You got confident's in those boolits you cast?

[OverMax]

There are casters, home reloaders and big game hunters so it's known. "All in one."
But, how many of you B/G hunters -and especially those home casters that actually rely on their rifle cast. So too drop the beast their allowed to harvest State wide only once a year? Curious I am: Your'e cast boolit? or some others bullet?

[pworley1]

I hunt with my cast bullets. Deer is the biggest game I hunt and as for as I can tell the deer can't tell the difference.

[hc18flyer]

I hunt with my cast bullets. Deer is the biggest game I hunt and as for as I can tell the deer can't tell the difference.

Me too. .358 Winchester, 8 x 57 Mauser rifle, .45 Colt handgun, and .357 Max rifle so far. .45-70 Browning Hi-wall is next. Work fine for me, hc18flyer

[Rick R]

I use my cast boolits in my muzzle loader, .45/70 and .44 Mag for deer. Smaller high velocity guns use a jacketed bullet, though I may try cast in my .416 this year.

[megasupermagnum]

There are casters, home reloaders and big game hunters so it's known. "All in one."
But, how many of you B/G hunters -and especially those home casters that actually rely on their rifle cast. So too drop the beast their allowed to harvest State wide only once a year? Curious I am: Your'e cast boolit? or some others bullet?

I've read this over five times or more, and I have no idea what you are saying, or what you are asking. I'm not judging if English isn't your first language, but please fix some of these punctuation and spelling errors. The way your post is written means nothing.

[brewer12345]

My hand cast round balls dump deer in muzzleloader season.

[Winger Ed.]

The last few years I hunted, I killed all my deer with cast in .30-06 and .45-70.

[HWooldridge]

I generally shoot my own products - but I have also purchased sizes that I don’t own in a mold. For example, I don’t cast round balls anymore - too easy to buy. I bought 500 cast .411 slugs because my .41 mag doesn’t get much use so that many will last a long time.

[mnewcomb59]

Been shooting deer with cast bullets since 2013. No lost deer and satisfying results from 38 special to 50 cal muzzleloader. The key is testing to make sure your cast load penetrates like your jacketed ammo that your are used to. If you go to a cast bullet with the same energy but double the penetration, you will likely find smaller wounds than you are expecting and slightly longer blood trailing jobs. Likewise if you go to a cast bullet with the same energy but half the penetration of your jacketed ammo you will likely find longer blood trailing jobs because of lack of penetration to the important stuff. I shoot a lot of milk jugs with known performance jacketed rounds, then try to match my cast bullet hardness to get close to the same penetration as the stuff that has killed millions of deer.

I have killed about 15-16 with a 357 rifle that penetrates the same as proven woods deer rounds such as 150 gr 30-30 or a 180 30-06 which is 5 jugs.

I have killed 4 or 5 with a 45 Colt rifle 300 gr at 1600 fps that penetrates 5 jugs.

And I have killed 5 with a muzzleloader shooting 45 sabots that penetrate 4-5 jugs.

I have killed a few deer with loads that penetrate either 3 jugs or 8 jugs and results are worse than bullets that are dialed in to penetrate just like the GOAT deer rounds. Check your penetration at your deer shooting ranges and make sure you aren't under-penetrating or over-peneetrating and you will have a great time making meat. I like 5 jugs for our northern Ohio deer that go from 90 pound yearlings to 170 pound 4 year old does to 250 pound 4 year old bucks. If you are in Florida or Texas you might not need as much penetration. Also I drive deer and take whatever shots I can that lead to the vitals. If you are shooting small deer from a treestand over an automatic feeder and you can wait until they are perfectly broadside then you might not need as much penetration as me. Enough penetration for any angle is great, but too much penetration means a smaller wound than you could have had.

[OFFSHORE]

I am primarily a hunter and cast/hunt for many calibers (all but high velocity long range cartridges) that I use for handguns, muzzleloaders and a few centerfire rifles. I have taken all sorts of game on three continents and thoroughly enjoy making my own alloys for the different cartridges and harvesting game with them. . .quite rewarding to me. I have not had ANY issues with performance of my ammunition, therefore I have total confidence in harvesting game with boolits I've casted.

[dverna]

For the one deer a year I harvest (maybe two), cast hunting bullets do not make sense for me. I use a .308 and do not want to turn it into a .30/30. I bought 500 premium hunting bullets for $150 years ago and they will last a lifetime. I can take a shot to 400 yards if need be.

I do not worry if lube affects my shot if it is 70* or -10* or first shot out of a cold barrel. Yes...I have hunted with that much temperature variation in Michigan.

I do not worry if the alloy is too soft for a 50 yard shot or too hard for a 400 yard shot.

KISS works for me.

[Harter66]

Yep I cast and obviously hand load .

I set a goal to get every load legal in Nevada at 1000 ft lb at 100 yd in rifles .

Killed 1 mulie at about 105 yd with a 1 off paper patch 200 gr 06' that was walking a pretty fine line of legal it was a matter of everything being exactly right at the necropsy the very soft bullet left an almost identical wound tract to the Hornady #3033 of years past . I'd hunt that set up again here in Arkansas.

I've moved sideways I suppose , the 06' had a fast twist that I measured a dozen times at 1-8.5" it hit a wall at 1850 fps , I needed 1900 to make the 1000 ftlb but I figured the altitude at the shot made up for it .

I have a 30-30 now that will run the Ranch dog 312-165 FP 2200 fps MV with a sub jacketed start load .

I worked a load up for a 32 Rem with 32 WS data 2300 fps with a 175 is faster than the start jacketed speeds . I took it hog hunting but didn't get to try it out .

I don't have to be down at the low end I shoot a 358 Win that also makes jacketed speeds with a 35-250 and a 45-70 .

I won't need the 300 yd flat shooting loads any more so as long as I can make my personal base line I can't see any reason not to use them.

In 45 Colts with 250-265 gr SWC or RNFP I've killed 5 hogs 135-165# live weight . Killed them dead enough for me just over 1000fps . Except for that one that was juiced up and running already it went another 200 yd before it piled up in a pool of foamy blood .

[Daekar]

I've read this over five times or more, and I have no idea what you are saying, or what you are asking. I'm not judging if English isn't your first language, but please fix some of these punctuation and spelling errors. The way your post is written means nothing.

Yep. Glad I'm not the only one who got a headache trying to make that make sense. I knew this would be a good thread when I saw the possessive apostrophe in the title instead of ending in -"ce"....

I'm not a big game hunter, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use my boolits on anything deer sized and under. The critters which have encountered any of my RFs have not survived to remember the experience.

[Hickok]

I am after deer most of the time.

I have used and trust my own cast in .357, .44 and 45 caliber. Either SWC's or RNFN's, having a good meplat.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I don't hunt big game but I trust my life with my cast boolits. They are in my carry gun everyday. Pure lead powder coat hollow point boolits.

[Hannibal]

My cast bullets don't talk to me so they aren't confidants. When I hunt with them I know they will do the job so I do have confidence in them. :bigsmyl2:

[todd9.3x57]

since i started using cast boolits (10+/- years ago, i'm a neophyte) on deer, i'm impressed. my self-styled limit on yardage is 150 yards, but i can shoot them further. my son has killed a doe (DRT) at 173 yards (laser range finder thingy) with a 165gr ranch dog going 1926fps(from the barrel) in 30-40 krag. i killed a doe (DRT) at 140+/- yards with the krag too.

most of my shots on deer are 40-60 yards, with an occasional 20 - 30 yards shot. the deer will either go DRT or jog about 20-30 yards and then die. i do the same thing, except the deer runs 20 - 30 yards or DRT. i have used a 30-40 krag, 444 marlin, 45-70, 8x57, 7x57, 30 remington, 500 linebaugh(tc encore with 23" MGM barrel) and others that i shoot cast with on deer.

placement of the boolit/bullet is the key. if you are one those that has "buck fever" (i did), then cast boolits aren't for you. jacketed bullets have a hard time if "buck fever" is in, but the bullet will usually do its job. boolit/bullet placement is the key.

[stubshaft]

I hunt mostly hogs and feral goats with a smattering of deer along the way and have 110% confidence in my cast bullets. They have never failed me at all.

