Maximumbob54
12-21-2013, 02:53 PM
So I've been coating bullets for a while now and I'm in love with the idea and have no issue with the tumble methods as far as producing lead bullets that don't leave lead in the barrel no matter how hard they are pushed within reason of course. I've tried casting with plain old range scrap and a Lyman #2 alloy clone, I've tried water quenching them, and I've loaded them from mouse fart levels to magnums with AA #9 and 2400 at their max loads for a 158gr load.
BUT... :roll:
I'm getting questionable at best accuracy from most of them to downright deplorable accuracy. All and I mean ALL of my .38 special 158gr loads are just garbage to the point that a small batch I still have loaded up will have the bullets pulled and the powder salvaged with the bullets being melted back down. I would have better accuracy just throwing them by hand at the target. And yet that same exact bullet cast in the same exact batch was super accurate (at least to my abilities, bullseye shooters bite your tongues for now...) off a rest from a S&W M28-2 with a 4" barrel. Here are some of my pictures of accuracy testing with various loads all off a rest.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_122944177_zpshczxhajs.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_122944177_zpshczxhajs.jpg.html)
That center target is 24 shots fired from a 4" GP100 with matte black Harbor Freight over a Lee 356-120-TC sized to .357" after being coated. They drop at around .357" - .358" anyways so sizing them to .357" is pretty easy. They were loaded over a hot for .38 load of Titegroup since I have that powder on hand right now.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_121440711_zps2v0njhln.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_121440711_zps2v0njhln.jpg.html)
This was also from today's testing. The target on the left is with the Mihec 359-640 that drops a 158-160gr bullet and the target on the right is the 360-640 that drops close to the same bullet but at 150ish gr bullet. Neither one really did better than the other but I want to say the lighter bullet has the slight edge. But once again it's nothing exciting.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131214_093024254_zpszetjkamj.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131214_093024254_zpszetjkamj.jpg.html)
I loaded some AA #9 under Lee TL358-158-SWC epoxy coated all sized at .357" and shot them in various guns at 15 yards. As usual the M&P R8 is the lackluster performer at the bottom left. That gun's barrel seems to be made for plated and jacketed only as with either it's a laser beam and with lead or coated it's meh at best. The M28-2 was spot on on the top right but I need to click to the right. Go figure as soon as I aimed to the right I hit dead center. I doubt I could do that again so perfect if my life depended on it. Last up bottom right was the M66-2 which only got five shots as I was out of ammo at this point. The three touching each other were trying to hit the center. The other two were trying to correct my aim so again clicks are needed. I swear I will stop trying to swap sights on my guns some day and just leave them alone. Maybe I should just buy fixed sight guns...
This is the results from the .357 magnum loading fired from the 4" GP100 again at 15 yards:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131212_083116305_zps8afwdwhg.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131212_083116305_zps8afwdwhg.jpg.html)
And yet as soon as I switched over to the same bullets in a mild .38 special loading... Let's just say I didn't waste the electrons in a picture for that one. I was all over the target. There are too many maybe's and what if's to ramble through so I will just stick to that bullet and coating for .357 magnum loads as I'm sure it was capable of more accuracy than I could offer. But that was a mild magnum so next up will be a max'ed out 2400 load. After it's worked up of course. Oh, and not a bit of leading as usual.
I will stop for now as it's just a back and forth really of pretty decent but still not awesome with what the heck happened. So far the soup can SWC from Lee is the winner but only when pushed fast and hard. Everything else is kind of unimpressive at best and spew at worst. So I'm curious if anyone else wants to share their results with real testing. I think for the most part there is a growing larger every day group of us that can make a coated bullet that doesn't lead but is anyone finding anything that is very accurate?
BUT... :roll:
I'm getting questionable at best accuracy from most of them to downright deplorable accuracy. All and I mean ALL of my .38 special 158gr loads are just garbage to the point that a small batch I still have loaded up will have the bullets pulled and the powder salvaged with the bullets being melted back down. I would have better accuracy just throwing them by hand at the target. And yet that same exact bullet cast in the same exact batch was super accurate (at least to my abilities, bullseye shooters bite your tongues for now...) off a rest from a S&W M28-2 with a 4" barrel. Here are some of my pictures of accuracy testing with various loads all off a rest.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_122944177_zpshczxhajs.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_122944177_zpshczxhajs.jpg.html)
That center target is 24 shots fired from a 4" GP100 with matte black Harbor Freight over a Lee 356-120-TC sized to .357" after being coated. They drop at around .357" - .358" anyways so sizing them to .357" is pretty easy. They were loaded over a hot for .38 load of Titegroup since I have that powder on hand right now.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_121440711_zps2v0njhln.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131221_121440711_zps2v0njhln.jpg.html)
This was also from today's testing. The target on the left is with the Mihec 359-640 that drops a 158-160gr bullet and the target on the right is the 360-640 that drops close to the same bullet but at 150ish gr bullet. Neither one really did better than the other but I want to say the lighter bullet has the slight edge. But once again it's nothing exciting.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131214_093024254_zpszetjkamj.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131214_093024254_zpszetjkamj.jpg.html)
I loaded some AA #9 under Lee TL358-158-SWC epoxy coated all sized at .357" and shot them in various guns at 15 yards. As usual the M&P R8 is the lackluster performer at the bottom left. That gun's barrel seems to be made for plated and jacketed only as with either it's a laser beam and with lead or coated it's meh at best. The M28-2 was spot on on the top right but I need to click to the right. Go figure as soon as I aimed to the right I hit dead center. I doubt I could do that again so perfect if my life depended on it. Last up bottom right was the M66-2 which only got five shots as I was out of ammo at this point. The three touching each other were trying to hit the center. The other two were trying to correct my aim so again clicks are needed. I swear I will stop trying to swap sights on my guns some day and just leave them alone. Maybe I should just buy fixed sight guns...
This is the results from the .357 magnum loading fired from the 4" GP100 again at 15 yards:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x333/Maximumbob54/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131212_083116305_zps8afwdwhg.jpg (http://s1176.photobucket.com/user/Maximumbob54/media/Reloading%20and%20Casting/IMG_20131212_083116305_zps8afwdwhg.jpg.html)
And yet as soon as I switched over to the same bullets in a mild .38 special loading... Let's just say I didn't waste the electrons in a picture for that one. I was all over the target. There are too many maybe's and what if's to ramble through so I will just stick to that bullet and coating for .357 magnum loads as I'm sure it was capable of more accuracy than I could offer. But that was a mild magnum so next up will be a max'ed out 2400 load. After it's worked up of course. Oh, and not a bit of leading as usual.
I will stop for now as it's just a back and forth really of pretty decent but still not awesome with what the heck happened. So far the soup can SWC from Lee is the winner but only when pushed fast and hard. Everything else is kind of unimpressive at best and spew at worst. So I'm curious if anyone else wants to share their results with real testing. I think for the most part there is a growing larger every day group of us that can make a coated bullet that doesn't lead but is anyone finding anything that is very accurate?