cast bullet performance on game

[hornsurgeon]

i am looking to start casting for a wildcat 375x284. i was going to use a 375 bullet at about 2200-2400 fps cast from wheelweights with about2% tin added. i have heard that this alloy may not be hard enough for this velocity. if not i would try water quenching them. my question is, would wheel weight alloy hold up on bone in whitetails and black bear or would it be brittle and shatter?

[Boz330]

I'm a little confused here, are you talking a .284 case blown out to .375? If so the boolit should have no trouble taking a deer or bear. Getting that much velocity might be a problem though. But you don't really need that much.
Here is a .375 boolit that angled through a deer and hit several bones. Weight retension was 96%. Alloy was 20-1 lead tin which tests exactly the same as WWs on a cabin tree tester. Velocity was 1300fps distance was 65yds.

Bob

[Lloyd Smale]

1800 might be a more realistic goal and then its going to take a good barrel and good lube

[Bass Ackward]

Your WW+tin will do well up to 2200 fps before it stars being risky on those size animals. I can do it in 35 with a 250 grain bullet. Don't see why you can't if you stay about the same weight. Your highest possible velocity will come with the lightest bullet you shoot in any caliber before pressure gets ya.

But I always tell people to think about using a testing medium. It's best if you come up with something you can use your whole life so that you can compare apples to apples as far as what you see in the medium and what you see in game. You'll want to test close in for hanging together and far out for expansion and shock transfer. I use wet news print and plastic jugs filled with water. It adds a visual effect that shows shock plus gives an idea of penetration. It lacks toughness, but you can put a bone in front of all that that will.

[onceabull]

Hornsurg: If your 375x284 is a Sav.99 or win 88, I'd guess you won't likely choose a real heavyweight boolit,so can reach your velocity goal when the right combo of alloy ,lube & size is found. When I had my 88,I used NEI# 178A, which worked out at 248gr.ready to load ,(best I can recall) Probably was using waterdropped WW with a handfull of Magnum shot per pot. About 30 years ago I got an offer to good to refuse for rifle,scope,mould ,cases and boolits. so moved on to the NEXT GREAT THING. Couldn't afford buy it back today!! good luck,sounds like heapbigfun. Onceabull

[hornsurgeon]

the rifle is a herters mauser bolt rifle in 284 that was rebored to 375. i shouldn't have any trouble geting a bullet around 250 grains or so up to 2200-2400fps as i can get a 300 grain hornady rn to 2600 fps with no problems. i was just wondering about the alloy holding up on impact as i have heard mixed reviews of ww alloys being too brittle for hunting.

[Scrounger]

I thought the Herter rifles were BSAs, which is an English copy of a Mauser. Not nitpicking, just wondering if they also used real Mausers.

[jhalcott]

I used a 250 grain bullet in the 35 whelen that blew thru a deer at 70+ yards. The velocity of that load was right at 2000 fps. The alloy was a Lyman #2 copy, at 15 bhn. I have shot deer with straight wheel weight bullets at close to and above 2000 fps and can't remember any of them shattering. I had some large exit wounds when I was using linotype, but have been told that they MAY have been caused by BONE fragments. There were no bullet pieces in the carcass that I could find!

[onceabull]

Herters U-9 was BSA actions(modifed mauser),and their J-9 was Zastava mauser..or so saith various internet sites.. My 284 herter's boltguns are both U-9's(Marked made in England) don't know if there were any J-9's imported in 284 ,but have never seen one ....Onceabull

[felix]

Yes, Herters used BSA made Mauser actions. My brother still has my dad's 243W. Extremely strong action, and looks like an early round-action Shilen externally. ... felix

[hornsurgeon]

mine is a herters j=9 that was originally a 284, then was rebored. very short barrel on it. from memory, it's about 18" or so. very handy bear rifle.

[Lloyd Smale]

it depends on what you mean by holding up. No doubt at those speeds ww is going to deform. I doubt if its going to fracture or crack but it will expand and it will loose weight. If your looking for a bullet that will break bone and hold together 5050 ww/lyno is better but it too will probably deform on bone at those speeds. Ive used straight linotype at over 2000 and have never seen it fracture. It to can deform though at those speeds. The only bullets ive actually had fracture in the field were bullets made from water dropped or oven tempered wws. To be fair there too i will tell you that those bullets were swcs and they broke at the sharp junction of the nose and first driving band. I doubt if a rf or lfn would have done the same.

[Larry Gibson]

Agree with Bass;

I load 377449s cast of WWs + tin up to 2200 fps in my M70 three six bits and would not hesitate o hunt deer with it (or elk for that matter). However cast in the bullets hot with 3-5% antimony hard shot alloy and water quenching out of the mould produces a good bullet for +2200 fps velocities and one that expands instead of shattering. Also as Bass says; a test medium for comparison is best used. I use soggy wet newsprint at short range (25 yards) and at 100 and 200 yards for testing cast rifle bullets used for hunting.

Larry Gibson

[Four Fingers of Death]

We call the Zastavas MkXs here (Mark Tens). They have a very graceful curved bolt handle. Nice rifles. I have one in 3006, lightish barrel, shoots very well and has taken a lot of game. My son has it now, but it is in my safe. Fitted with an old 2-7 leupold Vari X11, he calls it old painless, but I tease him that is is painless because he doesn't ever shoot anything with it. I'll have to take it afield.

[runfiverun]

gas check it and try for about 1900-2000
dont hollow point it though
you will get deformation with wcww at 1600 mvs
if you make it hard with more antimony it will be brittle and break