Pet peeve

[JSH]

It just grinds my gears when I hear and see folks posting things that a CB won't or can't do.
I started this journey to save money. If it has you could not prove it by me. Has it allowed me to shoot more,yes. If I had not become so determined to make them shoot better than so so,it may have saved me some money.
I was told from the start that I would never be competitive with cast. They just can't shoot with jacketed.
Well I have disproved that to a fair number of folks. Some really, really did not like it. Oh it did not come easy nor over night. I became more than a threat, but a winner on a consistent basis.
Now, I don't know if I got better just from shooting more or I actually was on to something. None the less I will take it.
I have not leaded a bore badly in at least 10 years.
Yet I still see the non believers posting of not going over ???? speed and you must use faster burning powders. Especially in a rifle.
That is one joy of cast I have come to love. They are pretty forgiving of what can be done with them.
I have run up to speed 06 loads with stick powders, at least to mid range. My Ruger 77 06'AI does things it shouldn't with cast. As does a buddy of mines 35 Whelan.
"cast bullets are good for plinking and blasting, then be prepared to clean lead" OK, yeah right.
Rant off.
Jeff

 

[S Mac]

Preaching to the choir Jeff.

 

[Brad]

Amazing what people can't do when they have never tried.

Ever notice that most of these experts are not casters?

 

[oscarflytyer]

Think all my cast loads in handguns are more accurate than jacketed. In rifles, guessing 60-75% cast are as/more accurate. And for rifles, is fine, as I hunt in brush with levers and don't need superhiperf mags! Cast will do about 80-85% of what I want/need/desire/better over jacketed. Having said that, I will not shoot cast in a gas gun (AR/Garand) due to clean up. Nor 6.5 Swede based on most having TOUGH time and not cracking code with cast. Other than that, probably 95+% of my stuff is cast, and performs exceptionally!

 

[Ian]

Uh, Jeff, that sort of thing is one of the biggest reasons this board exists. A small group of us were sick and tired of being told we couldn't do so and so or we were liars if we said we did. Ain't got time for all that background noise from the Kindergarten Club, we're busy swapping ideas to improve graduate-level shooting. I'm not trying to sound elitist, that's simply the way it is. Those who can't try to tear down those that can and do. A few try to learn, some of the open-minded do, and some simply give up and join the "can'ts". Mostly here each of us does their own thing and if somebody is interested they join in the conversation, or not, and it doesn't turn into a peter-stretching festival.

Plenty of folks here including me shoot "plinker" loads for fun, but that's not all that goes on.

 

[Ian]

Having said that, I will not shoot cast in a gas gun (AR/Garand) due to clean up.

I shoot cast bullets in my gas guns because I don't like the clean up.

 

[Intheshop]

I'll admit to being on a mission.Factory sporters with thin brrls and cheap Tupperware stocks can be deceptively accurate,then toss in the CB and it gets really interesting,haha.

All my friends just shake their heads,knowing I'm a little bent anyway.

You put your head down,stay focused,and enjoy the ride.

 

[Rick]

I dunno if I would call it a pet peeve. I couldn't guess how many times I've heard comments like wouldn't you rather win the match, you'll ruin your barrel, how do you get all that lead out of your barrels and a bunch more. I just grin which of course confuses them to no end. A shooter that I have tremendous respect for shooting long range revolver told me to forget casting bullets if I ever want to win in the revolver category. He has shot more perfect scores in state, national and international long range revolver than probably most others combined. Imagine the satisfaction when I managed to beat him and all others in state championship competition. Yep, quite a good feeling to win a state championship against some of the best long range revolver shooters in the country but there was a far better feeling than that. My cast bullets beat the very best bullets money could buy.

Wanna watch somebody go cross eyed? When they ask how ya get all the lead out of the barrel just tell them that you don't clean your revolver barrels ever, no need cause all the lead went down range. I've also heard some very satisfying comments such as over hearing someone say, how did he do that he's shooting cast bullets. So not really a pet peeve, I've actually had a lot of fun with it over the years and have converted a few to the silver stream. The rest will either get mad or just plain not believe it.
.

