Just a thought.

[doc25]

I came to this realization recently. If casting bullets for hunting and certainly if you're using WW that you should use the heaviest bullet avail for that caliber. Reason being your velocity will be limited to the hardness of the lead, so for better down range killing power go to a heavier bullet.

I'm sure most know this already but it just came to me one day and I figured I should share this.

 

[10x]

I came to this realization recently. If casting bullets for hunting and certainly if you're using WW that you should use the heaviest bullet avail for that caliber. Reason being your velocity will be limited to the hardness of the lead, so for better down range killing power go to a heavier bullet.

I'm sure most know this already but it just came to me one day and I figured I should share this.

Use the heaviest, softest alloy you can, at the highest velocity you can get accuracy from.

I have shot a number of deer sized animals with cast bullets.
Wheel weights do not expand well at the velocities they can be driven.
You will want the cast bullet as soft as possible while still gripping the rifling.
I have shot deer sized game with the lyman 314299. The alloy was 8 lb WW to 2 lb pure lead and about 1/4 oz of tin so the mold filled out better. The bullet is supposed to cast out at 200 grains with lyman #2 alloy but my alloy it casts at about 214 grains. It is much softer than wheel weights.
This bullet will shoot the length (texas heart shot) of a large mule deer doe breaking every rib along the right side of the spine and stop just under the hide at the front of the animal. There was NO appreciable expansion and the bullet acted like a solid at 1500 fps. If I drive this bullet faster, the groups open up as the alloy does not grip the rifling. Pure untreated WW alloy can be driven to about 1850 FPS out of this gun before there is mechanical stripping and an accuracy loss. WW is much to hard for deer sized game unless you hit a bone.

 

[762nato]

If you get the LEE Moedern Reloading book, they go into detail about cast bullet reloading. I have loaded for 3006 with a 200 gr. Lee gas check, with the right alloy expansion is near 200% of caliber with good weight retention. Stikes me it was near 12 Bn. and velocity was around 1800 fps. Also use a 310 gr. Lee for the 44 Mag cast in Lino, with a good metaplat and starting dia. of .429 it does not need to mushroom much.

Andy

 

[ben hunchak]

The idea is sound but bullet design is important, a long heavy bullet with flat point is usually most effective on game, in cals .44 and up any exp. is just a bonus and usually not necessary. Having said that the 330gr. Gould H.P. is one of the deadliest bullets in the 45/70 on game and I still try to use the most accurate bullet I can.