rifle caliber choice for casting

[imdamnedifido]

Hello,
Im hoping for some input about rifle caliber choices for cast bullets.I've been casting for 9 millimeter for about 9 months now and with the help of this website and it's members it is working pretty well. I have an AR 15, a 270 bolt gun, and a 223 bolt gun. casting for 223 sounds interesting yet extremely challenging unless I have not been reading the right articles so I am thinking of buying another rifle that is friendlier to cast for. my hope is to find a caliber/rifle that will shoot cast bullets accurately enough to enjoy at 100 yards.as always cost is an issue or I would shoot FMJ from the rifles I already have. I have nothing against older weapons but I would hate to shoot out the barrel of a valuable antique weapon. any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Brad

P.S. I am NOT completely against casting for 223 but I would need some tried and true articles and methods in order to give it a shot. so much of the information I have read is either contradictory or negative.

[Mk42gunner]

Brad,

I didn't really find it all that hard to cast decent .25 and .22 caliber bullets, but I sure didn't start out casting the small ones, either.

For your purposes, a thirty caliber should work well. There are a plethora of different molds ranging from ~75 to 250 grains. As to cartridges, anything from the .30-30, 7.62x39 or .308 will do. It just depends what type of rifle you really want.

Personally, if I were looking for a newish .30 to shoot cast through, I would look for either a Savage in .308 Win or a bolt action 7.62x39.

Robert

[Dan Cash]

.30-30, .30-06 and .35 Remington are available in reasonably priced commercial rifles and are easy to cast for. A bit more challenging are any of the .30/7.5/7.62 through 8mm surplus rifles but problems are not insurmountable. I have never tried to cast for the smaller calibers so can not comment on them.

[DHurtig]

30-30 and 45-70. The most used gun I own is an NEF Survivor in 357 Mag. I'd hate to guess how many cast 38's and 357's have gone down that barrel. Trying to find an H & R or NEF in 44 mag. These are my choices, but I think you will find that these are some of the most popular calibers.

[frnkeore]

I would suggest a Savage 340 in 30/30 or one of it's variants with a good bore. Use a bore rider bullet (311291 or 311299 types) for it's throating and if the bedding and sights are good, you should be able to get 1.5, 100 yard groups with some load development.

Frank

[Bohica793]

45/70 hands down. It was built for cast bullets and the holy black.

[YunGun]

My FIL gifted me an 80's model lever-action Marlin 336 chambered in 30-30 Winchester a few years ago.
Not really the sort of rifle I probably would have picked for myself, yet it very quickly became one of my favorites & is arguably the best/most fun cast shooter I've got so I'd uhhh... cast my vote ....for the 30-30!
:groner:

[jmort]

.30-30

[376Steyr]

.308 Winchester. You can find a bolt action in any price range and any configuration. Brass is plentiful, and .30 moulds are abundant.

[pworley1]

The 270 you have should be easy enough to get good cast loaded ammo.

[Yodogsandman]

Go for a 30 cal. or 35 cal. in any flavor or action you want. All the best molds and best variation of molds are in those two calibers. Availability is getting better in other calibers too, I guess.

[mart]

My 400 Whelen is pretty cast friendly.

[gloob]

I cast and shoot more for my 223 compared to my 308. It takes less lead, less powder, and there's less recoil. I never had a single problem casting and loading gas-checked bullets for rifles in any caliber.

223:
Is a little bit annoying getting the gas checks on. A little tricky getting the base of the mold to fill out, all the way. It's a miracle when all the little pills fall out of the mold on their own.

But my reject rate is very low. Well, zero, since I shoot 'em all. I do sort out the messed up bases, but I load and shoot them, too.

I didn't find anything particularly negative when I researched, myself. Maybe I didn't read enough. I'm not shooting past 100 yards, and I'm not trying to reach 3000 fps, and I'm not trying for 1 hole groups, because I'm not that good. Maybe my standards are too low.

[bangerjim]

A 6 cavity 223 mold cranks out tons of boolits real fast!

I powder coat them without GC's for 22LR type shooting. For sonic loads I normally use FMJ's or do GC some of the lead ones......but it is a PITA!

I have no problmes GC'ing 357's 30's and 45's. BIG bases!!!!!!

22LR-like rounds in 223 are fun to shoot but will NOT cycle your AR. I shoot them in my Mossy bolt action with great success and excellent accuracy. I can reload those cheaper than I can buy real 22LR's!

