Hello Everyone new to reloading and casting

[Smoke4320]

With casing and PC I would highly recommend starting with 300 blackout .. Its much easier to get a good load quickly over 223 and especially 9MM
Welcome to the forum .. ask away and we will help you

[jeepyj]

Welcome!!!

If you are new to reloading, I would start with buying some jacketed bullets for your .223 from Monmouth. A vendor on this site. He offers Hornady bullets at a good price. I bought from them in bulk and paid $7/100 when they had them on sale a while back.

You will need gas checks with either the .223 or .300 BO cast bullets so factor that into your costs. Powder coating will not eliminate the need for GC's.

Given your choices, I would start casting for the .300BO but it is not the best to start with. Cast 2 MOA (10 shot groups) may be possible but I doubt many can do it consistently. So establish realistic expectations - 4 MOA would be acceptable when starting off. Load development can be fun or a giant pain in the butt depending on your motivation. Do NOT get discouraged when you see a someone post an itsy bitsy group that you dream of. Sometimes it is a one-off and a lot of luck, and other times, it will be someone who has cast for decades and learned a lot. You will know who to trust as you spend more time here.

I chased ever decreasing group sizes when I was younger but now accept good enough is good enough. But I like sending lead range downrange more than reloading. What turns your crank at this moment is important.

My last advice is to buy the best equipment you can. I have tools and molds that are 45+ years old. You will never regret buying quality and you will always get your money back. If money is tight, buy used reloading equipment. I would not recommend buying used molds as they can be abused.

Along with some others this is some very sound advice ^^^ In my opinion although not on your list I have to agree Leeroy151 on the revolver. 38 caliber is as forgiving for someone new to the hobby as you can get.
No matter what you do, welcome and be safe.

[jim 44-40]

Read and read some more,hands on is the best way to learn,with the YouTube and site's like this one can learn a lot.But doing it safe is all on you.

[Soundguy]

A big welcome to the forum! And a equally big welcome to handloading and to casting!

I would even go a step farther and suggest adding a revolver to your collection of guns for a bridge to casting. A 38 special or 357 Mag (shoot 38’s in them) or my favorite, the 44 Mag and load it down to begin with. After you get your feet wet it will be easier to branch out to the more difficult to cast for cartridges.

You have twin tiggers by the tail. Not insurmountable by any stretch but it is what it is.

My strongest suggestion is read, read, read and READ! You need good manuals .... do searches here until the cows come and tell you it’s winter and then there is interaction with members here.

May your stay here be productive, enjoyable and your shooting be safe!

Best regards

Three44s

Agreed.. casting for a 38/357 will teach you plenty.

then you can look at gas checking.. alloy's, etc.

[Walla2]

Welcome. I hope you will enjoy this hobby as much as I have. One more thing to know. You can make a small fortune by reloading and casting your own ammunition. First thing is you start with a large fortune.

[Smoke Eater]

Well I like the idea you all think I need a revolver to start with, the wife will have to understand since it's in writing and we're talking about safety here so thanks for that. The other suggestion about loading some jacketed .223 makes sense to. I should really simplify this and start slower. I just assumed by starting with casting I'd be more rounded but you all make total sense.

[dverna]

SE,

It is a process...do not try to run before you can walk.

Thus my suggestion to start with jacketed bullets in the .223 as they are relatively inexpensive. You first goal should be to match factory ammunition accuracy....btw, do not worry about maximum velocity as most accurate loads are somewhat below full throttle.

Getting a revolver to start with is not so much a safety issue as a way to ease into casting. Pistol ammunition does not have the same accuracy standards so a less than perfect bullet will give you adequate accuracy and the practice you need to become a good caster. Dale Earnhardt did not start as a champion NASCAR driver. BTW, my first bullets were for the .38 SPL and I cast over 4000 before trying to cast a rifle bullet. But I am not the brightest bulb on the string when it comes to casting. YMMV

If you do not want a .38 revolver, look at a lever action in a pistol caliber. There are a number of .38/.357 lever actions that are fun to shoot. The .41 Mag is less popular but a great choice as well and it is a decent short range deer round. And of course the venerable .44 Mag. My favorite plinking guns are .38 lever actions and we use a 130 bullet so lead costs are low. We shoot them for about the cost of .22's!. My fiancé loves the little carbine I set up for her and they make an effective home defense gun with the right load (not plinking loads). BTW, do not worry too much about the cost of brass. With light loads, you can use the same pistol case over 30 times. Get the caliber that suits your needs.

