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Thread: Cast bullets in AR-15

  1. #41
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    80
    Father back in thread someone mentioned possibility of a burr as the gas port. Have built over 150 AR uppers and well over 70 complete ARs of which 1/3 of complete builds have been for myself and rest working for an 07 SOT. I chamber cast every personal barrel before assembly and inspect all barrels with a bore scope. Save the video plus still captures of every personal upper ever built. It is amazing how many barrels (especially under $300 tubes) will have a small burr or rough area where the gas port punches through the rifling. If building on a bargain barrel with such an issue (based on throat) if both throat and gas port are rough will run three and only three Tubbs fire lapping rounds down the tube then reinspect. Many barrels, especially 18" with rifle length gas, have to open ports and don't understand why done on my mill are always crisp but from factory can be rough. On all my hotrod ARs and bolt guns (204 Ruger, 22 Nosler, 6mm×6.8 etc in repeaters then 22-250 AI, 22 CHeetah and up through quarter bores, 7mm Practical and hot 30 calibers) keep my original chamber cast, recast every 1,000 rounds or less watching for pores to open up telling me it's time to lap throats. Same with the bore scope, can compare now to new and know if throat lapping to close open pores in steel is due.

    Any rough surface whether throat, rifling or port is going to pick up lead from a non jacketed bullet and copper foul if using jackets. Knowing when and if to lap and how can almost double barrel life in some cartridges. A nice smooth bore is a friend to cast boolits. Someone mentioned using cast in 6.8 spc II. Have over a dozen 6.8s and they don't like subsonic or cast as much as would like though some are acceptable. Have 10.5", 16" and 20" 1:7 fast twist 6.8 barrels for shooting subs (gave up on 6.8 for subsonic same as 5.56 and use 458 SOCOM) as the 1:7 tubes shoot Cavity Back 200 grain bullets well at subsonic speed but not much else. Give me a 400 to 600 grain 458 SOCOM cast boolit at 1,050 fps and can thump about anything I need to including wild hogs vewy, vewy qwietwy...

    Almost every cast boolit I shoot in rifles gets a gas check and being able to punch your own using scrap copper sheet or even aluminum soda cans is a money saver and gives that extra velocity to make everything work better. Commercial gas checks have gotten more expensive than I want to pay for a fully drawn jacket so I now punch my own in 224, 257, 308, 311/312 up into pistol sizes. I don't use aluminum unless know the alloy in nice barrels but most of us have a couple of factory OEM takeoffs or PSA bargain tubes we can abuse more. Spent a lot of time working on cast boolits in 308 during Sandy Hook and about the time began to see fruits of my efforts component bullets dropped so cheap again my time was worth more than making rifle bullets whether cast or swaged.

    Have a die to draw 22 LR cases into 5.56 jackets and get a decent 60 grain bullet but is not great on game except varmints. Have a die to draw my 22 Mag cases into 6mm jackets and currently have a five gallon bucket set aside of 60 grain 5.56 soft points for emergency use which assume is soon. Have been stunned to see 5.56 M855 green tip ammo selling for $3 per round the past month with fair share of buyers. Unlike Sandy Hook my wife told me in March no selling ammo or projectiles like I did during Sandy Hook as she had a "bad feeling" would regret it and my wife's nose is better than most good bird dogs. Now looking at all the ammo/bags of projectiles/primers/powder in the locker and thinking 20 or 30 years of shooting left in my life and the 50% tax on all things ammo in HR 5717 am glad I listened to her. Even stocked up on components and equipment to reload rimfire. Instead of a hand press "multi-tool" for 22 LR and Mag now have real dies, shell holders, priming compound and multicavity molds for heeled 40 grain bullets.

