Who likes to handload for handguns?

[Recycled bullet]

I like to handload self cast hollow points in my hand guns. Please step into my office.Let's talk about it.

[tangolima]

I handload for all my guns, handguns included. I did cast bullets too. But I don't cast. Bought the bullets from different casters.

Your turn.

-TL

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[Recycled bullet]

I shot a bunch of these tonight loaded over five grains of auto Comp. These are the 359 hammer bullets.

I got better groups with the Elmer Keith hollow points loaded over H110 in 38 special brass.

They both weigh 155 grains cast and powder coated from my bullet metal.

[tangolima]

Looks serious. Do they mushroom well upon impact on soft tissues? .359 sounds right diameter. You got cylinder throats reamed to same diameter?

I have a s&w model 10 in 38 spl. I buy my SWC hytek coated cast bullets from MBC. It shoots really well. And I have a cheapy Spanish clone with 6" barrel. It shoots lousy. It has ranging problem. Couldn't fix it no matter what I did.

-TL

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[44 AMP]

Who likes to handload for handguns?

I do.

But I haven't cast in ages,.,..commercial casters have met my needs for decades. I load cast or jacketed for my pistols, depending on what I want to do and what is suitable.

.32ACP, .380ACP, 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357AMP, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .44AMP, .45ACP, .45 Colt, and .45 Win Mag.

I also reload for all my centerfire rifles as well.

[Wag]

https://youtu.be/Dj3GH5myc3M

[rclark]

Haven't bought a box of factory ammo in years (other than .22) . Also I don't cast, but only buy lead bullets (no jacketed need apply) for my revolvers.

[higgite]

I do.

[Paul B.]

I've been casting for rifle and handgun since 1954.
Paul B.

[Recycled bullet]

Originally Posted by tangolima

Looks serious. Do they mushroom well upon impact on soft tissues? .359 sounds right diameter. You got cylinder throats reamed to same diameter?

I have a s&w model 10 in 38 spl. I buy my SWC hytek coated cast bullets from MBC. It shoots really well. And I have a cheapy Spanish clone with 6" barrel. It shoots lousy. It has ranging problem. Couldn't fix it no matter what I did.

-TL

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I have not shot these hammers at game. I would expect the effect to be explosive, the hollow points are massive and deep, and the alloy is strong and flexible.

They group on a paper plate. I think if I increase the charge they may group tighter. I size them 358 and can pass the bullets through the cylinder using a pen with one fingers pressure.

What is a ranging problem?

[Recycled bullet]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

I do.



But I haven't cast in ages,.,..commercial casters have met my needs for decades. I load cast or jacketed for my pistols, depending on what I want to do and what is suitable.



.32ACP, .380ACP, 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357AMP, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .44AMP, .45ACP, .45 Colt, and .45 Win Mag.



I also reload for all my centerfire rifles as well.

Three of your pistol calibers, I have never seen the ammunition for sale in a brick and mortar gun shop.

[Recycled bullet]

Alright wag I pick you.

Paul b what's your most satisfying cartridge to cast and hand load for?

I am beginning to get serious casting for rifle too. I made some 30 caliber hollow points they scale 208 grains.

[44 AMP]

The AMP calibers you won't ever see in a shop, what's the third? The Win Mag??

[Recycled bullet]

Yes. Didn't Charles Bronson load his wildey pistol with those from those death wish movies?

Or was it 475??

That was a cool handgun and they showed him handloading for it too.

[Unclenick]

45-70 is great for casting. Lever gun velocities are very reasonable for casting alloys when you take barrel length into account. The only problem is you go through alloy pretty fast with it.

I have one of Lee's six-cavity molds for 38 wadcutters in the Tumble Lube style. Out of my K-38, the darn things group about half the size of Federal match ammo. Wouldn't use anything else. Ditto their TL 32 wadcutter, though the mold has since been discontinued.

I have cast a fair quantity of 200-grain 45 SWC in the past, as well, but I go through it so fast that I usually give in to the temptation to just buy them if the highest target precision isn't required.

