Which caliber to get with cast in mind?

[jonk]

Been thinking of getting a Savage BVSS model 12 of late.

I like the idea of a .308 as it is an easy proposition with cast lead. Mind you a buddy of mine is giving me grief saying shooting cast lead out of a nice new gun like that is like putting regular unleaded in a fararri.... but even so.

On the other hand I don't have a .223 and wouldn't mind one.

There are pros and cons for both. A .223 is cheaper to shoot jacketed out of for longer ranges (over 300 yards) where a .30 cal cast starts to fall off. On the other hand loading a good cast .223 load is a bit more challenging (so I've been told?).

A .308 will be (probably) easier to work up a good cast load, but if I decide to shoot jacketed will be more expensive.

I have .308 dies, but not .223. I have plenty of brass for both.

What would you say?

[felix]

If cast is your goal, go for a 35 bore hands down. ... felix

[DLCTEX]

I would suggest starting casting for the larger caliber as it is easier to get it to work but the 223 is not that hard to make work . The smaller boolits are more challanging to get the gas checks on, it'll wear your fingers out, and yes you'll need gas checks for satisfaction with 223. When you get it shooting good you can have the satisfaction of showing your buddy how well it shoots and how economical it is. What is really satisfying is to out shoot his factory loads. Several of my friends are interested in casting now that I have demonstrated that it gives good accuracy with little or no leading. Some had tried commercial cast bullets with hard lube and loaded to jacketed velocities and had terrible leading.

[jonk]

35 bore? Can you elaborate more?

They make it in 223, 22-250, 204, and 308. I think they used to make it in 338 or some such as well.

I'm not going to have it rebarreled to 35 once I get it.

[JSnover]

Since you already have the dies why not stick with the .308?

[JSnover]

buddy of mine is giving me grief saying shooting cast lead out of a nice new gun like that is like putting regular unleaded in a fararri....

Tell him a cast boolit in .308 can do almost anything you need it to do and it's easier on your bore if you load within reason.

[Doc Highwall]

Show him this picture of a five shot group at 100 yards with a .308Win with cast boolits.

[JeffinNZ]

The .308's get a good showing in the Cast Bullet Assc. production class results.

[winelover]

35 bore? Can you elaborate more?

They make it in 223, 22-250, 204, and 308. I think they used to make it in 338 or some such as well.

I'm not going to have it rebarreled to 35 once I get it.


What I believe, Felix, is saying is that if you intend to hunt medium (deer) sized game go with 35 cal because cast bullet expansion is somewhat iffy proposition.

Winelover:castmine:

[Pat I.]

If it's going to be predominantly for cast get the 308. If it's going to be used for a lot of varmints and cast get the 223. The BVSS is a target/varmint gun so don't worry about deer hunting with it unless the thought of lugging around an almost 12 lb gun with a 26 inch barrel thrills you. For an occasional woodchuck or two the .308 will be easy on the shoulder and the wallet but for a day of prairie dog shooting I'd stick with the small bores.

You also have the option with the Savage of picking one caliber now and down the road picking up a barrel and bolt head for the other. It's easy to change both.

[mpmarty]

Agree on larger diameter cartridge for cast boolit fun. Buddy of mine has a Browning Lever Action in 358 Winchester and shooting pistol boolits is a great deal of fun. I tend to prefer my 45/70 as a lead slinger with 350gr flat nose boolits. Them little bitty 22 caliber projectiles just don't interest me.

[mooman76]

You have a lot of options for cast bullets in 30 cal.

[missionary5155]

Good evening
Seeing as the choice is only .30 or .22 ... A big hole is always better. A well placed cast 220 grain caliber .30 boolit will kill all critters in North America. .22 is for small rodents... not serious hunting of large mean critters.
BUT if I was going to shoot lead at critters seriously I prefer a .38 with a long piece of brass behind it. Like a 38-55.

[jonk]

To be clear, I won't be hunting with it. Just punching paper. I just like the looks of the gun and the accutrigger vs similar offerings from Remington, Howa, etc.

I probably will go with the .308, but neither will be coming for a bit....am saving for this one. $100/pay check. Am up to $300, this will take into the spring at least.

[Blammer]

get the 30, much more options out there for cast boolits. It will easily be a very accurate gun.

and cheap to shoot too.

With the velocity you'll be looking at, a heavier bullet will work better for long range shots.

[Bret4207]

Yeah, the 308 is the better choice. If they made it in 35 Whelen or 358 Win that would be my choice, but 308 will do. The 22's are...well, they can be a real bear to work with. Leetle teeny tiny gas checks, have to use a magnifier to look for fillout and flaws, etc. OTH, a pot of lead lasts till doomsday, but shooting a 223 at 1650 is about the same as shooting a 308 at 1650 as far as your friends Ferrari comment. Maybe he'll foot the bill for a nice CPA 44 Stevens in 28-30 or 32-40? If not, tell him to shaddup and get him busy tracking down WW for you.

[Johnw...ski]

If cast is your goal, go for a 35 bore hands down. ... felix

I agree with felix.

[303Guy]

... a buddy of mine is giving me grief saying shooting cast lead out of a nice new gun like that is like putting regular unleaded in a fararri....Your buddy got it wrong! Putting cast through a new gun is like driving your new fararri on a Sunday cruise. Putting J-words through your new gun is like taking your fararri onto the race track!

Ummmm..... does your buddy actually have a fararri?:mrgreen: Just kidding!:kidding:

I would like to suggest trying paper patching but some folks are getting phenomenal accuracy with cast - have a look at the magic 30-30 thread.

I've been experimenting with 311 cal, 25 cal and 22 cal casting (and paper patching). If my opinion counts for anything, I would suggest forgetting the 22 cals. (Unlest you are some sort of sado massachist! :mrgreen:) Let me put it this way, I need tweezers just to pick the 22's up!:rolleyes:

On the other hand, a 30 cal is quite managable and easy enough to cast and uses enough lead to justify actually finding the stuff (and keeps the lead in your pot fresh without breaking the bank [smilie=1:).