[rking22]

personally I feel the 3030 is the standout.Just right powder capacity allowing full power cast loads and reasonable load density even with plinker level loads. Standard 30 cal, there are gazillions of moulds out there. Long neck makes it easy to cover the lube and still hold a GC in the neck. Also has a "thinnish" neck wall to reduce the isssues with re-sizing your bullet when it's seated. 30s cast easy and don't use a bunch of lead (or powder), some great shooting is done with 32wadcutters in 30 cal rifles! Big enough for whitetail deer at reasonable ranges with mid weight bullets. They also generally have a cast friendly twist rate and can really make good use of a wide range of alloys.
Lots of rifles out there in 3030 in various action types as well and they are generally nice to the wallet. Load data is easy, just use the loads in the book, GC cast bullets can be run at "full speed" in the good ol 30WCF. There a LOTS of "squirrel" loads and "mouse farts" written about as well.
Disclaimer, I first cast rifle bullets for a Win94, but also like 22 Hornet, 308, 4570, 32, 357, ect, but I think everybody needs a 3030!

[MT Chambers]

The .30 Br. is perfect, most accurate and efficient, followed by the .308 and 30/30, the .35 Rem., .358/.356, .35 Whelen are good as well.

[GhostHawk]

You can still get .300 Blackouts at Grabagun.com for around 220$. Add a scope of your choice and your set.

I am running 3 cast boolits through mine, little 93 grain pills. .312-155 gc sized to .309 and the .312-185 gc also sized to .309.
Sizer I am using is a Lee .308 which dropped small so I reamed it out with sandpaper and a dowel running it over my leg.

Drops at .309 now which is just about right IMO for my .308 bore.

Brass is easily made from range pickup .223 ammo.

I'm using 4-5 grains of Red Dot for powder and CCI sm rifle primers.
Rifle is just getting broken in, but I'm seeing signs that the potential is there.

Recoil is light enough for a 12 yr old, the rifle itself is short (16.5" barrel) and light weight at about 5.5 lbs.

[irishtoo]

45-70. big, easy, will walk thru anything in north america. load light for the granddaughter. easy to cast for, cheap to load. my cost is roughy .035 cents per primer, .065 cents for the boolit, .036cents for the powder. thats appox 14 cents per round. when i started commercial loads were $2.50 per round. i use 14grs of unique for 500 loads per pound. for pa deer and bear it will do quite well at reasonable ranges. irishtoo

[texassako]

I find .30 and .35 calibers to be the standout calibers for cast bullets. Lots of molds, lots of guns(and types of guns), and lots of uses. A .30-30 bolt action would be nice to have, or maybe a .358 Win.

[tdoyka]

the 30-40 krag an the 444 marlin are tops in my book!!! :grin::Luvcastboolits:

[imdamnedifido]

thank you all very much for all the great info. I'm going to have to reread it a few times over the weekend to make a choice. with all this info it's going to be hard to narrow it down. I want them all!
have a great weekend, Brad

[barrabruce]

got a 30-30 h&r single shot.
brass shouldn't go out of production soon.
easy on the shoulder
light enough to carry around
easy on lead/powder.
good enough to kill most things within freehand shooting range.

there are other cases close to it larger and smaller.

what ever you need for 80 percent of your shooting needs will do.
The other percent you will have to get closer or wait till next time.
I don;t advocate carrying around a 10 lb cannon for that maybe some day one shot in a life time event.

hope it helps.

[Bigslug]

Since it doesn't sound like you're doing any kind of hunting, and are mostly looking for cheap, short range target shooting, I'd give some of the affordable bolt actions in .300 Blackout a look. It's pretty similar to the old .32-20 Winchester I've been playing with. With the small case capacity, it'll be easy to load for without any need for special fluffy powders or case fillers, and you can load it with cheap and easy plain base bullets for low velocity plinking, or ramp things up with gas checks. Not my first choice for deer, but it would absolutely, positively work if you were smart about it.

.30-30 - a classic for this stuff.

.357 Mag - great for what you want to do. A Ruger 77-.357 would be a great choice. The .44 Mag version as well for that matter.

.35 Rem, .358 Win, .38-55, and things in that general .32 to .375 category - all good for moderate recoil with big chunks of lead that will put large creatures on the ground.

.45-70 - easy to load accurately for, can be loaded light, with your recoil tolerance being the main limit on the other end.

[Artful]

Brad, looking at what you have listed that you already own, I'd look for compatible caliber - IE - one that already uses similar caliber molds, and/or similar cartridge cases.

