Options for .223?

[dieselrealtor]

I have been gathering equipment & materials but haven't started casting yet.
I have a NOE .223 mold, 77gr (I think) as well as pistol molds. I do not have a sizer as of yet.

My 223 calibers consist of Savage bolt gun 1/9 & AR's. I have been shooting the bolt gun mostly with 55gr fmjbt (projectiles around $.054 each) & hope to improve my shooting skills out to 300m.

Trying to shoot reasonably cheap & wondering if it is feasible to cast, gas check & or powder coat a boolit for the .223 or just bite the bullet (so to speak) & get higher quality & heavier jacketed for accuracy from 100-300m.

I plan to shoot more .308 in the future but improving my skills with the .223

[dudel]

Can it be done? yes. However, if you've not cast boolits before, you're setting a very high first step.

Casting those little .22 boolits is a challenge. You're busy congratulating yourself because you make perfect .45 boolits, then break out the .22 mould, and it looks like you can't do anything right! Bolt gun will be much easier, AR will present additional challenges. Need enough pressure/velocity to cycle; but not so much that you get leading in the barrel and gas system. 308 is much easier.

Gas checks and/or powder coat will probably make things easier.

I find you can get Hornady bulk .223 55gr FMJBT from Midsouth at a good price.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...lure-250-Count

On sale they run about $20/250 (~$.12 each). Midway also has them on sale every so often. I find they shoot very well out of my .223 guns.

[flyingmonkey35]

Once I have my AR built I may try casting for it. That's a big "may"

I plan on powder coating + gas checking. For plinking rounds.

Buy when you van pick up 1000k projectils in fmj for 80 bucks. It comes down to is it worth my time. As I'm not saving much money on the bullet it self.

Of course if you are after the challenge and bragging rights money is not the issue.

[newton]

I started out with my bolt gun and jacketed rounds. Cheapest I could make them were around $.22-.25 a round, for normal velocity that is. Not bad, but then I decided if I could do cast for half of that I'd go that route. My rounds run around .10 now. So its possible, but with that you get lower velocity, which is ok out to 200 yards, but I bet would open up significantly at 300. At 100 yards I am holding, average, MOA. Jacketed does much better, but for practice its worth it.

One thing that I also was after was a quieter and softer round. It also is not near the wear on the barrel as normal jacketed rounds.

However, if you are going for the AR platform the powder needed to cycle the action, unless you put different components into your gun, is not much less than what normal jacketed rounds take. So, you save a few pennies over normal rounds for powder, and a few pennies for a boolit - but we are talking 4-5 pennies here, maybe 10(high end) for total round savings.

There are more pro's and con's - but the jist of it is #1 how much you actually shoot. Or, if you just want the challenge/excitement of shooting a boolit you made in the .223 platform.

If you got the mold and dies then really all you would be out is the cost of gas checks. Might have to use a different powder also. Its not as hard to cast them as some think. Gas checks are small, so if you have big hands it might be a challenge.

[jhalcott]

I have several .223 guns. A 14" contender and a couple bolt rifles. The twist in the bore MAY be a problem with a 77 grain boolit. I had excellent results with an RCBS 55 grain mold in most of my guns. Getting around 2500 fps and near MOA with many loads. I used teflon tape on the highest velocity loads with great results. One of my guns has a 1/14" twist and does NOT like any cast boolit.

[dieselrealtor]

Thanks for the replies.

I bought a "bunch" of Wolf .224 fmjbt projectiles for about $.054 each & toying buying more. They have no steel & for plinking they are accurate enough, just hoping to get a more accurate bullet reasonably priced for my bolt gun. I have some of the Hornady same configuration as the Wolf but haven't tried them yet to compare for accuracy.

I like the idea of casting my own, a friend of mine has reloaded & casted for many many years.

[Outer Rondacker]

Thanks for the replies.

I bought a "bunch" of Wolf .224 fmjbt projectiles for about $.054 each & toying buying more. They have no steel & for plinking they are accurate enough, just hoping to get a more accurate bullet reasonably priced for my bolt gun. I have some of the Hornady same configuration as the Wolf but haven't tried them yet to compare for accuracy.

I like the idea of casting my own, a friend of mine has reloaded & casted for many many years.

Shipping kills ya on that wolf. Wanted 18+ last time. Give these a go after you run out.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...oint-500-Count

[dudel]

Shipping kills ya on that wolf. Wanted 18+ last time. Give these a go after you run out.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...oint-500-Count

Those MidSouth shoot great; but are out of stock. However Midway has a sale http://www.midwayusa.com/product/116...with-cannelure

100s are in stock @ .11 each or save more and get them in 1K/6K quantity (but out of stock at the moment)

Lots of bullets available for less than $.50 each!

