223 rem cast bullet

[frkelly74]

Hello, I might as well step up and say something finally. I have been reading some interesting comments on here and have enjoyed and learned quite a bit. It seems that casting can be as technical or as simple as you want to make it. I tend toward the simple, actually the cheap and dirty side of things and make no apology for it, I have been active and comfortable on ammobrasstraders and surplusrifleforum for some time now and think I can be at home here too if no one objects too much.
So my experience today.... Years ago I bought a 225 lyman mold that casts a roughly 55 gr round nose bullet that takes a gas check. then I melted down some scrap and wheel weights and cast up a few of these bullets and acquired some gas checks pretty cheap on eBay when it was still a reasonably good place to do business. I intended to shoot them in a hornet NEF barrel but just did not find the miniscule components fun to work with. Plus it was a slow twist barrel that did not like 50 gr or heavier projectiles. so I got rid of it . But I still had all those bullets. So gradually it came to that I should put them in 223 cases and try them in the old AR, which I did. 55 gr bullet with gas check sized 225 in a lee sizer and tumble lubed loaded over 9 gr Herco. All shots accounted for at 50 feet, all holes round, a good tendency toward wanting to group well. No tendency to operate the the bolt ( so no lost brass) . The bore was left quite clean and shiny . Over all I count it as a success.

[legend]

i am glad you stopped in,and you might not want to leave.

i learn something new here every day,and,i have cast since 1970.

i am interested in cast .223 also,but my mold is the 55 gr flat point,i think its the 225415.i have a 700bdl in .223,and hope to find time this summer to load/play with it.

keep us posted on your success,and failures also,i bet others would be interested in pictures of targets also.

i believe you might have found another home.

[NHlever]

For quiet, but accurate loads at something just higher than 22WMR velocities I like both 9 grains of 2400, and 6 grains of Titegroup behind the "new" Lyman 225415. So far I have been getting 5 shot groups just over an inch at 100 yards on calm days. I didn't have the chronograph out this past winter, but although the velocities of both loads should be about the same, the 6 grain Titegroup load prints 2 1/2" higher at that range.

[Calamity Jake]

Hello, I might as well step up and say something finally. I have been reading some interesting comments on here and have enjoyed and learned quite a bit. It seems that casting can be as technical or as simple as you want to make it. I tend toward the simple, actually the cheap and dirty side of things and make no apology for it, I have been active and comfortable on ammobrasstraders and surplusrifleforum for some time now and think I can be at home here too if no one objects too much.
So my experience today.... Years ago I bought a 225 lyman mold that casts a roughly 55 gr round nose bullet that takes a gas check. then I melted down some scrap and wheel weights and cast up a few of these bullets and acquired some gas checks pretty cheap on eBay when it was still a reasonably good place to do business. I intended to shoot them in a hornet NEF barrel but just did not find the miniscule components fun to work with. Plus it was a slow twist barrel that did not like 50 gr or heavier projectiles. so I got rid of it . But I still had all those bullets. So gradually it came to that I should put them in 223 cases and try them in the old AR, which I did. 55 gr bullet with gas check sized 225 in a lee sizer and tumble lubed loaded over 9 gr Herco. All shots accounted for at 50 feet, all holes round, a good tendency toward wanting to group well. No tendency to operate the the bolt ( so no lost brass) . The bore was left quite clean and shiny . Over all I count it as a success.

For a load that will cycle your AR with your boolit try 17.0 of AA 2015. You will have to use a better lube as that LLA won't cut it.

[frkelly74]

Thank you for the responses gentlemen, I have some 2400 sitting around but I have a lot more old Herco that I want to use up. It was a pony size drum with a price tag of $10.99 on it. It has given me good results with cast in 30/30 and 8mm mauser and i have started playing with some 6.5 roberts and swede loads which are showing some promise. In the future I will try some slower powders and see if I can get the AR to run but for now I am happy with it as a straight pull BA. And you don't loose brass.