Cast Bullet benchrest guys

[Wolfdog91]

So this isn't mainly for just the bench rest guys but all y'all who are making little bitty groups with cast bullets consistently. I'm curious, do y'all buy your alloys pre mix from somewhere like roto metals or are you mixing your own from pure ? Like you buying lead ,tin and antimony and mixing your own ? Seems to me weighting out pures ( or as close to it as you can buy) and mixing them yourself give you much more control then just buying premixed.
BTW I'm trying to get the most accurate cast I can ( it's a fun headache for me lol ) not just good enough to pop a can @100yd.
Thanks

 

[Wolfdog91]

Dang ment to put this in reloading, if a mod sees this would you mind moving it please lol

 

[snert]

Copy n paste it first, then come back to this post, click on the faint options listed below your post...you can edit or delete.

 

[Wolfdog91]

So this isn't mainly for just the bench rest guys but all y'all who are making little bitty groups with cast bullets consistently. I'm curious, do y'all buy your alloys pre mix from somewhere like roto metals or are you mixing your own from pure ? Like you buying lead ,tin and antimony and mixing your own ? Seems to me weighting out pures ( or as close to it as you can buy) and mixing them yourself give you much more control then just buying premixed.
BTW I'm trying to get the most accurate cast I can ( it's a fun headache for me lol ) not just good enough to pop a can @100yd.
Thanks

 

[Intheshop]

Some folks use shovels to dig rabbit holes..... I prefer a Case backhoe.

Until you have a method of testing a particular mould,or design.... and putting actual numbers on it's yield point,your alloy tests aren't complete. And even this is but one aspect....

There's a reason for Eagan mould/design,it has an awful lot to do with this shapes ability to take the "hit". Smashing PC'd bullets with a hammer is in the neighborhood on testing but well,it doesn't tell you much about shape. Or size,or alloy,etc.

Many ways to setup a tool for checking yield #'s. A beam style torque wrench is my choice. But it's only limited to your imagination and resources. Think bumping and swaging dies.... now replace the press handle with a torque wrench. You'll get to put actual numbers on the yield point of any particular "batch". You also get to see how different bullet forms behave using the same alloy.

Just sayin.... bullet or alloy hardness is a component. The bullet shape/profile and how it takes the hit "can"(don't mean is) be more important.

 

[Intheshop]

Almost finished the 1st cup of coffee.... so excuse the esoteric's,bwahaha.

This one also applies,sort of.... to jacketed bullets as well. It just shows up faster with lead.

Once you start making nose swaging/sizing dies;

Use round stock,I like to use 1 1/4". Obviously chucking it up in your lathe to get the bored/reamed hole deadnuts centered. The length of this little die is relatively short(compared to a loading die)... say an inch long. All we're doing is pressing the bullet nose down to a "stop", which sizes it down. "Usually" this is a tapered hole.... the reason is you get to move the jam point in/out more or less irrespective of OAL..... ok,that's the process.

Now,here's the point;

When you first start using a nose die most folks just do the "Chrysler" method.... RAM it. Instead,pay real close attention to your "start" pressure/alignment. Start the bullet in the die just enough to get it to stick.

Now take your round die,with the bullet hanging mostly out,and roll the whole assembly on a flat plate. Watch the bullet base wobble. This isn't what you want,obviously..... but hold on,we're getting somewhere. Pull the bullet back out and start noticing the now polished section of the nose....

What you're gonna learn is how any slight misalignment effects,that sized or polished area on the nose. This is similar to the age old debate on overall cartridge coincitricity.... once a bullet starts crooked,ESPECIALLY with cast,it only goes downhill.

Nose sizing/swaging is just normal ops in cast. But take the time to understand how alignment,or misalignment can,and does just make a mess of a bullet nose. It's a whole lot more in depth. One of those things that, take me 30 seconds to show you,freakin 30 pages trying to describe it.

More coffee......

 

[JMayo]

I don't know anybody shooting cast bullets in benchrest competition.
I'm a skeptic on the tiny group pictures some show. Repete it consistently is my thought.
It's the internet ... So.....

Casters i know dig up shot bullets. No need to be a mixologist.

 

[jcm800]

https://forum.castbulletassoc.org/cat/bullet-casting/

 

[6bra1k]

do a look at castboolits
it is not a .com just a forum so search for it
THE source for casting

 

[PhilC]

With the increasing difficulty in acquiring lead in some regions, I've chosen to buy certified boolit (as the CB crowd calls them) lead from Rotometals.com.

