Had an argument(discussion) about reloading

[JSH]

I bought into the thoughts of cast being worthless for years! Why? Because that is what all the "shooters" said.

Money being tight I tried cast. I won't lie,may first initial run with them was a mess, store bought. Ken Caldwell took me under his wing, long distance teacher or not he is the one that got me into this.
The only store bought CB's I have bought were some dead soft swaged stuff for a project. IMHO, majority of them are made to sell, accuracy is not even second or third. They are generic and the lube is not much more than crayons, made to look pretty and stay on during shipping. Yes their are exceptions,more so today with the PC stuff which I am still not completely sold on.

Best group ever shot with one of my milsurps was a Swede6.5x55. I was not the trigger man that day. 10 shot @100 iron sighted were just crazy, the first five we were not actually sure that five bullets made it to the target. After the last five were shot and target retrieved a couple of other guys on the line as much as accused the two of us of shooting jacketed.
That was the same day I handed out lesson with a 30-30 and 14" barreled pistol no less.

Shooting cast that one has cast themselves and achieving jacketed accuracy and at time speeds, is somthing one should be real proud of. I like the challenge, along with proving other wise to the nay sayers.

As of late I have gotten distracted with sub calibers, 17 and 20's. Such a hoot to play with. I have to really watch myself and not veer off to a .14

 

[Bisley]

In the mid 1980s I took an interest in Dad's leftover reloading inventory, and he showed me his pre-64 Model 70 in .375 H&H. I wanted to shoot his moose rifle, but the recoil was a little intimidating and factory loads were expensive (around $20.00 a box at Long's Drugs in Eagle River, IIRC) So Dad splurged and got me a Saeco #373 mould. Cost him $35.00 shipped (This was awhile back.) Cast with medium soft alloy to around 270 grains and gas checked, with green RCBS lube in all but the top groove, these measured between .375 and .376 inch, and sized in a .379 inch die left a thin film of lube. I wiped off the bases and set the bullets into the FL-sized cases so the rifling engraved the driving bands of the bullets. This way the base was flush with the bottom of the case mouth.

Over 47 grains of a spherical 3031 propellant (WW2- or Korean-war pulldown/surplus, I was told) I got 1 5/8 to 2-1/2 inches at 100 yards with that stock rifle and a 4X Lyman Alaskan scope, over sandbags. No leading. I could also fire 50 rounds at one range session (Birchwood Izaak Walton wanted $4.00 per session) without getting tired. Not bad for a skinny fifteen year-old.

I tried again with the bullets cast of linotype (.378 inch) and 4350 (I thought a slower powder would generate less pressure) and the groups opened up with smoked cases. Still no leading, however. I don't think breech pressure was really an issue.

The ancient, optimistic, 1950s/'60s vintage Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook with the load data gave 2250 fps velocity...

Bisley

 

[Jeff H]

I'd never experienced the wisdom of cast critics until I was in the Army, shooting away from home and with people I hadn't grown up with. Wherever I went, I'd end up mixing with locals for the sake of shooting and I met tons of great people, but there was usually some guy who thought shooting cast bullets was like shooting gravel out of a gun - and dead-set and unyielding in that view. I'd never questioned it before that and wondered how much else I really didn't know about the world if my cast bullets were ruining my guns. Those guys didn't ever really harp on it either. They stayed away like they'd get lead-cooties and ruin their guns too if they stood and talked to you too long. They never hung around long enough to inspect your bore after you shot lead to point out the damage that an ignorant hick like myself couldn't recognize. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't the one who was missing something.

 

[Intheshop]

"Lead cooties"......

Good one Jeff H,that's what I'm shooting from now on if asked.

 

[Rick]

"Lead cooties"......

Good one Jeff H,that's what I'm shooting from now on if asked.

When ya tell them that don't forget to add how contagious the practice is.

 

[CZ93X62]

I strive to not infest range sites where red bullet enthusiasts gather in numbers. They are a nice enough bunch, but when you shoot cast bullets in rifles around them they tend to hold seances, attempt exorcisms, and threaten Inquisitions. They can be a superstitious lot. Way too many amulets, as well. .

 

[GWarden]

At the range yesterday for an hour to test a couple of loads.
Met a man who says shooting cast is a waste of time as you can never get any accuracy.
Conversation finally settled down to reloading and COAL.
I have always set my cast bullets to just touch the lans.
He said you need to have them as much as 40 thousandths off the lans.
What do you normally use for set back or do you use any?

rodmkr

I had for years always seated my cast bullets so they were engraved by the rifling, thought that was one of those "set in stone" things. I acquired a 6mm Rem with 9" twist and a hvy. bbl. When I loaded my cast bullets as normal the rifle shot patterns, not groups- it was awful. I remembered reading a article by Jim Carmichael several years ago about the 6mm and seating depth. I was able to find it, and gave it a try. When I set my bullets deeper in the case, accuracy improve- dramatically. I have this article available as a pdf file that I will be glad to send if anyone is interested in it.
Will give this a try with some of my other rifles the coming season. Merry Christmas.
bob

 

[Bret4207]

Back in his pre-OL days Carmichael wrote a lot of really good articles on cast. There were other writers that went on to bigger jobs that also did great technical articles.

 

[Ian]

I used to think the same thing about "engraving" the nose, then someone told me straight up "you don't have to do that to get bugholes". Then I began loading cast for various semi-autos and learned out of necessity that this is true.

 

[fiver]

pretty much no choice there or in lever guns or revolvers... LOL.
take out the flippity floppity as much as possible..

 

[Brad]

Without the flippity floppity how will Easter be on it’s way?

 

[fiver]

that's hippity hoppity.
you know.