Cast Bullet Accuracy?

[Swifty Morgan]

The current ammo-hoarding craziness got me back into reloading, and that got me interested in casting. It looks like you can get infinite free bullets if you buy a mold and a cast iron skillet.

If I cast my own bullets, will I be able to get the same quality and accuracy as a company like Oregon Trail? I'm mainly thinking of .38 Super, .45 ACP, and 10mm.

[TJB101]

Yes, with properly lubed or coated bullets and sized correctly you can obtain great accuracy. As with everything you’ll want to test different charges to see what works best with your gun(s). It’s an awesome hobby.

[David R]

YES Its a learning curve, but you sure can.

I did it for 20 years.

David

[USSR]

Swifty,

No reason why with some time and patience, you can be turning out some fine bullets. Also, there can be some additional benefits of you casting your own. One, you determine the alloy you use, not Oregon Trail. Two, you determine the bullet diameter, not Oregon Trail. And lastly, you can use a softer and better lube than Oregon Trail and the other commercial casters use. Good luck.

Don

[kmw1954]

Casting can be fun and extremely interesting. Now if you can find Free lead then you are ahead of the game.

[David R]

My best group was a 60 grain gas check bullet of pure Linotype, 22 caliber out of a 22-250.
5 1/4" group for 14 shots @ 300 yards. That target was on the wall in my living room for years. Bullets were going 2700 fps.

It can be done.

David

[2wheelwander]

This is a perhaps a very stupid question, but plenty was given to me so I'm going to ask. Shooting cast with gas checks out of a proper M1A Super? Would it harm the rifle?

[mehavey]

Shooting cast with gas checks out of a proper M1A Super? Would it harm the rifle?

Rather than 50-50 or other conventional lube-in-grooves bullet lube, I suggest lubing with just the barest (greasy-fingers) coating of ALOX to keep the gas chamber pretty much spotless.
(Gas guns don't like plain-base and/or lube-spraying bullets)

Will they shoot in "Garand" type gas guns ?
Uuuuhh...... Yes.

M1 Garand:

[USSR]

Impressive, mehavey! I have yet to explore the rifle cast bullet end of shooting, although I have a 247gr .30 caliber mold designed for the .300 Whisper/Blackout that I am dying to try for 1400fps loads in my .30-06 bolt gun.

Don

[pete2]

Back in the day, 44 mag with bullets cast of pure lino, 2400 powder, was able to shoot under 2" groups at 50 yards with a NM Super Black Hawk. Most accurate gun I ever owned. Too old to cast or shoot much .44 now days. When you cast your own you can control how perfect the bullets are, visually and weight wise. You can also control alloy, what type bullet lube, you can heat treat if you want.

[BJung]

I started casting again because I have a supply of lead and can save money from buying low velocity bullets for my .38 and .45. I wish there was a pencil sharpener jig to shave the base of a bullet so it would take a gas check.

Search gas check punches. You can make your own with soda cans.

Read up on powder painting. I haven't tried it yet but acquired a small stove for free during garbage day at a neighborhood where a renter had moved out.

[pete2]

You shouldn't need gas checks on 45 and 38 loads.

[USSR]

Agree with pete2, you don't need gas checks for low velocity .38 and .45 loads.

Don

[2wheelwander]

Thanks mehavey. Casting/gas checks is uncharted territory for me. Literally have no idea what I would be doing. I have a smelter and molds for 00 buck shot shells/slugs, but rifle and pistol I haven't dipped my toe into yet.

Accuracy is there, but so long as lube is kept in check no undue harm or adverse tweaking to the gas system?

[mehavey]

I shoot "greasy-fingered"** ALOX-coated (not dipped) bullets in the BowWooof, the AR-15, the Garand, the M1A, the 350Legend, and the AR-10 gas guns.
(Up to 2,500fps in the AR-15) http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...=1#post4472544

Keep it Lyman#2, gas-checked, and/or ALOX/PowderCoated and you're fine.



**Very thin coat

[Swifty Morgan]

I guess I have time to look for free lead. My dad had a boat, and we had some lead downrigger weights. I gave the downrigger to Goodwill but kept maybe 35 pounds of lead.

[res45]

45 ACP carbine.


30-06 @ 50 yds. 170 gr. powder coated NOE 30 cal. XCB, gas checked and sized to .309" MV was chrono at 2295 fps. average over 5 shots.


7.62 x 54r


300 Savage.

[Mike / Tx]

If your in an area inundated with sail boats, check around for lead keel weights. Might take some work, but one good one will last ya for a LONG time

[USSR]

I'd like to thank Swifty and all the guys who have responded to his post. Until now, the Bullet Casting part of this forum has been dead. Happy Pascha to all the Eastern Christians on the forum.

Don

[jaguarxk120]

Look up Harry Pope, he was a gunsmith and barrel maker.
Some of the records his barrels shot still can not be bested today.
W.C. Rowland shot a 0.721 group at 200 yards with a 32-40 rifle
made by Harry Pope, this was in 1901.
By the way he was standing, not sitting at a bench.

[Jim Watson]

From an old article by Col. Townsend Whelen:
"Mr. Rowland's target, which is reproduced here in the exact size from the original, was shot with a .32-40 breech-muzzle loading barrel made by H. M. Pope, in a Ballard action. It was shot from a machine rest, probably the Pope rest, in which the naked barrel is uniformly rested at the breech and close to the muzzle, the rifle being shot with its butt-stock on it, and the butt-plate being caught and braked by the hand after a short recoil travel."

[jaguarxk120]

Thank you for the correction about Rowland's target. I looked in the book but could not find that target. But the were several 200 groups shot off the bench that many
people would envy today.

[Bart B.]

The first part of this link deals with the late 1800's USA NRA highpower rifle targets used for competitive shooting with cast lead bullets:

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2015/...and-evolution/

What's not mentioned is why the scoring rings sizes were reduced in the mid 1960's. 308 Winchester ammo shot more accurate and broke all the records shot with the 30-06. Too many unbreakable ties.

[USSR]

Um, I may be wrong, but I don't believe this thread is in any way a comparison of cast bullet accuracy and jacketed bullet accuracy.

Don

[P Flados]

The OP asked about cast in 38 Super, 45 ACP and 10 mm.

For all three of these, there is no reason that cast should be any less accurate than jacketed bullets.

For 45 ACP you should be able to go full power with tumble lube on a plain base bullets from 185 to 230 (I recommend white label 45-45-10).

Most 38 Super and 10mm guns can probably do okay with tumble lube for mild to mid range loads. My guess is that tumble lube is iffy for full power loads.

In the long run, Powder Coat (PC) cost less and performs better in full power loads than gas checks but is a bit more work.

I use the black airsoft BBs + HF red (no longer available) shaken in a plastic tub. I hand stack and cook for 15 minutes after reaching 350 °F. My PC coated bullets have given good performance with full power loads in 327 fed, 357 mag, 357 max, 357AR, 44 mag and 30 Herrett. I am right at 2 MOA with the 357AR, closer to 3 MOA in my contenders.

A lot of guys get their powder from a guy "Smoke 4320" at the Cast Boolit web site. He can also supply the AS BBs you need.

You can cast & lube using both solutions described above with low up front investment. Lee molds are good for starting out. Try you cast without sizing first. I use a push through sizer on most (but not all) of my cast bullets. Shop around in thrift stores for a cheap used toaster oven if you want to try PC.

The biggest hurdle faced by many casters is lead supply. A lot of sources of free or near free lead have gone dry or near dry. About all that is left for "free" now days seem to be the lucky guys that have a place where they can gather range scrap (if they are willing to do the not trivial work). Buying at a scrap yard is not terrible, but expect to pay $1 a pound or more (depending on quantity and local market variances). Mail order is also an option that is probably just a tad more than a local scrap yard.