My quest for speed and accuracy with powder-coated cast bullets

BHuij

Active Member
So I assume you were originally wanting to seat them out much further than the NOE diagram recommends? The picture there shows the bullet like six inches below the shoulder of the case.
 

BHuij

Active Member
@Ben, I was exaggerating when I said 6", I just meant it seems to be seated so deep in the NOE illustration as to almost definitely cause problems with riveting, particularly on a soft alloy and a stiff powder charge.

@JWFilips, it's an Intrepid 4x5. Film photography, especially large format, is kind of my other big hobby besides casting/reloading/shooting.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Before I made a sizing die to re-shape the nose, quite a bit of the MX3 bullet stuck down into the case. Sizing and moving the bullet out so the gas check was in the neck only made a small difference to the groups. The bullet is shown sticking down into the case because of maximum OAL for the .223. With the gas check in the neck, cartridges won't fit AR-15 magazines and might not fit many box magazines either. I have to single-load them in the MVP.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Ran into a funny problem I found yesterday. Planned on going to the range (flood recovery - not open until next week?) with the BO. I HiTek'd some 185gr RD and 168gr that I use in the 308W. Both the same alloy, cast maybe 6 mo. ago. Any rate, wanted to make sure they hadn't grown in dia and found they SHRUNK. Sized in my 308 Lee & loaded 3 weeks ago - AC or WD PC'd they come out 3085. These are 3080. No the alloy didn't shrink, just softer? with no spring back? Only difference is coating and cooking time (I keep the HiTek to 15 min, PC 30 min. for AC). Does the PC grow? Or longer cook time cause the alloy to grow AC?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Time to update this thread now that I have a wee bit more data. As some of you know I put together an 18" LR-308 with a lightweight stainless-steel 1-in-10" barrel recently and have been shooting cast bullets through it suppressed. Keeping muzzle pressure low and velocity up has been the focus here with loads and its tough to do both with such a short barrel, but I finally got it licked with 36 grains of RX7 under the MP 30SIL HP @174 grains, gas checked and powder coated, sized .3105" on the bands with the nose riding .301" in my nose-first custom bump die. NO lube of any kind on the bullets. No special case prep, just bumped fired brass .001" in a fl bushing die and squeezed the necks to .307" on the inside, prep with a .309" spud and seat bullet. Very light crimp with Lee roll-crimp die. I didn't turn the necks, never trimmed them, only vld inside chamfered, and didn't weight sort the bullets.

The 5/8" group was fired first from a barrel that had only had one clean dry patch through it since shooting lubed, pc'd cast through it almost a month ago. This is my first HV sub-moa group with oc cast. I got excited and went after my Magnetospeed, which gave me the second group. I might have dropped the low one but didn't call the other so I can't say what happened but 1-1/4" for five at 100 yards still ain't bad, especially with the magnetospeed hanging off the muzzle and pulling the poi down an inch.

8676

Now for the cool part:

8677

Not bad for a 2.5/2.5 air cooled alloy at 14 bhn, from the magazine of a rifle that feeds itself, eh?

Getting closer all the time.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Ditching the lube and kissing the bullets in the form die did the trick. Same exact load, brass, and die settings but with these same .30SIL HP bullets push-through sized and base-first lubed .310" shot a 6" pattern. The form die aligns the nose and driving bands while sizing, maybe that helps?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Time will tell if pc fouling becomes an issue without lube. In my 5.56 I don't remember for sure but I don't think shooting them dry made any difference, but then again I changed everything except the finish on the stock ant it never shot better than 1.75 moa even with jax. The Ed Harris bullets have shot 1.5 moa or better with both LBT blue sof and SL-71B in both my M1A and this LR-308. I suspect adding lube may only add the problems that lube brings. Still have only tried BLL/PC once in my Savage 30-30 and as far as I could tell it made no difference either way at 2200 fps+.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Damn man, that is awesome. I see a hog hunt in your future.
 
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waco

Springfield, Oregon
Still have only tried BLL/PC once in my Savage 30-30 and as far as I could tell it made no difference either way at 2200 fps+.
I have had similar results in my Savage 340 30-30. Not very picky. And it's a hoot to shoot!
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Interesting the rx7 did the job. I started with 335 and got good results but mostly use 4895. If rx7 does good in the 30/30 I'll try in the 308.