itty bitty boolits?

[troy_mclure]

what is the smallest boolit you cast?

i just cast some of my smallest, .311 100gr. man i was spilling lead everywhere!

i have a some .224 moulds coming soon, even a 36gr one.

i see lots of flooded sprue plates in my future!

[rhbrink]

Yep! The attention span is gonna get a whole lot tighter. 50 grains is a small as I have cast and thats IT, if the old gun won't shoot them get a bigger gun.

[telebasher]

For me the fun part is dealing with them itty bitty gas checks!

[Czech_too]

+1
For me the fun part is dealing with them itty bitty gas checks!

I've got three .22 moulds, 46, 50 & 55. It can get a little tedious putting those gas checks on. Strangely enough I don't have a problem with the pouring.

[Bret4207]

22 Bator is my smallest. Maybe I'm lucky, but casting them isn't hard. Putting the stupid GC on and having to use my "close in glasses" to check them out is a pain.

[evan price]

Lee 311-093-1R in a 6-cavity. 32 caliber roundnose, comes out about 95 grain with range scrap.

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/bullets/311931r.gif

[Matt3357]

just got in on a group buy from NOE for a 37 grain 22 boolit. I have my pot set up with an electronic solenoid to actuate the valve. Gonna have to put a timing circuit on that bad boy or i'll end up with lead everywhere.

Matt

[rhbrink]

I agree with the above the casting isn't so bad but them itty biddy gas checks are something else. Fingures don't move near as good as they use to and then you really got to look to see if the check is up or down they don't go on backwards worth a $chit.

[wallenba]

55 grain Lyman .224. It's a REAL quick process.

[BCall]

There are some here who have cast some 17 caliber boolits from a Lee cutom mold. I have looked for one of those GB molds with no luck as of yet. Maybe someday. The 225107 is the smallest I have cast. The real problem for me is grabbing the boolit out of the lubrisizer die. The stubby nose doesn't give much to grab ahold of.

[Charlie, AKA The Deacon]

I also have been waundering how guy's got along with the small boolit's, I have a couple 5.56 that I have been thinking about getting a mold for just not sure if I have the patients to work with the small ones. :redneck:

[rhbrink]

Do it ruger1965 join the maddness, really it isn't that bad just takes more time but the rewards are with it. Much fun, cheap, pretty satisfing to see them little boolits all land in the same hole down there at 100 yards. Wind plays havoc with them though and haven't shot past 100 but if I could catch a nice calm day and nobody around to laugh at my groups I'm gonna give the 200 yard line a try.

[MT Gianni]

22 Bator is my smallest. Maybe I'm lucky, but casting them isn't hard. Putting the stupid GC on and having to use my "close in glasses" to check them out is a pain.

I cast 22 cal also and find I need glasses to check for flaws. I even started using glasses on 45 cal.

[HORNET]

The 225107's aren't that bad. It's those pointy-a** dang 225450's that are hard to hang onto...

[Bullshop]

Yea do it then join the 22 cal only postal match.

[white eagle]

after casting for the 44 mag,45 colt and my 54 cal muzzle loader
casting boolits for my 30-30 the 30 cal seemed so tiny
I do have a 7mm and 22 cal coming boy can't wait

[Moonie]

I cast 12 guage slug, 45, 40, 30 and after those the 22's are kinda tiny. They are challenging and the reject rate is higher than the larger boolits, but it is fun.

Almost forgot, my new 8mm mold will be at the house when I get home.

[AZ-Stew]

I cast 22 cal also and find I need glasses to check for flaws. I even started using glasses on 45 cal.

These days I need glasses to find the ends of my fingers. I traded my previous excellent close vision for distance vision a few years ago when I had Lasik done. Contacs were damaging my eyes and glasses distorted my vision so much they made me nauseous. My distance vision is now excellent and I see well up close with reading glasses. For the really small stuff, I need magnifiers.

I have three .22 moulds: RCBS 22-55, Lyman 225438 and the Lee/Midsouth special order Bator. The only one I've worked with very much is the RCBS. My biggest problem is fumble-fingers. I have trouble stacking the little boolits on my bench without knocking several rows of lubed boolits over and having a sticky mess on my hands. Otherwise, they're no different from .22 J-bullets.

