330 Gould accuracy?

[EdinCT]

I would really like to hunt with the 330 gould cast 20/1 with my Marlin cowboy. I have loaded it with 42 gr if Reloader 7 and the best I seem to get is 2.5 inches at 100. I also got some leading near the last few inches of barrel using RCBS rifle lube.
I have paper patched it with 9lb onion skin lubed with rooster jacket and it shoots the same sized group. but the leading isn't there.
I get around 1 1/4" inch groups with the lee 340 gr with the same alloy and patching. It also will group 5 into an 1 1/2" sized 459 and lubed. But leads up after 5 or so shots?( no lube star at the muzzle)
Anyone else try the gould and how did you do with it?

[6pt-sika]

I used the Gould 330 HP also in a Marlin 1895CB .

Did very nicely for me run thru a .459" sizer die and lubed with SPG . I pushed it with 31.5 grains of SR4759 . And as well as I can remmember it was shooting about 1 1/2-2 inches at 100 yards for 3 shots using a Lyman tang sight and the factory front sight .

Later I used it to kill a big bodied 6 point whitetail at all of 21 yards . Dropped him dead in his tracks .

[6pt-sika]

I no longer own the 1895CB I used the Gould bullet in and to be honest haven't shot the bullet in my present Marlin 1895 of 1972 vintage .

But it seems to me I also tried it in the 1895CB with XMP5744 . Just don't remmember the charge weight .

I would say your barrel may be leading because you just might be pushing a plain based bullet a tad hard with 42 grains of RL7 .

Generally when I wanna get speed I use GC bullets and have no leading problems . With the Gould I found light to medium loads to be best . Same can be said for the Lee 340 . As a matter of fact the 1895Cb was my first cast bullet rifle . I started with the Lee 340 grainer and then went to the Lee 405 grain plain base (not the hollow base) , then I got the Lyman Gould 330 HP PB . And after that I went to the Ranch Dog 350 and 425 grainers !

Now I still have the Gould along with all three of Ranch Dogs 45 cal rifle bullets , BRP's 465 grainer and Ballisti Casts 550 grainer all GC bullets of course !

[Ben_Rumson]

Once I defeated the hollow point feature on my 330 Gould mold I got reliable 100 yd 5 shot groups 1.5" or less out of a Dane Rolling Block with 35 inch barrel I used to have... I went to all the trouble with the mold because it dropped bullets @ .466 inch which was perfect size for the Dane. I trim the little shaft off the nose of the bullet with flush cutting electronics side cutters. I used Lee Liquid Alox lube and got lube stars...

[yooper2]

I shoot the old Gould bullet a lot and it is my favorite for deer sized game. From a Marlin 1895, 84 Trapdoor, and a rolling block converted from 11.7 Dane that bullet consistently delivers minute of angle accuracy (using tang sights, that Buffington rear sight on the trapdoor requires better eyes than mine). I size them different for each rifle but all get lubed with SPG and are sitting on top of 5 grs of SR-4759 followed by 55 grs of 2F loaded with a drop tube. Then a wad cut from a milk carton and a grease cookie a tad smaller than a piece of 00 Buck followed by the bullet. This load is compressed rather heavily and works great.


Eric

P.S.
My grease recipe is roughly equal parts beeswax and vaseline cooked in a double boiler.

[rhead]

I never did find a real sweet spot using the Gould bullet with my Marlin either. I do not remember the numbers but the groups i was getting were in the 2.5 inch range. Mine likes the Lee hollow based 405 and 40 grains of 3031. I shoots just under 1.5 inches. Paper patching and sizing to .461 shrinks the group down to 1.25 inches.

[Tycer]

Sounds like a good load. Mine's 40 grains and still 2"+ at 100. If you are shootin at mice, maybe a smaller caliber would be a better fit. If you are shooting at deer+, why is 2.5" a worry? It's a great classic bullet and we really should be loading it under 70 gr of BP

[EdinCT]

I appreciate all the input. I have some loaded over IMR4198 with a Walthers wad that will be a little slower. I know 2.5 is ok but the rifle shoots much better and last year I shot a deer at 140 yards threading through a hole in the woods. I would like better if I can get it.

[Ben_Rumson]

You're right to want all the accuracy you can get...Hand lube a few with the Lee Liquid Alox & see if that helps with the leading..Make sure the bore isn't leaded up & clean before you try again..Good luck...