Rio 45-70. Thats a great bullet and weight, kinda the "standard" for that cartridge.

With the Lyman and RCBS and a few others and sometimes Lee. No, no way to know what size. Lee puts a size on their molds but they are not always "that size".
After you learn on the Lee two hole, get a good mold like NOE or Accurate. I have 4 NOE molds now and I have to sat that they are extremely nice, and they drop bullets either dead on the correct size or a thousands over which is waaaay better tha being a little under.

Quit using those calipers to measure bullets. That does not work no matter how good you think you are at measuring with them. Get a zero to one inch mike for doing that with. A cheap one will work good enough for our use, and no need to get a digital readout one either. Compare what you measure with your calipers to how it measures with the mike, you will be amazed at how far off you can be.

And for heavens sake, learn where to put that danged decimal. I don't want to see that 45 and 3/4 inch bullet, but I do want to see the rifle you shoot it in!

donhuff wrote: And for heavens sake, learn where to put that danged decimal. I don't want to see that 45 and 3/4 inch bullet, but I do want to see the rifle you shoot it in!

Here ya go............

DANG!

HAHAHAHA

I really like the bailing wire holding the barrel on at the receiver end.