A Favorite Cast Bullet?

P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
For me it's the classics that continue because nothing can replace them.
Such as a 200gr SWC for 45 ACP like the H&G #68 style or a 158gr SWC for 38 Special.

If the question is what do I cast the most, it would probably be the SAECO#382, A classic 158(ish) grain SWC
 
quicksylver

quicksylver

Well-Known Member
surprised to see so many lee molds listed after all the bad mouthing of them through the last ten years also surprised to see so few NOE molds listed.
.44, .357 lyman Keith GC SWC designs .45 , 230 RN, 454490 for 45 colt .30,just about anything except the 311413,when they are sized for the rifle and pushed at an appropriate velocity, The 315 fits more guns and is easy to find a load that works, surprisingly the .311 466can be a tack driver in the .30'swhen sized properly as will the "30 Hunter"
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
quicksylver said:
surprised to see so many lee molds listed after all the bad mouthing of them through the last ten years also surprised to see so few NOE molds listed.
.44, .357 lyman Keith GC SWC designs .45 , 230 RN, 454490 for 45 colt .30,just about anything except the 311413,when they are sized for the rifle and pushed at an appropriate velocity, The 315 fits more guns and is easy to find a load that works, surprisingly the .311 466can be a tack driver in the .30'swhen sized properly as will the "30 Hunter"
Click to expand...
In the 40 on paper and MV the LBT and RCBS 175 RNFP don't offer anything the Lee TLTC almost an SWC does and it came in a 6 hole .

I've shot 5-6 other moulds and I get the best targets and not enough MV difference to sweat in 3 357s and 2 38s with the 358-158 RNFP . SWCs look silly in a 358 Win too ......and again in a 6 hole the 358 200 in the 358 isn't even in the running with the 35-250 even if there's 2 of them in 6 hole style .

I haven't found a more case happy 30 cal than the 312-155 which is odd because it shouldn't shoot really well in anything . Maybe it's the fat long Savage throats though ......

In 22&27 for me anyway NOE nailed it with the 225-55@62 gr (I think it is a 225-62 now) for 222 & 223 and the 279-124 for the 6.8 .

For 380 NOE gets the win with the 358-90 RF
I guess the 358-125 RF 6C gets the win for 9mm volume .

For the 45-70 of 6-7 moulds the 458193 single 405@412 gr gets the win in spite of it being a single in the running with a 3 hole NOE and doubles from MP , Lee , Rapine and RCBS .

I think the reason for the Lee success is the 6 C production moulds you can buy for $38-42 and in spite for the tinkering sometimes required they work like a cheap exactly right for the job tool when they hit that need ...........the ones that are wrong seem to come from a whole batch of wrong and fell out of the highest best centered nest of wrong in the whole wrongness tree and stripped it bald all the way to the roots . Which seems to be about 2% of gross production .

Most of the others just R&R a bad piece and don't make you work for it ...... They also , Lyman aside , seem to catch about 80% of the 1% bad pieces . Lyman marks moulds in such a way that .......well I guess we should expect to get bullets the size marked on the mould not the +.001-3 we get from nearly every other maker "except when alloy is specified" .

I'd bet there's even 1 or 2 moulds that are favorites not because they are the fastest , heaviest , most accurate , make the biggest hole , cast the best most consistent bullets or have that perfect fit in several chambers , but because of some personal attachment to the chamber , loading , hunting , or shooting expirance . I have one of those old style Lee moulds that has to have Lee flick/bump/close on the bench shuffle every single pour and it's a favorite because that's what Dad had in hot 357 JM 1894C the last hunt we made . That mould is a constant PITA to run . Maybe if things ever settle down again I'll buy the 6 cav to replace it in the working line up .....
 
Spindrift

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Ok, I’ll give it a go!
.22 cal: NOE 225-57- PB, the Mx-2. I powder coat it, and it shoots very well in both my centerfire .22’s. No GC to install.

6,5: Arsenal 266-92 «Spitzer». It shoots well in all rifles I’ve tried it in, and it consumes little alloy.

.30 cal: Impossible to decide. I want to give a «shout-out» to one bullet, though. The Arsenal HVTH1. It has shot very well in all my rifles; both with regular lube, PC and PC sans check. I rarely see range reports with this bullet- it deserves more attention, in my opinion. Highly versatile.

.358 cal: the MP 358-200. Very accuate in my Whelen, nice meplat.

.44: Lachmiller 429-250 SWC (which is actually .4305-265). Shoots very well in my .44 auto mag rifle, and the mould casts like a dream!
 
waco

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I LOVE my Accurate 46-405-V for the Marlin 1895 45-70
I enjoy my Lyman 4 cav. 429421 (using PC to get them big enough) for my M-29
My Marlin 1894 and Ruger Redhawk like an Accurate copy of the Lee 310 minus the GC
I have a nice little 2 cav RCBS 148gr DEWW mold for my 1968 S&W K-38
The 30 cal XCB is awesome in my .308 from 100 to 500 yards.
I have also had very good results with my 5 cavity Arsenal 9mm mold. 130gr PC only in my CZ75 Urban Tactical.
Okay. I'm done. :rolleyes:
 
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