And, yes, there are cast benchrest guys shooting itty bitty groups in paper at 100yds, but I'm not one yet, maybe some day...

 

[WayneShaw]

Good info intheshop. I have nose sized cast bullets, and when things are right, they shoot well. But, what I was doing doesn't last but so long. Things wear, and it's hard to maintain the fit, and accuracy goes. I'm going in a different direction, which is probably similar to most bump designs, but it'll be a while before I get the tooling.

PhilC, I'm working on it too, you aint alone!

 

[PhilC]

Cast Boolits forum - https://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/
Cast Bullet Association website - https://castbulletassoc.org/

 

[cardman5448]

Cast bullets can indeed shoot very small groups and aggregates. Record groups in the 1's have been shot and aggs in the 2's.
Early in my cast bullet shooting I would get linotype from local print shops. When that dried up I went to Rotometal for my bullet mix and have found very consistent weights from order to order.
I currently hold 21 Cast Bullet Association national records using Rotometal's linotype.

 

[357Mag]

So this isn't mainly for just the bench rest guys but all y'all who are making little bitty groups with cast bullets consistently. I'm curious, do y'all buy your alloys pre mix from somewhere like roto metals or are you mixing your own from pure ? Like you buying lead ,tin and antimony and mixing your own ? Seems to me weighting out pures ( or as close to it as you can buy) and mixing them yourself give you much more control then just buying premixed.
BTW I'm trying to get the most accurate cast I can ( it's a fun headache for me lol ) not just good enough to pop a can @100yd.
Thanks

Wolfdog -

Howdy !

Just out'a curiosity.... what are you shooting ( chambering & rifle ) ?

I have shot both existing lead alloys and smelted my own. But, I myself have not shot any cast into .1 - .2"

With regards,
357Mag

 

[Webster]

Cast bullets can indeed shoot very small groups and aggregates. Record groups in the 1's have been shot and aggs in the 2's.
Early in my cast bullet shooting I would get linotype from local print shops. When that dried up I went to Rotometal for my bullet mix and have found very consistent weights from order to order.
I currently hold 21 Cast Bullet Association national records using Rotometal's linotype.

I had a copy of the NRA cast bullet book I bought about 1975. I gave it to someone, now I see it sells for over $50 on E-bay.

 

[cardman5448]

Wolfdog -

Howdy !

Just out'a curiosity.... what are you shooting ( chambering & rifle ) ?

I have shot both existing lead alloys and smelted my own. But, I myself have not shot any cast into .1 - .2"

With regards,
357Mag

I actually shoot several rifles. Most records were set with my reamer design. Lapua 6.5 Grendel case shortened to 1.55 and neck expanded to 30 caliber, I hold the records in 3 different classes. Unrestricted rifle, Heavy rifle, and Unrestricted pistol. Bat and XP-100 actions with Hart, Shilen, andl Lilja barrels.

 

[Sechrist2015]

There is 10 shots out of my cast rail gun. We run linotype printers lead. Accuracy with cast is very finicky, and some rounds are better than others. When I have a minute to sit down and read more into this thread I'll give better info.

 

[357Mag]

I actually shoot several rifles. Most records were set with my reamer design. Lapua 6.5 Grendel case shortened to 1.55 and neck expanded to 30 caliber, I hold the records in 3 different classes. Unrestricted rifle, Heavy rifle, and Unrestricted pistol. Bat and XP-100 actions with Hart, Shilen, andl Lilja barrels.

Cardman -

Howdy !. Thanx for the prompt response. I apologize if I sent my msg to the wrong person !

Sounds like you are shooting the XP in Unrestricted Pistol ?


With regards,
357Mag

 

[357Mag]

Cast benchrest shooters -

Howdy !

Howzabout some details on your gun(s)' specs, and info about your bullets /moulds + pics ?!


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Sechrist2015]

Sleeved Xp100 with a 23" hart 1-13". Hart trigger, Golden Eagle 15-60.

190ish grain custom LBT bullet made to fit the barrel/chamber. Casted at a steady 750° and water dropped. All of our bullets are ladle poured.

Wildcat round that starts as a 30-30 and ends up as shown. Running around 2300-2400fps


Gun shoots better than I do most days, but I just made 200rds of new brass and I'm about to start another 200. Gun managed to get a national champion trophy last September at my first national. I missed one gold medal for 100yd score that kept me from taking grand national champion.