Mould is a Lyman 457122 Hollowpoint, but as can be seen in the photo I turned it into a solid. Casting is a chore I dread and the hp design makesit even more of a pain. Alloy was wheelweights, dropped out of the mould into a can of water to harden them. Also, the mould was held open by those 2 HVAC strips as seen in the photo. Powder was Pyrodex RS, with the black powder measure set at 65 grains. I have no idea what it wound up weighing....pyrodex is measured via volume. I call it in my notes 65 gns VE (Volume equivalent). On top of the powder is a .030" LDPE wad...the gun plain old wont shoot good w/o one. Probably wind up compressing the powder charge about 1/16-1/8" while bullet seating. Dies used are Lee. Cases are formed from 348 win brass. First I cut them w/ a dremel cut off wheel to slightly longer (about 0.100") than finished size, then open them up to .370" dia using a tapered expander plug I made. Next is annealing. Then fill up the case w/RS and seat a .375" roundball on top, fireform it, then trim to about 0.010" over finished size, expand to .457" with another tapered expander plug, anneal again, and load up with RS and a regular 45-75 bullet (I save cast rejects for this). Do final fireform. Size, trim, anneal and the case is done. Get maybe 20 firings from the cases (anneal necks after every 6 or 7 firings).
Packaging is done like this...I get 8 loaded rounds and determine the package size, then cut a wood block to that dimension. Then using various fonts on the computer type up what i want it to say on a large sheet of paper (8 1/2 X11). Designs can be drawn in or cut/pasted via computer. Then I scan the finished product and reduce it to fit the front of the package. By reducing it any errors I made drawing the designs are almost impossible to see. At kinkos I buy nice paper..ivory colored resume paper or green paper, etc. Using your print program simply print the design ont the paper. Then, make a cardboard pattern, trace it on the paper and cut out the package. Using the wood block, make sharp creases in the paper, glue it up, put in the cartridges, and glue it closed. In use simply rip open the paper and shoot em up! Since I drop my fired cases into a jar of water (both RS and 777 are waer soluble) I have no packaging to take home.
This photo shows the 45-75 stuff. Note the two tapered expanders (one from .340 to .375, the other from .400 to .458"), the wood forming block, the cardpaper pattern, and some papers I have ready for cartridge wrapping.
![Image](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/coyote1960/4575.jpg)
This next photo shows the stuff I have for the 45-70 trapdoor I shoot.
![Image](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/coyote1960/4570.jpg)
"...for there is a cloud on my horizon...and its name is progress." E. Abbey, 1958