Cast Bullets

1899

1899

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
34   0   0
Location
West
Do any of you hunt with cast bullets? Do you cast your own? What chambering do you use? Let's hear some details!
 
Planning to hunt, for the first time this year, with an inline muzzle loader, using cast .44 mag pistol bullets with sabbots. Plenty of testing to do this summer.
240-265g of soft lead at almost 2000fps should stop Bamby I am guessing.
 
I use hard cast in a number of calibers... .30/30, .358, .44, .45/70 etc... they are accurate and effective.
 
45 Colt, have not connected with anything yet but have carried it. The right two are what I bring with me, both are from Ben/ MT Chambers and are very well made. Far right is a 340gr WFN GC and the one next to it is a 300gr WFN PB.


 
For moose this year I'm using a Husqvarna M46 9.3x57 with GC 285 gr cast bullets at just over 2000 fps.

I also hunt with cast bullets in 30-06, 32-40, and 45-70. Killed deer with everything except the 32-40 which is going to get priority this year. It was my great grandfather's rifle and it would be pretty cool to bag a deer with it more than a 100 years after he did.
 
Last edited:
woodlotowner said:
Hoyt,

What velocities do you produce with your cast hunting rounds? Do all such rounds need to exceed 1500 fps and be gas checked? Yes, I too am planning part of this year's hunt with the .44 Mag using cast.
Click to expand...

I have 3K of the DRG 240 SWC Hard Cast with no gas checks and they are moving at 1600 with H110 burning their butts... proved to be an accurate load.
 
Cast my own lead slugs for my rifled shot gun.
H&R Tracker II, recoil is pretty stupid with SST slugs.
I can make recoil much nicer and tweak velocities.
eliminating the flinch I can stretch out another 50 yards accurately!
 
I killed my 1st deer with a .38-55 and a cast lead 250 gr plain base bullet. I've shot many varmints and small game with cast bullets in .25-20, .32-20, .38-55, .44-40, .222, .223, .25-06, .30-30, .308 and .30-06. Plus .50 cal muzzleloader with patched round ball, Lee R.E.A.L bullets and sabots with cast .44-40 bullets.
 
hoytcanon said:
I have 3K of the DRG 240 SWC Hard Cast with no gas checks and they are moving at 1600 with H110 burning their butts... proved to be an accurate load.
Click to expand...

Yes, I would say you are right at the threshold where leading could begin to be a problem, but if it works then there's nothing to fix. I got off to a poor start with the new Chiappa '92 in 44-40 by using Hornady's cowboy 200 grain cast. They spec them at .427 (right on the box), but in reality they measure .425. So, ya, after loading 20 ahead of some reduced charges of Unique there were no groups, some missing the paper, and others keyholing. What a mess when I looked down the barrel. You can't always rely on the manufacturer's specs. I've got a bunch coming from the Bullet Barn in .429, since the rifle slugs out at .427. I may even try some H-110 at some point too then. Anyway, an interesting branch of the hobby. BTW, I can't find a 44-40 jacketed bullet anywhere in Canada.
 
I have been reading up about cast bullets and it seems that there is a trend today with hard cast bullets that allow higher velocities without leading. One of the points made in my readings is that hard cast bullets can shatter when hitting bone, and that is why something in the 15-16 BHN is preferable for hunting.

What kind of hardness bullets are you guys using?


Edit - I should point out that I have only used cast out of a muzzle loader - mostly round ball and Buffalo Bullets' old 410gr conical.
 
The DRG bulletz are a pretty hard formula... higher tin content... they mic at .431" which just a smidge over the bore... that is a key to reduce leading, even more than gas checking, ensure that your bullets are NOT undersized... I have about 500 rounds of this load down a new barrel, no scouring and virtually no leading... I'm planning on running one of these through a bear to see what he thinks.
 
On the other hand, my 165 RN .30/30 loads and 158 SWC .358 loads are clipping along pretty good... both are gas checked.
 
22-06-13_bullets_Hat_001.JPG



The last 3 are a 420 gr Bullet Barn gas check (1985 fps) - 525 gr Bear Tooth Pile Driver (1665 fps) and the last is a hand cast 540 gr with gas check ( 1500 fps ) - Shooting them out of a 45-70 Gov Marlin 1895g rifle and a 450 Marlin out of a BLR rifle . :D RJ
 
hoytcanon said:
The DRG bulletz are a pretty hard formula... higher tin content... they mic at .431" which just a smidge over the bore... that is a key to reduce leading, even more than gas checking, ensure that your bullets are NOT undersized... I have about 500 rounds of this load down a new barrel, no scouring and virtually no leading... I'm planning on running one of these through a bear to see what he thinks.
Click to expand...

Good to know about the DRG's, I use them for just my plinking rounds for the 45 Colt. Maybe I should load them up a bit more and see how they shoot. I think I also have a box of them SWC for the 44 mag but I do not have one of those rifles anymore.
 
I load a 418gr cast of 25:1 in my 45-70 behind a stout charge of IMR 3031. They drop from the mould at that weight though the original was a 405gr design (Lyman 457193). They run at 1950 fps and lead a little but not so much that it's a concern. Only ever shot one deer with it but it worked nicely. I would mention that I run these in my Browning 1885 but have never tried them in my Marlin 1895CB. Might be tougher to get the lead out of a lever which would change my opinion of the load.
 
Here's an earlier post from the Feeding The Pigs section.

Reformed some old Imperial 30-06 brass in one of my 9.3X62s last week.



Went to the range again today. How's this for a hunting load at a 2236 fps? Northman 285 gr plain base, with a half inch square of old cotton towel wad, tamped down over powder, and slightly compressed COW filler to base of bullet. Group is 2.1 inches at 100 yards.



Shot and chronographed three, three-shot groups, this was not the best one. ;)


And this bullet penetrated six four-litre jugs of water, and was caught in the seventh. That's over 36" of water and more than an eighth inch of plastic.



You can see how cleanly the bullet is engraved by the rifling.



Care to guess the recovered weight? :rockOn:

There was no unburned powder in bore or on the snow, and best of all, no leading! One patch of bore solvent, and one of KROIL, and it is ready to go again!

Ted

You can see the base of the bullet is still square, and has not been fused at all. I continue to shoot this rifle, my oldest Husqvarna 9.3X62, with nothing but cast bullets at velocities as high as 2300 fps with absolutely no leading. Best 100 yd groups so far have been 1 1/4" at around 2250 fps.

Ted
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom