why hunt with cast boolits?

[tdoyka]

this one got me thinking?....


THIS.

177901
While my .32-20 is not strictly a .32-20 (case blown out from the original .314" to take a custom .320" slug for a rechambered Martini Cadet), the above bullets were light fireformers of a 130 grain LBT at about 1250fps. The soft bullet (20-1) on the right took three milk jugs to stop. The hard bullet on the left (WQWW) took NINE.

The hard bullet is now doing just shy of 1600fps, so essentially .357 magnum territory. No, I wouldn't shoot elk across canyons with it, but deer to 100Y, sure.

I submit that the OP has been infected - as many of us latter-half-of-20th-Century children were - with a touch of Weatherbyism: the notion that a bullet must be the weight of an Acme Cartoon Anvil and be moving at the speed of an SR-71 Blackbird in order to stand a 50% chance of killing a brown field mouse with one shot. We grew up in an era of jacketed bullets of often dubious durability and the resulting conventional wisdom was that we needed heavier to stay together and reach vitals. Seeing what cast and solid copper Barnes slugs will do on both jugs and deer has cured me of this notion.

.32-40 is not only good to go, but REALLY good to go!

i was once "infected" of magmunitis too. i never used a magnum(except 44 mag) , but back when i was boy/teen i wanted a magnum like no other. i dreamed of shooting a 264 win mag from a mile away, hitting both of the deer's lungs. i dreamed of the 300 win mag with elk, the 338 win mag with grizzly and a 460 weatherby mag when i go to africa. i did alot of dreaming:mrgreen:! but then reality set in and i used a 20 gauge pump with slugs. the next year an old guy let me use his winchester m94 in 32 sp, the year after that i had my own win m94 in 30-30. and a couple of years later i was set on using my own handloads for many rifles that i have owned. for 20+ years i have shot from a 20 vartarg to 45-70, all of them from jacketed bullets.

after i had a stroke( about 4 years ago), i was looking/wondering, what am i gonna do now? does a reduced load hurt? is it even possible? what about cast boolits? can i shoot a cast boolit? would a cast boolit...
1. would it expand?
2. what would the velocity be?
3. at what range?
4. who makes them?
5. how......................

so i started looking on the 'net. what do i find? just a little thing thats called "cast boolits"!!! i have been a follower for 3 or 4 years now. although i don't cast(buy them for now) , i do find it interesting. from what powder to what boolit and for what game/target. the people are a great bunch of guys/girls that i have ever known!

anyway, why do i use cast boolits? well for starters, they don't kick much(recoil wise). to me, being stroke-abled-an-all:mrgreen:, is probably the best thing ever. i can shoot my 30-40 krag at 1800fps(165gr ranch dog) and kill a deer a 100 yards away. my 444 marlin(tc encore) can shoot 2000fps(275gr ranch dog) and it kicks less than my '06 with a full load and a 180gr rn. the 45-70 with a 405gr fbfn goes 1400fps and it still kicks less than an '06. the accuracy is stellar, 444(scoped) goes .5" at 100 yards, 45-70 goes 2" at 100 yards(open sights) and the 30-40 krag(also open sights) goes 1 1/2" at 100 yards. i have a ruger sbh in 44 mag, that i use for my 44 sp that does a 250gr mihek hp with a skeeter load(with rest-2" at 30 yards, without rest- 4-5" at 30 yards). and yes, i try alot of data and loads. my 444 does not like the 280gr wfn gc(over 2 1/2"+ at 100yds) to go lower than 2000fps(rel7). i've got some h4198 and h322 to try.
my own yardage is 150 yards with cast boolits. over 150 yards it falls to my other tc encore and its 6.5 creedmoor and 120gr bt. the alloys/bhn is quite simply...amazing! i'm going to try a 40:1 in my 250gr hp(44 sp) and 275gr ranch dog(444) that uses a ww, but i may try a 20:1. although a ww 165gr rd(30-40 krag) can go thru/expand a deer.

it is so fun to use a cast boolit, whether for deer or target practice, than any jacketed bullet, all of the week and twice on sunday. my sister-in-law just loves to come and visit my 44sp:)! she is a great shooter, even better than me. she goes out to my 50 yard target and takes one of the 4"-4" targets and before you know it, its singing the target dance while lead dust settles around it. now my little brother won't shot a cast boolit out of his 45-70(marlin) because he only uses a hornady gummy tip, not some g-d---n cowboy bullet. one day i ought to give him my 45-70 handi-rifle and tell him to shoot it to see what is wrong.i'll give him one of my "special" loads(i wonder what a ruger load will do to him?) and let him have at it. then i'll take it from him and i shoot one of my loads:bigsmyl2::oops::kidding:. its something to think about:mrgreen:, i wonder if a handi can do a ruger load?:evil::)


well i've had enough of my ranting. today, archery deer season started and i had to miss it. but there is another day and another and another...

please feel free to comment on or rant on something else...:castmine:

[richhodg66]

The last five deer I've taken with centerfire rifles have been with cast, three .30s, a .32 and a .35. All went well each time. I had killed a lot of them with cast in various muzzle loaders long before that, but that is no real trick when your bullet is a half inch in diameter. I think anything you can make a wound channel all the way through both lungs will work fine.

I also hunt small game with cast in a .22 Hornet. Works every bit as well as a .22 rimfire.

[dragon813gt]

I've never been caught up in needing the latest and greatest uber magnum. There is a reason I own a lot of 35 caliber guns. I find it's pretty much the perfect cast bullet platform in regards to bullet diameter, bullet weight and velocity. You don't need to push it to really high speeds to make it work.

A 200 grain bullet out of a 35 Remington will smack a deer down w/ authority. If I want to shoot a heavier bullet I can use a 358 Winchester. And like I said you don't need jacketed velocity to make it work. Or I could grab a light and handy 1894C and use a 170-180 grain bullet. I will admit I do ramp up the velocity w/ them. But there is practically no recoil which is what I prefer :)

I acquired a 375 H&H last year. It will never see a jacketed round since I don't want to deal w/ the recoil. A 280 grain cast bullet chugging along at modest speed packs plenty of energy. I have yet to see an armor plated deer in the wild :laugh:

[rodwha]

I may not have been sucked into the need for a magnum, but I was greatly swayed by the latest greatest bullet and would look at my old boss a bit sideways when he said he loved Core Lokt bullets.

With that in mind you can probably understand my trepidation for using a patched ball or even a conical through a muzzleloader. The good guys on the traditional forum set me straight. But then my cap n ball pistols use boolits. Can't wait to see how the perform!

[TXGunNut]

I'm a recent convert but since my first deer fell to my CB a few years back I haven't hunted with a j-word. For my style of hunting cast boolits are the best choice, IMHO. I can think of a few situations where J-words may be better but you can bet I'll try to git-r-done with a CB. Yes, I still load & test J-word loads for my brother because his faith in these loads is rock-solid after many years.
One guest on his lease this year is a youngster and I'm working on a load that will be gentle on his shoulder and at the same time put a deer on the ground RIGHT NOW. This feat is probably rather difficult with a J-word, will probably be no big deal with a CB.
Many hunters simply don't understand the power of a well-placed CB. Quite honestly, many experienced casters still hunt with J-words. I'm OK with that, but I'll be putting critters in the freezer with a CB this year.

[shoot-n-lead]

I love cast bullets...have taken a lot of game with them. However, I am in the process of finalizing a lease agreement on some hunting land and this lease will likely change my hunting bullets. In my experience, cast bullets do not produce as many down right there kills as jacketed bullets...not saying they don't kill, but I have had very few "drop in their tracks" kills, with cast bullets. The vast majority of mine have run some distance, before going down...regardless, of where they were shot. This new lease is THICK...THICK...THICK...6yr old cutover and I want to use a bullet that has produced the most "drop in the their tracks" shots for me...and this is for deer, so penetration is not an issue as I have never had a jacketed handgun bullet that did not pass through these smaller Ga deer...so, it will probably be jacketed bullets.

If I were willing to put the time in, I know that I could cast some hollow points that would give me the desired results...but I can just use jacketed and not get into chasing the rabbits associated with casting hollow points. Some in the past have been less than satisfactory...actually failed, in my view. In other words, I am too lazy to do it...and I don't have a lot of time as hunting season is here. Although, I may pursue it for next season as I hate to buy bullets.

Actually, I have commissioned beage333 to cast some for me, when he gets started casting in the next couple of weeks. I am sure that he will provide me with a hp that will work well...and that is what I will use in the Rossi.

[44man]

You are home. Did you see the title? Cast Boolits! But to buy boolits has to go away, you have no control. You are not free yet.

[Digital Dan]

Bullets are bullets, they have no mind and only follow directions from the "boss". Bosses take many forms. Some are gregarious, some thoughtful and some can't figure which side of the bed to exit from in the morning. Some bosses might find a rest and caress the trigger, some are prone to being jerkers. Several zip codes might separate the POI between the two.

I claim to be practical and do not indulge in extreme projects. A muffled M4 with cast at subsonic velocity and seeking function of the action is not a goal I will pursue. Likewise, I will not betray a .45-70 by loading jacketed bullets, nor a .38-55 Winchester. Your views likely differ and I've no objection whatsoever. I cast for a variety of reasons that suit my purposes.

1) cast bullets are far cheaper than OTC cup and core bullets
2) since one gets to fiddle with hardness and style of loading they are more flexible than cup and core bullets on many levels
3) they are appropriate to many older guns due to metallurgical properties of older barrels
4) likewise, they are more appropriate to pressure levels of older actions and barrels
5) in some cases they are profoundly more accurate than cup and core bullets
6) they are often proscribed by rules in competition
7) their performance cannot be surpassed when one wishes to convert an armadillo to chunks and mist

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/PaperPatchDeer009_zps3a52d58c.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/PaperPatchDeer009_zps3a52d58c.jpg.html)

[Wardo1974]

I agree with all the above.

I hunt only with cast in any rifle. Either 100+ year old rifles or modern - cast all the way.

1.) I love the mushrooming of a pure lead boolit in any target.
2.) All my hunting is in the brush under 75 yards, so the sub-MOA that cast boolits cannot provide is irrelevant.
3) The cost is unbeatable. Where I live in Canada, as an example, a factory box of .38-55 is about 60-70 bucks (Canadian) for a box of 20. I can load warm game-getting rounds for about $4 for twenty using cast. It's a no-brainer.
4.) I also don't give a hoot about magnum anything. You'd think as a younger guy I'd want the latest short magnum whatever, but I prefer the big old rounds that got the job done before people had indoor plumbing.

[white eagle]

cast boolits are the standard by which their jacketed cousins
are measured by.If it weren't for cast jacketed wouldn't exist.
There are some cals that just shine with cast and I prefer to use them.
Money is not a priority and not the first concern for me when it comes to
accurate handloads,being self sufficient and independent of companies that
produce for the masses is more of a attainable goal and desire.

[Digital Dan]

I don't factor money into the equation that much either, but it is a factor. Too, there are things not readily available, such as .223" bullets for an old Hornet. I will fire form with cast and plink as appropriate and save the "jewels" for specific tasks. Yeah, it will shoot .224" bullets, but it prefers the smaller.

I have problems with thinking that cast is not competitive with jacketed in the precision department. They can be and often are. It is largely in the hands of the caster to make that happen.

First two shots with an old Marlin 94 with a relined barrel chambered for .25-20 Win. Ideal 257283 plain base bullet and a tang sight....100 yards.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/d98b4832-c87b-405f-b68b-0555ad7baf7a_zpsusi7udlc.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/d98b4832-c87b-405f-b68b-0555ad7baf7a_zpsusi7udlc.jpg.html)

50 yards with the same gun and the flyers are my fault, not the gun's...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/17f07848-f427-4fdd-ba1a-8d705824c926_zps8c020791.jpg


(http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/17f07848-f427-4fdd-ba1a-8d705824c926_zps8c020791.jpg.html)

[rodwha]

The cost is primarily (I also like to be self sufficient and believe in doing for myself if I can instead of paying for it) why I jumped into casting as the only cap n ball bullets with a hunting meplat were sold by Kaido for $40/100 + shipping (then upped to $50).

Had his mold been available I would have purchased his but ended up working with Accurate Molds and making my own designs. And having bought scrap lead pipe from the salvage yard at $1/lb I can make my 195 grn bullets for less than $3/100 and no shipping...

[popper]

Target shooting with jacketed is boring. I've never shot an animal with any jacketed bullet. All the birds are DOA. Rabbits jump a couple times if at all, from a 177 pellet. South to North shot on a running pig went all the way through and broke a leg - he still went another 100 yds and no blood trail for 50 yds. Passed on a couple deer ( I prefer beef) as I don't relish tracking through mesquite and cactus undergrowth. DRT is CNS/shock wave or break something so they can't move. Went on a youth hunt in Feb. ~10 doe/spike & 7 pigs, ~ 100 yds. All jacketed and all tracked 50-100 yds. Stand shooting and guides called the shots. Plan on tracking.

[PositiveCaster]

Why? Because it brings you even closer to the overall hunting experience. Unlike some here I have no axe to grind regarding jacketed bullets and will use them when applicable, but for .45 LC hunting cast just seems natural. Once I switched to large meplat boolits I have had great big game hunting success. My .32 H&R SP-101 loves the RCBS 98-grain SWC and is deadly on grouse and rabbits.


.

[glockky]

I personally love the results I get with cast. I have yet to have a deer run a step when hit with a 265gr cast bullet out of my 44 mag revolver.
Before using cast I had a lot of deer run when hit by an xtp that did not exit. Most of the time there was little to no blood.
I would feel wrong putting anything but cast in the 45-70. My best groups out of the 357 max encore came with cast.

178040
178041
Entrance wounds from the 44 mag
178042
178043
Groups from 2 different bullets in the 357 max. Use loads at your own risk they are fine in my rifle.

[Thumbcocker]

Because I can make my ammunition; not just assemble it.

[theleo]

Never been infected by magnumitis but jacketed bullets still have a place in my reloading room. I'm looking forward to the day that I draw my favorite elk tag so I can bloody my dads 45-90 using cast bullets but most of my rifles get J-words. It's just to complicated for me to chase the accuracy and splat that I get with my 22-250 or 280ai when loaded with hollow point J-words and used on Rock chucks and the like. Someday I'll get around to trying them in my 338-06 or my old mans 33 WCF but I'm just not there...yet.

[RU shooter]

For me it was a natural transition , I joined this site to be able to cast and save money shooting my milsurp rifles in our monthly matches along with the added benefit of making my own bullets and using a quarter of the powder ,much lower recoil and still have the same accuracy I could now afford to keep shooting in competition . About that time I was about out of jacketed bullets to reload for my 35 rem for the next deer season . I started reading all the posts in the hunting section and other folks were killing deer just as dead with home made cast bullets so I thought why not . Got a 35 cal mould for it tried a few loads and haven't looked back . Now if I was shooting longer distances I would use jacketed and my 30-06 but I'm not so what I make at home works just as well as or better than any other 200 gr jacketed bullet made for the distance and game that I hunt . Another plus side is a lot less meat damage !

[44man]

I never cast to save, but to get better results and yes, more accuracy then I could buy. You can tailor cast for any game.

[Digital Dan]

'Cause they don't make factory ammo for this thing????

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/Black%20Powder/Parrot2_zpsknkltb0b.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/Black%20Powder/Parrot2_zpsknkltb0b.jpg.html)

[NoAngel]

.358 Winchester
230g Thor cast from a copper babbit enriched alloy, .360, LBT blue soft
35.0g of 3031
Chrono - 1825 fps
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/IMG_0228_zps6eab2035.jpg

H&R Handi rifle, .357 mag barrel reamed with a Manson reamer to .358 Winchester
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/IMG_0177_zps855d3394.jpg


Groups at 100 yards

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/IMG_0498_zpsue36ejxg.jpg





NOTHING in north america will survive a well placed shot from this. It's not abusive. It costs me pennies to load. The rest of the gun world can stick their big magnums and fancy whizz bang gimmick bullets where the sun don't shine.



..and just for the record, that flyer is from a freshly cleaned bore. I never clean this rifle now, unless groups start to open up.

.

[TXGunNut]

I've got a better question: why hunt with J-words? Haven't been in a situation where I wanted to for years. I might fling the odd J-word from my carry gun at a target of opportunity now and then but I've been putting deer in my freezer and using my tracking skills on other peoples' deer for a few years now and I'm not going back. ;-)

[white eagle]

I use jacketed in cals I don't cast for
like 22 and 7mm the advantage in these cals
is velocity I doubt you could push a cast at 4100 fps
like I get out of my swift

[TXGunNut]

Good point, pretty sure casting .22's would be an exercise in frustration for my clumsy fingers. Come to think of it I don't bother to load for .22 CF's anymore. I don't hunt with anything smaller than a .30, generally .35 or bigger but must admit I've always been intrigued by the 6 and 7mm.
Velocity a good argument as well but I'm big & slow and I like my boolits the same way. ;-) I've dabbled with the fast stuff and just can't get interested in it, diff'rent strokes, as they say.

[dragon813gt]

I have smaller hands and processing 22cal bullets is no fun. Sizing them isn't the problem. Putting checks on them is a different story. Even getting the checks out of the bag is a pain :laugh:

[white eagle]

yeah I remember trying to check my first 22's wasn't long after I quit casting for them

[tdoyka]

[smilie=l: i have a hard enough time to use a 20 cal jacketed bullet!

[TXGunNut]

Just for laughs I shoot a 17MHR now and then. Boggles the mind that they can actually make a bullet that small and get it to work!

