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Thread: Show me your most beautiful expanded cast boolits

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Here is a photo from earlier this year. From left to right, very shallow cup point, hollow point, and far right is a flat point. All three were cast of 20-1 alloy. All three were shot into water. The far left obviously didn't work, no different than a flat point. While the far right flat point looks impressive, it also impacted north of 1500 fps. Any slower and you would have to go to nearly pure lead to see good expansion. The middle is a true hollow point, nothing huge though. It was a 1/8" hole drilled .150" deep with a Forester hollow pointing kit.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I have better pictures, but the sight wont let me upload at the moment. I'll try later. I don't understand why people have the opinion that casting hollow points is voodoo. I'm just an average guy, and I've found it surprisingly easy to make hollow points work. They react about how you would expect, no black magic or sacrifices to the gods. They are also reliable. Fired into water, wood, dirt, paper, it doesn't seem to matter. Not every bullet is a mirror image, but I've yet to see one expand really well, and the next not at all. Stick to soft lead, 20-1 is the bees knees, although softer or harder can work. I've never seen good results with straight clip on wheel weights, but COWW mixed 50/50 with stick on seems to do well enough. It seems below 800 fps is iffy for expansion. The middle bullet in that picture left the gun at 1200 fps and hit about 20 yards. I also have one I shot into a log at 75 yards, with impressive expansion as well. I will upload pictures when possible.

    As was stated, they are not that hard to cast. Pure lead is no fun, but a lead/tin alloy is the best casting bullet metal there is. The NOE mold pins take some getting used to. All I do is jingle them into place before closing the mold. The inset bar from Erik is a dream to cast with, no different than a plain mold.

    If you are looking for a reason to cast hollow points, they make bigger holes. There is a lot of merit to the large meplat and heavy bullet approach, but some calibers lack the diameter, and all else equal, a good hollow point still makes a bigger hole. A whitetail deer is not thick, and penetration is grossly overrated. I always want two holes in a deer if possible, and hollow points are no handicap there. Some of it goes to personal preference. There was the question on here a little while ago about a full power hollow point 357 magnum verses a slow swc 44 special. Surprisingly about 90% of people answered 44. I'll take the 357 every time. My experience tells me a 180 grain hollow point 357 magnum can make a larger hole than a 240 grain 44 swc, and you get the benefit of less recoil in the process. I'm not sure if people honestly think the .280" meplat will make a larger hole than a bullet that expands over 1/2", or if they think a hollow point is incapable of passing through an animal? Maybe they think the hollow point is too destructive to meat? Either way is a hunting capable bullet, and people don't like to change their ways once they find what works.

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
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    Powder coated Lee 457-405-f (416gr actual) for 45-70gvt, muzzle velocity 1665fps and Lee c309-160-r (166gr actual) for 300aac, muzzle velocity 1492fps.
    Unknown alloy BHN11 retrieved from dirt pile at 100 yards.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Benny

  3. #23
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Here are some straight accoww Lyman devastators loaded with 6 grains of trail boss shot out of my 329 NG with a 2 3/4” barrel into 2 wood pallets at 25 yards. Found the boolits laying next to the pallets. Lost my GCs going through the wood and Pedals didn’t blow off at slow speeds. Kicks like a 357 or a little less with these light loads in my titanium NG. They’re not pretty but they expanded. The one actually swallowed a piece of pallet and folded in instead of out. I would assume filling the hp with caulk would help open it instead of reverse expansion.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 02-18-2019 at 12:36 PM.

  4. #24
    Boolit Man
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    Click image for larger version. 

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  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master


    missionary5155's Avatar
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    Good morning
    I do not keep "fired cast" as all mine that I can recover from my shooting place gets remelted to keep the supply flowing.
    As hunting down here is very limited where I live. Revolvers in .357 or 38 Special is what we have. Wild dogs and maybe a marmot here and there all that is available.
    But our own range scrap at 800 - 950 fps will expand at least 30% or more. At 700 fps (our plinkers) they maybe expand 10%.
    We also only shoot a 160 wadcutter for all needs. They drop at 163-164 grains so already are full caliber holes.

    In our 44WCF carbine 1892 SRC made in 1907 at 1100 fps they near turn inside out. Last one I measured was .680 or so in diameter.
    Mike in Peru
    "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
    Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.

  6. #26
    Boolit Mold
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    Not much science to my casting. I use whatever I can find. Most are less than 16 Brinnell hardness . Only recovered one in a game animal, RCBS 35-200 in the offside leg of an elk. Distance was 198 yards through chest heart area.

    Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

  7. #27
    Boolit Grand Master


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    For some reason Castboolits is giving me an error when I try and upload more photo's. I am not anywhere near the limit. Hopefully these show up from an image hosting site.