Myself, I like casting for .30 caliber and larger, I like straight wall cases for cast, but I'm also a frugal guy - so I'd be haunting the Local Gun Store to see what's on the rack in a caliber that fit my criteria.

Any of the Standard / Old school can be cast friendly.
And if you keep in mind the limitations of cast there is no reason not use your existing rifles (.223 & .270).

But if you just want to get a new toy I'd go with this
Example - 300 blackout is made from 223 cases, so
http://www.impactguns.com/data/default/images/catalog/535/handyrifle.jpg
http://grabagun.com/advanced-armament-corp-h-r-handi-rfl-300blk-16-threade.html
ADVANCED ARMAMENT H AND R HANDI RIFLE 300 BLACKOUT 16-INCH THREADED
$234.12 thread about 300 blackout...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?273532-300-Blackout-a-good-cast-bullet-round

Right now I'm using more 38 spl in a Rossi lever carbine than I have done in a while due to cost/availability of 22LR.

[quilbilly]

Considering economy, look for rifle boolits that are plain base. I am currently enjoying shooting a 30/30 with the Lyman 130 gr plain base boolit using Trail Boss at an MV of 1350. That boolit also shoots well in my Remington 308 rifle at the same MV using Unique powder. Groups at 100 yards are not quite as good as with gas checked boolits at higher velocities but in both rifles, groups are still under 2.5" at 100 which is fine for coyotes out to 150 yards. No leading at all. In both the cost is well under 10 cents a shot. Feels like a popgun going off but still has the "authority" to do the job on game under 40# at under 100 yards.
As for 22 cal boolits I am using the Lee boolit and it has shot very well (MOA) in both my 222 and 22 Hornet but it has been a challenge to get to shoot well in my single shot 223 carbine.

[Harter66]

The 1st loads down the bbl of a 222 in a Savage 340 I had were over 2000 fps with the Lee Bator bullet and while not great groups they weren't bad for a random selection of components and a place to start . I have ,but have yet to load any, the NOE 225 55 RCBS clone ,I haven't had any real trouble getting good bullets with that mould beyond keeping it hot enough.

With that said I would encourage a guy to choose 30 cal and up in fact probably 35+ to start with a rifle. I can't tell you the heartburn I had with with an 06' and 32 Rem just trying to figure it out . Now I load for several 7mm s and the 222.

[Blammer]

I would look for something in 35 cal, then 30 cal. Hard to go wrong with those two choices.

[dragon813gt]

35 caliber

357 is a hoot out of a rifle. 356/358 Winchester and 35 Remington are more than enough for any game in NA. Plenty of lightweight pistol bullets to use as plinking rounds. Uses less lead and powder than a larger 45 caliber offering.

Nothing wrong w/ a 30 caliber. I just find the smack a 35 caliber lays down on targets to be a more satisfying sound :)

[rking22]

Another thread :http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?277537-CVA-Hunter

That little gun is in 35 Rem for 170$ ! Get a 200 RCBS or NOE clone and start having fun.

[edward hogan]

Got a bolt action .270win?

So... you got a long action receiver.... Time to learn about Switchbarreling~!

Real easy to swap barrels on model 70 Winchesters or Savage. Not too hard on Rem 700s.

35 Whelen is a good choice. Got a .357magnum handgun? Can shoot handgun bullets in your rifle.
Want an excuse to buy a new lever gun? .356win way outshines the .35rem. Winchester or Marlins not easy to find, but are around chambered for that one. Same versatility if you own a .357/.38sp handgun...

Big slugs cast easier. More weight is better, relatively speaking at lower velocities. Had a .450 Marlin. 400gr Lyman flat nose very fine combo. Yet, with the .358 bore and regular magazine, more versatility. Lots of good j-word bullets for the Whelen. I have a .35 Gibbs barrel have played with a bit. I have recently had a .338-06 Ackley Improved and will be trying my .338 Lee 220 and NIE 283gr roundnose boolits in that one. The .340wby is fun with the NIE boolit.

Great fun to be able to swap barrels and use one rifle for many purposes. You can also swap bolts and go magnum chamberings. The smaller case magnums like .338win, .358rem are great for cast boolit purposes. Hard to beat a .30-06, but your .270win is so similar not much reason to own both. Hard to beat that .357mag/.35 Whelen combo. I fireformed my Gibbs cases using wadcutters. Very versatile. Also can do same with .327/.32sp pistol and .30 cal rifle. Unfortunately the handgun and rifle bores are out of sync for .45 and .40/10mm calibers.

Try switchbarreling, it will broaden your horizons for sure!