Regards,

Stew

[SwedeNelson]

This is a 225107 37Gr. with a herd of .17Cal 23Gr. SP for my 17 AK Hornet.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i80/swedenelson/Smallbullets.jpg

Plays heck on Mormon crickets.

Swede Nelson

[NoZombies]

Swede, your picture is broken... :brokenima

[watkibe]

The 22 Bator is as low as I go. Casting was quite an adjustment, but I only had to cast 50 boolits or so before I got it down.
The gas checks are fiddly as all get out though !
As far as glasses go, I can't believe the number of times a day that I try to do something that I know darn good and well that I can't do without my glasses, but I try to do without them anyway!
Denial ??? Could be !

[telebasher]

I like to use small pistol primer trays to hold my sized-lubed 22 cal bullets. HINT... only use every other row so you can pick up a bullet to be seated.

[AZ-Stew]

I like to use small pistol primer trays to hold my sized-lubed 22 cal bullets. HINT... only use every other row so you can pick up a bullet to be seated.

Excellent tip! I'll try it. Thanks!

Regards,

Stew

[1Shirt]

Primer trays are a good idea. Guess that is my something learned for the day. Have a number of 22 cal molds, like some better than others, favorite is 225438 in HP. Not a real joy to cast, but very accruate. Agree with Beagle that HP's tend to be more accurate than non HP's. However ya really have to work at casting consistant very small HP's. Have 225415 in an HP as well. It is nice and a definate advantage to be an old f*** and retired and to have the time to screw with things like this!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Jal5]

Lee 311-093-1R in a 6-cavity. 32 caliber roundnose, comes out about 95 grain with range scrap.

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/bullets/311931r.gif

Would that be good for 32 ACP? I have a couple of pistols in that caliber and have been thinking about trying cast for them.

Joe

[Fly-guy]

I also have been waundering how guy's got along with the small boolit's, I have a couple 5.56 that I have been thinking about getting a mold for just not sure if I have the patients to work with the small ones. :redneck:

I bought a 22 and 30 caliber mold from Ranch Dog several weeks ago and am as happy with them as if I had good sense.

Both RD molds come in 6 cavity blocks and that is the ONLY way to go. I just finished testing the 223 loads here at the house and found a load that measures about 3/8" at 30 yards. I hope test these loads at 100 yard the next time we have a good day.

I am very impressed with Ranch Dog Outdoors service and molds and give them a 2 thumbs up!

[Bullshop]

Fly-Guy
Come on over to the competition and get together forum and join in the 22 only postal match. There are some good prises being offered. Ranch Dog has put up a mold for a prize.

[Ohio Rusty]

I have an original civil war scissor type mould I cast little buckshot in. They are about a #4 buck, about .24 caliber. It makes one at a time.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[scrapcan]

SwedeNelson is that 17 caliber a mould you made? How would it work in a 177 air rifle?

[HORNET]

manley, I'm not swede, but that 17 caliber that he's showing was a VERY early group buy usually referred to as the "Pammy Pellet", named after Pamela Sue (insert current last name here). Some resemblance was claimed since it's rather large on top and the bottom and small in the middle. It was intended for 177 air rifles but was too long for many of them. Some users of the 17 Rem and other 17's liked it and they're hard to find. It was supposedly popular among members in Mexico for seating in high performance 177 pellet guns backwards for shooting armadillos. Lee made them but I really doubt that they'd run anymore. It predates my time on here but more info might show up in search. I recall somebody writing about it 2-3 years ago.

[HORNET]

Manley, see here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=8021 for more on the infamous Pammy Pellet, posts 5 & 7. Also here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=2119 post 9.

[NVScouter]

This is a 225107 37Gr. with a herd of .17Cal 23Gr. SP for my 17 AK Hornet.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i80/swedenelson/Smallbullets.jpg

Plays heck on Mormon crickets.

Swede Nelson

I find my 340g cast from my 45LC at 1,300fps does well too on the little buggers. No shortage of targets.

22 Bator is the smallest so far and I agree 100% about the gas checks beng the hardest part.