Which caliber to NEVER cast for...

[missionary5155]

Good afternnon.... Have you ever encountered a caliber you would have to say.. STAY CLEAR of THIS ONE using cast boolits ? I got to thinking and looking through the NRA Fact Book. In the rear is a section called Nominal Cartridge Dimensions. I use this often when researching dimensions and adaptability of cases to another caliber or listed boolit diameters. So looking through it I got to wondering if anyone of those near 200 cartriges would be that "one to STAY AWAY FROM" if cast boolits was to be fired. So far I have shot cast out of every firearm I own... one way or another and they shot well enough.
So are there any calibers out there you have suffered with to no avail ? :(

[Blammer]

270 sumthin/anything :)

'cause 30 cal trumps it easy.

[sundog]

7mm Rem Mag. Way short neck, way big boiler room. However, I have successfully shot cast with one, certainly not to the full potential of that cartridge though with jacketed bullets. I now consider that time better spent on things more friendly.

[dk17hmr]

Everything I use cast bullets is shoots well enough for the use of the firearm. I will say that casting smaller calibers 22 and 25 arent always the funnest thing to do, but my 22 cast bullets shoot very well in our hornets and my 223. I havent shot any of my "new" 25 ACP mold so I dont know how they do yet.

[felix]

Any case that is too small for the bore is just as bad as one too large for the bore. The problem boils down to the ignition characteristics, like way too much or way too little. Ignition here means about the same effect the automatic choke circuit has on supplying gas. Too much "boost" goes into the actual intended combustion when the case is too small. Can't get the primer action small enough! ... felix

[Pepe Ray]

As a general principal I believe that WITH TODAYS TECHNOWLEGY no chambering is beyond the scope of cast boolets. Whether it's FUN or not depends on your interests and attitudes. One aspect of it is 'Do you like the challenge?'
If challenge is not your thing, we have left" Purpose". Hunting ,target, or other specific goals.
I have only one particular aversion that I'd avoid , only for lack of interest. The 7.35 Italian. Not because it couldn't be done but who cares?
Obviously someone does and I apologize to him, whoever he may be.
Ramblings of an old man.
Pepe Ray

[NHlever]

Oddly, though others have had great success with them, I never had much luck with the 6.5x55, or similar calibers. I found the very long bullets hard to size without bending, and the fast twist combined with long throats a challenge.

[NSP64]

I think everone should avoid the 44 spec/mag caliber.

[NSP64]

Feel free to send your now useless 44 molds to me:drinks:


P.S. I will be paying scrap iron rates.

[Heavy lead]

I would never cast arrows, I think they would be way to heavy, and it would be too hard to put a broadhead on.:roll:
Also I couldn't imagine casting a tiny teeny 17 caliber either.:mrgreen:

[JeffinNZ]

I would suggest anything overbore with a short neck. For example .264 mag.

[PatMarlin]

300 Winchester Magnum

[shotman]

I will go with the 17 rem and 7mm mag. I shot about 20 in the 7mm mag and loaded to where they hit the ground 50 ft to where ever IT went I never got a paper hit. the 300win was ok with a 220 + cast

[357maximum]

I personbally would shy away from anything with an uber short neck, and possibly the .14 flea, but I got fat finners.:-D

[S.R.Custom]

Avoid anything of .22 caliber like the plague... ;)

[yondering]

22 rimfire [smilie=1:

One caliber I have no intention of casting for is the 6mm Rem. Mine is the AI version to boot, with a long heavy barrel, and throws 70gr varmint bullets out at 3900 fps. Kind of a whole different world from cast boolits, and I can't imagine even getting a paper patched boolit going those velocities.

The .17 calibers sound hard to cast for too.

[mooman76]

105mm!

[Newtire]

22 rimfire [smilie=1:

One caliber I have no intention of casting for is the 6mm Rem. Mine is the AI version to boot, with a long heavy barrel, and throws 70gr varmint bullets out at 3900 fps. Kind of a whole different world from cast boolits, and I can't imagine even getting a paper patched boolit going those velocities.

