Cast boolits for .223 AR

[rvpilot76]

Everyone is paying out the nose for dedicated .22LR uppers for their AR's, and I thought that if a fella could use a cast load in his AR that would cycle the action, and not have leading velocities, he could shoot a lot for the cost of a dedicated upper. Plus, the velocities would probably be much higher than any .22LR. Do you guys think that the gas system would get gunked up real bad if you shot cast? Just a thought. Would make for some cheap highpower practice ammo. Heck, if it shot good, you could use it at reduced ranges. Imagine the look on everyone's face when you tell them you beat them with cast boolits out of an AR!

Kevin

[bruce drake]

I think most AR shooters shy away from using cast lead in their rifles due to the open gas system. After awhile, people say the gas tube could become blocked with lead deposits which would require replacement of the tube.

As for me, my AR gets fed a diet of jacketed bullets because it is just affordable to shoot them as it is lead. I use cast lead in my other highpower rifles (A 8mm M48 Mauser (Any Rifle, Any Sights) and Isreali 7.62 NATO Mauser (my preferred Match Rifle), both with Redfield Rear sights) for my reduced course matches (200-300yds). Shooting lead at those ranges really requires you to know your windage adjustments some days. I push them out at around 2000fps with gaschecks and lots of lube and they are usually puttering in once they hit the target. My pullers have commented that it sounds like paper tearing versus the crack of a supersonic jacketed bullet.

Hope this helps the thinking on the 22cal 45gr pills for your AR.

Bruce

[StarMetal]

I have shot lead out of AR 15. In fact I was blazing them to see what they would do the gas system, well to the part of the gas system I could see. I found nothing except the greasy lube mixed with powder carbon, that's it. If the tube did get partly coated I feel shooting some high power jacketed loads would probably clean it out. A low velocity load such as you speak about may not lead spray coat anything. To further test I even used a kapok filler in some lead loads and again nothing of it was found in the visible gas system. I haven't tried it yet, but a 177 pellet gun cleaning kit might clean out that gas tube.

Joe

[Redleg99]

StarMetal: You are the first person I have ever heard of who actually tried this out.
I’m curious now, and I’d like to try this myself.
If you don’t mind, could you reveal the particulars of the bullet & lube, and what powder you used?

Thanks!

[carpetman]

Redleg99---My .223 is a bolt action,so there is no problem with the action,but I can not get any accuracy with cast bullets. Jacketed bullets do great. The cast bullets that wont shoot in it do fine in .222 and 22-250.

[StarMetal]

Actually I don't recommend shooting alot of cast in an AR15. I figured shooting a few now and then wouldn't hurt anything. I used the same powders as I do for jacketed in that rifle and that is 748 WW and H 335. I used the RCBS 55 gr that I got from Carpetman and some 70 grs from Bullshot to test. I was pretty much smoking most of them with jacketed loads for some testing as to what the fast 1 in 7 twist would do, especially the long 70 gr one as I wanted to see if the fast twist would make it bend the bullet, but it didn't. Although they weren't match grade groups let's say that I could hit a deer's kill zone at 100 yards with them. Even at the hight velocity I didn't get much leading and I attribute this to the chrome lined bore. I've found this type of bore to clean out easier then any other in the rifles that I have it in and some handguns. Like I said all I was in the gas piston and cylinder was just greasy lube and that was all, no lead shaving or wash. I don't know if prolong use of cast in an AR would plug that gas tube up or not. What's I'd like to do it get one of those coversions that converts the impindgement type gas system to the gas piston and rod system. Then I'd go ahead and shoot the devil out of it with cast.

I guess if you want to shoot cast I would shoot a hard alloy and keep the velocity down. That way I think you'd be pretty safe as far as plugging the gas tube up.

Joe

[Larry Gibson]

StarMetal: You are the first person I have ever heard of who actually tried this out.
I’m curious now, and I’d like to try this myself.
If you don’t mind, could you reveal the particulars of the bullet & lube, and what powder you used?

Thanks!


I'm not StarMetal but I first started shooting cast out of AR15s and Mini-14s some 20 years ago. I was not shooting them as StarMetal was but was looking for a load that would function the action reliably and provide reasonable accuracy at 100 yards - around 3 MOA. I was using ARs with 1-12" twist an an early Mini-14 with 1-10" twist. With Speer 52 HPs the AR would shoot an honest 1 1/2 MOA and the Mini would shoot 2 MOA.

I used a hard cast Lyman 225415 sized .225 with Hornady GC and Javalina lube. Two loads were found that functioned the actions reliably; 18 gr of H4895 and 18.5 gr of AA2230. Velocity for both was right at 1900 fps. Accuracy was 2 1/2 to 3 MOA with the AR and 4 MOA with the Mini (RPMs much higher with the Mini. With 16 gr of H4895 accuracy was very good in both but my notes show 3-5 failures to function with a 20 round mag.

I did not use a filler in any of these loads. My records show I shot 200 rounds of the H4895 load through each rifle in one day without cleaning and without any malfunctions. A little lube build up in the AR bolt's expansion chamber and in the Mini's slide but nothing serious. Both rifles, after minimal bore/chamber cleaning, functioned fine after shooting the cast bullets and then shooting M193 ball. I haven't done much cast bullet loading for quite a few years since I picked up one of the .22LR sub-caliber devices for the AR. However, the 16 gr of H4895 and a 1/2 gr tuft of Dacron is still a favorite for my M70 XTR .223 when shooting squirrels.

Larry Gibson

[waksupi]

Here's a couple loads that have worked in my M700 Remington.

27.5 gr. WC852, 2074 fps, .96" group
24 gr. BLC-2, 2" group
18.5 gr. 4895, 1.75"

Those are just some from a pile of targets I have close at hand. I have some more in my load book, I believe. But, these would get you started.

[PDshooter]

Yep my AR gets feed "Once pulled 62gr" from Hy-tech. .05 per bullet. Now my 03 Springfield get a #311 41 from lyman.......Straight W/W