Pointy cast bullets in 308 Winchester

Recycled bullet · December 19, 2023, 10:57 PM

These are the NOE309-153-SP loaded into dummy cartridges. They feed great through the AICS magazines for the Ruger Hunter and the hinged floor plate for the Remington Model 7. Testing at the range soon...

This is my new rifle handload testing project and I feel good about the process and progress so far. I bought and cast a new rifle bullet mold, this is the NOE309-153-SP. I made the bullets of a soft metal 1.5% tin 1.5% antimony using the rcbs dipper (ladle casting) over a sauce pot on a turkey fryer. I powder coated the bullets with ultimate chrome paint.
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**Unclenick** · December 20, 2023, 11:06 AM

Nice work.

Please note that it is best to size images down to a width of about 1024 pixels or less. Otherwise, it overflows screens (and widens text lines to do the same) and puts a bottom scroll bar in that most people aren't used to looking for, so they just don't see the whole thing.

Here, I resized your last image and hosted it here, and rearranged the image order to narrow things a bit.

Recycled bullet · December 20, 2023, 12:06 PM

Recycled bullet · December 20, 2023, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unclenick

Nice work.

Please note that it is best to size images down to a width of about 1024 pixels or less. Otherwise, it overflows screens (and widens text lines to do the same) and puts a bottom scroll bar in that most people aren't used to looking for, so they just don't see the whole thing.

Here, I resized your last image and hosted it here, and rearranged the image order to narrow things a bit.

Hello Uncle Nick. I have resized and reposted the photographs in a lower resolution. Please let me know if this works better for the The Firing Line Forum.

**Unclenick** · December 24, 2023, 10:26 PM

Thanks. Looks good now!

Paul B. · December 25, 2023, 03:25 PM

Interesting. No lube groove. Have you shot any yet? All my bullets molds have lube grooves so does powder coating totally remove the need for lube? I've been casting bullets for a very long time but got away from it in 2020 due to a vehicle wreck. Seems there's been some changes since I last cast. Decided I'm going to start up right after New Years' Day.

Paul B.

Recycled bullet · December 25, 2023, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul B.

Interesting. No lube groove. Have you shot any yet? All my bullets molds have lube grooves so does powder coating totally remove the need for lube? I've been casting bullets for a very long time but got away from it in 2020 due to a vehicle wreck. Seems there's been some changes since I last cast. Decided I'm going to start up right after New Years' Day.

Paul B.

I have not shot any yet. Eventually I'm going to make some dummies and test them in my RARR 300 Blackout. I want to load them subsonic with Bullseye gunpowder. If they feed through the MagPul BLK magazines that will be awesome.

Recycled bullet · February 27, 2024, 08:13 PM

Update: the pointy cast bullets shot ok in 300 blackout through the ruger bolt action rifle. I loaded them over 4 grains of bullseye gun powder.

mehavey · February 27, 2024, 10:42 PM

Quote:

...does powder coating totally remove the need for lube?

Yes.
And ups the "effective" BHN-related pressure regime "quite a bit."

5whiskey · March 23, 2024, 11:47 PM

Powder coating is definitely a game changer for casting. I doubt I would have even started casting if PC wasn't so easy. Lubrisizers are expensive, and the liquid Alox method seems less than ideal (on top of needing special Lee molds). I was casting and PCing bullets that shot great after my first casting session (I culled that whole session, that was my learning curve was one casting session of about an hour).

For PC, I don't use the airsoft BB method. I simply preheat the projectiles to be coated to a little less than "can barely stand to hold it in my hand hot," then throw in a bin with powder. Swirl them around for a minute, and they're coated. Often too thickly and not evenly. Then I swirl them around in an empty bin, dumping them into another empty bin. The loose powder will still be in the bottom of the bin, and you can dump this into your Powder bin. Repeat this until there is almost no loose powder in the bottom of the bin after swirling. I then bake to the powder manufacturers specs, and dump them in water immediately after pulling out of the oven. I size after PCing. It's literally so easy a cave man could do it.