The .17 calibers sound hard to cast for too.

Hi Yondering,

I have a .257 AI (which is just about like a larger bore version of the 6mm). I also have a .243 Winchester regular edition. Cast boolits shoot great out of both rifles but using alot less push behind them.

[ktw]

270 sumthin/anything :)

'cause 30 cal trumps it easy.

I don't understand this because I've had just as good results from the 270 Win as I have from my 30's.

I try to shy away from any cartridge with a really short neck.

-ktw

[1Shirt]

If it has a trigger and is .224 or above, it is worth a try. Don't like the short necked belted mags, but after screwing around with them, have had reasonable sucess. If you play with a ctg long enough and do it for the love of the try, you can probably find something that will go down the tube with reasonable accuracy.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[kir_kenix]

.17-50bmg ackley...

Seriously tho, I think just about any cartridge could be decent with cast if enough time and energy were spent with it. I have had some trouble getting a fast twist (1/8) 22-250 ai. I got it shooting with some satisfaction (3-3.5 moa), but it was alot of work and I have since traded it off. I wouldn't mind giving .25 acp and .17 a try sometime if the molds were cheap...

It's all about how much energy one would want to put forth. I don't think I would mess with anything in .277, just for personal reasons and the assortment of guns I already have. There is nothing wrong with the .270's, and I'm sure I could get one to shoot OK with cast, but its not something that interests me.

[missionary5155]

[QUOTE=mooman76;450850]105mm![/QUOT

Is this in general or just AP ? [smilie=1:
You were a Red Leg ? I was the Tread head version M60A1

[Ricochet]

Dunno about the .300 Winchester Magnum, but I have a .300 Weatherby that shoots cast very well. What's kept me from doing more of it is the major scope realignment needed when switching between 2000-2200 FPS cast loads and full powered jacketed loads. I'm talking about to get the thing hitting on paper at 100 yards, not an inch or two. I believe these heavier cartridges move the rifle noticeably with recoil while the bullet's in the barrel, like a pistol. I know it takes a fair amount of realignment from bore sighting to get it hitting on point of aim.

[44mag1]

The 6.5x55 and 264 mag have been mentioned but I have had great success with both as long as they arent pushed too hard. If all the calibers were easy to cast,load,and shoot Id probably find a different hobby.

[felix]

No problem with that scope movement. Mark (to save) setting for full power load. Shoot one lead-boolit shot at 25-30 yards at a small target. Hold the gun VERY STILL on the same spot. Let your sidekick adjust cross hairs to exactly print over the BOOLIT hole without ever moving the gun. Depending how good you were when holding the gun absolutely still throughout the scope movement, AND, how good your scope is considering backlash, you will be sighted in perfectly. ... felix

[SWIAFB]

Asperly Aimless, if you could find any two with the same bore diameter. 2nd on the list would be a .17, it's hard enough trying to put checks on 22's.

[HangFireW8]

Dunno about the .300 Winchester Magnum, but I have a .300 Weatherby that shoots cast very well. What's kept me from doing more of it is the major scope realignment needed when switching between 2000-2200 FPS cast loads and full powered jacketed loads. I'm talking about to get the thing hitting on paper at 100 yards, not an inch or two. I believe these heavier cartridges move the rifle noticeably with recoil while the bullet's in the barrel, like a pistol. I know it takes a fair amount of realignment from bore sighting to get it hitting on point of aim.

I found the solution to this. Got 20MOA mounts, as used by long range shooters. This puts 20MOA of the scope's upper range vertical adjustment down into the lower range, where it does some good.

Resettable and external target knobs are also a plus, as found on long range scopes. Just be careful to keep the scope mechanically centered- the more windage is cranked in internally, the more vertical adjustment is lost. That is because the movement of the erector tube is constrained by a circular object (the scope body), and the more you move to one side of the circle, the less up/down you have left before you hit the curving roof.

-HF