H&R Handy Rifle

[NickSS]

I have had a bull barrel handy rifle for a couple of years now in 223 Remington. It is a nice rifle that shoots very well with Jacketed bullets and up to recently I have not tried any cast bullets. I have toyed with the idea of buying a 22 WMRF rifle for some time now but then I was looking through my loading cabinet and way in the back I found several thousand 22 gas checks and a lyman mold that casts 55 gr flat point bullets. I remembered buying the stuff years ago but could not remember whether I ever used them. So out came the mold and I cast up a hundred bullets. Ran them through a .224 sizer and loaded up some practice loads. I was hoping to get around 2000 fps with it and I used Unique and low and behold I got 1980 fps with the first try but not so hot accuracy wise. I only grouped into around 3 inches at 50 yards. I plan to slug the bore and try a variety of loads using different powders until I get one that will shoot under an inch at 50 yards.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I usually try an unsized lubed boolit first, if that works, you have saved a bit of work, if not, nothing lost. MIck.

[Scrounger]

I'd try sizing to .225 or even .226. Also a larger charge of slower powder might work, say 12 grains of 4227 or 4759, or 13 grains of Blue Dot.

[carpetman]

NickSS--Hope your experience witht the .223 is opposite of mine. I found nothing that worked with cast bullets in my .223 but it is very accurate with jacketed. My.222's and 22-250 shoot cast very well with about any powder I used.

[NickSS]

Well I will try some unsized bullets with blue dot and see what I get. I will pan lube and set the GC with a tool I made (nothing fancy its just a thin steel plate bored out to .225"

[Mickey Rat]

Why not just get a chamber adapter and shoot 22LR or 22MAG?

[Dead Calm]

I agree with CARPETMAN 100%. It was a frustrating experience! Here's hoping you find a combination that will work great for you. Maybe give me hope to get another!! Art

[38-55]

Why not just load it to 22lr or 22mag velocities ?
Calvin

[NickSS]

I have developed a load that shoots fairly well but not optimum yet. Velocity is about 2000 fps with a 55 gr GC bullet using Unique. I get groups of around 1.5 inches at 100 yards

[Paul B]

I have a custom rifle based on a Ruger #1 with a Remington barrel chambered to the .223 Rem. cartridge. I built it up as a 'walkabout" rifle and sadly, accuracy is not what I'd hoped it to be. However, that's not the point of my post. I tried casting boolits that were 55 gr. Lyman #225415 in wheel weight metal, and my nornal alloy which is a bit harder and some of pure linotype. Boolits were sized to .225". Powder charge as I recall was #2400, but my notes aren't handy so I don't remember how much was used.
However, the wheel weight bullets were a disaster. Even at 50 yards, groups were in the 4" range and my normal allow was not much better. The linotype bullets however shot very well with groups right at the half inch range when I held well.
At 100 yards, groups were in the 1.25 to 1.50" range with 1.50 being the more common.
Just my thoughts, but 225415 looks like the Lyman #31141/311041 bullet which has never shot well for me. I'd like to find a .22 caliber boollit mold that would cast a boolit shaped like the Lyman #311291 which has always been a great shooter for me.
While I would like better accuracy, it's good enough to do a dirty deed on any charging Jack Rabbits. :D
One of these days, I'll have to clean out the copper fouling from my Kimber 84 in .223 and see how it it shoot boolits made of lead.
Paul B.

[Greg]

Powder charge as I recall was #2400, but my notes aren't handy so I don't remember how much was used.

Just my thoughts, but 225415 looks like the Lyman #31141/311041 bullet which has never shot well for me. I'd like to find a .22 caliber boollit mold that would cast a boolit shaped like the Lyman #311291 which has always been a great shooter for me.

Paul B.


Paul B.-

Try a medium burning Powder...IMR 4895 or Win 760 or AA 2230 range.

I've had better accuracy with heat treated wheel weights or heat treated 92-6-2 alloy.

A nice boolit to look at is the NEI 22-54-GC...in magnum alloy (92-6-2) it weighs 60 grains.

[Single Shot]

I just bought a H&R bull 223 and I have an old IDEAL mold.

It casts a 50gGC in .224. 4408

I have some Unique so I will let you know how I did after I get to the range next week. I have a Lee Loader so I can work up a load at the range.

:castmine:


Go here http://sourceforge.net/projects/reloadersrfrnce/ and download the RELOADERS REFERENCE program. Tons of information and it is free software. It has a section on cast bullet loads for the 223.

It is a huge file so it downloads in 9-200 meg parts.