[Land Owner]

45 Colt, Ruger Blackhawk, 7.5" bbl, 250 gr., Lyman #454-190 CV, Unique, 9.5 gr., 18 yds., through-and-through, stalking feral hogs, DRT

223, H&R single shot, Handi-rifle, bull bbl, 1:9 twist, 50.2 gr., Bator, GC, IMR 4227, 11.8 gr., 22 yds., FL turkeys from a ground blind, DRT

223, H&R single shot, Handi rifle, standard bbl, 1:12 twist, 55 gr., RCBS 22-55-SP, GC, IMR 4227, 12.5 gr., 15 yds., "X" btwn ears and eyes, sow and boar, feral hogs, both DRT...she walked up in daylight, behind the stand, he walked in front of the truck's headlights right after I loaded the sow

30-30 Marlin 336, 6X scope, 170 gr., Lyman #309170, GC, IMR 4227, 18.5 gr., up close (say 50 yds.), "X" btwn ears and eyes, DRT, or broadside, 150 yds. max., feral hogs, from a fixed platform stand with rock steady rest

[Pereira]

I'm a small caster, and have only be at it for around 10 yrs.
To date I have used the 200 gr. RCBS rfn 35 Rem. in two separate Marlins,
A Lyman 300 gr. wfn gc 44 in a Marlin 444
A Lee 240 gr. swc 44 mag. in a 4 5/8 barreled Vaquero
And a Lee 210 gr. swc in a 41 mag. 6" BH

RP

[justindad]

The quality of ammo I produce cannot be purchased. Yes, I am very confident in my ammo.
*
That should mean nothing to you though. You need to prove out with experience if you’re ammo outperforms factory ammo.

[OverMax]

Good to see there are many who hunt with their cast and are confident taking big game with it. As for me I do home cast have done so for a long time but I chose not to take my cast afield during this States modern rifle deer season. I do have reasons why I chose not too._ Weather temps & extreme bullet velocities.

[Digital Dan]

Haven't hunted with a jacketed bullet in 20 years. No need at all. Last deer I put down was taken with a 300 gr pure lead paper patched chunk of lead from a .44 Mag.

[35 Rem]

I've been casting since the late 1970's but until recently (2017) never tried to hunt with any of my bullets. I originally cast to shoot cheap and did so mostly with revolvers. I didn't trust cast to expand on game at the low velocities you are limited to even with a rifle so I never even tried to test for expansion with my 30-30 cast loads. Not sure why I didn't now. MAybe it was the influence of all the shooting i did with the larger 22 centerfires and how slow 2,000 ft/sec sounds in comparison. :) Anyhow when I found this forum with real world reports of hunting with cast in rifles I decided to give it a try. So far I have killed 4 deer using cast in my 35 Remington and I trust it absolutely as much as any rifle I own. i load the 35 Remington 200 grain cast bullet loads to full jacketed level and get 2,050 ft/sec out of it. Deer run the typical 30 to 50 yards they do with most anything else and then drop. I've yet to recover a bullet.

I have a good load for the 7.62x39 with a NOE 150 grain Ranch Dog and also 30-30 with a 173 gr Ranch Dog - both loaded to approximately 2,050 ft/sec that i want to use on deer this Fall. I see no reason why they won't work well. You give up nothing for 100 - 150 yard shot with cast. When I hunt with cast bullets I hunt in spots where I can't see beyond about that range most of the time.

When I hunt huge fields, I'll have a flat shooting jacketed bullet gun in hand.

Forgot to mention starting to use my own cast bullets to deer hunt during muzzle loader season. Finally got a deer last year with one. It's the Lee 44 caliber 310 grain flat point cast with 50/50 pure lead /clip on wheel weights. Loaded into a 50 caliber muzzle loader I get real good accuracy with it and it did the job on a doe last year.

[charlie b]

There is no reason not to hunt with cast bullets. Every animal on earth has been hunted successfully with solid lead bullets. I would trust my own cast bullets more than commercial products.

[OFFSHORE]

Yep I cast and obviously hand load .

I set a goal to get every load legal in Nevada at 1000 ft lb at 100 yd in rifles .

Killed 1 mulie at about 105 yd with a 1 off paper patch 200 gr 06' that was walking a pretty fine line of legal it was a matter of everything being exactly right at the necropsy the very soft bullet left an almost identical wound tract to the Hornady #3033 of years past . I'd hunt that set up again here in Arkansas.