[quilbilly]

Casting for the 223 has been an annual exercise in frustration for me for a couple years. All of my 22 centerfires single shots have the same twist (1/12) and even though my Hornet, and triple deuce shoot wonderfully with the Lee Bator, the 223 has not shot well with any of my attempts. Others have said a 55 gr cast boolit shoots well with that twist. All part of the fun though.

[RogerDat]

Even if you just do enough to prove you can if you need to it puts you in a much better place next time the public goes on a buying and stash building spree and the supply dries up. Even today the best priced and desirable bullet configurations are not always available.

Casting lead - Just do over if it ain't right and eventually it will come together. I would look to Powder Coating bullets. Seems to have the least hassle from what I have read. Full disclosure I have the 70+ grain NOE mold and have yet to try casting with it for use in a 1:9 Mini-14 but am going there next (like this weekend or the next). Philosophy and research being shared not experience.

[Screwbolts]

Dieselrealtor, where are you getting the Wolf projectiles for $54/1000? I believe that is a great price.

Ken

[Outer Rondacker]

Here is a link I just cant give them 18 dollars shipping. Projectiles are cheap shipping is not. http://ammunitionstore.com/products/...piece-box.html LOL price just went up 10 bucks a more in the last two days.

[dieselrealtor]

Dieselrealtor, where are you getting the Wolf projectiles for $54/1000? I believe that is a great price.

Ken

These were on sale for $199 plus shipping, sale is over
I bought 2 cases, with shipping it came to about 5.4 cents per round.

http://ammunitionstore.com/products/...iece-case.html

[blikseme300]

I consider the successful outcome of CB's in .223 fired with accuracy and proper cycling through an AR-15 to be a post graduate CB reloader achievement. Not for the faint of heart or impatient. I have had success but only after much experimentation and a lowering of expectations. Yes, I do shoot cast but for varmint loads I use commercial jacketed as the cost of these are off-set by their terminal performance and accuracy. The advantage of working with this caliber is that it improved my methods & techniques for casting and reloading for other rifle cartridges.

[bangerjim]

Of the MANY cal's and designs I cast, the 223 is the "biggest" PITA of all of them. Teeny weeny little things...hard to hande.....difficult to get CG's on.....a pain to powder coat (properly)....and another PITA to load. I much prefer the larger 30,38,40,44,45 cal boolits and guns/rifles.

Do I cast and coat them? Yes. For plinking loads only. For full house rounds, I always use commerial BTFMJ's. I can get them for around 6 cents a piece and that is too cheap to mess with casting.

Would I recommend serious casting for 223 guns? NO! I can fully load FMJ's for around 12 cents a round. Not too bad.

Good luck in the path you choose!

bangerjim

[Rizzo]

....For full house rounds, I always use commerial BTFMJ's. I can get them for around 6 cents a piece and that is too cheap to mess with casting.

Would I recommend serious casting for 223 guns? NO! I can fully load FMJ's for around 12 cents a round. Not too bad.

bangerjim

12 cents a round?
Ok, I'll bite! So the bullet is $.06 (great price if you can find it), primer is $.02 - $.03, brass is 0 (assuming reusing fired cases), and powder is ??? $.07 - $.08 per round depending on load.

How do you get to $.12 per round reloaded?

[bangerjim]

Brass is free......tons of it for the pick-up at the range.

FMJ's are ~6 cents
Primers are ~3 cents
Powder is ~3-4 cents. (what I use from the old days.....not stupid new current $$)

Last time I checked my trusty abacus, that adds up to around where I said. May vary a penny or two either side, but still dirt cheap. If one wants to shoot those silly little things.

I prefer BIG HEAVY boolits in the 250-330gn weights shot in long guns!

banger

[Outer Rondacker]

I shoot those silly little things some times. I have one in a bolt ranch style behind my truck seat. Two mags in the glove box. Come to think about it I think there is a 12g behind the seat and... hum I need to clean out behind the back seat.

[dieselrealtor]

My silly little thing is fun to shoot & cheaper than feeding my .308. As mentioned, I am working on improving my rifle skills & other than rimfire this is the cheapest shoot I have at just under .15 per round.

Admittedly, it did seem pretty puny when I had it at the range a couple of weeks ago with a 50BMG on each side of me. First time I have been around those being fired. I could feel the shockwave travel through my sinus, it was pretty intense.

[Outer Rondacker]

I keep finding them dang ss109 projectiles at 6 cents each. I am trying to find some 55g-62g for that price. I should of bought some of the wolfs. Oh well the hunt continues.