[Lead Fred]

why hunt with cast boolits?

Because dinner dont know the difference

[TXGunNut]

Just for laughs I shoot a 17MHR now and then. Boggles the mind that they can actually make a bullet that small and get it to work!

[dverna]

If you want long range accuracy and good terminal ballistics, without a ton of work, shoot jacketed bullets. I can use the same Gameking bullet for a 50 yard shot or a 300+ yard shot. KISS.

I have no need for cheap hunting bullets. Cost is immaterial.

Don Verna

[rking22]

Why not is my question. I have always (40+ years) hunted close, much more exciting for me. I shot groundhogs at long range and will still use Js for that if I ever get interested in it again. For deer hunting, a 30 cal cast works just as well and I will NEVER run out of them! I hunted last year with 35 cal and this year will be a 375 Win and 41 Special, cast rounds all the way around. For my purposes a cast is better and just as simple. Better because it works well at lower velocity, making the rifle more quiet and non existent recoil, provides all the range I need. I still have 1000s of 30 cal Js, haven't shot one in 10 years, much less hunted with one. Quit buying them when they hit .25$ each, yes I'm frugal (tight) too!

[TXGunNut]

It's not about the cost. For my hunting situation and the critters I hunt CB's simply work very, very well. There's a certain amount of satisfaction in cleanly harvesting game with a boolit YOU made.

[35 shooter]

I love the eat right up to the hole aspect of using cast to hunt with.
I've found awesome killing power without the meat damage by using cast compared to jacketed.

I seldom shoot past 300 yds. on big game in the field anyway, so i don't feel like i'm taking a back seat using cast compared to jacketed in that regard either.

I love the challenge of working up loads at the range with cast too, as it never gets boring and i'm always learning something new to try.
Plus the satisfaction of making the boolit i shoot myself....Why not shoot cast?

[EMC45]

I have only killed 5 deer in my life. I am a "newb" at this I guess. I find immense pleasure in shooting paper and also just sitting at the bench loading. The first 2 deer I killed were with a Mosin M91 with jacketed bullets. The last 3 were with a 45-70 and cast 405gr. bullets. They both filled the freezer, however I do like the cost aspect of cast and the idea of "making" them myself.

[kiwi]

Best thing about casting your own you don't have the problem of supply as long as you have a cache of suitable lead you can make what you want when you want and just the lead hardness for what you are going to use the end product for.

[Digital Dan]

If you want long range accuracy and good terminal ballistics, without a ton of work, shoot jacketed bullets. I can use the same Gameking bullet for a 50 yard shot or a 300+ yard shot. KISS.

I have no need for cheap hunting bullets. Cost is immaterial.

Don Verna

You be a funny guy.

[6pt-sika]

I have smaller hands and processing 22cal bullets is no fun. Sizing them isn't the problem. Putting checks on them is a different story. Even getting the checks out of the bag is a pain :laugh: I cast 22's for a Marlin 1894CL in 218 Bee just long enough to take a pair of grey squirrels . After I accomplished that I was done with casting 22 cal .

[6pt-sika]

2/3rds of what I killed deer wise this year were done in with stuff I cast . A bunch with my 444's and a pair with home cast buckshot . Now with that being said I did in a few more with jacketed from a couple bolt actions and a couple AR's . I have no issue with anyone using jacketed or cast . As long as it's still fun keep doing it .

[6pt-sika]

I have my eye on a particular rifle and if I get it , either it or another I have just like it will become a 270 WIN cast bullet rifle . And taking a deer or two with cast in the 270 will be one of my objectives for the 17/18 season .

[texasnative46]

In my case, it is simple ECONOMICS. = Even the thought of paying 42.75 plus tax for 20 pieces of JHP leaves my "cheapskate heart" COLD.
(Personally, I think you should hunt with the same ammunition that you practice for hunting with & in the case of my "big game rifle", that's at least 230.85 per 100 rounds for practice ammo.)

yours, tex

[rondog]

Took my doe last fall with a powdercoated cast .45 Colt, Lee 255gr RFN over 31gr of IMR4227 (31 or 21, can't recall). Sailed true right into her heart at 250yds. Nice little holes in and out, nice trench across the heart. No massive disgusting damage, just a dead deer that went about 25-30 yards before expiring, if that far.

Made a believer out of me!

