223 bullet casting

[Jimmydaux]

Do any of you cast your own 223 bullets. Im new to the idea of casting alltogether. Is there any way to cast a hollow point?

[madcaster]

Jeremy,
Several here do so,Ben is one I know of.
You would have to ask Buckshot to convert a mould for you,or do it on a Forster case trimmer with the adaptor they sell.
Jeff.

[454PB]

I cast .224 boolits, never even thought of using a hollowpoint. I load them up over 2000 fps cast of linotype, and no hollowpoint is needed!

[beagle]

Jimmy....I cast a variety of .22 HP bullets for the .223. The RCBS 22-55-SP and the Lyman 224415 are both good shooters although I have 5 different HP designs in the .22 to choose from.

At 2,000 FPS which is about the best velocity (I've shot them at 2600) a HP is devestating. Almost as good as your jacketed .22 varmint specials. All that remains is a .22 caliber "button" with a GC attached.

They're a bit of a pain to cast and size due to the small size but the effort is worth it.

I recommend nose first sizing or you'll bend the noses as they're delicate.

Get Buckshot to make up one and give them a try./beagle

[Jimmydaux]

I figured they would be a pain with how small they are. Ive got some cast 45 stuff that seems like it would be really easy to work with.

Is it safe to say that casting a bullet for 223 is more of a hobby or release that it is for purely economical reasons? It seems like the time involved may outweigh the money saved.

[Jimmydaux]

OH! I almost forgot. Do cast lead bullets not like super high velocities like factory ammo. Like upwards of 3200 fps?

[9.3X62AL]

Jimmy--

Lotsa questions. GOOD!

22 caliber casting and shooting is kind of esoteric, but a lot of folks here do so successfully. My own results have been a mixed bag, some good--some awful. Most of this work was done with the 223, a little with 22-250. The majority of rifle boolit casters work with calibers 30 and above, but there are cranks that do the smaller bores too. I do A LOT of 24 and 25 caliber stuff.

The velocity question is not a straightforward one, with castings. Most rifle calibers will have a "sweet spot" between 1600-1800 FPS. This is the easy part of rifle casting--as long as boolits fit the barrel well, there is no need to blend high-strength alloys, no real need for special lubes--just snap on a gas check, lube the grooves, and load the cartridge.

Some folks here run their rifle boolits to 2600 FPS and beyond. This isn't a thing I do, only a small percetage of my loading exceeds 2000 FPS. What you WILL see lots of is people selecting calibers whose ballistic potential is maxed out at conventional cast boolit velocities (2200 FPS). The 45-70 and 30-30 come to mind in this context, as do the 25-20, 32-20, and 30 U.S. Carbine.

You'll likely "change gears" a bit in your thinking, once the boolit casting/shooting bug bites you deeply. That lip service that modern shooters pay to "Accuracy first, velocity is not the priority" really comes into its own with cast boolits. There is a tendency to equate flat trajectory with "accuracy". These are NOT the same things, at all. There are shooting venues in which slow-moving cast projectiles with tall trajectories still score hits at 600 yards+ with MOA radial dispersion. Black powder cartridge target work is one such place.

[1Shirt]

Like Beagle says! I cast 5 different 224's for Hornet, 222, 223, and 22-250, one being HP. Have shot upt 2450 chronographed without problems or leading. Biggest problem is in slow twist like the hornet which requires a short blt to stablize(in my opinion). My 223 Sav. is twisted 1-9 and shoots just about any length up to 60 gr cast with no problems. Lino at anything up to 2000 is about like shooting stinger 22LR's to 100 yds. or so. 224 cast can be very effective out to 200, but are of course very wind sensitive.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[LiquidLead]

Like Beagle says! I cast 5 different 224's for Hornet, 222, 223, and 22-250, one being HP.
My 223 Sav. is twisted 1-9 and shoots just about any length up to 60 gr cast with no problems.
1Shirt!:coffee:

Does anyone know of a currently made mold in 60gr or more?

Mike

[1Shirt]

My 225646 drops from the mold at just a little over 58, and checked and lubed is right at 60 gr. It is however far to long for slow twist bbls at vols. under 2000.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Jimmydaux]

oh man theres so much to learn! Now i dont know If this is a taboo evil black rifle question, but do you know if a slow firing (relative i guess at 2000 for cast and 3200 for factory) round will cycle my ar15 without problems?

[andrew375]

Check out my postings on the subject.