Little help for my first rifle (AR-15) cast project

[just_shooter]

Hi, guys!
I need your help. I've been casting and reloading and have a lot of experience with pistol bullets, but now I start cast rifle ones. Especially .223 for my new AR-15 (my first rifle ever).I'm trying to gather all the equipment I need, and only thing I have no idea what to do is the mold. I found a nice ones at NOE website, but please help me which type to choose - with gas check groove, or without. I would like to keep low cost, so I'm gonna make my own gas checks. If I can use soda cans for GC that will be great and will be cheaper ofcourse.
So here are the questions:
1. Are soda can GC good enough to prevent leading?
2. If I make GC out of soda cans will they stay firmly on the boolits without CG grooves?
3. I suppose soda can GC can not be put on boolits with GC grooves, because they are too thin. Am I right?
4. If I use mold with GC grooves what thickness must be the aluminum/copper sheets, so they stay firmly?
5. Which GC tool to choose - FreeChex III or Checkmaker from Pat Marlin (easy to work with, delivery time, etc.)?

Appreciate your help.
Simon.

[ipijohn]

You really need to determine what you are going to do and ask some questions with dimensions, boolit weight, velocity wanted, boolit design, lube you plan on using, alloy etc.

[bruce drake]

Continue to look through the forum on information regarding using cast .223 bullets. There is a mold maker in Slovenia that makes quality molds and you will probably escape the shipping costs from the USA. Search for MiHec Molds on the forum and you'll see he has several .223 caliber mold sizes for sale.

Regarding Gaschecks, there is a fellow on the forum called Blammer that sells gas-checks at a great price as well.

Bruce

[just_shooter]

The mold maker doesn't bother me neither shipping costs. The alloy will be with 15-16 BHP. I like to keep things simple so I was thinking about Lee Liquid Alox as coating. For my handgun bullets I use PC and MCC and of course I could use these methods as well. The main concern that I have is about cas checks. If GC made of soda cans will do the job I would use them, but will they stay firmly on bullets without gas check grouve on the bottom?

Edit: Since my barrel is with 1:9 twist I guess I will cast 60 or 62 gr. bullets.

[dragon813gt]

Soda can checks are for plain base bullets. The material is not thick enough for a gas check design bullet. If you wan to make your own buy your Aluminium from Yonky at www.coilandfoil.com
If this is your first foray into rifle reloading you are in for a world of pain. 22 caliber is finicky to begin w/ and you're throwing in a semiauto action on top of it. Be prepared for quite a bit of work to get it all to work right.

[just_shooter]

Soda can checks are for plain base bullets. The material is not thick enough for a gas check design bullet.

I know that, but I don't know if these soda can GCs will do the job to prevent leading or material must be thicker for .223?

[dragon813gt]

I know that, but I don't know if these soda can GCs will do the job to prevent leading or material must be thicker for .223?

I answered your question. It's the wrong material. It's not going to fit the gas check shank so they won't work. You need thicker aluminium.

[jayjay1]

1:9 twist seems to be a Schmeisser?

I´m in here, to see how this goes.
Thought, that cast boolits won´t work in an AR, because they get damaged by feeding and might lose some lead when passing the gas hole.

MP molds is a great adress for custom made molds, I have four pieces of art from Miha, and shipping costs, for being settled in Europe, are very low.

[just_shooter]

Thank you, dragon813gt.
But I guess I can't explain the things correctly. I don't have bullet mold yet, so I consider if I buy plain base mold, will soda can GCs stay firmly or will be loose, and will they do the job to prevent leading for .223 (in combination with Lee Liquide Allox)?

[beezapilot]

For what it is worth- I've read some negative reports of cast in AR platforms, problems with gas ports and the like, but do not know for sure as I've not crossed that bridge- I cast for a bolt action .223 that has become my "plinkin' devil" and use gas checks- although at the velocity that I load for they are not required.

[just_shooter]

[QUOTE=jayjay1;3020950]1:9 twist seems to be a Schmeisser?/QUOTE]

Mossberg MMR

[dragon813gt]

Most of the reports are false claims. It does require more work but you can shoot cast in your AR w/ no issues. There is one particular forum where everyone likes to say you can't shoot cast period.

As far as PB gas checks I don't know the answer because I don't use them. Most of the molds available are gas check designs.

[xacex]

For what it is worth- I've read some negative reports of cast in AR platforms, problems with gas ports and the like, but do not know for sure as I've not crossed that bridge- I cast for a bolt action .223 that has become my "plinkin' devil" and use gas checks- although at the velocity that I load for they are not required.

Pure horse pucky! Tell that to the AR rifles in the stable that have eaten thousands already. In fact, added another couple of hundred rounds of cast through two 300 Blackout's yesterday. No gas port blockage, no leading, nothing blew up, or stopped working.

[Forgetful]

.22 GCs are very inexpensive, something like $30 for 1000. $0.03 per GC. If you want to eliminate that overhead cost, try paper patching. In many ways, paper is superior to GC.

[just_shooter]

Pure horse pucky! Tell that to the AR rifles in the stable that have eaten thousands already. In fact, added another couple of hundred rounds of cast through two 300 Blackout's yesterday. No gas port blockage, no leading, nothing blew up, or stopped working.

Sounds encouraging. I almost got a long face. Could you give a recipe to success? Hardness, lube, GC, etc.

[beezapilot]

I'm with you Just Shooter- I was just reading those dastardly worry warts that wrote the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. As a novice reloading .223's I'm willing to try cast in an AR- Whats the secret to success?????

[just_shooter]

.22 GCs are very inexpensive, something like $30 for 1000. $0.03 per GC. If you want to eliminate that overhead cost, try paper patching. In many ways, paper is superior to GC.

I've never heard of paper patching. Would you be so kind to give me more details about that? How to do it?

Edit: Found some clips on YouTube. Will try this, definitely.

[MaryB]

I know the forum that hates boolits in an AR and that is what its name starts with... I have tried it, not 100% yet but I also haven't had enough time at the range for testing.

[bruce drake]

I shoot my Mihec 69gr sized at .225 with Hornady Gas Checks in both a 1-9" 223 Rem chambered AR15 and a 1-7" 5.56 with 23.5gr of IMR 4831 at 2200fps and 3" groups with iron sights at 100 yards
I shoot my LEE Bator 55gr mold sized at .225 with Hornady Gas Checks in my 1-9" 223 Rem chambered AR15 with 20gr of IMR 4895 at 2100fps with the same 3" groups at 100 yards.

The bullets are lubed with White Labels Lube's BAC Lube

Each upper is barreled with 20" barrels and use rifle length gas tubes and buffers.

I shoot NRA reduced course high-power matches with these loads and they are sufficient to stay within the black scoring rings at 100 and 200 yards.

Do these load recipes help?

Bruce

[jayjay1]

@excess:
Those boolits do have a GC, right?
Which GC´s are you using?

@excess and Bruce.
I always thought, that the boolits will get damaged in the cycling operation in an AR, that´s why I never thought about trying it.

Would you tell us, which alloy you are using and how hard that is?


Thanks for you infos so far!