shot my 1st cast boolits today

[Pitchnit]

Shot some of my first batch of cast boolits today and I'm pretty tickled. Pic of the 1st group below. These are 45 acp Lee 200 SWC straight WW, tumble lubed with 45/45/10. Sized through a Lee .452 sizer but they measured closer to .453. These weighed between 201 and 205 gr. Group was shot off bags at 25 yds through a 1911 Springfield Range Officer. At 56 my eyes aren't what they used to be but I'm happy with the group. I only ran 50 and checked the barrel when I got home, only a couple small spots of lead. The load was 4.0 Bullseye. 1.247 COL, crimped to .4735. Another good thing happened today. A gentleman was shooting a Thompson, we talked a bit. I told him about making boolits and reloading. He didn't reload and I came home with an extra 250 once fired pieces of brass

Questions: Some of them (waiting to load) weigh from 205 to 210 gr. Will that effect the acuracy much at 25yds. How about 50 yds? The above load has been a good one for me. Is it worth trying to refine it further? Any comments good or bad appreciated. Regards, Pitchnit

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_219134f8b7f18a99bc.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4828)

[454PB]

I doubt you'll see any accuracy problems with a 5 grain deviation. And, you'll find that as you gain casting experience, that deviation will decrease.

[runfiverun]

that is a 2.5% weight variation.
will you notice a 2% increase in group size?
didn't think so.

[357maximum]

Congrats on no longer being a virgin[smilie=w:.....for one shot you were once fired....now you are simply used.[smilie=s::popcorn:

Alot of accuracy comes from what you do and how fast/slow you do it when sitting in front of the casting pot. You will get better and so will your boolits. But for the distance you were shooting....it really won't matter.

[Recluse]

It's a rush, ain't it?

That Lee 200SWC with the big lube groove and bevel base is my second favorite boolit in my entire inventory. I started off tumble-lubing it, then (stupidly) started running it through my Lyman 45s, and am now back to tumble-lubing it. I'll be in the market for a Star this fall, maybe as a Christmas present to myself, and might start running it through the Star, but then again. . . the 45/45/10 is giving me outstanding performance with absolutely zero negative considerations.

Why change that, eh?

For me, the self-sufficiency in smelting my alloy, pouring it into ingots, then melting in the furnace then casting into boolits, sizing and lubing, then loading and shooting is a feeling the vast majority of other shooters will never realize.

Congrats and keep pouring, loading and shooting.

:coffee:

[44man]

I see nothing at all wrong so keep it up! :mrgreen:
No, you will not see any difference with a small weight difference.
I have tested too many times, weighing and sorting boolits to find NOTHING so I never weigh any boolits.
It might be important for BR or very small boolits.

[captaint]

Pitch,
My first casts were the same as yours. My results were the same, too. I left the range thinking "yeah, I CAN do this" !! It's been very entertaining since. enjoy - and keep up the good work. Mike

[Pitchnit]

Thanks! This is the nuts! I dont know what to do next, melt, cast, load or shoot. I neglected the best part of the day yesterday. A younger than me gentleman had his 2 boys (9-11). He was shooting a Marlin 336 30-30. He offered me a few shots which I readily accepted. I walked back to my car and grabbed my '54 39A and set it next to the 336 and said here's it's little brother. His eyes got as big as silver dollars and said he had one as a kid and wished he still had it. I told him to load it up and shoot it. With a big smile he said"Can I". He shot 10 and handed it back saying thank you. I asked him if the boys would want to shoot it. So we put 5 in the tube and set up the 11 year old. After the five he looked up at me with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. So I loaded 5 more. Between him and his brother they ran around 200 through the old gun and it never missed a beat. It was a good day!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Congratulations on good work. Its a great kick in the tail to go forward. I would recommend to go in order; smelt, cast, size & load as if those aren't done then you have nothing to shoot. I would not worry about the 5 grain deviation for a while as it might only matter if you were shooting Bullseye Competition. BE comp fans usually like to keep things as tight as possible. Of course deviations matter less at 25 yards and are more conspicuous at 50 and beyond. There are many variables to work with over time always in an endeavor to improve, but that's what the game is all all about. Keep up the good work. LLS

[HarrisS87]

Congratulation..

I pass this stage one week ago..

[44man]

Thanks! This is the nuts! I dont know what to do next, melt, cast, load or shoot. I neglected the best part of the day yesterday. A younger than me gentleman had his 2 boys (9-11). He was shooting a Marlin 336 30-30. He offered me a few shots which I readily accepted. I walked back to my car and grabbed my '54 39A and set it next to the 336 and said here's it's little brother. His eyes got as big as silver dollars and said he had one as a kid and wished he still had it. I told him to load it up and shoot it. With a big smile he said"Can I". He shot 10 and handed it back saying thank you. I asked him if the boys would want to shoot it. So we put 5 in the tube and set up the 11 year old. After the five he looked up at me with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. So I loaded 5 more. Between him and his brother they ran around 200 through the old gun and it never missed a beat. It was a good day!
Wonderful, you deserve a big hug and a handshake.

[gray wolf]

Sounds like a Great day,
especially when you make a little boy smile.

[gwpercle]

Congratulations , you're doing good.

Stop weighing boolits. Examine them for obvious defects, but with 45's you don't need to weigh them. I got a new fancy scale and made the mistake of starting to weigh boolits and was shocked to find variances , got all worried about it , started trying to find out what was wrong, turned my hair gray, then I found that it was normal and I was worring about nothing.

Small cal. rifle and to some extent small cal. pistol boolits are affected by weight varanices but 38 to 45 cal. especially at 25 yds. not so much so . A good visual exam will turn any that should be remelted.

Now if you are talking about long range competition type shooting you may want to weigh them cause you will need all the advantages you can get.

[Cherokee]

Way to go on the boolits. Really great to shoot your own slugs. I know the feeling on the 39A, I waited a long time for mine and it really is fun, and very accurate.

[Pitchnit]

Loaded a 100 last night. Hope to shoot them tonight. This time I did not weigh any of them so we'll see how they do. I'm going to need to cast some more I only had 200 to start with, maybe I rejected too many but hey I need the casting practice. Regards-Pitchnit