[Wolfer]

About 17 yrs ago I fell into a deal that left me with a lifetime supply of jacketed bullets. Only in 25 cal, 7mm, and 30 cal.
Since Ive always shot cast out of my pistols when I started loading for 8mm Mauser I just bought a mold after a couple hundred jacketed bullets. These were so much fun to shoot and since I didn't have a lifetime supply of 30 cal bullets suitable for a 30-30 I bought a 311041 mold.

This worked great in my 30-30 so just for giggles I tried it in my 30-06 and then in my 30-40 Krag. Accurate, quiet and low recoil, certainly fun to shoot but could I hunt with them?

For many years Ive been a close hunter. I'm also a very careful game shot. I tend to not shoot until I know where that boolit will land.

So I loaded the old 06 up to 1800 fps and went hunting. I was a little skeptical at first but those of you who hunt with cast know how that worked out.

I haven't killed a deer with a jacketed bullet in several years now. I still load jacketed in my 223 and if I'm going Elk hunting I'll shoot jacketed in my 338. I still load cast and jacketed in my 7x57. Seems I'm always loaning it out to a youngster and while I let them practice with cast I slip a jacketed in when their hunting.

A heavy cast in the 7x57 in the boiler room works just fine but I don't trust their shooting when the battle is engaged. The higher velocity of the jacketed gives a slight margin of error I feel.

[castalott]

Barrel wear also entered the picture for me... I have an older gun with I 'know' 5000 rounds of plinker loads ( 130 grain @ 1100fps) . 5000 rounds of factory jacketed would have a lot of wear on the bore. It looks close to new, at least to these old eyes.

Maybe hunting with just a few shots of jacketed fired might not wear on old gun too bad... but practicing might. Besides, I don't drive with my foot flat on the accelerator.. I don't run my loads wide open either unless it is necessary.


But that is just me....

Dale

[Smoke4320]

Cause I like too!!!
I control the size, the alloy, the features and most of all the supply ! shortages what shortages

have been a 1000 yd competitive shooter, a NRA ranked shooter, a hunter pistol shooter , and for a while magnumitis hunter/shooter
now I find pleasure in slower/heavier bullets and kill just as many deer

[grullaguy]

I just gave it some thought, and I haven't bought any loaded commercial ammo or jacketed bullets since the early 90s. I shoot weekly and hunt almost every year.

[Wolfer]

In 97 my boss gave me a 25-06 for Christmas. Not having any dies, brass etc I bought 2 boxes of Remington cartridges for it. Couldn't wait to shoot it.

Im pretty sure that was the last factory ammo purchase I made.

[GhostHawk]

I don't hunt anymore, getting old, having health issues.

Way I look at it, which would I feel more comfortable with.

A Factory loads or reloaded with factory jackets (which are not often cheap)

B The same cast load that I have punched paper with, that I know where I can put a bullet at a hundred yards. Where I can afford to shoot 20 of those every week for a month before the hunt.

It is not rocket science, it is about confidence and how deep your pockets are.

It is also about that quiet pride when you make a good shot with a boolit you have cast and loaded. And you waited till you had the right shot, and you placed it right and the deer is less than a stones throw from where it was hit to where it lays.

That's why I would, your reasons may vary.

[Camba]

I have learned a great deal about cas boolits here in this forum. I thank all of you who had contributed to my learning. Before casting my own, I had killed deer with revolvers and cast boolits that I bought.
The pleasure is so great when you kill a deer with your own cast boolit, brewed by you.
I wish I would had started much earlier in life.

[dh2]

why ? Because I like to take pride in being able cast a 405 gr slug for my 45/70 that will put a critter down as hard as any j-word ever will. and it is even better when I build the rifle from a bear bones action, in the case of my 9.3 x62 mm Mauser punching a 1 inch group at 100 yards it may not happen every day but when it does it is worth it.

[richhodg66]

I had been casting a long time and had grown up around it before I started using cast for hunting, in my case, I started with muzzle loaders. Kansas has an early ML season, which fit my schedule better than the December rifle season at the time. Anyway, Dad got me a Hawken and we experimented with some REALs and others. I settled on the Lyman plains bullet and it has been my main hunting bullet in that rifle. I also used cast in a .54 and then .44 SWCs in a sabot with a cheap inline I sometimes use.

Didn't start "small bore" cast deer hunting until 2010. Used a .30-30 Savage 340 for that one and it worked just fine. Learned a lot real fast about then and have used nothing but cast (except arrows) since then. I've now killed deer with cast using .30-30, .308, .300 Savage, .358 Winchester, .32 Winchester special and .351 WSL. All worked fine.

