The End?

finnbear270

Well-Known Member
NOW what am I gonna do?, I have the perfick load in .270 Win using more than one brand/type of powder etc, Same Oh' Same Oh' in 7mmWSM, Ditto in .223 Rem, Mrs Finnbear has my old Remmy PSS .223 (my old foxing rig) I have several powder/bullet combo's for that, :rolleyes: Her Throw & Wait (.308) holds no new territories to explore :rolleyes: The Smellie's gone as well now, all the new & once fired brass is primed (lots) :) Bettter hope a bit more work comes in soon! :lol: Maybe I should start muckin'n about with Mono's??? :)
 
Many years ago I hit a brick wall when it came to shooting. I'd shot BR & Silhouette competition And I'd run out of things to do. I was bored and all my rifles, like you, had wonderful loads awaiting.

With some encouragment from an old geezer who lived out in the country, I started loading cast bullets. Suddenly, all the rules changes and I had something to learn and experiment with again. You've got a 308? Thirty caliber molds are inexpensive and equipment is minimal. You might want to try it. It's been keeping me happy for a couple and a half decades.~Muir
 
I've been contemplating casting 30cal bullets for my 7.5x55, however how do you stop the bullet from leaving excess lead in the rifling - especially at modern service rifle velocities?
 
FinnB: Yes I am. Not to mention th efact that you can load lead bullets for pennies. If sight alignment and trigger control are the heart of accurate shooting, then cheap (hey! Recycleable!) bullets should allow one to practice more.

Scotgun: Well, you can and you can't. It's a bit too involved to put here (tho I can post a link to an article about it) but velocity isn't what causes leading with a properly fit bullet. It's chamber pressure. Yeah, doesn't sound logical but it is. If you heat-treat bullets you can load them to about 42K with little fear of leading. As it happens, I shoot cast bullets from my Swiss 96/11, 1911, and K-31's and it's great. I shoot target so I'm not too interested in "Service Rifle" velocities as I generally shoot off hand at 100 and 200M. Lead and the 7.5x55 are well met. I shoot 190 grain lead bullets at about 1800 fps for target shooting. Deadly accurate and inexpensive.~Muir
 
OK!,OK!, I'm listening, do you use just plain old lead from any scraps such as wheel weights or roofing lead, or do you need to jig around with a mix like antimony etc?.
 
Wheel Weights will do just fine, then heat treat them, (put them in an oven for about 45 mins and then quench them quickly in cold water). This casting mularkey is another fine mess my cripple cuz Muir got me into.

John
 
Hi Muir,

I'd be interested in that link you spoke about re leading and chamber pressure.

Thanks

Bob
 
http://www.jesseshunting.com/articles/guns/category16/9.html

Here is that link for all who are interested, Bob especially.

Finn: Ignore my jaw flapping cousin JAYB. He's just mad because he only get's MOA from is 243 and 3/4 MOA from his 22 Hornet with cast bullets.

He is right though. Wheel weights works great. Wheel weight with a bit of chilled lead shot (shotgun reloading) is best because of the increase in antimony content added by the shot. If no shot available, printers type is good. If neither is available: plain old wheelweights.

Equipment is a simple (cheap) or as complicated (expensive) as you want to make it. I have several bullet sizers and about 100 molds in all differnet calibers from 5mm to .720". I load a lot of obsolete calibers so lead saves me quite a bit of money.

For you and Scotsgun, 308 and 7.5 Swiss respectively, the process is as easy as it gets. These are two very easy calibers to reload for and accuracy with a well fit bullet is almost guaranteed. My .308 will shoot 3/4MOA with some well developed hunting loads. In days of better eyesight, my Swiss would chew the center from a 100 yard Small Bore target at 100M.

Go ahead and read the article if you wish. It was written to dispell the idea that 2000 fps was the maximum for cast bullets. When I get the chance, I'll link to the (US) Cast Bullet Association. I've been a member for 25 years or so, and these guys are the cutting edge in cast bullet shooting. ~Muir
 
Your welcome Bob. It's pretty dreary stuff for the casual shooter and some folks I've pointed that piece towards have just quietly slid into the shadows, neer to be heard from again.