[Smoke Eater]

dverna, I have a marlin 30/30 lever action, is this in line with your suggestion? Or am I back to the previous conversation? Also would the same mold work for the 300 BO in the lower grain?

[Grmps]

Powdercoated boolits use the same load data as lubed lead boolits. The powder coating works as the lube and is not as messy to handle, on your equipment or to shoot.
If you plan on shooting larger volumes, HiTek coating is a good option.

[Soundguy]

dverna, I have a marlin 30/30 lever action, is this in line with your suggestion? Or am I back to the previous conversation? Also would the same mold work for the 300 BO in the lower grain?

To use a mold for both the 30-30 and the 300aac.. You are going to want a flat or very rounded nose profile. Looking at loading weight on some lee molds.. There is a RN 120gn.. That would get you near the 125 loading of a 300, but be 10 under 130 .

I think I'd get a dedicated mold for each of those.

I don't have my Lyman cast bullet handbook with me, so haven't checked / checked for load data for the aac.

My .308 lead I like a wide meplat, same for my .358 rifle applications, GC shank too.

[Grmps]

My 300 BO loves Lee C312-155-2R over H110

[Smoke Eater]

Why the flat or round nose, is this a feed issue for the BO? I cant find any 300 BO in the Lyman 4th edition either.

[Soundguy]

Why the flat or round nose, is this a feed issue for the BO? I cant find any 300 BO in the Lyman 4th edition either.

Because you said you wanted a boolit that you could run in both your 300 AND a 30-30 lever gun. If your gun has a tubular magazine, you have boolit to primer all thru the tube. Recoil and pointed or not sufficiently large/flat/round/soft tips can lead to setting the primer off, and then in turn, a cascade failure.

[Minerat]

I'm not sure where the sticky for "From Ingot to Target" got to but somebody please post the link for Smoke Eater. It is the best manual for casting boolits available and it's free!

WS, here you go. At the bottom of each page in the Cast bullets notes
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Smoke Eater]

Wow, so that shows my lack of knowledge. I never realized the tip to primer issue yet always wondered why i couldnt find polymer tipped 30/30. Obviousley the LEVERevolution by hornady has addressed this with a softer tip. Thanks Soundguy

[dverna]

SE

The .30/30 is a fine cast bullet round but still needs a better cast bullet than a pistol caliber. If you do not want to invest in a pistol or pistol caliber carbine, the .30/30 is a better caliber to start casting for than the .300 BO. You can use lower velocity loads as there is no bolt to operate.

But please start reloading the .223 with jacketed. I think you will have better success and satisfaction

[Soundguy]

Wow, so that shows my lack of knowledge. I never realized the tip to primer issue yet always wondered why i couldnt find polymer tipped 30/30. Obviousley the LEVERevolution by hornady has addressed this with a softer tip. Thanks Soundguy

No problem, we look out for each other.

I didn't want you turning a lever gun or your hands or face into a science experiment.

If you look at my avatar, that wide meplat gas checked boolit is what I use I my 35rem, got a similar one for 30 caliber applications.

[Wayne Smith]

I agree with those who say learn to reload first, learn to cast second. I still load condom boolits first in a new rifle. Not so much to break it in but just to see what it will do, sort of a baseline. Then I clean it good and see if it will shoot cast boolits too. For the casting download the Ingots to Target link above and read, read, and read. Having a good understanding of what you are doing before you do it is handy, to say the least. Same for reading a reloading manual prior to starting to reload. Knowing what to expect gives you a heads up when something isn't working right.

[Smoke Eater]

What is a condom boolit?

[Soundguy]

I've also see reference to full length gas checks to refer to commercial jacketed bullets, as well as 'jwords'