Waco,I hear ya on the Lee moulds.Some here,practically cast themselves they're so easy...other's,not so well.
Shot that mould a lot in my 14 twist 22-250.Lots of help from site folks here.Got impressive 2400-2600 fps velocity with VG accuracy.
The pencil thin 24" brrl,wood stock L.A. flat back Savage is a joy to shoot as a hunting rig at those velocities.5 shot groups can get into the bragging size easy enough but feel,that 3 shot groups.....represents a much better application for it.Meaning the brrl heats up pretty quickly.And the stock is cut as an offhand sporter,not as a bag rider.
The amount of concentration required for 5 and 10 shot groups with this rig takes some of the fun out of it.....takes WAY to long between shots.I got the pkg to where,stepping out the back door,rip a 5 shot group...up through the mag,was m.o.a. @100.Fast in velocity,and even faster in start to finish shot/group timing.
- 223 -
Shot a few groups out of an ancient 223 #16 stainless Savage.Skinny 22",prepped tupperware OEM stock,9 twist.Can't remember the load,wrote it down somewhere.Never chrono'd cause the 250 was getting the velocity fix.The stupid funny,horeshoe up butt part is the .223 was shooting in the 1's and 2's @50 yds with 5 shot groups.WW's,bumped noses,as cast body diameter,applied 50/50 BW,Vaseline with a small bladed pen knife to the single groove above GC.
Loaded with a medium jam,up through the mag.....slap wore out cases.These,along with the rifle,had seen a steady diet of those 50g TNT Speers,back when they were cheap.Along with white box Winchester's from Chinamart.
The hunting rig again,would "rail" on 5 shot,fast as you can JB groups.And was day in,day out....rain or shine just a flat out killing machine.When it cut those,too small to measure holes with the Lee's.....it was a head scratching moment.Being that easy.
I think it's a 4 1/2 x 14 scope.It's one of those early,nicer Simmons when they came out.The #16 was a new model as well.Your HB 223 "should" shoot lites out around 16-1800 fps. Get that nose all snuggly on fit,and minimal lube.
The 14 twist 250 needed load tuning for temp and air density.....the faster twists are more forgiving,albeit at lower velocity.Further defining the difference between a hunting and BR rig.
I apologize for hijacking Glen's thread. I felt it was appropriate to start my own. It has been a while since I cast Anything and to be honest with you I can't really remember what was in the pot last time I cast. I thought it was wheel weights plus a little bit of tin and I also threw some linotype in there to cast the small 22 bullets. Now I am second-guessing myself. At least I only cast 45 to 50 of these things. I might go ahead and drain the pot and put some known alloy In there. As recommended by Lamar I went ahead and gas checked and size a few bullets tonight and realized they still seemed pretty soft. I noticed some of them were getting bent. Maybe part of this was me not remembering what exact alloy was in the pot? I don't know. Regardless I think I'll drain the pot and put some known alloy in there and try again. At any rate, here are a few of the keepers I ended up with. They look usable and they are very consistent in size and weight.