I've moved sideways I suppose , the 06' had a fast twist that I measured a dozen times at 1-8.5" it hit a wall at 1850 fps , I needed 1900 to make the 1000 ftlb but I figured the altitude at the shot made up for it .

I have a 30-30 now that will run the Ranch dog 312-165 FP 2200 fps MV with a sub jacketed start load .

I worked a load up for a 32 Rem with 32 WS data 2300 fps with a 175 is faster than the start jacketed speeds . I took it hog hunting but didn't get to try it out .

I don't have to be down at the low end I shoot a 358 Win that also makes jacketed speeds with a 35-250 and a 45-70 .

I won't need the 300 yd flat shooting loads any more so as long as I can make my personal base line I can't see any reason not to use them.

In 45 Colts with 250-265 gr SWC or RNFP I've killed 5 hogs 135-165# live weight . Killed them dead enough for me just over 1000fps . Except for that one that was juiced up and running already it went another 200 yd before it piled up in a pool of foamy blood .

I have just started tinkering with the 358 Win in a 23" 1-12 twist barrel, my mold is the Accurate 36-240K. . .would you care to share any load data for the 358???

[Edward]

Have not used store bought in 46+yrs , why use 2nd best over custom size/BHN(hardness) for any critter squirrel to moose at any yardage I plan to shoot ? Jacketed is for the occasional shooter or someone not concerned with practice ( financially) independent ,and not concerned with out of stock waiting . Except those shooters smart enough to (hoard ) when able /Ed

[DonHowe]

I have hunted deer with cast and jacketed bullets. Never harvested one yet but I have killed some. Either type bullet put in the right place will make em dead.

A whole bunch of this comes down to whether you Have to get that deer or if you will take the shot if offered within a set of previously determined parameters (range, angle, etc).

[Kraschenbirn]

Don't hunt these days, but when I did took down my share of white tails using .58 cal. Minie's cast from a Lee mold. Also cast the R.E.A.L boolits my buddy used a .50 cal. Hawken repro. Don't recall either of us tracking a kill more than 25 or 30 yards. If I were to take it up again (and IL game laws allowed it), I wouldn't hesitate to use my Trapdoor carbine with the same 405 gr. RNFPs I use for punching paper and ringing steel.

Bill

[Hannibal]

As others have said proper shot placement and sufficient energy on the animal are the two most important things. A big bore won't compensate for a bad shot.

[405grain]

I wish that I could hunt with cast bullets again, and am longing for the day when I can. I started casting back in the early 1980's and hunted deer and hogs in the coastal range with cast bullet loads. It put a lot of meat on the table and made for lots of hunting adventures. But because I live in Kommiefornia they took all that away from us. People here are not allowed to use any ammunition for hunting that contains lead. This even includes muzzleloaders. This, and other things, are the reason that I can't wait to move out of here. I loved hunting with boolits that I made myself. They were as effective as jacketed ammo. Since I was good at woodcraft and stalking, getting within 150 yards or less of game was never an issue. A year from now I should be living in another state, and then I can go hunting again with cast.

[Land Owner]

To the OP:

Our ancestors sat around campfires, melted lead, poured molds, stuffed rifles and pistols, shot and killed buffalo, elk, caribou, bear, deer, et al, and one another, with equipment and components significantly less in all aspects than everything available today AND passed to us their acquired knowledge.

Do we have confidence in our own cast boolits for taking game and defending freedom? With absolute certainty! Next question...

[waksupi]

There are casters, home reloaders and big game hunters so it's known. "All in one."
But, how many of you B/G hunters -and especially those home casters that actually rely on their rifle cast. So too drop the beast their allowed to harvest State wide only once a year? Curious I am: Your'e cast boolit? or some others bullet?

I've used them for big game for over 30 years. Make them myself. Deer, antelope, bear, elk, buffalo, and small stuff. I trust my bullets over jacketed bullets, as I have enough experience with them to not need to question what the performance will be.

[sharps4590]

There are casters, home reloaders and big game hunters so it's known. "All in one."
But, how many of you B/G hunters -and especially those home casters that actually rely on their rifle cast. So too drop the beast their allowed to harvest State wide only once a year? Curious I am: Your'e cast boolit? or some others bullet?

After reading the rest of the thread I'm confident I understand what you're asking.

Yes, I trust my cast projectiles implicitly and have completely since about 1990. From 36 cal. muzzleloader, 25-20 and 32-20 for small game, up to coyote size. 45, 50 and 54 cal. muzzleloaders and the rest of my cast bullet rifles of all calibers and cartridges. I'd trust my 45-90 on any game on the North American continent and a lot of Africa. It isn't fast but I never much bought into velocity and expansion. 480 grs. of 25-1 alloy over 80 grs. of BP has flattened everything I've put it on.

[todd9.3x57]

As others have said proper shot placement and sufficient energy on the animal are the two most important things. A big bore won't compensate for a bad shot.


energy(ft/lbs) is a myth created by gun rag writers' dream and bullet manufactures to sell you something.

i quote, he says it best.......

"You're quite misinformed on the nature of 'energy.' Bullets do not need a certain 'energy' threshold to expand. They need a certain impact velocity, in conjunction with hitting a target medium with a certain density. 'Energy' can be calculated, precisely, but it is incidental. The density of the target medium is important, too. Obviously it has to be denser than air, but there is a difference going through the ribs of an 80lb. whitetail, vs. the shoulder of a mature elk.


You will keep reading about this 'knockdown' and 'energy' and so forth in the mainstream gun press, even though it is barking up the wrong tree. Gun writers seem to be mostly lazy and it is easier to repeat the misinformation of the past, and the latest marketing communication, than it is to try and understand some basic physics and the rather complex science of fluid dynamics (ie. wound channel).


There is a holy quest to put it all into a simple formula, preferably a formula that meets the author's pet theories, but it can't be done. It is one of the reasons there are about as many theories on the subject, as there are authors pushing their simplistic notion of what actually works."

-MikeG

[Hannibal]

You knock down a bear with a .22 mag shot in the shoulder and then I'll believe you.

[mnewcomb59]

There are a large amount of anti-science folks on here. "Its just a theory!" They will refuse to compare cartride effectiveness between calibers other than gut feelings, etc. and derail intelligent conversations. Some guys get all worked up when numbers and formulas are discussed. There are even guys on here who insist one caliber penetrates less/more than another, then when you show them video evidence of a ballistic gel shot they will still refuse to understand. Don't waste your time on those guys. Put your sound logic out there in writing and people will find it from google searches far into the future.

[fastdadio]

You knock down a bear with a .22 mag shot in the shoulder and then I'll believe you.

Time to do some reading;
https://www.ammoland.com/2020/10/bear-attacks-and-20-instances-of-22-rimfire-used-for-survival/
https://survivalcommonsense.com/world-record-grizzly-killed-with-22-caliber-rifle/

[Land Owner]

You knock down a bear with a .22 mag shot in the shoulder and then I'll believe you.

What purpose is solved by debating a non-lethal shot into a bear from an underpowered caliber? If the 22WMR is all you have, shoot the bear in the head. Hope for the best and prepare for the rest. Next question...

[jimb16]

I've taken deer with my home cast 12 ga. slugs, 265 gr. .45 colt rounds and .490 RB from my flintlock. Do I have confidence in my cast bullets? I give them a resounding YES!

[todd9.3x57]

You knock down a bear with a .22 mag shot in the shoulder and then I'll believe you.

Ft/lbs mean nothing. Two Ram's slamming their horns together, generate 5400ft/lbs of energy and they are neither hurt nor dead. It's not the ft/lbs, it's the size of the wound channel through the vitals that will accelerate death.

[Eddie Southgate]

Confidence.

[fredj338]

If my 45-70, i am fine with my cast bullets. For my other centerfires, i prefer premium jacketed stuff for bigger game like elk, but deer size game, any decent cup core works.

[pmer]

If I find myself trying to numerically compare one load to another or one cartridge to another I prefer Taylor Knock Out formula. I think it more accurately reveals cartridge effectiveness than ME and better matches what l've seen in the field over the years. Because it tries to introduce sectional density into the mix.

I have no trouble using the silver stream for hunting.

[sharps4590]

fpe, fps, ME, energy and velocity at 100 yards, expansion......well, they're all numbers and I suppose useful for comparing cartridges on paper. When applied to real world hunting, they all fail somewhere in the calculation, any calculation. The "standard" fpe calculation, Taylor's KO factor and Keith's "pounds/feet" formula are all flawed at some point. I'll trust my experience over numbers on a chart.

[pmer]

Yeah you can't show a deer the math and tell it how wrong it was for running away from the "perfect shot" lol

[Cast10]

I started casting for my 10mm carbine last year. I still use jacketed bullets for my main deer loads in 6.8x43. I have been reloading over 45 years.

The reason for the casting 10mm is that bullets of all kinds for reloading are getting harder to come by. I purchased a 10mm upper for my Glock as a first step in using as my main ‘hog’ killer on the ranch. I consider Texas Hogs a sizable adversary. In order to make this work, I needed to acquire lead, cast bullets, powder coat them, and then load them for killing hogs in the 16” carbine. I needed help!

I joined this site and began asking questions and learning. I also knew a member here from another site that became my ‘mentor’ in many ways. He shared some of his knowledge and experience with me and was always there to answer the tough questions. I was blessed in many ways.

After approx a year, my dream has come true. I have been able to build a PF45, attach the CCU to it, and make my own bullets to reload. I have killed hogs out to 120 yards. My carbine is topped with a Sig Romeo 5 and a detachable night vision monocular for night hunting.

Lee 401-175-TC

[Digital Dan]

I like lead for most everything. Have yet to shoot anything with a lead bullet that took a second step save for one hog.

[CZbob9]

Does lead expand a lot better or more violent then jacketed bullets?

[megasupermagnum]

Does lead expand a lot better or more violent then jacketed bullets?

That depends on a lot of things. A pure lead bullet will expand much easier than any jacketed bullet ever made of a similar design. More violent? I doubt you could create a cast bullet more ready to come apart than a jacketed varmint bullet. The biggest advantages for me in handguns are that I can get a significantly heavier bullet for the same size, meaning same or faster velocity, and with unlimited designs, I can get them to shoot more accurately. Rifles are such a huge topic. Shotgun slugs are mostly lead, but the few jacketed slugs out there aren't that great. They can shoot good, and they kill, but they are really poor performing bullets for the most part.

[Hannibal]

If they are hard, say 22BHN and you shoot them fast, say 2000fps they will fragment. I've some personal experience with this.

[pmer]

I started casting for my 10mm carbine last year. I still use jacketed bullets for my main deer loads in 6.8x43. I have been reloading over 45 years.

The reason for the casting 10mm is that bullets of all kinds for reloading are getting harder to come by. I purchased a 10mm upper for my Glock as a first step in using as my main ‘hog’ killer on the ranch. I consider Texas Hogs a sizable adversary. In order to make this work, I needed to acquire lead, cast bullets, powder coat them, and then load them for killing hogs in the 16” carbine. I needed help!

I joined this site and began asking questions and learning. I also knew a member here from another site that became my ‘mentor’ in many ways. He shared some of his knowledge and experience with me and was always there to answer the tough questions. I was blessed in many ways.

After approx a year, my dream has come true. I have been able to build a PF45, attach the CCU to it, and make my own bullets to reload. I have killed hogs out to 120 yards. My carbine is topped with a Sig Romeo 5 and a detachable night vision monocular for night hunting.

Lee 401-175-TC

Good job Cast10!

[pmer]

Does lead expand a lot better or more violent then jacketed bullets?

If you consider a bullet jacket and how they can be made thin or thicker for a attempt to control expansion. Comparatively you can make the alloy harder or softer for similar results. Like if you push a varmint bullet fast at big game it is less likely to be effective. Too soft of a lead boolit will end up much the same way if pushed too fast.

[Cast10]

Thank you sir!

[MT Gianni]

I have shot deer, antelope and elk with home cast. Because of the field I currently hunt, the distance, neighbors and time of day the animals come out I currently use jacketed.

[tmanbuckhunter]

I do the majority of my hunting with my cast boolits. In fact, there are times I've shot animals with j-words and wished I had one of my boolits instead.