If I can be of any help please let me know. I'm a pretty good library of mistakes whenit comes to fitting bullets to rifles. I've made them all.

Regards, ~Muir
 
Muir you have a convert here. It was with great reluctance that I decided to try casting my own due entirely to unavailability of suitable 8mm bullets here in the U.K. I haven't made a great investment in equipment to date simply a Lee mold and sizing die direct from Lee in the States. Results look promising so far and I also have the benefit of knowing that lead bullets will allow me to shoot far more without the worry of wearing out the barrels of my rifle.
It's become a little bit addictive because now I want to cast for the 9.3mm rifle but unfortunately cheap molds aren't available for this calibre. I was wondering if it were possible to cast .375 and then progressively size down to .366. I understand that .375 gas checks are normally used for 9.3mm. But would the savings made in the purchase of a Lee .375 mold be offset by the cost of expensive sizing dies, or should I invest in one of the custom molds? Pity that Lee can't be persuaded to offer a 9.3mm mold as standard.
 
8x57: Good for you! I was thinking of you the other day when I saw that 8mm Karibiner mold I tried sending you sitting in on the loading bench. Did you finally get a standard Lee .323" mold?? I'm glad you have taken the plunge. It is a wee bit addictive, especially when you DO realize that you're practicing for pennies and keeping your barrel in top shape.

I have had a heckl of a time trying to get ramped up for the 9.3x57. I ordered a mold from N.E.I here in the states: a 285 grain GC mold, .268" diameter. A standard catalogue item. What they sent me was a 285 grain plain base that was .264" diameter... and then had the gall to tell me it was what I ordered. I was out $110 + 25 shipping. I considered wrapping it with a paper patch and made a few trial bullets which wrapped up to .270" but I haven't shot them.

As to your question: Yes, it's possible to progressively size .375 down for the 9,3 but unless you have a reallty wide groove diameter, sizing all the way down to .268 is bound to damage accuracy. I agree with you about how Lee should make a mold for this caliber. A friend and I have been trying to gin up some intertest in a "group buy" on a custom mold from Lee. Lee will make you a custom mold 6 cavity mold for $55 US + a $100 set-up fee. After that, all the rest of the molds cut thereafter will be standard mold cost. I had a custom .303 mold made that was .317" in diameter with a .307" nose and it took them about 6 months. (the quality is excellent) A 9.3 mold built on the model of their .338 mold but with larger dimensions would weigh in around 265 grains, I think.

Lee will make custom sizing dies for $25 US each. A proper set would run you about $75 US, I guess. What US shooters are doing is taking the relatively common .375 jacketed bullets and running them through a set of Lee sizing dies in steps down to .266 (or whatever). Lee is aware of the practice and will ask you if you are sizing jacketed bullets and will alter the bearing surface to accomodate for no extra charge. The results are excellent, from all accounts.

What kind of 9.3 are you shooting? I have a 1940 Husqvarna ( 98 ) mauser in 9,3x57. I have yet to shoot it.

In any event, if you buy a mold, steer clear of NEI!! THey screwed me. ~Muir
 
Thanks for the advise Muir. My 9.3 is a Chapuis 9.3x74R side by side, a calibre that now seems to be catching on in the U.S.A. from what I read on the internet. Ruger are making rifles in this calibre and Hornady producing ammunition to suit.

I emailed Lee to see if they had any intentions of producing molds in this calibre but haven't had a reply from them yet. NEI were at the top of my list should I bite the bullet and decide to buy a mold for 9.3 but following your advise will strike them off the list.

I've been following a thread on CAST BOOLITS about a group buy for 9.3 molds, and was even tempted to ask if I could get involved but the cost is a bit off putting in comparison to Lee.
When I bought the 8mm mold I sourced it from the Lee factory outlet but got stung slightly for import duty and handling charges by the post office, but it still worked out cheaper than buying in this country.

