Just figured i would share something i witnessed yesterday. First off REMEMBER bullet fit comes down to a Per Bore Basis, What fits good and tight in 1 bore Might not in another, or could even be tighter in another rifle. Again, not all bores are the same, KNOW YOUR BORE :yeah:
My Dad has been hunting with his TC Renegade in .54 Cal Trying to fill his Doe Tag, He is Using my Lyman Plains bullets from my Mold, Lubed and sized to .542 (they shoot LIGHTS OUT good in his Stock .54, all the way out to 200 yards) The bullets start good in his Bore, They Hold the Bore good and Snug til about 3/4 of the Way down, then they get a bit “Mooshy” and go easy the rest of the way, this is even using my 1-40 Alloy. But Remember the Lyman Plains Bullet is a Tapered design just like a TC Maxi ball, The bottom Bands are underbore size for ease in loading And the Top band is slightly overbore to engage the Rifling, So only the Top band is Holding the Bore (What is happening is The Top “Driving Band” is breaking down from being pushed down the Bore, the Softer the Lead, the worse this will be) I was out cutting a load of firewood yesterday and i Ran in to my Dad on my way off the Hill, he was done hunting and had decided to Discharge his Rifle so he could go home and Clean it (his gun has been loaded and Carried for a Week) I decided to do a Quick test before he Fired it, i checked the bullet with the Rifles Ramrod to make sure the Bullet had NOT Backed off of the powder Charge? It HAD! It was off the powder about 2” or So. I pushed the Bullet back Down Tight against the Powder, Then took my Rubber floor matt out of my Truck and flopped it on the Ground, I took his rifle and gave it a “Bump” Test, about a 10-12” Drop on to the Rubber Matt, and then Checked it again, this time the Bullet slid nearly halfway up the Bore, NOT GOOD!!
Some may remember I started a thread here back when I joined this forum asking how to correct a Soft Lead bullet that Loosens up about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down the Bore? I got a few responses, but NOBODY on here had a Solution? Me being me, i set out to Correct this problem, I was able Correct this By Using a Little harder Alloy (1-40 Alloy to be exact) But this is with my Custom GG bullets from Molds i had made with ALL oversize bands (YEP, they were loosening as well with Pure soft lead!) By going to the 1-40 Alloy i FULLY Corrected the Problem above, All of My Bullets are Lubed and sized per Bore, with 1-40 Alloy They Start GOOD AND SNUG and Stay that way all the way to the powder, They will NOT budge until you pull the trigger! But i have not played around much with the Taper designed Bullets such as this Lyman Plains, and the TC Maxi balls, But I do remember they held ok in my Old Stainless .50, and a few others. Again, this really comes down to a “Per Bore” Basis as I mentioned in the Start of the Thread. This might not happen in your Particular Bore? But be aware, it CAN
Moral of the Story, If you are using Tapered design bullets such as the TC Maxi Ball, Lee R.E.A.L., and this Lyman Plains, You might want to check your bullet now and then :yeah: they can DEFINITELY slide off of the Powder Charge. So far Every rifle i have Tested (SEVERAL) With a Soft lead Taper design bullet has gotten “Mooshy” About 1/2 to 3/4 of the Way down the Bore. Something to ponder