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Thread: Longest shots with cast bullets, what, and how?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Longest shots with cast bullets, what, and how?

    Curious here, what are the longest shots you take and still get " good " groups?

    What caliber, gun, and how did you create snd prep the bullet and load?

    I hear some folks shoot 30 cal at 600 yards in competition for high power. How about for 2&300 yards?

    I know the 45-70 is good for that, and then some as l used to do BP Silhouette at 500 yards.

    Thoughts? Thanks!

  2. #2
    Boolit Master



    MUSTANG's Avatar
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    Not me; but history would indicate for some pretty good accuracy with a cast bullet can be had. For example Billy Dixon at Adobe Walls Texas:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Dixon
    http://johnbiggsoklahomawriter.com/b...ns-lucky-shot/
    Mustang

    "In the beginning... the patriot is a scarce man, and brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." - Mark Twain.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    I shoot my Ruger Ranch rifle in 300blk to 400 very often and can hit a 4” plate about 60% of the time, my Ruger Ranch in 7.62x39 will shoot and hold a 5-6” group at 400 yards..

    My TC compass in 308(with a 1/12 twist) I hunt with it out to 300yards with no hesitation. I killed a nice big 250lb doe last year at 275yards one shot and she dropped...

    You have to do your home work and shoot ALOT every time to I go to the range I bring 20 rounds of 308 and my TC Compass

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    Best I could ever do was a [5 shots] match book cover at 100 yds. I've seen these steel targets hit w/ some frightening regularity by experts at 1000 yds sitting down w/ crossed sticks. I think they were using some 45-90 tuned up rifles & they know the range on a nice day. Those steel Coyotes are 26" tallClick image for larger version. 

Name:	1000 yd Coyote .jpg 
Views:	58 
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ID:	261251 & weigh 42lbs. uncle mike

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master



    M-Tecs's Avatar
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    BPCR at 1,000 yards with 45-70 or a 45-90
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  6. #6
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    The last few years that I shot in NRA high power matches I used a 03a3 with cast bullets in reduced course matches (200 yd) with scaled down targets , actually did fairly well shot master scores a few times . Slow prone 20 rd groups were in the 3.5" range on average . Wish I could still see good enough to be able to do that now .
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Our range has hanging steel to 750 yards and I can do fairly well with my 30-06 and the RCBS 165 SIL bullets. 30-30 has no problem in highpower silhouette out to 500M. They blow in the wind a lot more than a jacketed 6.5mm but if I can break the shot in the right place the targets will fall.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by RU shooter View Post
    The last few years that I shot in NRA high power matches I used a 03a3 with cast bullets in reduced course matches (200 yd) w .
    Gas checks or no, what load, bullet, and alloy? Thanks

  9. #9
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    I had two loads that shot well in that 2 groove barrel first was the Lee 155 and 14.5gr of Unique the other was the Lee 185 or rcbs 165 sil. And 17.5 gr of 2400 the 185 and the 165 both shot equally well with that same load . All were gas checked and alloy was just clip on WW
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Shiloh Sharps #1 Sporter in 40-70 SS, MVA sights, Lyman 410 gr. bullet cast 25-1, 61 grs. of the old GOEX CTG., first batch, SPG lube. MOA at 600 yards when everything was right....mostly me.

    03-A3, Remington 2 groove. 180 gr., Lee, gas checked bullet over a forgotten powder charge gave 3 gallon buckets a good reason to be nervous at 500 yards. Hits were not uncommon.

    Shiloh Long Range Express in 45-70. MVA rear sight, factory globe front sight, 61 grs. of same GOEX as first rifle, SPG lube. RCBS 500 BP, (I think that's right), 2 MOA at 500. I think the rifle would have done better with a different front sight. That factory globe covered a lot of acreage at 500.

    I've had others but those are the ones I recall from memory. I am a lightweight. If conditions aren't near perfect, as in wind and light, (intermittent cloud cover), I basically suck.
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  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Back "in the day" some locals where I lived had a bunch of 5V targets left over after the switch to the decimal targets. We shot "across the coarse" High Power matches with milsurp rifles. I was using a m1903 with 311299s at 1950 fps (I had an Oehler Chronograph back then) with it over 4895 with a dacron filler and it held to 600 yards. I shot as well with that cast load as with milsurp '06 ammo. It would hold the %V "B" target at 600 yards with 40 - 60% V's.

