I was thinking of getting a Lee mould becuase they are cheap, I have ran out of gun money and the sizing die for my sizer is $40. I will be casting for a 45-70 Handi rifle with a groove diameter of .457. I have not done a chamber cast to get a measurement on the throat. I am thinking that the bullet will need to be .459. The Lee 45 caliber moulds say they are .457. What diameter do they really cast? I am using 92% lead 2% tin 6% antimony.

Sean my two 45's arrived 458+ and up to 459+. One of them I lapped to 460+ very easily. These the 340 and 405 gr bullets.

I also have the 340 grain and 405 grain plain base moulds and they both drop 'em at just over .459, with the 340 model being the fatter. I cast them with wheel weights and shoot them tumble lubed and unsized in my .457 Marlin barrel with no problems. In my rifle, the 405 grainer is more accurate.