Shooting as cast?

[DirtyDusty]

I have lots of questions, so I hope I am putting them in the right forums. I have been reading up as much as possible before I start buying equipment. One thing I have nene unable to determine is, can you shoot a bullet as cast or do you have to size? I realize you have to lube, but if you need a .431 boolit can't you get a mould that casts that size and just lube it?

[Browningshooter]

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

This is a link to a book you should most definitely read. The answer to many many questions are within...

To answer directly.... Yes you can shoot an as cast boolit as long as it FITS your bore. Cast lube and shoot. LEE makes molds designed specifically for shooting as cast. Wether or not they are good molds is the source of endless debate. They are "tumble lube" designs and are meant to cast just over groove diameter for MOST barrels in the selected caliber. You will become familiar with the saying "boolit fit is king" around here. Enjoy your reading and don't hesitate to ask questions but be sure to do your " due diligence" first and search for the answers. ( not pointing fingers here I'm just sayin) Good luck!

[bangerjim]

You DO NOT need to sink a small fortune in a lubra-sizer press.

Lee sizing dies are only $18! That is nothing to spend to insure your finished boolit is on spec for your gun. Sizing catches any out-of-spec diameter slugs that may drop out of your mold. I use Lee molds all together and, even though many of the "knowledgables" on here say they are not good or accurate, I drop boolits that slip thru my sizing dies with little or no resistance!

I then electrostatic gun powder coat and bake every one so I do NOT need to mess with greasy lubes at all. No leading, no mess! By also sizing them AFTER PC'ing, I get boolits that are perfectly on spec....every time.


Do NOT use any lube on the 1st size if you plan to powder coat. The grease will prevent the powder from adhering well and will come off. And no......you will NOT lead your die, as some warn about! You cannot lead a smooth steel die by pushing a lead boolit thru it and <0.5 FPS. I have sized thousands of them that way.

bangerjim

[62chevy]

I don't size my boolits for my 45 acp. They do need to be .001 over bore size. if you haven't slugged your barrel you may want to do that.

Try this; http://62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm and do a search on hear.


EDIT: What bangerjim said should work well for you but I don't do any of that just tumble lube with 45/45/10 from white label.

[Piedmont]

I have lots of questions, so I hope I am putting them in the right forums. I have been reading up as much as possible before I start buying equipment. One thing I have nene unable to determine is, can you shoot a bullet as cast or do you have to size? I realize you have to lube, but if you need a .431 boolit can't you get a mould that casts that size and just lube it?

You can lube them with your finger or pan lube. The determiner of will it work, or not is will the loaded rounds chamber in your gun. It is possible to get some variations in your casting diameter from slight differences in mold closure and some from variations in heat. This can lead to not every round chambering. One nice thing about sizing them is they will all be the same diameter.

I've lubed many a bullet with my finger. It is a bit messy and slow, but works.

[oldandslow]

dd, 10/2/13

Whether you need to size a boolit depends on a number of factors.

First- it depends on how much oversize your mold drops your boolits. You should slug your barrel so you can figure out the optimum diameter needed for your boolit. I like mine to be 0.002" oversize for pistols. Then you need to measure the boolits dropped from your mold (measure a boolit from each cavity). If they are dropping in the 0.001-.002" oversize range then you should be good to go and can skip the sizing step and start lubing. The problems start when your boolits drop much too big or if the cavities drop different size boolits. I finally went to a semi-custom mold from Accurate Molds (www.accuratemolds.com) after messing with four different Lee molds. You can order a semi-custom mold to whatever diameter you want so you can skip the sizing step. One note- you need to measure your barrel slug and boolits with a micrometer and not a caliper to get accurate results.

For rifles I size each boolit and seat a gas check at the same time through a Lee push-through sizer (pretty cheap at less than $20). Since I need much more accuracy from my rifles I want each boolit to be consistent to get the best accuracy. With pistols I'm mainly shooting IPSC practical pistol matches so I don't need the MOA accuracy I need from hunting rifles. I've also got a Lyman 4500 lube-sizing machine but don't use it much. I prefer the push through sizers and pan-lubing. The 4500 was slower and messier than the push-through sizer and pan-lubing.

It's all a learning experience figuring out what works best for you. Good luck.

best wishes- oldandslow

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Its always better to slug your bore and measure the as-cast bullet diameter before you decide what you are going to do. If you can try using a bullet that is as-cast and it gives the best accuracy/grouping then it is pointless to size it unless you are interested in the lubing convenience afforded by a lubri-sizer. If you can successfully shoot an as-cast bullet then you can just pan lube, although that method is not the fastest game in town. Different guns like different things and some weapons prefer anything from no sizing to .001 to .003 over bore size. Measuring and experimenting are part of the quest...patience (sometimes a lot) is also required. Good shooting. LLS