Preferred lee mold for .223 lead

Skip the lee if you are actually interested in casting for 223 buy a mihec 75 grain nato. Fabulous accuracy and your able to drive them fairly fast. my load with imr 4895 is 21.5 grains a starting load is 20 and max is 24.5 So I am able to drive this cast bullet at jacketed velocities. I powder coat, gas check and heat treat to achieve this.
 
Last edited:
Unless you're a veteran caster, I suggest avoiding the .22 calibre for casting.
During my gopher shooting days, I could get one inch groups at 50 yards quite easily, but they would open up to a foot at 100 yards.
A tiny flaw that would go unnoticed on a .30 cal. bullet would have a significant effect on a .22's performance.

Beagle, a guru on the cast boolit forum, states that the way to get good .22 cast bullet accuracy is with a hollow point bullet.
 
I have the LEE 55grn and another from NOE at 98grn that I'm going to be experimenting with sooner or later. I have guns with barrels long and short, twists from 1-12 to 1-7. I will make something work one way or another.
 
Interesting. Thanks for the replies. Didnt know it was not so trivial to cast and shoot plinking 223.
Any one have any success stories ?

In my reading it seems like powder coating goes a very long way towards getting reasonable accuracy and pressures. Your definition of success also matters. I'd be happy with 3-4" at 100m, I doubt I will be unable to achieve that.
 
1000's of Lee 55gr have been run thru my wife's 16" 1:9" twist AR 15 barrel to date w/o issues,downloaded 2gr of powder from a jacketed projectile.
 
1000's of Lee 55gr have been run thru my wife's 16" 1:9" twist AR 15 barrel to date w/o issues,downloaded 2gr of powder from a jacketed projectile.

Could you give some more details on these? For example, are you powder coating them or not, are you running a gas check as well as powder coat, how hard of an alloy are you using?

Thanks, Jim
 
Back
Top Bottom