Yes I've read about resizing .375 bullets, but the cost over here is prohibitive and also you can't just go out and buy them without the necessary authorisation on your certificate for that calibre. 9.3mm bullets are relatively common in Europe and the cheapest way that I have found to shoot this calibre is to buy copper plated bullets from Germany and have them posted over. As they are not classed as expanding there are no controls on them. Unfortunately they don't seem as good as a cast bullet and cost quite a bit more than if you cast them yourself.

Perhaps if we pester Lee sufficiently they will produce a mold and sizing die sometime in the future, if not I would definately be interested in a group buy if there are enough people interested.

I can also tell you that if it were legal to use cast bullets for stalking in this country I would have no hesitation in using a good hardcast bullet at "reasonable" stalking distances to take deer. I stress stalking distances and not sniping distances as some seem only too happy to brag about.
 
8x57: I am still surprised that your mold got through after having mine returned. Maybe they have no problem when it comes from the factory?? or the Customs Department has gotten sorted out what is dangerous or not?? More the likely.

I see your point about the .375 bullets. I forgot you need to justify their ownership. Here in the Wild Colonies we can have about anything "just because..." as we say. I will talk to my friend Tim about he and I tagging together on a 9.3 mold custom order. If I get one it will probably be a six cavity "commercial" mold. I think the overall quality is better. If we agree to get it I'll give permission (to Lee) for you to have access to the mold if you wish. Most of these "group buy" deals are making someone money. Tim and I couldn't care less. We're not rich but we aren't above helping folks out on something as simple as allowing them to have access to a mold.

Yes. I' remember the 9.3x74R now. That's a fine caliber, indeed, and would make a fine cast bullet hunting round. I have used heat-treated cast bullets on deer with great results out to 100 yards or so. They would work farther, I'm sure, but that has been the limit of my shooting with these bullets. I also am not a "sniper". There are some really nice things you can do with cast bullets. A couple decades back a man named Tom Cost and myself designed a procedure for heattreating bullets while leaving the noses soft. We called it "Quench Annealing" and in the end, involved a home built apparatus that would apply steady heat to the nosed of the bullets after the bases had been quenched in a recirculating cool water bath. The process took about 4 hours but produced bullets that were very hard on the driving bands and softer than plain wheel-weights on the nose. Tom took an Oryx with them using a 30-06 and a single shot. Tom died soon after and I began experimenting with just plain hard cast bullets driven at jacketed speeds and found them consistent and accurate. I never fired up the annealing unit again but think of it every now and again.

Juxtaposition to heat treating is the notion that a very soft bullet driven at reasonable speeds will kill deer at 100 yards very well. This is true, also. My 30-40 Krag Jorgensen with a 220 grain bullet cast of 3:1 wheel weights to pure lead will hammer deer at 150 yards at 1900 fps. One of the virtues of cast bullets is the versatility, I guess.

Well. I ramble. I will send Pat at Lee Precision a pestering e-mail about a run of 9.3 molds. I'll let you know what he says.

Regards,
~Muir
 
Oh, you've gone and done it now!

My heads' now swimming with casting - lead, liner-type, wheel weights, sizing, resizing................

I've bought myself a small crucible type electric melting pot but am unsure what or where to get a set of moulds. I want 30cal moulds for my Schmidt Rubin in 7.5x55 swiss - i was thinking 190gr ... have you any recommendations?

Muir,

A few things have got me confused:

1. i mentioned on the forum that i can get a steady supply of lead sheet, but was warned not to use it without some type of hardner. A mixture of 10% wheel weights was recommended and a few mentioned liner-type. I can't get a definitive answer - what is liner-type?

2. I was warned to apply a medium on the surface of the lead to avoid it oxidising in the crucible when melting. Wax and grease were mentioned but wouldn't these just combust?

3. What is a re-sizer and where can i get one?

Thanks.
 
Linotype is a type of lead alloy (very hard) used or was used in the printing industry. I may be wrong but think that it isn't used as much these days due to changes in printing processes.
You can also forget about using wheel weights now as legislation outlawed the use of lead alloys for wheel weights in Europe a few years ago, all wheel balance weights are now some form of non lead mix. I think that even in the United States similar legislation has been introduced in some states.

You can still buy plumbers solder which has a high level of antimony to increase the hardness of your mix.
 
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