[LAKEMASTER]

Archery taught me that hunting is about Human performance, not power

The internet taught me that the 30-06 can't kill anything other then present day jack rabbits.

Casting Boolits allows me to constantly shoot-plink-play with my hunting rounds.

In wind, water, heat, cold.

It allows me to perfect' my performance.

Not to mention, with a bullet trap, my reloads are under $0.15 a piece.

[Budzilla 19]

For me, it was about economics. I can cast and load for my '06 with a 200 RNFP GC boolit for way less than even that old milsurp stuff we bought long ago and pulled the fmj bullets and replaced them with jacketed bullets! And the pistol rounds are so economical, it is just fun to load and shoot.I load for a disabled friend also, and it helps him out! I love the casting process also, from wheel weight remelting, then alloying specific alloys for specific loads,( I learned the majority of the knowledge I have about that part solely from this forum! Thanks to all!!) casting, powder coating, or HiTek sizing, load development! Like was already said, "Why not????" Thanks to all on this forum for your help. Oh, almost forgot! Shotgun slugs, I'm not paying factory prices anymore.

[robg]

I haven't bought any ammunition ( except 22rf) in 15 years always load my own and 90% of my handloads are lead .have to use jacketed for hunting here.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Well I've ben casting boollits for 25 years plus now and for every caliber I shoot! With free lead and gas checks reload on the cheap I've saved thousands in ammo cost! And they kill just as well as jacketed bullets within there limits! Put a cast bullet in the vitals of any animal an you can sharpen your knives there's work to be done!

[trapper9260]

I cast because i can and it dose not cost like jack,also I can shoot better with my own the way I want and do not have to depend on the factory to come up with what I want; I seen that from the past years when everyone else around the area had a hard time to find ammo and I did not.I will keep it that way. also with all you on here help me be better in it.

[psweigle]

I'm fairly new to hunting with cast, but it works. I still use jacketed bullets for my 223 remington, but my357's all shoot cast. The ruger 77/357 and the blackhawk have both taken deer, and a well made home cast boolit in the right place makes for very little tracking. I archery hunt, so I could see no reason why a cast boolit couldn't be an obvious choice. If a 100 grain broad head in the vitals will kill at a little over 300 fps, a 158gr flat point boolit at a much faster pace should be just as efficient.

[Texas by God]

My 30-30 with the Lee 150 FN has been my favorite turkey hunting rifle for years. No meat damage. I've not killed a deer with lead except for blackpowder guns. That should change next season because I'm crazy about my .358 with 200 gr RCBS cast over IMR 3031. Yesterday I put 4 shots in 3/4"@100yds with my JES/700 with Weaver 2.5x
scope. The funny part is I was just checking zero. I just finished dialing in a .308 AR10 with a big Nightforce scope- it's final four went 1-1/8"!
This site has taught me a lot.
Best, Thomas.

[skeettx]

My homemade lead shot is great at doves and quail.
YUM!!
Mike

[Good Cheer]

Started casting in the seventies to shoot cheap. Experimented with it and found I preferred cast to jacketed. Still got the old Lyman cast handbook with all the fascinating pictures of almost a century's worth of designs that were so shortly thereafter no longer available. Used cast hunting, big and small. Designed my own deer hunting cartridge to hold lots of lube grooves and plenty of slow powder. Been having lots of fun.

[Texas by God]

I won't abandon my 22-250 & 25-06 with J-words any time soon. But they get shot less nowadays. But they are ready for the long shots I sometimes take.

[tdoyka]

I won't abandon my 22-250 & 25-06 with J-words any time soon. But they get shot less nowadays. But they are ready for the long shots I sometimes take.

my 20 vartarg(tc encore)will take groundhogs, foxes and a 'yote or three. my 6.5 creedmoor(tc encore) and my 270(ruger #1) will take a deer long range. those 3 are jacketed bullets.

but my 30-30, 30-40 krag, 444marlin(tc encore again;)) and a 45-70 handi are nothing more than cast boolits. i'm going to have another encore that will be a 500 linebaugh(23"MGM barrel) and it will be a cast boolit, no jacketed thingys:p.


i think that cast boolits may have gotten me. is it bad when you dream about cast boolits?[smilie=l:[smilie=l:[smilie=l:

[Texas by God]

Took my doe last fall with a powdercoated cast .45 Colt, Lee 255gr RFN over 31gr of IMR4227 (31 or 21, can't recall). Sailed true right into her heart at 250yds. Nice little holes in and out, nice trench across the heart. No massive disgusting damage, just a dead deer that went about 25-30 yards before expiring, if that far.

