Cast lead bullets for practice

[MichaelTQS]

Ok, remember I gave permission to laugh

Has anyone more experienced with the 375HH here than I am ( that would be everyones dog and cat) ever tried cast lead practice loads.

Wide meplat, 250 gr ish at below 2000 fps?

Loads, useful info, alloys, lube, etc for this.

I have a good idea about BP cartridges but smokeless loads are new for me.

 

[colorado]

I've done cast lead bullets with my 500 Jeffery using Accurate 5744. They work fine, accurate, low recoil, except I hate cleaning lead out of the bore. So if anyone has any tips about cleaning lead out easily, I've got a lot of them left.

 

[Royal27]

@tarbe might have some ideas?

 

[nztimb]

Ok, remember I gave permission to laugh

Has anyone more experienced with the 375HH here than I am ( that would be everyones dog and cat) ever tried cast lead practice loads.

Wide meplat, 250 gr ish at below 2000 fps?

Loads, useful info, alloys, lube, etc for this.

I have a good idea about BP cartridges but smokeless loads are new for me.

A good powder to use is Blue Dot which has a formula for all case sizes. I have used it for cases in varying sizes and it will work for the 375 as well
Fill a case to the mouth and weigh the powder. 20% is the starting load and 50% is the max load. arround 17-18 gn is great in the 303 and x57sized cases (18-1900fps) with 22 gn being brilliant in the 405 Winchester under a 320gn bullet for 16oofps) .
Blue Dot is the most versatile powder in my cabinet and have used it very sucessfully in cases as samll as the fireball case and through to and including the 404 Jeffery. This powder is not position sensative so there is no worry with fillers etc. Standard primer, powder bullet and shoot, (lots of times for little cost)

 

[tarbe]

I've done cast lead bullets with my 500 Jeffery using Accurate 5744. They work fine, accurate, low recoil, except I hate cleaning lead out of the bore. So if anyone has any tips about cleaning lead out easily, I've got a lot of them left.

I use some of this copper cleaning pad draped over a jag. The sharp edges scrape lead out...but soft enough to not harm the bore.

 

[colorado]

Thanks

 

[tarbe]

As mentioned, Blue Dot is versatile for the lighter loads...though I personally have only used Blue Dot in Magnum pistol loads.

For those rifle loads in the 1,500 - 2,000 fps range I use AA 5744 these days...although I still have a few pounds of SR 4759 in the stash.

I have been able to find satisfactory loads using the above 2 powders in everything from 22 Hornet to 416 Rigby.

In your 375 H&H with ~250 cast, you'll find something you like in the upper 20s to upper-30s on powder charges with either 5744 or SR 4759 (they are pretty similar in burning rate and suitable charge weights).

Just start on the lower end and go up in 2gr increments. You'll likely find something that shoots well, so long as the bullets are sized properly for your barrel.

 

[MichaelTQS]

Thank you everyone

This forum is rife with true gentleman

I appreciate the help for what must seem to you all to be a new guy question.

 

[ChrisG]

I use some of this copper cleaning pad draped over a jag. The sharp edges scrape lead out...but soft enough to not harm the bore.

View attachment 149025

+1!! This absolutely works the best. I wrap an old copper brush with strands of chore boy pad and it scrapes the lead right out without damaging the rifle or handgun!

 

[Ole Bally]

I've done cast lead bullets with my 500 Jeffery using Accurate 5744. They work fine, accurate, low recoil, except I hate cleaning lead out of the bore. So if anyone has any tips about cleaning lead out easily, I've got a lot of them left.

When casting your lead bullets use 7% antimony in the mix and drop the hot bullets into a bucket of water...it'll harden them. You'll get very little 'leading'.
If you can get your hands on any mercury, Use a ram rod with patch plug inserted into the chamber end and pour a bit of mercury into the barrel muzzle end up. Then slowly push the rod up and the mercury will 'absorb' the lead.

'Gas checks' will also prevent leading to a large degree!

 

[stug]

I would definitely not use Mercury like that. Mercury is very poisonous and accumulates in your body.

 

[nztimb]

When casting your lead bullets use 7% antimony in the mix and drop the hot bullets into a bucket of water...it'll harden them. You'll get very little 'leading'.
'Gas checks' will also prevent leading to a large degree!

