Bullets too heavy!!!

[iwottopq]

Hello dear friends.
I am new on the forum but not in the reloading art. I cast bullets for 9 m/m and .308. Now I am starting to cast also for my .223R. I use a 90/5/5 alloy with a mould that was exspected to produce 55 grs bullets but it produce instead 58 grs bullets and this weight is too heavy for my Remington 700 carbine that have a 1:12 rifling.
There is too many lead in the alloy?
There is a remedy to make bullets more lighter (apx 52-55 grs)?
Please help me to solve this problem.
Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english but I I have studied your language only at the school.
Ciao
Nino

[Heavy lead]

Welcome Nino,
Actually your english for the most part seems pretty good, no apologees needed. First question I have is have you shot these? I'm assuming you think they won't stabilize in the 1/12, I wouldn't assume that just because of the weight alone. That is the first step. If you already have tried to shoot without success I doubt just lightening the alloy will help either. I have no experience with cast in .22's, however I shoot tons of jacketed, and in my experience with them in .222, .223, and 22.250's, the length has much more to do with the stability than the weight.
Hopefully someone will chime in here with .22 cast experience. I mainly shoot cast in handgun and find the same holds true for the most part as far as twist/weight/length.

[btroj]

I am with Heavy Lead. Go shoot some first, then worry.
3 gr difference is not much at all really. Adding a harder alloy won't make a large difference because what you are using is pretty harms already.

Go shoot some, see what they do, then report back. You may learn what many of us know, common knowledge about what won't wont is often wrong. There are very few absolutes in shooting.

Your English is better than most in this country.

Good luck.

Brad

[iwottopq]

Hello Heavy Lead.
Thanks for your reply. I fired about 50 cartridges loaded with the heavier bullets but with bad results. Ordinary I made (at 100 meter range) a about 10 m/m groups with the 55 grs FMJ bullets but with the lead the groups enlarges till 5 cm!!! It is too!!! Also with some 60 grs FMJ bullets the grous are alike.
Ciao
Nino

[iwottopq]

Dear btroj, please read my above reply and thanks for your help.
("...Your English is better than most in this country.""") Thanks also for your encouragement...
Nino

[white eagle]

Have you sized the boolits
If not you may lighten them during the sizing process
I would hardly consider 3 gr as being a over weight

[trapper9260]

Hi your 3gr differents will not matter and I shoot 22-250 and have 55gr mold but the bullets are long they are lymans and they are 5grs over and I adjust the powder to match to get what i want. I load 5 rounds and test them then go from there. oh the ones I cast also have gas checks. at about 100yrds I have about 1" group . if you like to know more let me know . Your english is just fine I am not good with it sometime myself I was in your country in 1980 in naples.

[iwottopq]

Hello to all.
My cast bullets are sized to .225 with a 450 lyman sizer.
They are with GC.
I have read on an USA book that if a add more antimony to the alloy this became harder but also lighter but, according with your reply, I try again to shoot the 58 gr cast bullets on my carbine.
I am very happy to have know you, true genplemen.
Nino

[11B-101ABN]

If you increase the TIN percentage in your alloy the bullets will get lighter. Try some 60/40 solder, or find some Tin based babbit. I played with that babbit some years ago. Using a lyman 311467 mold, bullets would drop at 184 gr using my wheelweight alloy. The same mold would produce bullets weighing 125 gr using the tin based babbit. I could make just about any weight bullets in between by mixing different percentages of the two alloys.

[454PB]

You have listed no velocities. I've fired cast, gas checked, .225 boolits up to 2500 fps. using straight linotype alloy with good accuracy. Linotype is around 22 BHN hardness.

Your "Lyman #2" alloy (around 16 BHN hardness) should be fine up to about 2200 fps.

If you are attempting to equal jacketed bullet velocities of 3000 fps, you will probably continue to struggle.

I'd suggest you reduce the velocity to 2500 fps or less.

[stubshaft]

You can add antimony and/or tin to your alloy to lighten it but it will increase the diameter of the boolit. It will also increase the hardness. Sizing will NOT lighten the bullet.

Since you mention that the groups are similar with the 60gr FMJ. I assume that these were fired after you had shot the lead bullets? You can also try increasing the velocity of your load to help stabilize the bullet. I shoot 62 gr J-words out of one of my 223 barrels with a 1 in 12 with no problems.

[bhn22]

Try them. Twist rate is determined by bullet length, not necessarily weight. I think everything will be okay for you. It's very rare to get a mould/alloy combination that will cast exactly to the advertised bullet weight. In fact, it's so rare, that I've never had it happen to me.

[iwottopq]

Hello to all. Today I can not try to shoot again my loads with heavy cast bullets becose I was with my girl and boy scouts that have delivered their promise (I am also a scout leader).
The next friday I will try.
Now thanks to all.
Nino

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have found that using Unique powder in small amounts.....like 6 to 8 grains with a cast boolit in .223 gave me decent results. Velocity around 1700 fps and decent accurcy. Sounds like a pop gun. No recoil.

[leadman]

I'm with Crash, try Unique in those amounts as these work real well in my Contender 223.
If you don't have Unique tell use what powders you do have so we can make suggestions for you.

22 cal. cast bullets need a very good lube, like Lyman Moly, LBT Blue Soft, or Carnube Red.

Are you crimping your bullets into the case? Are you seating the boolit close to the rifling?

[iwottopq]

Hello to all.
There are some news.
I tried as follows:
-Bullet 22-SP-55 with GC weight 58 grs with GC and grease sized at .224
-grease a home made mix of 40% beewax, 40% stearic wax and 20% vaselive grease
-Case military surplus.
-Powder 7,5 grs of S4 (an italian hunting powder ggod also for pistol loads).
-Primer Fiocchi SR.
-Alloy 70% WW clip on and 30% monotype
-Range 50 meter becouse the 100 meter range is closed becouse in maintenance
...and this is the result...
The width is about 3-4 cm between the centers.
Ciao
Nino