gwpercle · April 8, 2024, 04:31 PM

post deleted

Recycled bullet · April 9, 2024, 12:16 PM

Second update: I have tested some more of these pointy 30 caliber bullets with 4.5 G of Bullseye powder loaded into 300 Blackout brass fired from the Ruger Ranch Rifle at 50 yards from a wobbly semi-improvised bench with excessive caffeination. I was able to get 10 and 20 shot groups about the size of an egg. There is no deposit of polymer or lead inside of the barrel rifling. The rate of twist is one and seven. I think that the bullets are age hardening based on how it feels seating the bullet and how that correlates with neck tension. They all fed really well. 100% feeding from magazine:-). I have cast some additional amount from a much harder lead, almost as hard as linotype. After these age Harden I'm going to test them with IMR 3031 in 308 Winchester brass and find out if the plain base bullets will be accurate. Oh these harder ones are also light blue.

December 20, 2023, 11:06 AM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Nice work. Please note that it is best to size images down to a width of about 1024 pixels or less. Otherwise, it overflows screens (and widens text lines to do the same) and puts a bottom scroll bar in that most people aren't used to looking for, so they just don't see the whole thing. Here, I resized your last image and hosted it here, and rearranged the image order to narrow things a bit. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

December 24, 2023, 10:26 PM	#5
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Thanks. Looks good now! __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

December 25, 2023, 03:25 PM	#6
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	Interesting. No lube groove. Have you shot any yet? All my bullets molds have lube grooves so does powder coating totally remove the need for lube? I've been casting bullets for a very long time but got away from it in 2020 due to a vehicle wreck. Seems there's been some changes since I last cast. Decided I'm going to start up right after New Years' Day. Paul B. __________________ COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!

March 23, 2024, 11:47 PM	#10
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	Powder coating is definitely a game changer for casting. I doubt I would have even started casting if PC wasn't so easy. Lubrisizers are expensive, and the liquid Alox method seems less than ideal (on top of needing special Lee molds). I was casting and PCing bullets that shot great after my first casting session (I culled that whole session, that was my learning curve was one casting session of about an hour). For PC, I don't use the airsoft BB method. I simply preheat the projectiles to be coated to a little less than "can barely stand to hold it in my hand hot," then throw in a bin with powder. Swirl them around for a minute, and they're coated. Often too thickly and not evenly. Then I swirl them around in an empty bin, dumping them into another empty bin. The loose powder will still be in the bottom of the bin, and you can dump this into your Powder bin. Repeat this until there is almost no loose powder in the bottom of the bin after swirling. I then bake to the powder manufacturers specs, and dump them in water immediately after pulling out of the oven. I size after PCing. It's literally so easy a cave man could do it. __________________ Support the NRA-ILA Auction, ends 03/09/2018 https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=593946

December 20, 2023, 12:06 PM	#3
Recycled bullet Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2022 Posts: 342

February 27, 2024, 08:13 PM	#8
Recycled bullet Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2022 Posts: 342	Update: the pointy cast bullets shot ok in 300 blackout through the ruger bolt action rifle. I loaded them over 4 grains of bullseye gun powder.

April 8, 2024, 04:31 PM	#11
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	post deleted

April 9, 2024, 12:16 PM	#12
Recycled bullet Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2022 Posts: 342	Second update: I have tested some more of these pointy 30 caliber bullets with 4.5 G of Bullseye powder loaded into 300 Blackout brass fired from the Ruger Ranch Rifle at 50 yards from a wobbly semi-improvised bench with excessive caffeination. I was able to get 10 and 20 shot groups about the size of an egg. There is no deposit of polymer or lead inside of the barrel rifling. The rate of twist is one and seven. I think that the bullets are age hardening based on how it feels seating the bullet and how that correlates with neck tension. They all fed really well. 100% feeding from magazine:-). I have cast some additional amount from a much harder lead, almost as hard as linotype. After these age Harden I'm going to test them with IMR 3031 in 308 Winchester brass and find out if the plain base bullets will be accurate. Oh these harder ones are also light blue.