Made a believer out of me!

How much holdover? Seems mighty far for the .45 long Colt. Perchance a misprint?
Best, Thomas.

[BigMagShooter]

sailing true probably means it hit the mark, however he obtained it. good shooting if you ask me!

[skeettx]

Come on fellas GREAT shot but
Everyone knows that rondog used a Rossi 92 with the 24" barrel in .45 Colt, He says "gave me venison this fall with a 250 yard heart shot. I'd hesitate to try my 16" Winchester Trapper in .44 mag at 250 feet."

[Texas by God]

Come on fellas GREAT shot but
Everyone knows that rondog used a Rossi 92 with the 24" barrel in .45 Colt, He says "gave me venison this fall with a 250 yard heart shot. I'd hesitate to try my 16" Winchester Trapper in .44 mag at 250 feet."
And you would be correct in hesitating! I don't care if you're Elmer Keith reincarnated a 250 yd shot at a deer with a .45 Colt is ill advised. My .02 only.

[sw282]

Two guys l shoot IHMSA silh with have a friendly wager going over who can kill the most ''critters'' this season...Both are shooting the same class and type guns...0ne is shooting a 25BR w jktd bullets.. Second guys is shooting a 7mmBR w home cast boolits using an RCBS silh mold... 25BR is in SECOND.. Cast 7BR guy shot his first FORTY in the March match...His first ever... l saw him drop 10 rams @ 200Meters. 0pen sights from his XP100...Cast vs JKTD... Cast is winning

[220]

I wont be giving up J-words in a few of mine anytime soon unless someone comes up with a way to push cast at over 4100fps, I run light for cal in both my swift and 240wby for varminting and the 240 also sees 100gr J-words at 3200fps for deer use. They shoot like lazers but a lazer isn't always needed, both my 357mag & 45/70 only get feed cast and the 375H&H also gets a lot of cast put through it.

[unstableryan]

Ideal manual #38 from the 50's has a 29gr kirksite (pot metal or Zamak) cast bullet at 4760 fps with 40gr of 3031 in a 220 swift. It's one of my grandpa's old books and the fasted published load I've ever seen. I took a picture of the page but my imgur app is being a pain in the *** and not uploading for some reason.



I wont be giving up J-words in a few of mine anytime soon unless someone comes up with a way to push cast at over 4100fps, I run light for cal in both my swift and 240wby for varminting and the 240 also sees 100gr J-words at 3200fps for deer use. They shoot like lazers but a lazer isn't always needed, both my 357mag & 45/70 only get feed cast and the 375H&H also gets a lot of cast put through it.

[richhodg66]

Ideal manual #38 from the 50's has a 29gr kirksite (pot metal or Zamak) cast bullet at 4760 fps with 40gr of 3031 in a 220 swift. It's one of my grandpa's old books and the fasted published load I've ever seen. I took a picture of the page but my imgur app is being a pain in the *** and not uploading for some reason.

Thank you for sharing this, I didn't know about those. I'd be interested in seeing the picture of that page if you get it figured out.

[tdoyka]

look at page 47

its the first one up there

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/OM/IdealHandbook38.pdf

[unstableryan]

Hey cool, the electronic one still has it's cover :)


look at page 47

its the first one up there

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/OM/IdealHandbook38.pdf

[unstableryan]

Page 18 talks about using your kitchen gas, electric or coal stove to melt lead, as well as take the pot over by the window while fluxing.

The best part in the whole book though is the top bit of page 120.

"Never place the cases on the bottom of the oven or directly in contact with any heated surface. Place them on a grating, spread out on newspaper. Leave the door open about one inch to permit a circulation of air.
If you have no thermostat or oven indicator on your stove, you will have to call in the cook and have her regulate the oven as she would if she were baking a sponge cake; then follow the directions above. "

[versa-06]

Read a story once where a big business man hired a prof. gunsmith to set up a rifle, scope dialed in and loaded ammo. then hired a prof. guide to locate Elk, Flew out to meet guide, next day rode in the truck to hunting area, spotted elk from truck, shot elk, (First round fired by him through this gun) from my understanding it was some kind of record breaker. Guide handled processing and mount, while business man flew back to his domain. O.K for some! And feeds a lot of professionals!!! Now re-create this story self imposed with cast and only the professionals at cast boolits and that is where I find the feeling of accomplishment, & success. And what a long winded story it would be to give all the details from when I started to washing up the knives. Jim