    Actually had worked on reloading primers during Sandy Hook as an experiment and got my formula with Berdan primers and cases to 95% reliability but then panic ended and quit. Will be revisiting that project as well as if able to get 98% reliability my steel ringing ammo may have to build/recycle from ground up. Suggest all get educated real fast on chemistry of priming compounds and some inventory just in case. If the government figures out they can't stop us from making what we need bans or taxes that hurt industries may be less likely. For flinging cast in 5.56 think smooth bore with no open pores or burrs, home punched gas checks and polymer coatings. Be as ingenious as possible and save some of your factory ammo for your kids or grandkids. What's leaving them a rifle they can't feed in the future?
    For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 2 Timothy 4:3

  2. #42
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    1,124
    I too have found numerous burrs/flashing in AR barrels, and they are definitely NOT a good thing no matter what type boolit you are shooting. And those dam burrs can be a pain to remove!!

    I also had been doing a lot of research on home-made primers that I must now get back to in earnest. The corrosive primers are pretty easy; making non-corrosive not so much. Hard to source chemicals there.

    I was thinking just yesterday; imagine the untold billions of dollars spent (WAISTED!) in the battle (on both sides), of the government trying to disarm us.

    And since their own FBI admits it has nothing to do with crime, the really scary question is...... WHY???

    Vettepilot.
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  3. #43
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    41
    If a person was going to start loading cast in AR-15 chambered in 5.56 NATO which of these three rifles would make for a more forgiving platform to learn on?
    1) 20" Colt Target H bar Clinton era 1/7 twist
    2) 20" Stag arms 1/9 twist
    3) 16" Springfield Saint 1/8 twist

    I have more 223 rem brass to load then 5.56 NATO brass (well I could make more 5.56 NATA brass available for reloading if I had to)
    Right now I only own the Lyman and RCBS 55gr GC moulds but I am going to join the group buy and get the 64gr plain base mould which will be available in two to three months. I use White label bullet lube and have never powder coated a bullet nor have a tumble lubed a bullet.

    Powders I have on hand that might work for cast in AR-15
    IMR-4350
    IMR-4064 has been mentioned in this thread
    Win 748
    IMR 4895 very limited amount on hand
    IMR-4227
    WIN-296
    IMR-4198
    R7 mentioned in this thread but only have 2lb of it
    H-110

  4. #44
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    1,124
    I know this doesn't answer your question, but I built a 350 Legend that I think is going to work out very well for cast boolits. The ballistics of the caliber are such that you won't lose much, if any performance going to cast boolits, and the larger boolit size should have some thump. Bought an NOE 190 grain mold. Haven't gotten around to doing it yet, but when I do it will be powder coated, gas check boolits.

    The 223, being that it's terminal ballistic performance relies heavily on high velocity, isn't the best choice for cast boolits. (Just my opinion.)

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  5. #45
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Clinton, Iowa
    Posts
    5,200
    The slowest twist is best for cast

  6. #46
    Moderator
    Texas by God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
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    14,335
    Quote Originally Posted by tomme boy View Post
    The slowest twist is best for cast
    I agree. I have 1-7",1-9" 5.56 AR15s, and a 1-7" .300 BO and cast in each of them has been disappointing. However, my 1-14" 22-250, 1-10" 7.62x39, 30-30, and 30-40 have made me happy with cast. Even my 1-10" 25-06 did well with cast.

    Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

  7. #47
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
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    May 2011
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    In a 223 or 556 gun anyway. 300blk you want the fastest you can get for twist if shooting heavy subsonic. You have to have the extra spin to keep them stabil.

  8. #48
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Rock Springs, WY
    Posts
    26
    I built a designated cast AR15 in 5.56 with a McGowan custom 20", 1 in 12" twist barrel and pistol porting so I could shoot my 55 gr cast WW/gas checked/lubed Lee bullets with 10 gr of 2400 at 2000 fps. On the lower I use a 2# Jard trigger with a rifle tube/solid stock and carbine spring and weightless carbine buffer. This rifle shoots with 100% reliability and shoots less than 1 moa. I use it for shooting prarie dogs and ground squirrels out to over 200 yards. The pistol porting allows the weapon to function with the minimal gas generated with the load and weapon set up mods. I figure my loads cost me less than 6 cents each. Power is about equal to a .22 Hornet and does well on P dogs, jacks and even coyotes if hit well.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check