 

[300BLK]

I shoot cast bullets in my gas guns because I don't like the clean up.

I've shot nothing but cast in my 300BLK ARs, and I run them full throttle(Lee 155s at 1900fps+). Pressures with the little cartridge tend to be high, and I've pushed MP300 to the loose primer pocket level so 65Kpsi? I just water drop my bullets and run GCs, no linotype or montype. 1-8" twist, so >171,000 RPM with excellent accuracy.

Its not a bad idea to keep the BCG wet and clean it after 500 rounds, but it really isn't a problem.

 

[Brad]

It must be impossible to dunk a basketball. I can't do it so it must be impossible.

 

[Eutectic]

Simply put..... Cast bullets are a journey towards a PhD in reloading.

The simple may condemn these words and comments written about 'cast';
Never knowing, much less understanding, that they are the thesis of said journey.

Pete

 

[KHornet]

In the days of Hornady, Speer, Nozler, etc, most people forget that America is
America because of cast projectiles. They won the Rev War, the Civil War, and
they won the west.

Paul

 

[Missionary]

To me Cast means I am not a slave to any projectile producer for any reason. Happily my dad and his Navy buddy were 38 Special casters and caliber 69 round ballers. It was just natural to get started after the Armor Pickle Suiters turned me loose.
I can care less what others say is impossible... Admiral Rickover wrote " Our doubts are traitors and make us loose the good we oft might win by failing to attempt".
Plus we get to shoot real regular any old odd caliber that others discard due to the lack of ammo... Getting closer to a Winchester 1910 caliber .401 daily.
Mike in Peru

 

[Ian]

I've shot nothing but cast in my 300BLK ARs, and I run them full throttle(Lee 155s at 1900fps+). Pressures with the little cartridge tend to be high, and I've pushed MP300 to the loose primer pocket level so 65Kpsi? I just water drop my bullets and run GCs, no linotype or montype. 1-8" twist, so >171,000 RPM with excellent accuracy.

Its not a bad idea to keep the BCG wet and clean it after 500 rounds, but it really isn't a problem.

Hard type metals at high speed are a sure recipe for inaccuracy and leading unless you have a hand-lapped barrel with black-powder twist rates. I found out that gas checks or powder coat is pretty much a must for gas guns. Even my DI-45 gets lead caked on the gas rings with plain-based, lubricated bullets after a couple hundred rounds, so I just powder coat them and that keeps the suppressor lead-free too. Plain-base in my .300 Blackouts also tends to lead the bolt tail, gas rings, back end of the BC piston chamber, and suppressor, so I powder coat those, too. Oddly I never got any bore leading with plain-based, lubricated cast bullets, just certain areas of the gas system and the cans.

Shooting cast bullets in my M1A never gave me any trouble whatsoever with fouling. It's really nice to not have to clean copper out of a rifle that can only be cleaned from the muzzle end.

 

[AMTom]

You guys are running into people who don't cast??
I've never met anyone like that.

 

[Eutectic]

You guys are running into people who don't cast??
I've never met anyone like that.

You won't find'em in this crowd Tom!

Pete

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

I have learned more about loading ammunition in the 7 years I have been a member here and on CB. Than what I learned in the prior 30 years

 

[Rick]

Not gonna find them here but there are a lot of them and there are two types. The first type is the guy that tried it years ago and failed miserably because he did everything wrong, he will then spend forever preaching the horrors of cast bullets along with all of the old wives tales. The second type are those that will only listen to the first type because after all that makes sense and I sure don't want to ruin my barrels.

 

[Brad]

Ok, how about a quick poll.

Which is the worst place to get advice on casting or shooting cast?

Gun shop

Range

Online

 

[Brad]

And there IS a right answer.