The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - .22 cast-bullet accuracy?

Ideal Tool · October 25, 2011, 05:17 PM

Hello, IllinoisCoyoteHunter. When I spoke with Mr. Ed. Shillen, I told him of my long-time desire to have an accurate Hornet rifle. I said I realized the Hornet was no bench-rest round..but that I wanted to wring the most out of it I could. When he recieved the rifle, he said it brought back many fine memories of when he had his shop in N.Y...there were alot of woodchuck rigs made up on original single-shot actions then. He said he wished he knew who had worked on it. Someone had completly gone thru action, truing and smoothing up mechanics, and with one of the nicest Borchardt triggers he had seen.
He recommended a 1-14" twist Chrome-Moly match 26" brl. Med-heavy varmint. I chose the octagon and sprung for hand-lapping.
He said he would cut a very tight match chamber..and said that if I didn't mind a wait..he would personally do all the barrel work himself in his spare time.
Of course I agreed to this.
I have been using RWS Hornet brass..and it seems to last forever..probably due to the tight close chamber.
I had tried just about every commercial cast bullet out there..some were good..but none were consistant.
The best of the lot was an older single cavity Lyman 225415..weighing 49grs. (the new 225415 is heaver).
I collect antique bullet moulds. I came across an original Ideal 22636..this was for the old .22-15-60 Stevens..cast from a Lyman #2 alloy it weighed 60grs. Far too heavy for my 14" twist.
Using a collet stop, in a bench lathe..these were faced off at 55grs.
I even turned a gas-check shank on some.
With these altered bullets, I shot some of my smallest groups to date.
I sent off samples of each to Fred Leeth at Pioneer Products.
He made up single-cavity nose-pour moulds in plain-base & gas-check each weighing 55grs.
The finest accuracy didn't come until I turned up a tapered sizer die...this taper matches the leade angle in chamber. I can set dia. and taper by using stop on my Lyman 45 lube-sizer.
I size to .226 in a Corbin reloading-press mounted sizer. This sizes nose-first, for perfect concentricity.
Bullets are moly-coated using NECO kit.
My accuracy load for the plain base bullet is first band sized to 3 deg.,
.224" dia. Bullet body sized .226" dia. Lyman Super Moly lube.
7.0gr. H4227, Federal small rifle match primer.
Bullet is seated, so when action is closed, first band is engraved by rifling.

The accuracy load for the gas-check bullet is 3 deg. 1st. band, .224" dia.,
bullet body sized .226"dia. annealed and flattened (special made punch & base for Lyman lube-sizer). Lyman Super Moly.
7.3gr. H4227, Federal small rifle match primer.
Yes for accuracy only..not velocity.. only .3gr. difference in powder charge for gas-check.
I have had problems with getting gas-check flat..the .22 is so thin, it wants to warp or buckle as it's punched. Even annealing doesn't always work.
I had Corbin make up a punch & die set for reloading press to punch center out of check. This takes care of uneven bottoms!
I am now working on loads with these to find out if it really makes a difference or not. Best of luck on your .22 cast bullet work!

October 25, 2011, 05:17 PM	#7
Ideal Tool Junior member Join Date: October 6, 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,080	Hello, IllinoisCoyoteHunter. When I spoke with Mr. Ed. Shillen, I told him of my long-time desire to have an accurate Hornet rifle. I said I realized the Hornet was no bench-rest round..but that I wanted to wring the most out of it I could. When he recieved the rifle, he said it brought back many fine memories of when he had his shop in N.Y...there were alot of woodchuck rigs made up on original single-shot actions then. He said he wished he knew who had worked on it. Someone had completly gone thru action, truing and smoothing up mechanics, and with one of the nicest Borchardt triggers he had seen. He recommended a 1-14" twist Chrome-Moly match 26" brl. Med-heavy varmint. I chose the octagon and sprung for hand-lapping. He said he would cut a very tight match chamber..and said that if I didn't mind a wait..he would personally do all the barrel work himself in his spare time. Of course I agreed to this. I have been using RWS Hornet brass..and it seems to last forever..probably due to the tight close chamber. I had tried just about every commercial cast bullet out there..some were good..but none were consistant. The best of the lot was an older single cavity Lyman 225415..weighing 49grs. (the new 225415 is heaver). I collect antique bullet moulds. I came across an original Ideal 22636..this was for the old .22-15-60 Stevens..cast from a Lyman #2 alloy it weighed 60grs. Far too heavy for my 14" twist. Using a collet stop, in a bench lathe..these were faced off at 55grs. I even turned a gas-check shank on some. With these altered bullets, I shot some of my smallest groups to date. I sent off samples of each to Fred Leeth at Pioneer Products. He made up single-cavity nose-pour moulds in plain-base & gas-check each weighing 55grs. The finest accuracy didn't come until I turned up a tapered sizer die...this taper matches the leade angle in chamber. I can set dia. and taper by using stop on my Lyman 45 lube-sizer. I size to .226 in a Corbin reloading-press mounted sizer. This sizes nose-first, for perfect concentricity. Bullets are moly-coated using NECO kit. My accuracy load for the plain base bullet is first band sized to 3 deg., .224" dia. Bullet body sized .226" dia. Lyman Super Moly lube. 7.0gr. H4227, Federal small rifle match primer. Bullet is seated, so when action is closed, first band is engraved by rifling. The accuracy load for the gas-check bullet is 3 deg. 1st. band, .224" dia., bullet body sized .226"dia. annealed and flattened (special made punch & base for Lyman lube-sizer). Lyman Super Moly. 7.3gr. H4227, Federal small rifle match primer. Yes for accuracy only..not velocity.. only .3gr. difference in powder charge for gas-check. I have had problems with getting gas-check flat..the .22 is so thin, it wants to warp or buckle as it's punched. Even annealing doesn't always work. I had Corbin make up a punch & die set for reloading press to punch center out of check. This takes care of uneven bottoms! I am now working on loads with these to find out if it really makes a difference or not. Best of luck on your .22 cast bullet work! Last edited by Ideal Tool; October 25, 2011 at 06:48 PM.