Looking for some 22 bullets to test before I buy my first 22 mold

[dougster]

I am fairly new to casting. I've been casting 9mm, 40 and 45 for a few months. I'm using Lee 6 cavities with WW and 10%Tin, water quenching.

I just bought my first AR and want to reload 223. I have a Lee 225 sizer and have the gas checks already.

I have been looking at NOE molds and would like to buy a 4or5 cav but I want to buy the best one for my gun right off the bat if possible.

I will be looking for a group buy or will buy one if it pops up after I know which one is my best bet to start with.

Does anyone have one or more of these molds and would be willing to sell me 100 of each for testing?

RCBS 22-055-SP 55Gr.
225 55Gr. FN (MX3-22)
SAECO #221 60Gr.
225 62Gr. FN (MX3-22-EX)
NOE 225 70Gr. RN

I am interested in plinking and hunting between 100-200 yards.

Thanks
Doug

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If it's true, it's probably not new. "It is the old that is true,
for truth is as old as God himself" --Charles Spurgeon

"look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is
and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

[WILCO]

Welcome aboard Dougster!!

[cummins05]

As I can't offer any of the molds u are after both the 225438 and the 225415both shot good in my 223 caliber

[Jal5]

I have the NOE version of the 223-055 FN mold, let me see what I have available in my inventory, not sure I have 100 and its too hot for me to be doing any boolit pouring right now. Maybe I can send you some and we can just trade lead of equal weight? Joe

[grampa243]

i don't have any of the ones you have listed but i do have the "HM² 223 62gr molds, 225-62-1, 6 cav " it was made just for the AR and they are very good molds.

this is the thread about them and JTknives is starting a 2nd run of this mold.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?201684-HM%B2-223-62gr-molds-225-62-1-6-cav

if you'll like some pm me. i've got 100 all weight sorted you could have for a trade in 9mm or 45 boolits.

p.s. what's the barrel and twist of your AR?

[Sensai]

No help on the boolits you're looking for, but wondering why you're using 10% tin. That's a lot of tin, are you getting any benefit from it over, say, 2%?

[dougster]

My gun is 1:8 twist SW Sport.

I am not sure what % I used last 20 pound cast. It was probably much less than 10%. More like 1-2%. It was about 12" of a small picture frame of pewter. All my previous casts(5to6 - 20#ers) were all %WW.

I would be game to trade 9/40/45 or ingots of like weight for some 22 in these NOE molds.

I'll check out the "HM² 223 62gr molds, 225-62-1, " molds to see if they are something I might want.

These are what I could trade in 9/40/45:

TL356-124-2R
TL401-175-SWC
TL452-200-SWC

[dougster]

i think I just missed this GB by a week. Shame. It looks like one I would have bought. I wanted a 6 cav but none on NOE web site showed 6 cav. max was 5 cav.

Does HM^2 sell online or just custom through GBs?

[grampa243]

i think I just missed this GB by a week. Shame. It looks like one I would have bought. I wanted a 6 cav but none on NOE web site showed 6 cav. max was 5 cav.

Does HM^2 sell online or just custom through GBs?

the 2nd run just started there is still more coming.
pm me your address ill send you 100 to play with.

[dougster]

I just spoke with Night Owl this morning and he said he had a couple of 225 62Gr. FN (MX3-22-EX) 5 cav on the shelf that were not listed on the eshop site. It didn't take any arm twisting for him to make the sale. I'm just too impatient. I really like the looks of the HM² 223 62gr molds, 225-62-1, 6 cav though. If he hadn't had those on the shelf, I'd probably have put my name on that second build. I wouldn't mind trading some NOE 62gr for some HM2 62gr. What's a PM?

Doug

[grampa243]

A PM is a private message. kinda like an email. you click on the username it will be an option.

let me know when you get the noe mold running i'll trade you some.

[dougster]

Sound good!

[SwedeNelson]

dougster

PM sent

Swede Nelson

[oldandslow]

doug, 7/26/13

I just posted a similar reply to Jon regarding similar issues. I cast .223/556 for my LMT CQB 1:7 twist AR using the NOE mold 70 grainers. I use 23 grains of 4064 and get 2200 ft/second. I'm not happy with the cycling with the full power buffer spring- I'm getting about 2% failure to feeds with the breech over the base of the new cartridge. I've put in a reduced power buffer spring and need to retest.

The other problem I've had is that the unsupported nose of the 70 grainer is twisting off the base when firing. I'm getting two neat holes in my boolit recovery media (soaked paperback books) placed ten feet from the rifle after firing one shot. When I recover the base the nose is twisted off just forward of the driving bands. This is with water dropped (both 70 degree and ice-water dropped) alloy with 2.2% antimony, 0.4% tin and the rest being lead. I'm experimenting with similar problems with a long-nosed 30-06 boolit (see other thread in this section- Copper/antimony/tin/lead alloy results-). Adding tin has helped a little as has adding copper. I have another test tomorrow with a higher percentage alloy. So if I had any advice it's to buy a mold without a lot of nose forward of the forward-most driving band. Good luck.

best wishes- oldandslow

[dougster]

Well, I got myself an NOE RCBS 225-055 GC that is dropping 61 grainers(63GCed and lubed) with my WW lead. I cast up about 500 the other night and now I tested the first batch with some IMR 4895. I started with 4 each at 18, 19,20 and 21 grains. Here is my 25 yard off hand groups. 2 of the 18s were FF and only kicked the brass out a couple of feet. The rest all cycled well and kicked out 3-5 feet. I'm shooting a new MP15 Sport with 1/8 twist.

