Just what the question says. I'm going to get back into shooting this summer, and jacketed .458 bullets have gone through the roof in the last 10 years.

I'm thinking about getting a specialty die made to make a 400 grain smooth sided bullet in about .450 so I can paper patch it and shoot it through a marlin 1895 cowboy (45-70, of course).

I thought I was going to maybe get a decent open sighted single shot 45-70 until I looked at where those prices have gone, too.

Anyone shoot paper patch? Any thoughts vs. hard cast gas checked (which if I read correctly, are not good at the higher velocities where the 1895 can go).

I also saw something else new, from bullet casters, some kind of coating that doesn't appear to add to the diameter, and they claim it reduces leading. ("Hi Tek" coating). Anyone know much about that? Figure some what I shoot may be 300 grainers (for my shoulder's sake) which are going to slide along at a pretty high velocity even if they're loaded to trap door specs.

I'm having a little trouble finding custom cast dies that make a PP bullet that's not 500 grains, I guess because that's what the BPCR guys like to shoot (and I'll be shooting offhand from 25-100 yards, no super long shots).