No. 1 in .405 Winchester - cast bullet loads

[Cat Whisperer]

Just picked up a No.1 in .405 Winchester - needed something over 40 caliber but a little easier on me than my #1 in .458WM. (Long strings of target work at 100 and 200 yards).

Anyone load for it? With plain-base cast bullets?

 

[sweetwine]

Hello Cat,
I have a 405 Winchester No.1, got it last year. I to like the 458 so I tried a friends No 1 out in that caliber. Sure kicks the snot out of me. Love the look and feel of the Tropical model so when the 405 came out I thought it would be a good compromace. It was, I think it's still a hard kicker but not as bad as the 458 but a little harder than the 45-70. I'm very happy with it. Anyway I have only shot jacketed bullets so far but have done a little research on cast bullets and bought a mold. I have a Lyman #2640660 385 gr. pointed bullet. It looks to be a good design as I have a 45-70 mold that has the same shape and it shoot well in the Sharps. I'm also planning on using Accurate 5744 powder because it works well in the 45-70. Accurate sent me the load data to try with the above bullet.
Low Load 22.0 gr. (1100 - 1200 fps)
Mid Load 27.0 gr. (1400 - 1500 fps)
Max Load 32.0 gr. (1575 - 1675 fps)
You can contact Accurate Powder ([email protected]) they can help with loads.

I hope to try this out soon. I hope this helps you out and good luck.

 

[patrickjames]

I use 2400 powder with a 300 grain gas check bullet.A starting load is 25 grains that gives 1500 fps according to my 1957 lyman reloding manual. 32.0 grains is max. If you go to ebay you can buy old reloading manuals with 405 reloading data cheap.I bought 300 gr cast GC bullets from Huntingtons-RCBS in Oroville Ca. at a very good price. Call them,they ship. They are .412" bullets.I get 5 shot 1" groups at 100 yards.I'll post pictures later.Or you can check the history of my posts I think it's in there.

 

[patrickjames]

 

[Marcruger]

Hello, I think there are some very experienced cast bullet experts over on the Shiloh Rifles forum. These folks shoot Black Powder Cartridge Rifles (BPCR), and shoot tons of lead every year. The .405 is very, very similar to the .40-70 they shoot. Shiloh also makes the Sharps 1874 in .405. There is a lot to be learned from those folks.

Also, for bullets I'd recommend Harlan's Sage Brush bullets. He makes a great Snover in .40 that may just work for you. If not, he can give you a good steer. These are available lubed or unlubed (his Alox lube is excellent!), and sized or unsized, in 1-20 or 1-30 formula. Very honest guy with a good product. Overall, I just wouldn't plan on pushing the lead too fast compared to jacketed.

Have you thought of loading black powder? It is a lot of fun, and a cinch to clean up with a No. 1 (it all goes out of the muzzle). The Windex with Vinegar works great as a cleaner. The recoil would be next to nothing with black, and you'd probably get around 1200 fps with a 400+ grain lead bullet as a guess. Other know a lot more than I do.

God Bless, Marc