which Mould to try

[Rebel Dave]

Hello
I am thinking of trying a new minnie in a couple rifles I have. One is my Fayetteville with a Harmon/large bbl (.575), and the other is a 62 Richmond Rifle (2 bander) with a Yeck bbl (.576).
My question is, which should I try the newer style "North-South Skirmish Hodgdon" by RCBS, or the "Blue-Gray Target" by Lyman. They look almost the same in pics. I see the RCBS comes in more diameters.
What are some opinions out there.
Thanks

Rebel Dave

[matt]

i use the rcbs hodgdon mould and couldnt be happier with it makes a great accurate minie and is easy to cast. from wht i understand the lyman is a copy but you do not have the floating core that the rcbs does. ive found that lyman minie moulds are much slower than a rapine or rcbs.
matt
winslows battery 9775v

[mikea]

I agree completely with Matt. The Lyman minie moulds are a pain to use unless they are converted to captive core pin. The RCBS already has this. I have a number of Rapine and several Lyman moulds and the RCBS/Hodgdon is my favorite - it's easy to use, very sturdy and casts excellent bullets. The only negative is that it is heavier than the other moulds, but I consider this trivial.
FWIW, I have found that this bullet works best in original type 3 groove barrels with slow twists. I use it in a 3 band Parker Hale .577 with 1:78 twist and a 2 band Whiteacre .577 with 1:72 twist. The mould I use is nominal .578, bullets come out around 418 grains in pure lead, are sized .575 and shot with 45 grains (by weight) of 3F Goex with MCM or Len's lube.

[Southron Sr.]

One of the "pluses" of the RCBS/Hogdon bullet mould is its "semi-wadcutter" shoulder. I know that in team events I have broken targets that a regular Minie Ball would just "mark" and not break.

Seems that when you hit just the very edge of most breakable targets with a regular Minie Ball, the smooth ogive of the bullet will push the target a bit but will not break it; whereas that sharp shoulder of the RCBS/Hodgdon bullet will shatter the target.

I also think of the RCBS/Hodgon bullet as a "101 YARD BULLET," i.e., it is O.K. for Skirmishing but because of its shape it is not a "long range" bullet-for hunting I use a regular Minie Ball,never can tell when I might have to make a 200 yard shot at a deer.

I recommend the RCBS mould over the Lyman one simply because the floating base pin of the RCBS mould makes casting faster and easier.

GOOD LUCK

[Rebel Dave]

Thanks guys
I have the RCBS mould on the way, I'll give it a try Sounds like the concensus is for the RCBS. It's comming from North East Trade Co. in Pa.

Thanks for the replys.

Rebel Dave