Next I'll go out and shoot some groups at 100 and see what looks good.

77954779557795677957

[dougster]

Well, 100 yard test did not go so well. I had a hard time hitting the paper. 10 rounds at 19 grains, 10 at 20 grains and 10 at 21 grains. I found 10 hits and they were all supposed to be centered on the target on the right! What could cause such inaccurate shots? No wind at all that day. Pretty discouraging. Any thoughts?

78171

I shot some 556 Federal 55 grain at the target above to make sure the scope was not broken. 2 groups of 4. Pretty good for a bipod and my shoulder.

78172

Problem appears to be my reloads.

[w30wcf]

dougster,
1.) Is the bullet bore riding nose portion a snug fit in the muzzle? If not, the bullet is likely yawing a bit in the barrel which = inaccuracy.
2.) Is the alloy hard enough for the velocity?
3.) Is the bullet being sized off center (typical if the lubrisizer is slightly out of alignment)
4.) Are you preseating the gas checks and are they crimped firmly onto the base?
5.) Are you expanding the case mouths?

Several years ago I tried shooting cast in my .22-250. I used the NEI 55 gr GC made from Linotype.
It has .225" driving bands and a .220" diameter nose.
http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/224-55-gc.jpg
I found success with 23 / 4198 - 3,000+ f.p.s. and 1 1/4" groups at 100 yards.

I have a dozen or so bullets left and could send them to you if you want to try them.

w30wcf

[dougster]

1.) Is the bullet bore riding nose portion a snug fit in the muzzle? If not, the bullet is likely yawing a bit in the barrel which = inaccuracy.

Not sure I understand question 1.

2.) Is the alloy hard enough for the velocity?

I'm water dropping WWs. Don't have a hardness tester.

3.) Is the bullet being sized off center (typical if the lubrisizer is slightly out of alignment)
I'm using a .225 Lee sizing die.

4.) Are you preseating the gas checks and are they crimped firmly onto the base?
I pre-seat but i was not too careful and some were half on half off and the sizer looked like it pushed them on square. Some clicked on by hand and others were wedged on before sizing.

5.) Are you expanding the case mouths?

I was on the second reload of these 30 rounds.

The first reload I unloaded them to downsize the loads. The first reload had about half that had sheared off pieces of the edge of the GCs. I reused those bullets. Probably a bad idea after seeing these results.

I guess I just became complacent after casting and reloading 9mm for so long and not being that picky with it.

I'm not looking for 2" groups at 100. I'm looking for pie plate at 100.

Doug

[snuffy]

1.) Is the bullet bore riding nose portion a snug fit in the muzzle? If not, the bullet is likely yawing a bit in the barrel which = inaccuracy.

Not sure I understand question 1. Doug, what 30Wcf is saying is the portion of the boolit in front of the driving bands is the bore rider portion of the boolit. It should be a slip fit in your barrel. Test this by trying to push it into the muzzle up to the front driving band,(driving band is what engages the rifling.) It should be a snug fir, it may engrave just a little, that's okay

2.) Is the alloy hard enough for the velocity?

I'm water dropping WWs. Don't have a hardness tester.Are you using that 10% tin? That's W---A---Y too much tin, more than 2% is wasted. And you need some antimony with the WW, the .223 boolits should be pretty hard. Best way to get antimony is printers lead called linotype. Another way is rotometals super hard alloy, 30% antimony-70% lead.http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/30_antimony_70_lead.htm


3.) Is the bullet being sized off center (typical if the lubrisizer is slightly out of alignment)
I'm using a .225 Lee sizing die.

4.) Are you preseating the gas checks and are they crimped firmly onto the base?
I pre-seat but i was not too careful and some were half on half off and the sizer looked like it pushed them on square. Some clicked on by hand and others were wedged on before sizing.

5.) Are you expanding the case mouths?
What this means is did you put a flare on the mouth of the case? Since you already load pistol rounds, you know about the belling of the case mouth to allow the boolit to enter without shaving lead. You also need to do that with rifle brass.
I was on the second reload of these 30 rounds.

The first reload I unloaded them to downsize the loads. The first reload had about half that had sheared off pieces of the edge of the GCs. I reused those bullets. Probably a bad idea after seeing these results. Yeah, any damage to the bases of the boolits would be one reason for the terrible groups.

I guess I just became complacent after casting and reloading 9mm for so long and not being that picky with it.

I'm not looking for 2" groups at 100. I'm looking for pie plate at 100.

Doug

Where in Wisconsin? If fairly close to the fax valley, I could drop by to take a look-see of your operation. I'd be glad to help if I can.

[donald duck]

I cast the 225415 and can send you a few to try. e-mail me your address. dworley790@gmail.com

[Pakprotector]

[I]1.)



I'm not looking for 2" groups at 100. I'm looking for pie plate at 100.

Doug


Dooood! Raise your bar a bit higher. I am playing with pneumatics, and 1" at a hundred yards is possible...:) I am also going to be casting .224 boolits for the next build on a Marauder chassis, and am hoping for more like 3/4" at a hundred. From the folks who are good at that sort of thing, a very near perfect casting, and careful weight sorting is required. shooting squirrels at that distance is one of the things I am going to put this rifle to doing.
cheers,
Douglas

[dudel]

Might try shooting from a rest. At this point, you're trying to test the boolits; not your shooting form. Once you get groups from the rest, you'll have a better idea of what the round is capable of.