Boolitcaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Vancouver Island
I had been casting bullets for not very long, when I read an article on Texasboars.com. The writer was using a Ruger #1 in some large caliber and he was shooting paper patched cast lead bullets. What caught my attention was that he was shooting cast bullets at jacketed velocity. Right then, I decided that I would have to give paper patching a try.
I had some early successes at bullet casting, but paper patching taught me humility. I visited the paper patching page everyday on Castboolets.com and asked questions. Then I would ignore the advice and go home and try to re-invent the wheel. I have just passed my 5 month anniversary from when I decided to wrap a wet piece of paper around a piece of lead and a few things have changed.
I am now paper patching by the instructions given me by the people who have forged the path before me. No, I still am not getting sub MOA groups at 100 meters. I am, however, getting accuracy that would be perfectly acceptable in deer season, with a bullet that has cost me almost nothing.
I have been paper patching for a No 1Mk 3 Lee Enfield and and Ruger #1, both in .303.
I will continue to refine this skill until I have taken it as far as I can.
I just though I would share this with you and I welcome any questions.
10-Oct-2011
A list of things I tried on my own that worked, kind of worked and didn't work:
1) Trying to shoot paper patched .308 cast bullets, with out sizing them down first.
This was pretty much a fail. I put a lot of effort into this venture, because I am not a metal worker and I did not want to special order a sizing die to match my bore diameter plus .001"
The only paper that I could find around the house was the same shopping receipts that I had successfully used to paper patch .308 jacketed bullets. Even with this thin paper, I could not get two full wraps around a cast bullet or I was close to .319", so patched bullet would not even fit in the cartridge case. I tried to cheat and did one and a half wraps. These loads worked well with a plinking load of 6.5 grains of HS-6, but were grouping at 4 inches with a bhn 25 hard cast bullet at 25 meters and would not even hit the 12" X 12" target most of the time when shooting soft lead in a full power load. I also found the paper wrapping was not surviving the trip down the barrel and I was getting leading at the muzzle when the soft lead bullets were used.
2) By not buying a final sizing die, limiting myself to a few types of paper.
Once, I bought the .304 sizing die, and started patching with a more suitable paper, I began to get reasonable groups. I was now able to patch lined notebook paper to .316". These bullets would fit in the cases for the Ruger but not the Lee Enfield. Now with the hard cast, I was getting 2.5" groups at 50 meters and 4" groups with pure soft lead. With a small game load of HS-6, I was now putting the bullets in the same hole at 50 meters using both soft and hard lead.
3) Once properly sized my paper patched bullets removed residual lead from previous oops, as well as copper fouling and other crud. Shoot enough and you will have a nice shiny bore. A big success!
4) after my initial investment, my only expenses have been powder and primers.
Run down of investment including casting supplies:
Casting pot: $1.00 - bought at second hand store
Ladle: About $9.00 - EBay
Stove: Free - Side burner off a dead barbecue destined for the scrap yard.
Lee .308 diameter mold 180 grain: $34.00 after shipping from a crappy internet store.
Custom .304 die - About $40.00 with shipping from California.
Lee universal neck expanding die - Guessing? around $28.00 from Higginson Powders.
Lee .314 sizing die - $ About $40.00 with shipping.
Total = $152.00
I am not including the reloading press, powder or primers as that would be associated with loading jacketed ammunition as well. (I did buy .303 dies, but I have only used them for loading commercial jacketed ammo. The same is true for my case trimmer.
The Process
On the right is the Lee 180 grain .308 bullets as cast.
In the middle the same size bullets after sizing down to .304. Notice that the lead from the raised bands has been pushed back obscuring the gas check recess.
On the left are the sized bullets after paper patching.
Cut patches and template with Lee 180 grain bullet for scale.
There are a number of different ways to paper patch. This is what I do.
I take a patch and soak it between two folds of a wet facecloth. Once it is soaked through I place it on a flat board and make sure it is smoothed out so it adheres to the surface a bit. The bullet is wrapped as tight as possible with out the paper tearing. Once wrapped, I twist the tail in the direction of the wrap and set the bullet aside to dry. As the patches dry onto the bullets they will shrink and harden so that they will not unwrap without some determined effort. The next day, when I am sure the paper is dry, I snip the tails off with a set of sharp side cutters.
