Bullet recommendation for Pietta Smith Carbine

[Yakiman]

Can anyone recommend a bullet for the Pietta Smith carbine?

[Eggman]

I use this REAL .515. bullet from Lee. Perfect fit, does not lead the barrel, holds lots of grease.

[Lou Lou Lou]

Moose 515-385 for me. Also has a two groove 515-365

[Maillemaker]

I'm getting decent results with the Eras Gone Smith bullet, with 32 grains 3F Goex. Just about perfectly fills the case. Black hard plastic tubes seem to give better accuracy than the soft rubbery Yore tubes. I suspect it is due to more closely holding the bullet in alignment with the bore.

Steve

[Yakiman]

I have an older Lyman mold - 518145 - but haven't tried it yet. Was also looking at the six cavity Lee mold sold by Lodgewood.

[John Westenberger]

Moose smith/maynard, I tried the Eras gone smith mould, but nothing beats the moose mould!

[george7542]

Noe 401 grain in a Hoyt reline.

[CAGerringer]

I know this is going to sound strange, but I bought this thing because it was cheap and I don't like to spend a great deal of time molding bullets...as important as they are. The Lee .515, 6 cavity gang mold, sized .515 and lubed with Lem's Lube, and 32 grains of 3f Goex with a pinch of Cream of Wheat gives me great results. And I mean amazing. True, I did replace both front and rear sights...but that Pietta barrel keeps putting that Lee bullet in the same place! Over and over.
No one is more surprised than me!
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Maillemaker]

I know this is going to sound strange, but I bought this thing because it was cheap and I don't like to spend a great deal of time molding bullets...as important as they are. The Lee .515, 6 cavity gang mold, sized .515 and lubed with Lem's Lube, and 32 grains of 3f Goex with a pinch of Cream of Wheat gives me great results. And I mean amazing. True, I did replace both front and rear sights...but that Pietta barrel keeps putting that Lee bullet in the same place! Over and over.
No one is more surprised than me!
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

Is this the REAL bullet or something else?

Steve

[sfoster]

I have the Lee Six bullet mold. It is a pointed one lube groove pointed conical, not unlike the ErasGone mold.

[CAGerringer]

Is this the REAL bullet or something else?<br>
<br>
Steve<br>

Wasn't the REAL bullet a flat topped slug that was "rifling engraved as loading" for muzzleloaders? It's not like that. The Lee was advertised as a Smith bullet, Steve, although it doesn't look like an original. I still have the original box, and just looked at it. It doesn't have a title for the bullet. It's just listed as a .515, 6 cavity, Lee mold!
This is a short, conical shaped shaped slug, with a flat nose, and 3 grooves at the lower portion of the bullet that hold plenty of lube. It fits the black plastic cartridges perfectly. All 3 grooves are inside the cartridge and the rear of the conical shaped body of the bullet just contacts the rifling as the cartridge is loaded. That is with 32 grains of 3F and a pinch of COW inside.
Hope that made sense.
Respectfully,
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[CAGerringer]

To be clear, my Lee 6 gang mold is not like SFoster's. His sounds more like the original, where mine is definitely not.
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Maillemaker]

Thanks Charlie! I'd like to find one of those 6-gang molds to try out! I wonder if Lee still makes them?

I found this one as a 2-cavity:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010205686?pid=434163
(https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010205686?pid=434163)
I think this is the same bullet in 6-cavity:
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1196/1/LEE-515-450-6C

Lodgewood has this one:
https://www.lodgewood.com/515-Six-Cavity-Lee-Bullet-Mold-360-Grain_p_550.html

Steve

[Eggman]

To be clear, the REAL bullet shown in post #2 was designed for muzzle loaders --BUT-- it fits perfectly in those black plastic cases for the Pietta Smith with just the nose sticking out - which sticks out because it is the only part of the bullet @ .515 diameter which nicely engages the rifling FROM THE REAR, the rest of the bullet perfectly fitting the bore diameter.

[sfoster]

This is my Lee six cavity mold. I bought it a few years ago, either from Lodgewood, or Track of the Wolf. Looking at their current mold, it is different. More like the old Lyman 515139. As soon as I saw it, I ordered one. It will be interesting to compare them at the range. The Lee gang mold sure makes a lot of bullets quick.

[PapaRob]

I use the 6 gang mold from lodgewood and it cranks them out and is a very accurate bullet out of my Pietta Smith. I will only mold once a year and I can make upwards of a couple of thousand in no time.

[CAGerringer]

Steve,
The 360 grain, .515 that Lodgewood has; and you have shown a link to, is the one that I have. I stumbled upon it and have been happily surprised by just how well it works in the Pietta replica Smith.
Respectfully,
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Maillemaker]

Thanks Charlie!

Steve

[Yakiman]

That Lodgewood mold must have changed. I just bought one and the bullet is flat nosed.

[Maillemaker]

For those of you shooting the Lee REAL, are you shooting the 320 grain or the 250 grain version?

250 Grain:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010196066?pid=130069

320 Grain:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010206927?pid=475901

Steve

[Hal]

I use the Lee bullet that Steve posted a link to from Lodgewood except mine is a .318" and a two cavity, but the same bullet. I think I got it from S&S, but it may have been Lodgewood. I suspect the suttler (Whichever it was) had a special run to get the .318" diameter, as I've never seen anything but the .315" advertised by Lee. It came in a Lee box, but did not have a pre-printed label like other Lee moulds. Instead, the size and such was hand written in Sharpie marker.

My original Smith slugged right at .318". I would probably have preferred a .320" bullet, but the .318" was readily available at the time and when I tried it, it shot great. I've never had a reason to try anything else.

[Eggman]

For those of you shooting the Lee REAL, are you shooting the 320 grain or the 250 grain version?

250 Grain:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010196066?pid=130069

320 Grain:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010206927?pid=475901

Steve
Well here's the thing, I have both molds and if memory serves both shoot equally well. I use the longer version in my Pietta Smith, my Spencer (Hoyt .50), and my Maynard (Hoyt .50). With all recollections of everything that's happened prior to last Monday gone from my dilapidated brain, I'll give you my reasons why best I can.
1. Shape -- the longer version will hold its straightness better traveling down the barrel. Plus a football will fly in a straight line better than a baseball.
2. Case grip-- the longer version will hang on to the interior of the cartridge case, in particular the Spencer and Maynard metal cases, better than the short version.
3. The longer version holds more grease. I love grease.