.457 Newb

[Hoosier Daddy]

OK.. this may seem lazy for not doing my research but in all honesty this makes my head spin.
I recently received an AF Texan.
 It came with Seneca 250g .454
I since bought NSA selection to try in .457 in 3 different weight but being swedged, I am sure that is apples to oranges compared to cast slugs.

At the cost of the ammo to feed this beast I am now looking to dipping my toes into casting.

How do you guys determine what mold to buy?
My experience with airguns in the past (.177-.22) has been each gun has it's favorite diet...
But when buying a mold I sure don't want it to be trial and error.

How do you know what mold or is there a good "all around" mold I should start with?

[Blacktalon6]

I am lazy and new to casting. What I have is a lee .457 Dia. 340 grain mold. I use old pellets and lead pipe. I melt and skim off the slop then pore and shoot them as is. I also have a .457 RB mold I do the same with. With them I can hit a 3" metal plate at 35 yards standing just about every time with my Texan. That is good for me. I think it could be better but I also think some over think things.

[Hoosier Daddy]

... I also think some over think things.

That's me in a nut shell.
 Guess I am just hoping for a short-cut. 

[EdinGa]

OK.. this may seem lazy for not doing my research but in all honesty this makes my head spin.
I recently received an AF Texan.
 It came with Seneca 250g .454
I since bought NSA selection to try in .457 in 3 different weight but being swedged, I am sure that is apples to oranges compared to cast slugs.

At the cost of the ammo to feed this beast I am now looking to dipping my toes into casting.

How do you guys determine what mold to buy?
My experience with airguns in the past (.177-.22) has been each gun has it's favorite diet...
But when buying a mold I sure don't want it to be trial and error.

How do you know what mold or is there a good "all around" mold I should start with?

What twist rate is it? I shoot this bullet in a 1/30 twist and it's very accurate at 100 yards. It mushrooms well at 800 fps too.


https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/452-454/454-241-rf-ac3/454-241-rf-ac3-2-cavity-pb-45-colt-bp/

[Blacktalon6]

I think most Texans are .457. I have a .452 mold and they just slide right out of the barrel if you tun it upside down.

[EdinGa]

I think most Texans are .457. I have a .452 mold and they just slide right out of the barrel if you tun it upside down.

Even though that mold is a .454 it drops fat. Mine does at least. I powder coat and I shoot that bullet in a .458 barrel all the time.

[EdinGa]

This would probably be a good pick too.


https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/458-460/458-244-fn-ca4-bt/458-244-fn-ca4-rg2-cavity-bt/

[maraudinglizard]

Accurate molds can be adjusted to your needs in regards to diameter size when building the mold. I am using the 45-150B and 45-165B in .457 for the SY909. There are several designs to choose from, also you can have 2 different styles in the same mold.

https://accuratemolds.com/catalog.php?page=18#catalog-anchor

[DLP]

Hey Scott, I have a few .457 moulds you can borrow to test.
.456 220 gn flat nose
.457 340 gn flat nose
.457 143 gn round ball

[Hoosier Daddy]

Ed, according to AirForce FAQ's it's 1:20 Twist.

Darrell that's very generous.
 If I do get into Casting I'll need the other equipment first.

Thanks for the suggestions so far

[Wayne52]

I was told that the HP MAX .457 barrels were 1 in 30" twist, the BBT's shoot really excellent out of it the way they drop from the mold@.458.
The last squirrel I shot during deer season with it was about a 70 yard shot on a red squirrel.  I was really surprised how well the gun shot
at that distance with those 236g BBT's. 

[Hoosier Daddy]

The Texans barrel is an LW.
Is there contradiction to Airforce's info on these

[Madd Hatter]

Stop being lazy and just slug the barrel. Know what you have rather than guessing. Then all you need to do is order a arsonel mold in the drop size you need. Match the slug weight to what you want to hunt or shoot. The arsonel I ordered for my sumatra.25 drops right at what I wanted with no need to size it.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Well I done did it and ordered a LEE PRECISION Melter pot and a Lyman Casting Dipper.

So now I am committed to this Gate for a while.... "Should be Committed" is the better phrase.

This would probably be a good pick too.
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/458-460/458-244-fn-ca4-bt/458-244-fn-ca4-rg2-cavity-bt/

Ed, after a bit of research the 458-244-FN*** has been recommended several times.
The one you suggested seem to be convertible from a flat nose to hollow point by changing "pins"

This mould drops a .458 caliber Boat tail 244 grain bullet with a Flat nose profile type. This mould casts an airgun bullet of .458 Caliber. This is an RG2 Removable Guide Style Hollowpoint mould. This mould can be converted to flat point cup point or hollowpoint by changing pins.

