Hard Cast Bullets for Game

[Mmacro]

Just a thought... If your aiming at the neck IOT disrupt the pig’s central nervous system (best option as if you heart/lung shoot them they tend to still run a fair distance) then a softer bullet might be a better option.

The reasoning is - you don't necessarily want a pass-thru as a rapid-expanding bullet will transfer more energy into that critical area and break it's neck.

Since you will be PCing your bullets... You don't need to worry about leading your barrel. And there is some thought process that the PC acts a bit like a jacket, keeping it from deforming in the barrel at high velocities and helping hold a softer alloy bullet together and not over-expand.

The real answer to your question is what an earlier person said... It's time to pour 10 “soft” and “hard” bullets, PC them, and shoot them into some test medium to see how they react. And of course, post what you find out here.

[Doughty]

Hmm ok so where does BHN com into this ? Sorry I'm just confused because I've always been under the impression that BHN =Hardness of the lead and the Higher the BHN the less malleable

Let's re-state it another way. Malleability is the ability (of a material) to be (re-)shaped or (re-)formed by pressure WHILE RETAINING COHESION.

A soft (relatively low BHN) will re-shape or re-form at relatively low pressure. A hard (relatively high BHN) will require a relatively higher pressure to re-shape or re-form, but in order to be malleable they each must retain cohesion.

[dverna]

To further complicate matters....

Many of the responses you have received are based on different calibers and different rifles. We are guilty of thinking what has worked well for us works for others. You have an AR shooting .224 bullets.

I do not know enough about AR's to judge but others can chime in. Is there a risk of bullet deformation with a softer alloy as the bullet tip enters into the chamber?

I will get flamed but here goes. DRT, or within a few yards, matters when hunting for meat. If you are shooting hogs to thin them out, if they die after running 200 yards they are still dead....maybe lost but it does not matter. So, a harder bullet that does not expand as much but gives greater velocity, accuracy, and range may be more useful.

If I wanted to hunt hogs with an AR in .223, one of the good jacketed "hunting" bullets in .224 would be my choice. If I had to use cast, getting a .300 BO upper, coupled with a larger meplat bullet might be a better option and learn to live with reduced range. Or a .350 Legend...but it will not use .223 brass.

Last point. Getting an accurate .224 cast bullet load out of an AR is not easy for many folks. So your effective range is likely to be less than the jacketed bullets you are using. The reduced range of a more forgiving .300BO or .350 Legend cast bullet may be the same as the effective range of a .224 cast bullet.

[Wolfdog91]

To further complicate matters....

Many of the responses you have received are based on different calibers and different rifles. We are guilty of thinking what has worked well for us works for others. You have an AR shooting .224 bullets.

I do not know enough about AR's to judge but others can chime in. Is there a risk of bullet deformation with a softer alloy as the bullet tip enters into the chamber?

I will get flamed but here goes. DRT, or within a few yards, matters when hunting for meat. If you are shooting hogs to thin them out, if they die after running 200 yards they are still dead....maybe lost but it does not matter. So, a harder bullet that does not expand as much but gives greater velocity, accuracy, and range may be more useful.

If I wanted to hunt hogs with an AR in .223, one of the good jacketed "hunting" bullets in .224 would be my choice. If I had to use cast, getting a .300 BO upper, coupled with a larger meplat bullet might be a better option and learn to live with reduced range. Or a .350 Legend...but it will not use .223 brass.

Last point. Getting an accurate .224 cast bullet load out of an AR is not easy for many folks. So your effective range is likely to be less than the jacketed bullets you are using. The reduced range of a more forgiving .300BO or .350 Legend cast bullet may be the same as the effective range of a .224 cast bullet.

Well I'm in the process of getting a good cast .225 load worked up. I fell there's a few things people who have tried have skipped over hence why they can't get an accurate bullet. Such as you supposed to go .001-2 over bore diameter but everyone seems to size to .224 for a rifle that shoots.224 dia jacked bullets, dosent make any sense IMO. Sized to .225 and I've been have better luck than alot of people said I would but still thinking with it ( I have a whole youtube series documenting eveything btw if any where curious).
As far as knowing what works ( and I hope I'm not being rude ) hog hunting with .223 cal bullets does work, you cannot shoot them traditionally though ( ask me how I know lol ) I refuse to take any shot if I have the choice , other than a spinal shot. Drops em DRT 99% of the time. Shooting them in the shoulder or really and traditional"deer" shot has usually lead to a head ache. Organs sitting lower and all. If I had more jacketed ( should have listened to my self before all this started ) then I would just use them but since I don't , I mean I have enough but I really want to be able to have an " unlimited supply" persay.


And as much as I'd like to have a new gun funds and price gouging are a little prohibitive at the moment lol. I do have a 7.62x39 upper that umi love using but I'm still aquiring eveything for reloading that, while with my 5.56 I have almost every ( epically primers ) in a good supply

[Wolfdog91]

Wolfdog91: I saw in another thread that your interested in a slick-sided, (non-lube groove design), bore riding, gas checked semi-spitzer boolit, and we're wondering if something similar were available in hollow point. (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...e-this-in-a-HP) If this, or a similar design of bullet is what you want to use for hunting, then there are some considerations to think about before committing to it. First, because it is a design intended for powder coating it can be cast in a softer than normal alloy that will allow for better expansion. The hard PC shell acts like a jacket and lets you get away with a more malleable alloy. That particular boolit has a rather small meplat, but that can be compensated for by expansion from a softer alloy. The second consideration is that you intend to use these in an autoloading platform. If it's a bore riding design the powder coating might give it a fat nose. This may or may not be a feeding problem, and you won't know until you try it out. If the boolit causes feeding troubles after being powder coated, you might need to use a nose die so that it will fit the bore. On that design, it would be much better to have an expanding nose than a hollow point, (unless your varminting). That boolit should give you good penetration already, and if it mushrooms without breaking up would be ideal. Hog hunting requires a boolit that will penetrate through the thick shoulder, (or that boulder that they use for a skull), and reach vitals to create a major drive train malfunction. A hollow point may break up too soon if it's a harder alloy, and for me would be a lesser choice over a good penetrating solid in a moderate alloy like air cooled tire weights. As a plus, the boolit that you inquired about in your other post should make a nice target boolit in a hard alloy.

Yep thats the main reason I want it in a HP so bad ! If that thing can shoot lights out like a target Boolit ( it's design is looking promising for that ) With a HP I could get the best of both worlds,but with all this new knowledge I'm thinking I may not need it

[ChristopherO]

" If I had more jacketed ( should have listened to my self before all this started )" the statement of the decade, especially for primers and powder.

Looks like you are heading in the right direction with your research and testing. It sounds like a hard enough boolit to shoot accurately at the velocity you want and soft enough to give a bit of expansion to knock the CNS out will be just right. Lyman #2, or something just a bit less should do what you are looking for. I agree with the previously mentioned comment that too much linotype (antimony) causes the boolit to be too brittle. For a 22 that wouldn't leave much to keep penetrating. Yet, if you are only looking to pop the the spinal cord then how much further does the projectile need to keep going?
I once shot a road hit deer with a SXSP 50 grain out of the 222 at about 30-40 yards (Game Warden was standing there and said to put it out of its misery) It looked like an egg sized explosion happened in the neck bone. There was an exit hole, but whatever came out the other side wasn't much. A super hard linotype wouldn't shatter any more effectively than that, imho, it may pencil on through, too. Your choice of point of aim gives you quite a bit of leeway. Keep us posted on your findings.