[Recycled bullet]

Originally Posted by Unclenick

45-70 is great for casting. Lever gun velocities are very reasonable for casting alloys when you take barrel length into account. The only problem is you go through alloy pretty fast with it.



I have one of Lee's six-cavity molds for 38 wadcutters in the Tumble Lube style. Out of my K-38, the darn things group about half the size of Federal match ammo. Wouldn't use anything else. Ditto their TL 32 wadcutter, though the mold has since been discontinued.



I have cast a fair quantity of 200-grain 45 SWC in the past, as well, but I go through it so fast that I usually give in to the temptation to just buy them if the highest target precision isn't required.

To my eyes 45-70 looks like an enormous scaled up 38 special. Is that how it is to cast and load for that caliber?

I like 38 special, incredible bullet and powder selections, mountains of load data going back a century, brass is super available and even at 38-44 level it lasts forever.

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by Recycled bullet

I have not shot these hammers at game. I would expect the effect to be explosive, the hollow points are massive and deep, and the alloy is strong and flexible.

They group on a paper plate. I think if I increase the charge they may group tighter. I size them 358 and can pass the bullets through the cylinder using a pen with one fingers pressure.

What is a ranging problem?

Ranging in a revolver is the alignment between cylinder chambers and the bore. Out of 6 chambers of that revolver, only 2 pass the ranging rod test. The group is about 8" at 10yd.

-TL

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[reddog81]

I usually stick to non hollow point bullet as it's a slightly quicker process and the molds are cheaper, but those hollow points look pretty awesome.

Over the last month I've cast, powder coat and sized about 800 124 grain truncated cone 9mm bullets. Been shooting those over 4.2 grains of Shooters World Ultimate Pistol. I've shot about 300 of them in the last month also. It's kind of boring but I've been on a kick of shooting my 9mms lately.

[44 AMP]

Yes. Didn't Charles Bronson load his wildey pistol with those from those death wish movies?

The Wildey was in Death Wish III, and it was in .475 Wildey magnum, which was made by shortening the .284 Winchester case. Also, in that movie, he picked up the gun (and its accessories) in a package from a POST OFFICE! Even back when that movie was made, that had been illegal for decades....movies...don't need to worry about real laws ya know....

My Wildey and my LAR Grizzly are in .45 Win Mag, which is a factory produced round (or was, before the painicdemic...)

The .44 & .357AMP are Auto Mag Pistol cartridges, and while .44AMP brass is listed by Starline, factory ammo hasn't been around since the 70s. And I don't think anyone ever made factory .357AMP ammo, except possibly a tiny amount from Norma, but I've never seen or heard of any in that caliber. They did make some .44AMP ammo, but again, its been "unobtainium" since its single limited production run, back then.

To my eyes 45-70 looks like an enormous scaled up 38 special. Is that how it is to cast and load for that caliber?

Pretty much, except the .45-70 predates the .38 Special by almost 30 years. And while its called a straight case, the .45-70 actually has a small amount of taper where the .38 Special does not.

Loading is exactly like loading for a straight walled pistol case, requiring a 3 die set just like the .38 Spl, but, of course, bigger.

Generally cast bullets for the .45-70 run from 300 to 500 grains, though there are some specialty slugs both lighter and heavier than that range.
Nominal bore diameter is .458", not the smaller .451-,452 of the modern .45 cal pistols.

[Mike38]

I reload .32acp, .32S&W-L, 9mm, .38spcl, and .45acp. My favorite to load is .45acp and least favorite is .32acp. I probably shoot 150 rounds of centerfire handgun and same amount in .22LR per month.

[RoyceP]

All of my reloads are for revolvers or autoloader pistols.

Currently I reload for 32 Long, 32 WCF, 357 Mag, 38 Special, 38 S&W, 41 Colt, 41 Mag, 44 Special, 44 MAG, 45 ACP, 45 AR and 45 Colt.

[FITASC]

30 years of pistol loading for me; but not into casting

[Recycled bullet]

[Recycled bullet]

[Recycled bullet]