G'day from DownUnder

[Norbrat]

G'day all

Just a quick hello and intro from sunny Adelaide in South Oz

As a long term IHMSA shooter, I've been reloading and casting for 25 years, but am always keen to learn more

The latest projects are to develop loads for my new Freedom Arms .357 Revolver, as well as some low power/sub sonic cast bullet loads for the .222 and .308

Cheers, and all the best

Norbert

[versifier]

Welcome to Gunloads Norbert.

What moulds do you have in .22 and .30?

[Norbrat]

Hi again

For the .308, I got the Lee CTL312-160-2R, as it was recommended by Ed Harris and I like the shape and style of the bullet.

For the .222, I got the 225-55GC and 225-42GC CBE (Cast Bullet Engineering) mould from Jim Allison.

I have a number of his moulds already, including the 285-160SGC for the 7TCU, as well as the 358-200 for the DW SuperMag, although that gun is to be sold and the bullet will be used in the FA.

Jim's moulds are like works of art, brass with thick sprue plates and they cast beautifully.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11260137@N07/3464668624


I can't say the same about the Lee moulds. I have a few of those as well, but just don't get on with them as well as the CBE ones. I haven't done the Lee mould fixes yet as described on a few websites, but hopefully once I do it will address some of the niggling problems with those moulds.

Still, I was able to cast 150 or so of the 30 cal bullets in an hour. And have put them over 10gns of Trail Boss, but have yet to shoot them.

As I am busy renovating my house, She Who Must Be Obeyed is not too keen on me spending too much time on my shooting obsession! :mrgreen:

[versifier]

Vist next door at Cast Boolits for a complete guide to "Lee-menting". I have found that the Lee 6cav moulds are of much better quality. I have a bunch of them in .30cal that I got in Group Buys on CB that I am very happy with, including a copy of Lyman's 311291 and a .312 version of the Lee 117gr "soupcan". Lee 2cavs are always a roll of the dice when you get one - will it drop a large enough diameter, will it be oval or round, do I need another $20 paperweight.... - but when you get them working correctly, they're not too bad.

I have seen but not yet tried a CBE mould. Some day. :)

I have had very good luck with my Lyman 225415 in .223 and in .30cal sabots. It's a nice little flatnosed GC bullet with excellent performance on small/medium game.

[k-g]

Hi Norbrat

If mold filling is the problem, a quick fix for handgun molds is to beagle them.
It is not perfect but makes the difference between paperweight and boolitmold...

Beagling them will bump the as-cast diameter, so it might not work for you. If you load them as-cast, be sure to adjust your expanding die as the bigger bullet will need more flare.
Seating the bullet will need more strength, and too big a bullet might deform the case neck and/or not chamber properly.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/castingcouch/graphics/l/10.jpg

I only use two thin bands, one on each side (more venting). You can also tape each block to double the effect.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/castingcouch/index.asp

Beagle is a member at CastBoolits so they probably have a "sticky" there.

kg

[kodiak1]

Norbrat welcome to the sight .
That 55GRN works really well in the 22-250 that I have.
Ken. :fighting68:

[Norbrat]

G'day

Thank you all for your kind welcome.

I've already stumbled upon the Lee-menting, or should that be -mending :) pages. The problem is finding time to potter about in the shed while SWMBO wants me to do other things

The hassle with the Lee mould is mainly finning between the mould halves and the bullet not dropping out easily. There does seem to be some burrs in the cavity joints and once I get a chance to apply the fixes, it should improve things a lot.

The diameter in this .30 cal mould should not be a problem as it should cast at about .312; I must admit I haven't measured the bullets. I just loaded them tumble lubed but unsized and without gas checks. I figure 10 gns of Trail Boss should give around 1100 fps, so hopefully leading won't be an issue.

I don't have a .308 sizer as I used to have an Israeli Mauser, which I believe was a re-chambered German 98K with a 7.92mm bore, so I had ordered a .313 die for my Saeco lubesizer. This remains unused as I never cast for the Mauser, and in fact never even fired it! I've now replaced it with a Howa 1500, so will need to get the proper diameter sizing die for that.

I have a couple of Lee six cavity moulds as well, but admit I have yet to use them! One I got from a club member I had introduced to casting for his .357 mag and SuperMag. He couldn't get on with it, and ended up getting another CBE mould to cast the lighter 158gn bullets. But he is also a bit hamfisted, so it's not necessarily a condemnation of the Lee mould.

Time is always my problem, and I often find I need bullets in a hurry when wanting to assemble some loads. So it's often just quicker to go and buy some cast bullets, but of course some calibres and/or weights are just not available; 7mm, for example, or heavy .357.

Ken, I'm impressed you are using cast bullets in a 22/250! :shock: What kind of velocities are you getting? That's a big case and a sharp shoulder angle to try a reduced load with!

Anyway, this thread seems to have strayed a little off the "Introduction" topic :)

Cheers, Norbert

[jlb300]

Welcome aboard mate