Here is a good example of patching from Youtube.. He has a slightly different technique than I use, but this is a skill you have to teach your fingers. On my first attempt it took an hour to roll just a few. Now I can patch bullets in front of the TV without too much conscious thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DmoZnYIQE&NR=1
I had some early successes at bullet casting, but paper patching taught me humility. I visited the paper patching page everyday on Castboolets.com and asked questions. Then I would ignore the advice and go home and try to re-invent the wheel. I have just passed my 5 month anniversary from when I decided to wrap a wet piece of paper around a piece of lead and a few things have changed.
I am now paper patching by the instructions given me by the people who have forged the path before me. No, I still am not getting sub MOA groups at 100 meters. I am, however, getting accuracy that would be perfectly acceptable in deer season, with a bullet that has cost me almost nothing.
I have been paper patching for a No 1Mk 3 Lee Enfield and and Ruger #1, both in .303.
I will continue to refine this skill until I have taken it as far as I can.
I just though I would share this with you and I welcome any questions.
10-Oct-2011
A list of things I tried on my own that worked, kind of worked and didn't work:
1) Trying to shoot paper patched .308 cast bullets, with out sizing them down first.
This was pretty much a fail. I put a lot of effort into this venture, because I am not a metal worker and I did not want to special order a sizing die to match my bore diameter plus .001"
The only paper that I could find around the house was the same shopping receipts that I had successfully used to paper patch .308 jacketed bullets. Even with this thin paper, I could not get two full wraps around a cast bullet or I was close to .319", so patched bullet would not even fit in the cartridge case. I tried to cheat and did one and a half wraps. These loads worked well with a plinking load of 6.5 grains of HS-6, but were grouping at 4 inches with a bhn 25 hard cast bullet at 25 meters and would not even hit the 12" X 12" target most of the time when shooting soft lead in a full power load. I also found the paper wrapping was not surviving the trip down the barrel and I was getting leading at the muzzle when the soft lead bullets were used.
2) By not buying a final sizing die, limiting myself to a few types of paper.
Once, I bought the .304 sizing die, and started patching with a more suitable paper, I began to get reasonable groups. I was now able to patch lined notebook paper to .316". These bullets would fit in the cases for the Ruger but not the Lee Enfield. Now with the hard cast, I was getting 2.5" groups at 50 meters and 4" groups with pure soft lead. With a small game load of HS-6, I was now putting the bullets in the same hole at 50 meters using both soft and hard lead.
3) Once properly sized my paper patched bullets removed residual lead from previous oops, as well as copper fouling and other crud. Shoot enough and you will have a nice shiny bore. A big success!
4) after my initial investment, my only expenses have been powder and primers.
Run down of investment including casting supplies:
Casting pot: $1.00 - bought at second hand store
Ladle: About $9.00 - EBay
Stove: Free - Side burner off a dead barbecue destined for the scrap yard.
Lee .308 diameter mold 180 grain: $34.00 after shipping from a crappy internet store.
Custom .304 die - About $40.00 with shipping from California.
Lee universal neck expanding die - Guessing? around $28.00 from Higginson Powders.
Lee .314 sizing die - $ About $40.00 with shipping.
Total = $152.00
I am not including the reloading press, powder or primers as that would be associated with loading jacketed ammunition as well. (I did buy .303 dies, but I have only used them for loading commercial jacketed ammo. The same is true for my case trimmer.
The Process
On the right is the Lee 180 grain .308 bullets as cast.
In the middle the same size bullets after sizing down to .304. Notice that the lead from the raised bands has been pushed back obscuring the gas check recess.
On the left are the sized bullets after paper patching.
Cut patches and template with Lee 180 grain bullet for scale.
There are a number of different ways to paper patch. This is what I do.
I take a patch and soak it between two folds of a wet facecloth. Once it is soaked through I place it on a flat board and make sure it is smoothed out so it adheres to the surface a bit. The bullet is wrapped as tight as possible with out the paper tearing. Once wrapped, I twist the tail in the direction of the wrap and set the bullet aside to dry. As the patches dry onto the bullets they will shrink and harden so that they will not unwrap without some determined effort. The next day, when I am sure the paper is dry, I snip the tails off with a set of sharp side cutters.
Here is a good example of patching from Youtube.. He has a slightly different technique than I use, but this is a skill you have to teach your fingers. On my first attempt it took an hour to roll just a few. Now I can patch bullets in front of the TV without too much conscious thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DmoZnYIQE&NR=1
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