A bit Strange ......... ? ?

[Ben]

I recently had a fellow ( new to me, I don't know him ? ? ) contact me " over on the other forum ".
He said he would like to send me a few cast bullets to evaluate.
He said that he'd like for me to shoot them and give him my opinion on their accuracy potential.
They look to be about ideal for my T/C Contender , 32 H&R Mag., but may work in other .30 cal. rifles.

I'm not a powder coat man.
Seems that is what this bullet may be designed for, as it has a crimp ring but no lube groove ?
The fellow said he was a big fan of BLL.
Wanted me to coat these bullets with BLL and test them.
I've coated them and will soon shoot them.

I'll be interested in seeing your comments .
You want to make any predictions on this horse race before the race starts ? ?

Ben

 

[Rick]

Strange indeed. Did he say what the mold is?

 

[Ben]

Rick,

All I know is what he sent me, see below :
_____________________________

Hi Ben,

My name is XXXXXXXXXX and I have followed your posts with interest. I just had a custom mold made and I was hoping I could send you some bullets for you to shoot groups. I know that you have the ability and the equipment to really see what something will do.

The bullet is a 103 grain truncated cone 30 caliber that drops at ~.313. I have sized some of these to .311 and they look good to me. A further sizing to .310 looks great also.

There is no lube groove so this platform would be an excellent test of "Ben's lube". I don't want you to praise or condemn this mold. An honest attempt is all I ask.

If you don't wish to do this, I understand completely. Saying "no" will not change the high regard I have for your work.

 

[Brad]

I will be interested to see how they shoot.

 

[Ben]

To me, it seems more than a bit odd.

I guess I'm just old school and I'm trapped in my mind with the " old ways " of casting, lube rings, bullet sizing, and making quality bullet lube.

All this new stuff certainly seems odd and quite different to me.
I just can't warm up to the idea of spraying paint on bullets and baking them
( assuming that are his plans for these cast bullets ? ? ).

If I wanted a bullet like this for use with BLL, I think I would have requested that
the " micro bands " be put on the main body of the bullet to give the BLL a place
to reside.

Ben

 

[Brad]

This will certainly help us understand a bit more about how lube works. Will a surface only coat work? I bet it does, at least at low pressures.
Micro grooves would certainly give the lube a place to reside but they also make the bullets a little harder to cast.

Too bad they aren't 357 or 429 where you could really wring them out regardng velocity and pressure.

 

[fiver]

I got a few samples of stuff here that people want me to test for them.
I have a complete swaging die set that was given me to evaluate [It sucks and I said so] they went back to the drawing board, but I have a die set for the 22 savage hi-power siiigh and no hi-power. [the die set was designed for the 223]

I use 323 bullets from my noe mold to make something similarly shaped to those and shoot them in my revolvers with just a coat of 45/45 lube and they actually do pretty well.
I think the swaging has a positive affect and at the target velocity's I use them at they are as accurate as I am.

if the mold was adjustable it would make a pretty nice core for half jacketed 357 bullets.

 

[Ben]

I'm more than a bit unclear as to the " goals " of the fellow who owns the mould.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

HMMM. No grooves, so really minimal lube, seems likely to wipe off during
seating.
Skeptical of a good outcome. Personally, I would fire exactly ONE and then do a
thorough check of the bore condition. No need to make a serious mess if it
doesn't work.

OTOH, BLL has shown some amazing properties --- maybe it IS magic! ;-)

I'm with you, Ben. Not the faintest interest in red and green bullets, new
equipment, possible long term fouling or wear issues in the barrels, etc. I
have a couple methods that work well and have for decades, all tools in
hand.

Not looking for a new unicorn when I have a really good quarter
horse in the barn.

Bill

 

[Rick]

I'm with you, Ben. Not the faintest interest in red and green bullets, new
equipment, possible long term fouling or wear issues in the barrels, etc. I
have a couple methods that work well and have for decades, all tools in
hand.

Not looking for a new unicorn when I have a really good quarter horse in the barn. Bill

Precisely! The powder coating may be just the ticket for some people and there is sure nothing wrong with that but I'm with Bill, it's not for me.

 

[Ben]

I think a lot of this " stuff " is answers for problems that I don't have.

 

[JWFilips]

Ben,
I'm old school also. Never even read a "pc" thread over there. Don't care to.

Sure looks like a PC bullet to me
You could search this guys recent postings to get an idea what he is up to. I do know a few of the new guys over there are talking about desigining and making their own molds. To me those bullets look as exciting as the "Skinny leg" Avatar they first posted for "fiver" the other day. Like his new one however ! So I also like a bullet that is more shapely!

Now; Will it shoot? Look who will be shooting it! Ben if you can't make it shoot nobody can! ( I bet it shoots)
Jim

 

[Rick]

I think a lot of this " stuff " is answers for problems that I don't have.

Or answers looking for the question.

 

[Ben]

Ha, Rick.........now you're onto something ! !

 

[Ben]

Ben,
I'm old school also. Never even read a "pc" thread over there. Don't care to.

Sure looks like a PC bullet to me
You could search this guys recent postings to get an idea what he is up to. I do know a few of the new guys over there are talking about desigining and making their own molds. To me those bullets look as exciting as the "Skinny leg" Avatar they first posted for "fiver" the other day. Like his new one however ! So I also like a bullet that is more shapely!

Now; Will it shoot? Look who will be shooting it! Ben if you can't make it shoot nobody can! ( I bet it shoots)
Jim

Jim,

You've got a lot more faith in me than I do...............

Ben

 

[williamwaco]

Don't know missing lube rings. Maybe he sold them.
I am told there are those that make a business of selling lube rings.

As tricky Dick used to say, " I would like to say this, about that."

I get really good results with 170 grain .30 cast bullets. ( .75 to 1.5")
I get passable results with 150 grain .30 cast bullets. (1 to 2" )
I have never been able to crack 6" with bullets less than around 130 grains.

Please keep us informed.

 

[Ben]

Will do..........

 

[Rick]

William, I suspect these bullets are for 32-20, 30 Carbine etc much more than for say a 30-30.

 

[Ben]

Don't know missing lube rings. Maybe he sold them.
I am told there are those that make a business of selling lube rings.

As tricky Dick used to say, " I would like to say this, about that."

I get really good results with 170 grain .30 cast bullets. ( .75 to 1.5")
I get passable results with 150 grain .30 cast bullets. (1 to 2" )
I have never been able to crack 6" with bullets less than around 130 grains.

Please keep us informed.

I didn't shoot these at 100 yards, but I thought that they shot pretty good at 50 yards.




By the way, we shot several groups like this today.
It is not a fluke.



The bullets have been run through an H&I sizer at .311, grooves filled with Ben's Red,
then rolled in BLL.

 

[Ben]

William, I suspect these bullets are for 32-20, 30 Carbine etc much more than for say a 30-30.

Rick,

If I don't change my mind, I think I'll be testing these in my T/C Contender 32 H&R.