I have to say that these two statements are not necessarily right in isolation.
If the bullet is sized propperly to suit the throat and bore of the rifle then a quite soft bullet will still not cause leading and in fact, if a hard bullet is sized a bit small for the barrel then it will lead as badly as any other of the possible reasons that lead is deposited in the barrel. It depends on where the lead is in the barrel as to what the reason is for it being there.
First of, the fit of the bullet is the most important aspect of the cast bullet game and if it is not right then leading can occur regardless of everything else being right.
The powder choice also has a part to play as a fast powder can pressure leading with a too soft alloy where a slower powder might ease the start of its travel and aleviate the problem.
Leading at the muzle end of the barrel can be the resut of either velocity of lube runout.
While cast bullets can be a simple proposition, there are a number of areas that can cause problems and just using a harder bullet is rarely the solution to the majority of them.

 

[Ole Bally]

Von Gruff... you're right of course! I was assuming proper bullet size, lube etc. ... One shouldn't assume!!

 

[spike.t]

Von Gruff... you're right of course! I was assuming proper bullet size, lube etc. ... One shouldn't assume!!

must be the mercury poisoning sorting out the brain cells.......

 

[ChrisG]

I have to say that these two statements are not necessarily right in isolation.
If the bullet is sized propperly to suit the throat and bore of the rifle then a quite soft bullet will still not cause leading and in fact, if a hard bullet is sized a bit small for the barrel then it will lead as badly as any other of the possible reasons that lead is deposited in the barrel. It depends on where the lead is in the barrel as to what the reason is for it being there.
First of, the fit of the bullet is the most important aspect of the cast bullet game and if it is not right then leading can occur regardless of everything else being right.
The powder choice also has a part to play as a fast powder can pressure leading with a too soft alloy where a slower powder might ease the start of its travel and aleviate the problem.
Leading at the muzle end of the barrel can be the resut of either velocity of lube runout.
While cast bullets can be a simple proposition, there are a number of areas that can cause problems and just using a harder bullet is rarely the solution to the majority of them.

You're Absolutely right! One of the best resources I have found on shooting lead is from the Los Angeles Silhouette Club here ->http://www.lasc.us/castbulletnotes.htm. These guys really know their stuff when it comes to cast bullets. Also, as per the water drop comment, I think a lot of people mistakenly believe that it will harden lead bullets like it does to steel. All water dropping does is surface harden the bullets by crystallizing the Antimony somehow differently than if it were air cooled. Running the bullets through a sizer after they are cast and water dropped needs to be done ASAP after they are cool and dry because the hardening process usually takes about a week (called age hardening). Some alloys age harden on their own. High Tin allows typically age soften. Food for thought.

 

[nztimb]

While I aggree that the LASChave a great deal of information on the casting of bullets they only go so far while I have been fortunate to be among a small group of very knowledgable casters (about 30 of us) and shooters and with a private forum where cast bullet shooting is the main focus where a great depth of experience has been gathered. My portion of experience has been in the two part bullet (soft nose and hard driveing base) with results that makes for a very effective hunting bullet at over 2400fps. Accuracy has been in the 1 1/4 in for 5 shots at 100 yds and has given me kills to 200yds so far.

Others have perfected lube and high velocity or at least into the 2700fps range with copper being the difference but in specific proportions. Sizing of cases to chamber is just as inportant as sizing the bullet to the throat when accuracy is the goal.

 

[buffybr]

I've developed cast bullet loads for many of my rifles.

For my .375 RUM I have two cast bullet loads. Both use bullets cast from wheel weights from my Lyman 375449 mold. They are gas checked with Hornady gas checks, and weigh 283 grains with lube and gas check. One load uses IMR 4198 powder under a pinch of Dacron, and the other load is with DuPont Tail Boss powder. Both loads shoot 2-3" groups at 100 yards.

 

[1dirthawker]

Just a thought...powder coated cast bullets. I am about to coat a bunch of 400 gr bullets I cast yesterday for my 450-400 3".
I've got all the parts, bullets,paint, oven, etc. tomorrow I hope to coat and cook, then size bullets.
I've heard from several sources that the paint holds up at rifle velocities and no leading.
We'll see

1dirthawker

 

[tarbe]

Just a thought...powder coated cast bullets. I am about to coat a bunch of 400 gr bullets I cast yesterday for my 450-400 3".
1dirthawker

Anyone interested in reading up on powder coating can check out the threads at castboolits.com