    This bullet was shot into a log at 75 yards. It was cast of 20-1 alloy, forester hollow point, and left the gun at 1220 fps.




  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Here is the same load, but recovered from the dirt berm at 50 yards. They perform almost indistinguishable from 0-75 yards at least, in seemingly any media. Unfortunately the most important bullet, was the one I shot into a deer, I could not find. I looked and looked, and while I never found an exit hole, I never found the bullet either. That's a good thing, plus the deer dropped on the spot.

    My pictures aren't artsy, perfect mushrooms. I didn't wan't my bullets to turn inside out, as I did not want to give up pass through penetration. Mine do show reliable expansion under any conditions. That's beautiful to me.

    If I didn't already mention, while the bullets look different depending on what they hit, all of them were about .45" across at their widest point, including the one shot into water. Not bad for a 32 caliber handgun.


  9. #29
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    I don't have any pictures but I modified a Lyman Ideal 322 Gould Express HP buy increasing the HP pin dia. The object was to get a bullet for my Colt NS 455 that was close to 265gr that could be sized to .457". I poured a
    couple dozen out of pure lead just to see how they dropped. I ended up shaving the top of mold to get near 265g. Anyway later fooling around I took the original test boolits and filled the cavity with #10 shot, covered with cardboard and sealed with epoxie. I shot these out of a RB 45/70 with mild load at 1200fps. They didn't expand they almost exploded when they hit 2x4s. I had pin set to allow about 1/4" base thickness. Pieces of the
    base are about all you could find, the rest was scrapnel. It would blow the 2x4 clear in half if you center hit it.
    The finished product for the 455 at 600fps cast from WW:Lead didn't expand that well and were not accurate so
    I filled HP with wax and they shot a little better.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
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    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	236381 ill elaborate on my testing for finding my 30 cal hunting load. first off all expanded bullets here are tested in my above mentioned method except the one from a deer. last year i only had the lee 170 i was using 2.3 antimony 1.8 tin launched at 1800mv. the middle one was my test one that i mistakeingly only slowed down to 1700 for testing, then the last one was most the way through a deer almost lengthwise at a full 100yds meaning it was more around 1500 rather than 1700. Ignore that big flare on the back thats from thigh bone near the end but as you can see the initial expansion is not alot it isnt much shorter than a fresh one.

    Attachment 236380 see below post

    after last deer season i bought a 220gr mold cause recoil wont be bad at 2k or less, so why not go heavy. Middle photo is same 2.3 1.8 alloy, i dont know exact velocity probably 1800 test planning for 2k launch speed. Finally i fully recognised that the lead slows down fast, expands less in deer than water, and i should go softer and more malleable so i switched to 1.5/1.5/97 and tested at 1700 when my mv is 2k. Now in testing atleast, i get 95% weight retention with wide expansion while properly accounting for distance, so i should be better off next year, atleast more weight and expansion.
    Last edited by bmortell; 02-19-2019 at 05:47 PM.

  11. #31
    Boolit Master
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    Heres the 220gr i couldnt get both photos open on that post.Click image for larger version. 

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  12. #32
    Boolit Master Gamsek's Avatar
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    Ness safety bullet, HG#38 MIHec

    314-140 Sledgehammer MIHec

    311410, HG#38, 312-159 Hunting and 9mm 359-125 pentas, all MIHec

    311410 MIHec

    432-640 MIHec sub and max speed

    432-423 MIHec

    All pure with 2-5% tin.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master Gamsek's Avatar
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    432-423 MIHec penta

    432-423 and 359-125 MIHec penta

    358-165 Larsen MIHec pentas

    358-165 Larsen MIHec 2/3 ww/1/3 pure

  14. #34
    Boolit Master Gamsek's Avatar
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    44-395 holowbase WC shoot as holow point. Pure with 2%tin, 750fps. MiHec

  15. #35
    Boolit Man White Oak's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Mihec 432640 large pin 50/50 plus 2% tin at 1,200fps. 25 yards into wet newspaper.

  16. #36
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Those Pentas make cool looking mushrooms.

  17. #37
    Boolit Master




    EMC45's Avatar
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    Great pics guys!
    You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.

  18. #38
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gamsek View Post

    432-423 MIHec

    All pure with 2-5% tin.
    EU Violets?
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

    Be a Patriot . . . expose their lies!

    “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” G. Orwell

  19. #39
    Boolit Master Gamsek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OS OK View Post
    EU Violets?
    Yes, for EU snowflakes

  20. #40
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Whats the deal with penta points? Do they expand at lower velocities, or just look man pretty?

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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