Horrible accuracy from pure lead bullets

[gunslinger2017]

Hi guys, I am new too bullet casting. Let me tell you what I am expierencing

I am trying to make a extremely cheap plinking round for 308 and .223 and I am trying to do this out of pure lead, The reason is simple. I live in california and it is very hard too get bullet casting lead at a good price out here. That being said this is what is happening


I am using imr 700 x and unique powder, moderate loads. I started out at around 1400 fps using powder coated 170 grain bullets, Horrible accuracy Im talking cant hit paper at 50 yards.
same thing in the .223, however my 9mm are working well. I only loaded the 9mm too around 1000 fps so I am thinking I need too keep the velocities very low on the rifle rounds?


Any input would be appriciated

[Hickory]

You might have to bite the boolit (pun intended) and invest in some alloy. Rotometals has a good selection of alloys and I believe they are in your home state.
Click on above banner.

[rancher1913]

you need a harder lead alloy, soft will not work for those calibers worth a dang.

[bstone5]

In the 308 92-6-2 alloy with a home made gas check and powder coat shoots very well with Trail Boss. My grandson who is in the 4th grade shoots the 308 without too much recoil with the Trail Boss. A harder alloy with a gas check and powder coat is best for rifle bullets. At lower pressures the gas check may not be required. I install the gas check since I make the gas checks with a gas check maker I also make with my lathe.

[popper]

Get a couple ingots of super hard from Roto, add Bumpbo's alloy calculator from here. Mix 3-4% Sb to pure for 308, -1% for the 9mm.

[Bzcraig]

When I lived there (Clovis, left just last year) there was a recycler in Fresno I could buy coww from for $.035/lb. Check local recyclers to see if you can purchase.

[gunslinger2017]

DO yall think if i put them down in the 1000 fps range they will be decent? the 9mm I just did were great

[GrayTech]

Those fast powders are not friendly to soft bullets. Slower burning powder may give better accuracy at lower velocity.

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[dverna]

Isn't it astounding that the lowly .22 uses a soft lead bullet and shoots MOA at 1100 fps? Of course they do not use a cast bullet so that is a factor.

If harder alloy does not help, start checking your bullets. What is the weight variation? Do they look nearly perfect...no wrinkles, no voids, flat base, good fill out.

What are you sizing them to? About .002" over bore is a good place to start.

[gunslinger2017]

I am sizing the too .224 and the 308 ones to .309 they come out with powder coat smooth shiny with no defects. I have shot pure lead (with no accuracy through rifles mind you ) too 1800 fps and had no leading of my barrel. I could care less as the point of this is too have a good plinking round accurate out too about 50-100 yards only meant too punch holes in paper and kill soda cans. I just loaded some .223 with a 55 gr poder coated boolit and 3.5 grains of 700-x. I will let yall know how they do. I also loaded some to about 1k fps in the 308 as well.

at 5 cents a boolit I would love to get this too work

[blikseme300]

Check the S&S section on this board. I recommend you buy some ISO alloy as this is an economical way to get where you want to be.

I got mine from member Hammerlane and he offers this from time-to-time. PM him, he may have some available.

[popper]

The cost difference between your alloy and one that works is ~ $0.01 per boolit. Primer & powder add $0.06. so you're shooting a $0.09 boolit that isn't accurate vs a $0.10 boolit that should be? That assumes no GC @ $0.03. Doesn't make any sense to me. Might as well just use a pellet rifle.

[Smoke4320]

1400 FPS out of the 308 with pure pc'ed bullets is not out of the question
My muzzleloader is faster than that shooting pure
now the 223 "may" be a different story
Personally for me I have found the larger the bullet dia the easier it was for me to push softer alloy faster accurately

I would suggest bumping the size up to 225 or even 226 and 310 .. you might find this sizing will help you a lot
Drop down to 1000 FPS and slowing work up till accuracy fails

if you could mix 50/50 pure and COWW you should be able to get 1800-1900 fairly easily

FIT is STILL KING

[Jniedbalski]

I had used Lyman #2 what I had to ww alloy and ww cut in half with pure.i use sized to 312 in my savage axis 308. Some or most bullets where tight clambering so I sized to 311. They chamber fine at 311 and shoot good. 3.2 grains of bullseye for a light weight 100 grain bullet shoot very good. I have used up to 5 and 6 grains of bullseye with the lee 160 gr sks and molsen bullet with very good results

[MT Chambers]

I think that pure lead is best reserved for BP loads, at equal velocities pure lead seems to lead less with BP.

[Grmps]

I would try this (as previously mentioned)
bump up your bullet size 1 thou
get a slower powder
or harden your lead

1 # superhard ($18.29 for 5 # of nuggets)+ 18 # pure + 6 oz pewter will make a lot of bullets
Tin % Antimony % Arsenic % Copper % Silver % Lead % Weight Est. Hardness
2.06% 1.55% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 96.4% 19.4 10.6

[gunslinger2017]

But thats the thing, the powder coating removes all leading issues regardless of the velocity, Ill post my results with these extremely low pressure loads

[Smoke4320]

But PC will not overcome poor fitting bullets
With pure you need more "grip" to overcome stripping. PC helps some but increasing size helps more

[flyingrhino]

I'm shooting the Lee 311-155, sized 309, with gas check at 1900 fps, PC'd, without leading and holds sub MOA at 100 yards (300 blackout). This is BHN of about 10-11. I don't alloy any of my lead. This is stuff I've purchased from this forum. I'm shooting 220 subs, no GC, at 1000 fps without leading and getting excellent accuracy. I haven't tried any supers without GC yet.

[Dragonheart]

I would suggest first sizing down the bullets then build them out with .003"+ PC from the substraight. This will most likely require a double coat, so do a partial cure on the first coat. The thicker layer of coating should allow the bullet to resist spin up as the PC is harder and toughfer than lead. Since your rifling is approximately .004" deep the bullet will be riding on the PC. However, there are many more factors to consider as far as accuracy.