After reading an article in Handloader mag.on this 330gr. mould, I thought it sounded like worth a try for hunting deer. I wondered if anyone could explain why the size is .457 instead of .458. Sizing over .458 seems to be an accepted practice. I shoot a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and noticed it was the gun to shoot this bullet the best. My gun, although not slugged, has preferred .460 in the past. Am I going to have any trouble in trying this mould, or do regular parameters just not apply here? Shooting as cast is what I imagine. Would there be any problem in using Lee's liquid alox? Thanks in advance.

Dave. I've been shooting the Gould bullet for some time. Accuracy is quite good from my early New Model Marlin 1895 with the buttplate designed by a sadist. With a Williams receiver sight, I get 1.5" groups when I do my part, and from my Ruger #1, groups usually run 1.25". I size my bullts .459", but that's because I don't have a .460" die yet. I'm workin' on that. I've used both the NRA formula lube and Lyman's Magic Orange lube and either seems to work equally well. I would imagine the liquid alox would work OK, but I haven't used that lube.
It's a good bullet. I really like it, but it does take some patience to cast, and you have to get that nose pin really hot to get proper fill out in the hollow cavity.
I have not hunted with them yet as out here in Arizona, ranges are a bit too long for a 45-70, IMO.
Paul B.

Thanks, Paul. What powder and vel. do you shoot them at?

Hello David. It may be time to slug your gun if you want to start exploring size/accuracy relationships. My Gould casts out .4595 , my lyman sizers are mostly undersize from nominal, and the bullet shoots very well in several different rifles. It is an excellent deer bullet out of wheel weights, at less than 100 yards, by my own experience. Good shooting, ned

Can't recall at the moment what mine have been miking out of the mould, but a .459" Lyman die sizes them down quite noticeably. I think they're close to .460" in wheelweight. I usually hand lube 'em and shoot 'em unsized in my .458" groove diameter MicroGroove 1895. I've shot 'em both with approximately blackpowder .45-90 equivalent loads of WC680 (35-37 grains) in the 1475-1550 FPS range, and with 50 grains of Bartlett's "PSA" (rejected Chinese-made 2330 that made too much muzzle flash for Accurate) at about 1800 FPS. Both are good game loads. That PSA load is really pretty to shoot, as it makes a bright flash. (It's really impressive from a revolver!) Book max for 2330 under a 350 gr. jacketed bullet is 54.0 grains for 1873 FPS at 26,700 PSI according to Lee's book (which took the info from somewhere else, likely Accurate), so mine's a modest load for the 1895. I shoot it in my Century revolver recommended for trapdoor pressure levels. I do so with the WC680 load as well.

I just bought a mould from Lee's surplus page, a .457-325-F single cavity. Even as a single, it'll cast a lot faster than the Gould HP, and I suspect I'll be using it a lot in the future. But that Gould bullet is a 100+ year old classic, and is hard to beat for a close-up deer bullet, I suspect.

Another factor not previously mentioned about the HP moulds is that it's easy to get the hollow cavity off center. I suspect this occurs with opening the mould while the bullet's still soft, the hollowpoint pin getting deflected to one side in the process. That unbalances the bullet enough to open up groups.

I am a HP fan, and always remove the pin before cutting the sprue. Works for me, and no off-center cavities. Tony

Thanks, Tony!

Maybe I'll try putting on my socks before my shoes, too!

NotRichochet, please don't take offense, but I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic or not. Please understand that I did not intend any sarcasm at all in my post - I have read posts from casters unfamiliar with HP molds, and didn't see how one could make the cavity off center if the HP pin was removed before opening the mold. BTW, I put my socks on before my shoes most mornings - seems to depend on how much Makers Mark wax I needed to make lube the night before! Tony

David.....The 457122...the very best of the .45 moulds....IMHO. I have one of the Marlin 1895s with ballard style rifling and it shoots great with the Gould bullet. Mine likes them sized at .460 or some leading may ocur. Get Bob Stillwell to make a custom .460 sizer by opening a .459.

Powders...you can't beat Reloader 7 or 3031.

I have personally found that the 457122HP tends to run about .458+ out of most moulds and I think I have 3 or various vintages. Another prime candidate for "beagling" to bring it up to size.

I don't think you can go wrong with it as an all around bullet.

If you don't like the HP provision, have the local machinist make a "plug" and you end up with a "solid" similar to the 457192. Either bullet is a good shooter when properly sized and with the correct load./beagle

I have been shooting the Gould HP for over 40 years. First in a pair of Winchester 86s and now in a Ruger 3 and Marlin levergun. This bullet has been accurate in every rifle I tried and kills deer like the Hammer of Thor. I used to use a large dose of 4895 to give 1,800 fps. These days I tend to drop the velocity to 1,500-1,600 fps which is plenty to expand the bullet. I have always used 1-20, but folks report good results with WW plus 2% tin. I am not a big fan of Alox liquid lube and have never tried it on rifle bullets. I size my bullets .459 because that is the sizing die I have. Works for me.

My Gould mould throws 'em at .460 with WW+1%Tin. I honed out a sizer die so it doesn't touch the boolit - just lubes it. My Microgroove 95 slugs .4595", and shoots fine with 24 gr. of 4759. Haven't shot a deer with it yet, as I have a hard time weaning myself away from the scoped .270.

Dave. I shoot 28.0 gr. of SR-4759 in the marlim and used to use 30.0 gr of SR-4759. The latter load was a bot too hot for the Marlin although the Ruger thrived on it. Velocity with the 28.0 gr. load is 1650 FPS. I use a one grain filler of Dacron. I used to compress the charge with Cream of Wheat to 1/4" of the neck, but didn't care for how hard that stuff compacted. It became a like a solid slug of cereal, and while I never had any problems, it left me a tad nervous. It did drop the vlerocity from 1700 FPS when I changed to the Dacron filler.
Paul B.

Thanks to all for all the great information. I am leaving just right now to go get my buck. Season begins tomorrow. I have bow hunted and gotten several does, but that buck remains elusive. Perhaps a rifle will give me my needed edge. I will be hunting in a stand with a Marlin 1895 and a 405gr. Rem JSP and 50gr. of H4198. Have to try out cast next year. My load with this soft bullet was very effective on two bison 2 weeks ago!. I am interested to see what my RCBS 405gr. gas checked bullet would have done. That will be a later test.