Casting for .22s

[mecoastie]

DO many people cast bullets for .22 centerfires? I have a .222 Rem and will hopefully be picking up a .22 Hornet soon and I thought it would be fun to try cast bullets and use them for hunting squirrels instead of a .22 LR. Any info would be appreciated.

[felix]

Forget the Hornet unless you are a Diehard. The 222 is much easier to get to perform as you would expect. After a couple of years with the 222 using various loads and different cast boolits, then you can tackle the Hornet. After using the 222 for a couple of years you will be ready for a challenge. ... felix

[trk]

mecoastie -

I've got two moulds for .22's. Lyman 225415 and 225646 (45 and 55gr respectively). Been focusing on the 415 in .223 in a CZ 527 American with a 4-12x Nikon. Tried Unique, 4227 and 5749. All work. All need different loads. Suggest you work up loads by looking at the range of loads available increasing by 1 grain at a time. Load 3 of each in the range. You'll see the groups go from large to small to large. The groups will rise and fall on the paper. Pick the small groups and try 5 shot groups from just below to just above, varying the charges by 0.1 or 0.2 grains at a time. Then shoot five 5 shot groups of the best. You'll be a believer in how well it does at that time. Haven't tried the Hornet or the 22-250 with cast yet - too many other toys. Haven't tried fillers, but that's next.

[My Hornet is a Walther with double set triggers - light and accurate - cast is coming for it!]

[Flash]

The Hornet is VERY finicky due to it's powder capacity but I hear that the 222 is a good performer. I tried the Hornet myself and actually resorted to counting the flakes of Unique to get more consistancy. What a waste of time that was! I'd just rather buy a brick of 22 rimfire and let that be the end of it.

[David R]

I have great results with the 22-250 using 225646 and 18 grains of SR4759. AV 2684 fps. One point zero something sized 10 shot groups at 100 yards. 5" at 300 yards.

My 222 shoots a lovern style 45 grain gc unsized and lubed with LLA ahead of 8 grains of unique. Shoots nice little groups at 50 yards, but that is it. Nuttin at 100. AV 2250 fps.

Its worth the time, but those are teeny boolits to work with my fat fingers.

David

[rikkit]

I too have been drawn to the "dark side" of loading .22 cast bullets. At 50 yards I have gotten sub 1" groups using the Ly225415 with 3 to 3.5 grains of Red Dot. The .22 Bator bullet friom Mid south shot almost but not quite the same sized group. At 100yds I had to change powders to surplus 680 in my case it is TCCI 680. The Bator once again came through with an 1 1/2 " 5 shot group using 10 to 11.5 grains of the 680. The best advice I got when starting out was to be heartless when sorting through my freshly cast bullets. No visible defects and weighed and sorted in groups with weight differentials of no more than 3 tenths of a grain. The jury is still out in determining an advantage of Air cooled vs Water cooled. Hope this helps

[sundog]

Son and DIL just left a little while ago. We hadn't seen them since they got married last year, and the came and visited for a few days. We burned ALOT of ammo. Today, it was .22s, as in 'rimfar' and, yup, 22-250. The 22-250 is custom bbl'd, bedded, good trigger - it's a shooting machine. DIL got a few instructions, dry fired that nice trigger a few times, smiled, and announced that she was ready. With 5 rounds of .22 Bator over 17.5/4227, she commenced to nibble away at a clay bird until it was gone at 50 yards. First shot put a hole almost thru the center without breaking it. Second, broke a piece off the edge of the hole. Third, same thing, fourth broke it in one small piece less than half and pieces of the other. Son was joking about her getting the smallish remaining half piece, and by golly, CRAaaaack!. The remaining piece disappeared in a little puff of dust. With that we put all the toys away, grilled some steaks and had a nice meal. They're on their way home now, but us and them, and my grandsons who were also there have a neat story to tell now, plus one of the complimentary Silver Dollars she took home for the day before's pistol games - Russian roullette with water filled liter pop bottles with .357 Mag. Cast boolits, but of course. sundog

[Dale53]

I cast .22 bullets using Linotype. I have used the 225238 and the 225415 with excellent results (1/2" five shot groups at fifty yards) using both .22 Hornet and .221 Fireball in both TC pistols and rifles. I have used 3.0 grs of Unique in the Hornet (pistol primers) and 4.0 grs of Unique in the .221. I have not chronographed either load. The 225415 is an excellent killer on squirrels.

Have fun.
Dale53

[crazy mark]

Mecoastie, Were you a shallow water sailor at one time? I use a 225415HP and 225438HP with good success in my 14" T/C and Savage .222 over 20 Ga. I use WW with about 1% of tin added. Mark WHEC-67

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have one as well as a 223 and a 220 Swift.

I always fancied popgun loads out of the Hornet (silly when I have 3-4 22LRs). Have you tried Winchester Ball powders?

I have heard the 222 is the bees knees. I had an ANCHUTZ 222 ears ago and some 22Mag bulk bullets and I tried the lead bullet loads as a reduced load. They seemed noisier than I expected, real sharp crack. Always keeping my eyes out for a good 222 specifically for cast, project no 354.