For the higher price than the other 458-244-FN*** does it come equipped to do either / both?
Is a "pin" something you have to add to the order to cast hollow points?

Then there is aluminum or brass.
In my metal experience, aluminum dissipates heat faster, while brass retains heat longer.

 Which is preferred?

[Spacebus]

This would probably be a good pick too.


https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/458-460/458-244-fn-ca4-bt/458-244-fn-ca4-rg2-cavity-bt/

I have this mold and it works wonderfully out of my .457 bore Challenger. They seem to shoot equally well sized or unsized, but that may be different for your Texan. Typically they drop around .458 - .459", maybe even .460" at the seam. Since they drop fat, they work well for "slugging" the bore, which will tell you exactly what the lands are, and maybe the grooves if the slug is oversized enough. I haven't tried to PC my .45 slugs, but I am curious enough to try when I cast more slugs again.

[Spacebus]

Well I done did it and ordered a LEE PRECISION Melter pot and a Lyman Casting Dipper.

So now I am committed to this Gate for a while.... "Should be Committed" is the better phrase.

This would probably be a good pick too.
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/458-460/458-244-fn-ca4-bt/458-244-fn-ca4-rg2-cavity-bt/

Ed, after a bit of research the 458-244-FN*** has been recommended several times.
The one you suggested seem to be convertible from a flat nose to hollow point by changing "pins"

This mould drops a .458 caliber Boat tail 244 grain bullet with a Flat nose profile type. This mould casts an airgun bullet of .458 Caliber. This is an RG2 Removable Guide Style Hollowpoint mould. This mould can be converted to flat point cup point or hollowpoint by changing pins.

For the higher price than the other 458-244-FN*** does it come equipped to do either / both?
Is a "pin" something you have to add to the order to cast hollow points?

Then there is aluminum or brass.
In my metal experience, aluminum dissipates heat faster, while brass retains heat longer.

 Which is preferred?

TL/DR: Get a two cavity aluminum 258-244-FN mold without pins. The pins are a real hassle for someone just getting into casting and the HP will be too light for your Texan anyway.

Don't get the brass! It's so heavy and really make casting a chore. Even my two cavity brass mold is not fun to use. You can get the mold with or without pins. I prefer casting with a pin-less mold, but the pins on my 258-244-FN are much more user friendly than the pins on my pellet molds and now sold .25 cal slug mold. The worst part is getting them all set to the same height so each cavity drops the same weight slug. I feel like the HP slugs really expand a lot and folks I've talk to who have decades of experience hand loading, casting, shooting game, etc. say that the HP version of the 258-244-FN probably won't result in a pass through on a deer sized animal. That could be good or bad depending on perspective. When I shoot steel at 50 yards with my Challenger sending pure lead HP 258-244-FN at 950 FPS they explode. I'm thinking that using them with a flat nose would be better for hunting game you wish to eat, far less potential for lead contamination from shed fragments. The HP may also fragment badly if you hit bones, and I think the FN would just plow right on through like a 44 mag. The HP slugs are also probably on the light side for your Texan anyway and would be in the transonic range. This is a long way of saying try to get a pin-less aluminum mold, maybe even a two cavity mold.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Thank you SO MUCH!
appreciate that tons...

[brewbear]

I don't have a dog in this fight- no Texan in my arsenal - but I cast a fair amount. Aluminum is lighter than brass and casting is less taxing, those brass moulds get heavy after a while. I use a cheap electric hot plate to keep the mould at the same temperature (approximate) to the molten lead. Usually the HP moulds come with at least 2 or 3 sets of pins to allow for different weights and also different depth hollow ( flat nose, small hollow, large/deeper hollow) nose. If the HP slugs don't drop, take the pins out, put them in an electric drill and give them a light polish with 0000 steel wool.
I found these guys to be the most reasonable for pure lead considering they include shipping  https://www.rotometals.com/cut-in-half-lead-pig-ingot-57-62-pounds-99-9-with-freight-included/

Good luck

[Hoosier Daddy]

I found these guys to be the most reasonable for pure lead considering they include shipping  https://www.rotometals.com/cut-in-half-lead-pig-ingot-57-62-pounds-99-9-with-freight-included/

Good luck

I have been trying to buy 10# of lead from RotoMetals all night .... but when it gets to "Payment " it won't let my input my CC info.
Blank space with no courser... no way to put in my #.
Guess I will try again tomorrow
 

[Insanity]

Get a lead thermometer you need one starting out to keep lead temps constant.