Alloy for rifle boolits

[hunter74]

I'm new to casting rifle boolits. I'm thinking about trying cast boolits in 223 Rem and 8x57 Mauser. I'm having a goal about 2500 fps for both calibers with Hi-Tek and GC if necessary. This way I'll get good training rounds with a decent trajectory.

Regarding alloy I'm not sure what would be the best to handle this velocity? Is Lyman #2 the best rifle alloy for this, or is it just a waist of tin compared to hardball or maybe another 2%sn alloy with even higher content of sb? I'm shooting both calibers from bolt guns som I'm not too conserned about brittle boolits breaking when feeding.

Thanks

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[243winxb]

Hardball should produce a usable as cast diameter, before sizing. Both Hi-Tek and GC needed for 2500 fps.

[Hick]

I use Lyman #2 for my rifles-- but have not tried going to 2500 fps. For what its worth, some cast bullets self-destruct if rotated faster than around 140,000 rpm. At 2500 fps you need the barrel twist to be larger than 1:13 to keep below 140,000 rpm. This is NOT a hard and fast rule-- lots of variables involved. The only way to know for sure is make the bullets and start raising the velocity and see if things go bad at some point.

[Winger Ed.]

Lyman #2 is the go-to alloy.
All the boolit molds are calibrated for it to drop what they are supposed to weigh,
and what the powder/speeds/pressures data in the load books are obtained with.

It's one of those deals, where they pretty much got it all figured out.

Over the years, I've found out that me hacking around in the garage hasn't found anything new,
or better than what the folks with a ballistics lab. have already done and published--- a long time ago.

[405grain]

2500 fps is very fast for cast bullets. You might find better accuracy and performance with velocities between 1700 to 1900 fps. To go much above 2000 fps usually requires hard alloys and some technical knowledge of what's required. In the long run you might be better off starting out at a lower velocity and working up until the accuracy starts to fall off. Don't be fooled by jacketed bullet speeds: 1850 fps with an 8x57 Mauser is no slouch.

[hunter74]

Thank for sharing! I see that 2500 fps is maybe unreasonable with my 223. I have 1:7 twist barrel so the rpms gets quick real fast. Maybe I would be better off with a boolits around 70-80 grs.?

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[res45]

I use 50% pure and 50% clip on wheel weights, powder coat, water quench from the toaster and gas checked. Running at 2300 fps. in the 06 with excellent accuracy and no leading issue, haven't tried to push it any faster as of yet, rifle is a Rem. 770 with a 1:10 twist. It's pretty much my go to alloy for all my rifles at that velocity or lower.

[WantGrape]

I use 50% pure and 50% clip on wheel weights, powder coat, water quench from the toaster and gas checked. Running at 2300 fps. in the 06 with excellent accuracy and no leading issue, haven't tried to push it any faster as of yet, rifle is a Rem. 770 with a 1:10 twist. It's pretty much my go to alloy for all my rifles at that velocity or lower.

What kind of BHN are you getting when you do that? Im just curious because I did some last winter half half like you. Baked PC, dumped into ice cold water. If I leave them all night in the water I was getting shockingly high numbers with the pencil method. I saved some I penciled, in bags, labelled. Im planning to test them again this winter and see how much hardness they lost if any.

[Rich/WIS]

Bullet shape is important with boolits, as well as dimensions. The diameter of the nose should be large enough to ride and be supported by the lands, or the bullet, even hard bullets can slump which will reduce accuracy and possibly lead the barrel. E.H. Harrison had a series of articles in the American Rifleman back in the 50's and 60's that covered this, FWIW he recommended Linotype for the kind of loads you are looking at.

[Soundguy]

Hard to beat #2 with a gas check and some kind of good lube.