[sundog]

Here's what a .22 Bator will do to a 10-pound WW ingot at 50 yards. Shot from a 22-250 with 17.5/4227. sundog

http://home.valornet.com/corkyconnell/ingot/ingot_22_250_1_40pc.jpg

http://home.valornet.com/corkyconnell/ingot/ingot_22_250_2_50pc.jpg

[chunkum]

When we got our two Hornets K'd (a Handi and a Savage 219) I decided to cast up some bullets to fire form brass with and have some fun at the same time. I got a mould from NEI that had these two bullet designs in one block:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/PhilHarris/CastBullets-Data/NEIcatelog22s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/PhilHarris/CastBullets-Data/NEI22CastBulletsL.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/PhilHarris/CastBullets-Data/NEI22CastBulletsS.jpg
Pretty little fellas if I do say so myself. I used a pretty hard linotype and WW alloy. The gas checks went on the heavier ones just fine but a little finese was needed with the smaller ones (a little "peening" with a ground-for-the-job-center-punch). But it turned out to be worth the extra effort (to me, anyway).
Anyway.... I didn't know it was difficult to get the Hornet to shoot with cast bullets so I didn't hesitate to get started. Unique kinda dissapointed me so I loaded up some with 7.4grs of 5744 I had available after making up som .45-70 loads. I tuned the Handi forend with some masking tape and both rifles shot nice groups at 65 yds where I had the targets set up. Much better than I expected from an off-the-cuff load just for fire-forming anyway. Can't find my target .jpgs just now but I'll hunt them. Anyway, it seems that sometimes "a blind sow stumbles across an acorn" and I'm now a fan of these little fellas in the Hornet.
Oh.... used Felix lube and RSRPs. Probaby made the 5744 burn better. Don't know for sure cause that's all I tried.
Best Regards,
chunkum

[6pt-sika]

I have a Marlin 1894CL in 218 Bee that I cast for . The only mold I have is the Lyman 225415. I cast straight WW's and use 4.5 grains of Unigue . Five shots at 25 yards stay in about an inch .
To be perfectly honest I've only shot these loads at 25 yards on paper and at squirrels . I probably should have tried them at 50 but I never have so far .
I'd like to find a Lyman 225107 to try in the Bee , nut I've not seen one so far for sale.

[JeffinNZ]

DITTO on 225415.

Great results in Hornet and .223.

[mecoastie]

Crazy Mark, reserve shallow water sailor. Love it. Should have gone active when I got out of school.

All, thanks for the info. going to try and find a 225415 mold and some GCs. Now what alloy should I use? Have a small amount of #2 and can get some linotype locally. Have some ww's. What about heat treatment? What lube to use? Does the Lee liquid stuff work? Thanks

[David R]

I found even water dropped #2 does not work in my 22-250. It likes pure linotype. 222 doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference.

David

[andrew375]

I use the Lee .22 Bator and the NEI .224-71-gc, cast form ww alloy and quenched from the mould, in my .223 Savage.

With the Bator 8gr. of Bullseye gives sub moa accuracy at 2400 fps. I've found best accuracy is at top velocity.

[felix]

Andrew, I too feel the Bator works very good at 2400, at least up through 120 yards. What twist is your gun, and what is the case capacity being used? The case does not sound like a standard 223 remington by your description of it as a 223-Savage. What primer? ... felix

[six_gun]

I shoot cast in my 22 hornet and have had no problems at all with it getting my desired accuracy.

I shoot a 225450 Lyman, which is the 45 gr pointy bullet.

Before I started casting for my Hornet I had heard all of the tales of how bad it was to cast for and found them to not be true, in my case.

I cast real hot with a fairly soft alloy and use a gas check. I weigh my bullets and throw away the high and low weights, usually + - . 5 gr.

4 gr of 231 will give me about 1700 fps with 2 inch groups at 100 meters. 3.7 gr of titegroup gives the same velocity and most groups are touching at 100 meters.

The gun is a TC 10 inch barrel witha 1 in 14 twist. I shoot Hunters Pistol Silhouette with this load and always shoot AAA scores with it.

I have shot ground squirrels with this gun and load also and can get minute of ground squirrel out to 150 yards.

Sixgun

[mecoastie]

What is the Lee Bator bullet? I am looking ae the 225415 but am interested in this bullet also. Thanks

[waksupi]

What is the Lee Bator bullet? I am looking ae the 225415 but am interested in this bullet also. Thanks

It just so happens, I got out of the .223 business tonight, and now own a Marlin .45-70 in it's place. PM me, if you are interested in one of the Bator .22 molds. And if you want to make the deal real simple, if you have a 405 gr. 45 mold just lying around, doing nothin', then we can do some really big important business!

[drinks]

ME;
Look at the Midsouth Shooters Supply custom mold section.

[waksupi]

Mecoastie, I've got offers coming in. I will keep you at first dibs, since I offered to you first. Price would be $56, plus flat rate shipping. Offer is open, until 6PM, Thursday.

[AnthonyB]

waksupi, the RCBS 405 gr. boolit works very well in my 1895. If you find one ot those and send it to Buckshot to be HP'd you would be well set in the 45-70 realm. Tony

[w30wcf]

I also have had excellent results in both my standard Hornet & "K" Hornet (both Winchester '43's). Accuracy rivals what both rifles will group on the average with jacketed bullets ....... 1 1/2" @ 100 yards ........ and that at no less than 2,700 f.p.s. using 11.5 of 680 (not 1680).

One thing that definitely helps, is the .06-.07 sprue hole diameter I use. It allows the production of match grade bullets 99% of the time using w.w. + 2% tin alloy.
The mold stays up to temperature because the smaller sprue hole allows a much faster casting rate (300 bullets / hr. - single cavity mold).

Cast .22's are fuunnn..............
w30wcf