9.3 cast for hunting

3

303brt

Member
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
south central MB
I have the noe 285 gr. mold, I plan on powder coating them, I'd like to get them to 2000 fps. I'd use it for deer, black bear, wild hogs, and if I'm really lucky, moose. I'm wondering what composition I should use? I'd like some expansion, but not at the expense of penatration. What do you CGNers think?
 
Of course, expansion and penetration are opposites. The more expansion you get the less penetration you get ( with the same bullet). A flat nose with a large meplat will punch a fairly large hole with a hard bullet but round nose designs won't expand if cast hard. The old buffalo hunters standard mix was said to be 1/16, pure tin to pure lead but they were working with larger diameter. ( typically .44 to .50 calibre ) heavy bullets at lower velocity. Personally I have taken one moose with a cast bullet, a 495 gr round nose moving at 1600 from a 45/70. The range was about 50 yards, bullet cast hard of Lyman #2 alloy. First shot was a double lung shot, this bullet is still going, moose turned and ran. Second shot was a Texas heart shot, bullet recovered from the front of the right front shoulder, bent and dented but nearly intact, it penetrated about six feet of moose, stern to stem. Moose dropped to this shot. Pentration = max, expansion = nil. But this bullet is larger in diameter and heavier than your 9.3, so is probably more effective.
 
303brt said:
Thanks, interesting article. I might give that a try. Was hoping maybe 50/50 clip on ww and pure lead would work. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Lots of folks use that formula for a hunting slug and I was going to say "go for it"...then I re-read you original post and seen the 2000 fps thingy...I suspect with that soft of a lead formula you will get barrel leading at that velocity unless you do some of the latest fad to hit the cast bullet scene and that is to powder coat them.

Conventionally wax lubed 50-50 slugs do work very well under 1400 fps but above that rifling twist rates will be a factor in both leading & accuracy (I don't know what the twist is for a 9.3 but suspect it is fast enough to try to "tear" the lead ).
 
Powder coat a hand full without checks on them, you might be surprised by the results...I know I was with some 30-30 slugs that have a GC base, Those sort of quasie' "boat-tails shoot just as good as ones with the checks installed.
 
fingers284 said:
Lots of folks use that formula for a hunting slug and I was going to say "go for it"...then I re-read you original post and seen the 2000 fps thingy...I suspect with that soft of a lead formula you will get barrel leading at that velocity unless you do some of the latest fad to hit the cast bullet scene and that is to powder coat them.

Conventionally wax lubed 50-50 slugs do work very well under 1400 fps but above that rifling twist rates will be a factor in both leading & accuracy (I don't know what the twist is for a 9.3 but suspect it is fast enough to try to "tear" the lead ).
Click to expand...

Powder coat is more than a fad. It is solution to a number of challenges cast bullet shooters face.
I am shooting the NOE285 Grain gas check bullet powder coate at 2000 fps (imr4064)with no signs of leading and a 2" group.
My seating die stays clean. - that is the nicest benefit.
My alloy is is 8 lb wheel weigt, mixed with 2 lb pure lead, and 1/4 lb tin.
no signs of leading, accuracy matches 285 grain Privy Partisan bullets.
This is a softer alloy than pure wheel weights and pure wheel weights do not expand even deform at 1400 fps on soft tissue.
With cast bullets shot placement counts.
Also as you increase the percentage of lead in the bulley you may be decreasing your maximum accurate velocity.
In my experience of huniting with a 303 ross and 314299 180 grain bullets I have never needed a second shot on Mule deer. Bullet placement counts.

You may have to choose a lead alloy that you are happy with the expansion and work up a load that allows good accuracy with that alloy. and you may not be able to reach 2000 feet per second with a bullet that expands well at lower velocities.
All of the tricks that allow increased velocity with cast bullets also make for a harder bullet with less potenial to expand.
That being said the lenght of the 285 bullet that rides in the rifling may allow higher velocities with softer bullets. Also the 0.366 diameter of a flat point 285 grain bullet will impart a great deal of energy to a game animal on a well placed shot.
 
Here is what I have done for 3 moose and 1 deer so far with an old .444 marlin with microgroove barrel. I have a hollow point mold made by Mihec that is right around 300 gn depending on your alloy. I cast a 44 cal round bullet out of pure lead and set it aside. Then I heat up my hollow point mold and put the .44 cal round bullet on top of the opening (with the sprue plate out of the way) of the mold and with a propane torch I gently heat the round ball until it falls into the mold and becomes liquid. Closing the sprue cutoff plate as normal, I fill the rest of the bullet with Lyman #2 ( with a ladle not to stir it up at all) and once that is done I submerge the mold in the lead pot about 1/4 of the way to heat both leads together. After a while the bullet mold will be hot enough and both leads with be one solid bullet. Then I carefully pull out the mold and let it cool and the result is the first 1/2 of the bullet is pure lead with a hollow point and the back half is a harder alloy.

I tested these out at the range and there was no significant accuracy change so even tho it takes a bit of work you need 20 of them for one box for hunting anyways. It was worked fantastically on moose and deer. You can clearly see that the exit holes of 2 of the moose where much bigger than the entrance hole and the 2 moose that I recovered bullets in had expanded nicely to about .7" from .44". For lube I just lubed as normal, someday I would like to try powder coating them like all my pistol bullets that I do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom