Newbie here

[lunicy]

Do you need to drop castings into water? Where is the limit with lead with rifles? With or Without gas checks?

[mooman76]

That question cannot be answered simply. It has too many variables and you will get lots of different answers. It depends on the speeded fired, type of rifle, type of powder w/ or w/o gas checks how hard the lead(alloy) is,lube and so on. A good hard lead bullet with gas check and good lube can be fired up to around 2000 fps but some have claimed to go considerably beyond that.
W/O gas checks you can go up to around 1400fps.
You don't need to drop the bullets into water but that will help harden rather than add allot of alloy you may not have. This is also disputed by some.
Rifle cast is harder to do than pistol and get good results in the end because of the spped of bullet and length of travel through the barrel. I have had good success in pistols without much trouble but am only now after a couple years starting to get good but limited success in rifles. And by the way. Welcome to the board!

[testhop]

welcome to the board we mised you
ww for rifles yes???or maybe hand gun no it realey depends on what you are going to
shoot them in and how fast

[mag_01]

Welcome to the board --- This is where good information and good people abound


Mag_01

[jhalcott]

that is a PROPER name for a caster, welcome to the asylum!

[lunicy]

Well I have a ruger .45 acp, A taurus 9mm, S&W 38 spl, S&W 44 mag, Beretta .40, Glock 9mm, Tommy Gun (.45), AR-15 (.223/5.56), Mauser 7.65 mm, SKS 7.62x39, and soon a M-1 Garand (.30-06), Winchester 94 (.30-30), and maybe a Rem 700 (.30-06)
what can I shoot lead "boolits" in.

I assume the handguns are ok, I've already shot lead through them (although not my own) The rifles you guys might have to help me with. I dunno what may need gas checks, or what is just unfeasable. I am a reloader, just new to casting lead.

Thanks for the friendly welcome.

[No_1]

Welcome to the board. You can shoot lead in any / all of them. I use to ask the same question until someone reminded me that lead was all you got prior to the 1890's (back when EVERYTHING was lead).

R.

Well I have a ruger .45 acp, A taurus 9mm, S&W 38 spl, S&W 44 mag, Beretta .40, Glock 9mm, Tommy Gun (.45), AR-15 (.223/5.56), Mauser 7.65 mm, SKS 7.62x39, and soon a M-1 Garand (.30-06), Winchester 94 (.30-30), and maybe a Rem 700 (.30-06)
what can I shoot lead "boolits" in.

I assume the handguns are ok, I've already shot lead through them (although not my own) The rifles you guys might have to help me with. I dunno what may need gas checks, or what is just unfeasable. I am a reloader, just new to casting lead.

Thanks for the friendly welcome.

[mooman76]

The pistol calibers will be easyer so I would start with them and some rifles are a little more tempermental than others. It seems like rifles that tend to shoot a little slower like 30-30 are easier to get to shoot lead from. I have yet to hear of one that absolutely won't work but it may take a little patients and experamentation.

[floodgate]

Just to correct the record, I have reference (a reprint of Chapman's "The Improved American Rifle", touting the Frank Wesson M/L target rifles with their picket bullets) to the use of lead/tin/antimony alloys as of the late 1840s.

floodgate

[Jon K]

lunicy,

There is no simple answer to your question,.............but 1st WELCOME.............

Each gun is different, and each will tell you what it likes, what you can or can't do, and at what speed you need a gas check.

Pistols are not always simpler, in fact it may sometimes have you wanting to pull your hair out.

Rifles you have will also be a challenge, not all will be the same, and alloy, hardness, and gas checks will change the approach to how you want to shoot each.

But, the bottom line here is..........You've come to the right place, lots good folks with good info, for what you have. Experiment, experiment, experiment, log it all, and above all,
Have Fun Shooting.


Jon

:castmine::lovebooli

[Blammer]

welcome!

get a rifle in a pistol chambering then start pulling your hair out! :) Just kidding.

Yes you can shoot lead in all of them. Each rifle/pistol may take a "different" approach to make this work but can be done. Heck that's half the fun!

of the ones you say you have I'd choose your favorite one to start shooting Cast Boolits (CB) though first.

If that were my battery I'd start with the 30-30 as there are LOTS of guys here who load them and LOTS of boolits to choose and LOTS of info available.

[Thumbcocker]

I never water drop anything anymore. I get good accuracy with ww bullets up to 2000 fps but they fit the bore and have a good lube. In the origional cast bullet NRA book Colonel Harris indicated taht you could use gas checked bullets without the gas check in the .30-06 for light loads. He reccomended 311291 for this. In .30-40 pr .30-06 a ww 311291 over 7grns of red dot will cut one hole groups at 50 yards and stop a rouge soda can at longer distance. Ed Harris also wrote about similar laods. It works.

.30-30 is a great lead cartridge 7 grns of red dot is too much for it though. Try to find the Ed Harris article if you can.

Boolit fit, boolit fit, boolit fit. When in doubt go with a fat boolit.

[TAWILDCATT]

welcome:lead bullets are not that much trouble if your not looking for the most accurate load.if you are then you will have to work at it.I use lyman 311291=13 gr Red Dot in 30/06 in my gun its tack driver.I also load for 8mm mauser/8mm lebel
30/30/303/and as soon as my dies come in 7.65 x 53 argentine.I buy lee moulds tho I have others.I also load 6.5 and 7.7 jap.
:coffee::Fire:[smilie=1: