1884 trapdoor loads.

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2013Posts3

My name is Daniel. I have been shooting all of my life and really started getting serious about it a few years ago. Right now my main type of shooting is long range target. I have a rem-700 in 308 that with my reloads will hold under 1/2 on a bad day. I am also having a custom .260 built.

I recently got an interest in pulling out and firing my fathers old 1884 Springfield trapdoor saddle carbine. Neither I nor my father have ever shot it, so research has been interesting. Due to some other threads I read, I purchased "loading cartridges for the original 45/70 Springfield trapdoor and carbine" by JS and Pat Wolfe. That book is a wealth of information and has gotten me a long way towards being ready to shoot.

I have never cast bullets before either and according to mr. Wolf, the only good way to shoot a trapdoor is with bullets cast from a 459-405 HB lee die. He said the bullet should then be sized in a .459 die with an rcbs 190 top punch. He recommended lubing with 50/50 beeswax and olive oil.

At this point I have purchased the master casting kit as a beginners entry level starter kit to see if I like it. After about 50 bullets I started getting some really nice looking bullets. I have the sizer bolted to my bench and am ready to size a few, but I had some basic casting questions that neither the wolf book or the lyman casting book answered. I have heated and mixed the beeswax and olive oil.

Do I heat it again and just pour it in the top of the lyman 4500 sizer? I don't currently have the heater for my sizer. Do I need to get a heater to use with this lube?

Thanks in advance for the help. I am excited to be a part of these forums and am looking forward to learning the art of bullet casting and loading.

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2013Posts3

Well, I thought swagging was the same as sizing. After a little reading i now realize that i look like a fool. Like I said, I am really new to this. If a moderator would move this to an appropriate section that would be great.

Welcome to the forum! Unfortunately you post this in the inccorrect forum. You will get more answers if you post it in the proper subforum.

BUT, to answer your questions, yes you can melt the lube and then pour it into the lubrisizer. Give it time to cool and harden. As far as using a heater, if the lube does not want to flow into the lube grooves on the boolit even if you have sufficient pressure in the lube reservoir, then you may need a touch of heat to get the lube to flow. Some guys buy heaters, some use lamps positioned close to the base of the lube reservoir, some attach their sizer to an aluminum base (that is larger than the base of the sizer) and set an iron on it, etc, etc. A little heat can go a long way. If you get it too hot the lube will be very sticky and messy. There is a learning curve. Good luck!

BTW, there is a search function in the top right corner of the screen. Chances are if you have a question, it has been asked before. Doing a quick search you will most likely find more info than you ever could have imagined!

You have come to the right place!

An armed society is a polite society.

the BB knows

you can play a hairdryer of the heater to warm it up also.
if you need heat it really won't be much.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

I have the same rifle and shoot the same bullet my bore has a groove depth of .461 so i shoot the bullet as cast i pan lube them cutting them out when the lube hardens they shoot well for a poor bore. You do not say black powder or smokeless? I use 55 grs. FG or a charge of RE-7 that is lower than is currently listed both loads should give around 1150 f/s. Good luck.

When I think back on all the **** I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all ! And then my lack of education hasn't hurt me none I can read the writing on the wall.

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2013Posts3

Thanks for the responses and ideas. I will try cold first and the the lamp or hair dryer idea before I buy a heater.

I still need to slug the bore (after a thorough cleaning) to see where it stands.

I plan to use black powder just for the nostalgia. I know it is more finicky and more cleanup, but smokeless powder just defeats the purpose of shooting the rifle in my opinion.

It is my goal to take a deer this next November with the trapdoor.

You may not post new threadsYou may not post repliesYou may not post attachmentsYou may not edit your postsForum Rules

Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

View the original article here