Meanwhile at the range....

[Friends call me Pac]

I was the only one on rifle range. No surprise being a weekday. I was happily clanging steel out to 600 yards with the Rem 700 in 30.06 and 311299. I had a vehicle come out of the pistol pits and he stopped to chat. I've talked to this fellow once before but I don't really know him. When I did talk to him before I was doing the same thing and he watched me for about half an hour. Today when he saw I was using lead bullets he shook his head as he told me, "I just don't see the point of shooting those lead bullets when you can shoot jacketed." I took a shot that made the 600 yard steel clang. I turned to face him and said, "I like the challenge. I had to aim about 16' high on that shot. Hell, who can't hit a 12" target at 600 yards with jacketed?"

I offered to share the bench with him but he said he didn't feel like shooting.

[RED BEAR]

i don't shoot jacketed bullets in anything.

[wv109323]

Did you explain to him the difference in costs of shooting. A good jacketed bullet is nigh on 30 cents apiece or more. A cast may be as low as 2 or 3 cents depending on alloy and gas check.

[shooter93]

Both have their place for me. I use both.

[foesgth]

The last Tactical Operator who asked, me looked very confused when I told him "It's not cold today the bullets don't need a jacket".

[Friends call me Pac]

I actually did talk to him about the difference in cost. I told him I could make 100 rounds for way less than $20. I also explained that is why I can shoot once a week, if I had to buy factory ammo I couldn't shoot as often as I do.

[375supermag]

Both have their place for me. I use both.

Agree with this

[bikerbeans]

My goal is to shoot all cast boolits in my 35 cal and larger rifles. No point switching to cast for the 22 and 30 cals cause i never shoot them. Think i found the load today for my 444m so getting closer to going copper free.

BB

[Jniedbalski]

I worked with a guy that’s a engineer that has high end pistols and rifles that reloads. I told him I reload and use a lot of cast in pistole and rifles. He said he would never use lead cast bullets in his guns because they all lead the barrel very bad and are inaccurate. Told him I never had that problem and that they are a lot cheaper. He wouldn’t even listen on how I load for cast. I guess he makes enough to only use jacketed.

[Friends call me Pac]

I don't have a problem with someone using jacketed bullets, I use them myself in my 9mm and 5.56. I wish I could express how he said he didn't see the point in using lead bullets. It was definitely a put down. Last summer my goal was to hit the 600 yard steel. One day a fellow stopped shooting and started watching me. We got to talking about lead bullets and long range and what I was trying to do. He quit shooting his rifle and spotted for me as I shot every steel from 300 to 820 yards. Up until that day the 500 yard target was the furthest I had hit. He was impressed with what lead will do. His attitude is more consistent to folks that I talk to and let them try shooting my lead bullets. Guess the guy just rubbed me the wrong way yesterday.

[FISH4BUGS]

I use jacketed in full auto 223, 308 and any subsonic rounds through a suppressor. You do NOT want to shoot lead through a can. No way. No how.
So, they both have their place.

[Thundarstick]

I take you have no suppressors for 22lr? But, yes, they are their own kind of nasty.




I thought everybody knew a non jacketed bullet less than 50 calibur would just bounce off someone over 100 yards!

[richhodg66]

I have gotten to where I rarely shoot jacketed in anything. I'll keep using them in .223, but not .22 Hornet. Been shooting them in .270, but someone else cast them. I plan to start the 6mm pretty soon.

Everything 7mm up is cast exclusively anymore and for me that means 7mm, .308, oversized .30 milsurps, .32 Special and 8mm, .35s, .38-55 and .458. I never shoot jacketed in pistols.

[GhostHawk]

In the last 4 years the only jacketed I have loaded and shot was in .223rem.

And to be honest, once I had a mold and did some load development I was happier with cast and moderate to light loads of Red Dot.

Accurate enough, quieter, cheaper, more satisfying.

Whatever floats your boat, its your wallet and your time.

[robg]

use lead in almost all mine except my223 still working on it thought ,

[Edward]

I was the only one on rifle range. No surprise being a weekday. I was happily clanging steel out to 600 yards with the Rem 700 in 30.06 and 311299. I had a vehicle come out of the pistol pits and he stopped to chat. I've talked to this fellow once before but I don't really know him. When I did talk to him before I was doing the same thing and he watched me for about half an hour. Today when he saw I was using lead bullets he shook his head as he told me, "I just don't see the point of shooting those lead bullets when you can shoot jacketed." I took a shot that made the 600 yard steel clang. I turned to face him and said, "I like the challenge. I had to aim about 16' high on that shot. Hell, who can't hit a 12" target at 600 yards with jacketed?"

I offered to share the bench with him but he said he didn't feel like shooting.

My dinger is located 700 yds and my C Sharps 1874 dings it to pieces with paper patched 530 grain boolits ,
(whats a jacket)

[Big Boomer]

Like most of the posters in this thread, I see the value (read less cost) of using lead only in everything from .223 to .45 calibers. If I did not cast my own boolits (and powder coat), I would not be able to shoot as much as I would like. Casting just opens doors that remain closed if jacketed only is used. I do use jacketed stuff for extended shooting sessions of varmint hunting with the .223/5.56 and the .243, but that is all. All other calibers are strictly cast lead powder coated in 9mm, .38 Spl., .357 Mag., .41 Mag., .45 ACP and .45 Colt. Big Boomer

[Reverend Al]

"Both have their place for me. I use both"

Agree with this

Me three ... I still shoot jacketed bullets in many of my guns, but also shoot boolits in most ...

[Hamish]

"who can't hit a 12" target at 600 yards with jacketed?"

That's priceless pac. Waste no breath on the dim.

[Handloader109]

I use jacketed in full auto 223, 308 and any subsonic rounds through a suppressor. You do NOT want to shoot lead through a can. No way. No how.
So, they both have their place.

Well, as said by Thundarstick, guess you don't shoot 22s thru a suppressor. I PC all my cast lead, and no issue going through my two suppressors. No buildup. In fact almost all the PC is still in place if I shoot into something besides steel. But buildup is why I would love a cheap suppressor for my wife's 22.... shooting through my .45 suppressor doesn't leave a mess.