    These days I regularly shoot the 30 XCB bullet at 2900 fps out of my HV 30x60 rifle at 600 yards also. Some time back I showed how well it shot at 600 yards. There's 11 shots in just under 6" in that group. I have a 18x22" steel target at 600 yards I also hit very regularly if the wind isn't blowing too hard.

    Attachment 261289

    I also take my H&R M1873 Officer's Model out to a spot where a "hostile" (rock about 2' in diameter in a large dirt bank) tries to ambush me. I usually park my jeep crosswise and brace over the spare tire on the back of the jeep (ain't got no horse.....) at 1000 yards out. Using the Lee 405HB bullet at 1325 fps I score a surprising number of hits using the tang rear sight and the bead of the Beech front sight. With the original M1879 Type III rear sight and the blade of the Beech front sight I throw a lot of dirt in the hostiles face......lots of fun...…

    Attachment 261290
    Larry Gibson

    “Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
    ― Nikola Tesla

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Not nearly as far but still a cast boolit. My best shot was with an old CVA mountain rifle with a Green Mountain barrel in 50 cal. Patched round ball.
    I shot a squirrel through the head at 75 yards during a hunting trip.
    That rifle was really deadly with a round ball and 50 grains of black. Pop cans at 100 yards were nearly a given.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy alfadan's Avatar
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    Oh about 6 out of 10 .38 wadcutters on an 8in metal swinger at 100 yards from a k frame...not too bad for me

  14. #14
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
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    I shot the Creedmoor match in Brisbane Australia in 2006 and watched riflemen hit the 20" bull at 1000yds with cast bullets, black powder and opensights. That bull is just 2 MOA.

    This was one of my 10 shot practice targets before the match (45/90)

    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

  15. #15
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    back about 15 years ago at a Linebaugh seminar. 800 yards at a 3/4 sized steel buffalo. Gun was a 5.5 inch ruger bisley accusport 44 mag with a ballistic cast 340 lfngc. I won the 44 mag class with 4 out of 5 hits. You got 2 shots to range and 5 shots for effect. sitting with the gun between my knees. That same gun and load came in 3rd place that year in the penetration testing. Only two ahead of me were shooting 475s. Beat out a 458 lott and even my own #1 ruger 458 mag with ww solids. Load I wont list because it was WARM. It pushed that bullet to 1250 fps. Dumb thing is I sold that gun. it was probably the most accurate out of the box ruger ive ever owned.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    200 m with rifle at club silhouette matches and with revolvers when I shot IHMSA. Both worked well and knocked down targets.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master northmn's Avatar
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    Sometime REad books by Paul Matthews on cast bullets. Basically it is not distance but the care in casting and storage. H eowuld put his cast bullets separate in a 50 round 45 cartridge box and of course would weigh them. Some would even go so far as to mark the bullet mold and cases such that the bullet was always loaded the dame way into the case and with single shots then loaded the same into the rifle. There was a record held in Schuetzen that was I believe about .75" at 200 yards using a 32-40.

    DEP

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy OutHuntn84's Avatar
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    I have a 190 gr Lovelin and a 130 gr NOE that I run through my Rem 700 308 win and I can consistently hit a dinner plate at 200 yards.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    i shoot 45-70 from a buffalo classic with the noe pc 500 grain plain based mold. targets are 24x18 rams at 555 yards (500 m). even with iron sights, i manage to hit a few! i shoot the 7mm mauser and 30-06 at the same distance. if i can do it, anyone can!

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Win94ae's Avatar
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    I have shot my AK to 600 yards using the Lee CTL 312-1602R.


    It is the best shooting round out of my AK, shooting 1MOA at 250 yards consistently.


    In my 30-30, Lee C 309-150-F shoots as well as the jacketed bullets.


    I actually don't see much difference in precision with cast bullets vs jacketed, but only with specific designs in specific rifles.
    Last edited by Win94ae; 04-30-2020 at 05:59 PM. Reason: screwed up my link

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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