too much trouble?

[troy_mclure]

im thinking of casting a .224 35ish gr gas check boolit for 5.7x28.

i dont have a lube sizer, so i would pan lube.

jacketed bullets of the same weight range are $.08 each, so its not like they are expensive.

would you still try casting for it, or just buy jacketed?

[Buckshot]

...............I dunno if I'd cast for it or not if I had to pan lube. Also an offset is that a GC itself is going to cost about 1/3 what a jacketed slug does. That combined with having to hand seat the GC on such a tiny boolit seems to be a bit much. Now if you DIDN'T have to pan lube ..................., well..

However I've cast for my 223 Varmint rifle and found it great fun, very rewarding and worthwhile.

..........Buckshot

[Bret4207]

I would develop a cast load, if for no other reason than to say I did it. If you are a "blaster" type guy that loves to go out and make piles of brass...maybe the jacketed stuff is easier. If you are a stubborn, cheap kinda guy then you'll build a cast load that you know will work if the supply of jacketed becomes too dear.

[Wayne Smith]

Lets get a few specifics. What velocity are you imagining? At what pressure? What's the twist? That tells you a lot about what you need to do in terms or FB or GC and alloy.

With that information there are a number of guys here who can guide you.

[HORNET]

Lyman/Ideal 225107, maybe? You don't have much case neck to work with. I don't know if you can get enough case neck tension to hold it in place during feeding or if you've got enough throat for it to work. That mold's getting pretty hard to find, as well, and would definitely not be fun to pan lube.

[XWrench3]

i personally just run "J" bullets through my 223 rem. 1) i do not shoot it all that much, so it would take quite a while to recoup the money for a mold and sizer. 2) i run the little thing pretty hard (3000+fps) and i really do not want to deal with trying to get that kind of velocity out of cast. i really do not think it would be feasable. 3) even if i could get that velocity out of cast, it would probably spin apart from the rpm of the little projectile. too much work, to little pay off for me.

[troy_mclure]

Lets get a few specifics. What velocity are you imagining? At what pressure? What's the twist? That tells you a lot about what you need to do in terms or FB or GC and alloy.

With that information there are a number of guys here who can guide you.

running between 2000fps and 2300fps depending on boolit weight.

its blowback design, 1 in 8.5 twist.

around 50,000psi.

[dragonrider]

Definately cast for it. Because if I don't cast it I don't shoot it. Lead is the reason I shoot, the reason I make barrels for my TCR 87, three so far with several others in the works. Its the reason I bought several mil-surps to clean up and shoot cast boolits in.

[leadman]

Three thousand is not all that hard to get in a 22 cal., acurracy is usually bwtter around 2,600 or so.
This is in a 22 K-Hornet or 223 Contender and the 45gr roundnose Lyman.

[1Shirt]

If you do it, would sure like to see the blt, and see your results.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[runfiverun]

you're gonna have to seat the gas checks anyways, why not lube at the same time.
i shoot my 223 bolt gun a lot more since i started casting for it.
but i would definately NOT try pan lubing a 22 boolit.
maybe dip lubing but no way would i have the patience for pan lubing those little boolits.
i think mother teresa would utter a few choice words the tenth time every boolit tipped over because the cat sneezed in the other room.

[troy_mclure]

ok, im now looking to order a lubesizer.,(still shopping around) if that changes anything.

would you guys go with a 2000fps 40gr boolit, or a 2300fps 35gr boolit, just going by ease of casting and loading.

any more ideas on moulds?

[Echo]

Those blasted little 35ish pills would be IMPOSSIBLE (or dang near) for my meathooks to handle! I am contemplating casting for my .223, but am holding back for the above reason. I have a bator, and a -415, but haven't got up the nerve to try.