Best bullets for casting

[plaz]

In reading various threads on this website re recommendations for beginners I get the impression that round nose bullets are favored for minimum problems. Is that true or am I misunderstanding?

If it is not true which bullet configuration do you think would cause minimum problems either during casting or in the gun?

[Elkins45]

There's no reason I can think of that a round nose would be better or easier to cast. It might feed easier in some autoloaders, but that's not a certainty. Most of my autos feed SWC bullets very reliably. It's a total non-issue for revolvers.

What caliber are we talking about here?

[Bass Ackward]

Not really, it's a life cycle thing.

What happens is a guy is generally given a wadcutter or a round nose mold by a friend who was given it by somebody else.

That starts the wheels turning and what generally happens next a guy buys a normal weight factory mold. The next craze that bites is a get over design.

A get over design is defined as a design that offers something for the guy to get over on that HE considers to be an obstacle. Could be a easy lube design. Could be a multiple banger, a PB if he previously liked GC models or GC models if he is tired of banging his head off the PB wall.

Then when he has it all figured out and advances through all the supporting equipment he moves to a super heavy design with at least a 140% meplat. (joke) After several selections of wide heavies and full bore he takes what he knows and moves on with his quest for the "perfect" design.

It is around this point that he often will go hollow point for a few molds.

Then he is at a turning point. He either specializes in a particular design or caliber he favors and he begins to pair back his holdings OR he moves to become a mold collector of sorts.

Even though he still isn't satisfied, he will look back on all that he has accumulated and makes the decision to learn to use what he has.

All of this can take several decades. He will return to traditional designs that have stood the test of time and of normal weight per caliber and recommends that to every new guy who just CAN'T understand that logic, so he nods like he is listening and as soon as possible begins his endless quest.

And when our ol'timer loses total interest or passes, the remaining molds are the ones he couldn't give away and so someone inherits the round nose or wad-cutters and they turn up their noses and they start their journey.


So what you get recommended depends on where the person providing the opinion is in this cycle. And there are a fair amount of older folks round here.

So look where your interests lie or your financial status can handle, and go for it. A road that we must all walk grasshopper.

[plaz]

There's no reason I can think of that a round nose would be better or easier to cast. It might feed easier in some autoloaders, but that's not a certainty. Most of my autos feed SWC bullets very reliably. It's a total non-issue for revolvers.

What caliber are we talking about here?

9 MM, 44 Remington mag and 45 ACP.

[HeavyMetal]

I think Bass has a decent handle on the subject. The only thing I will add is that chosing a boolit mold for the "suspected" ease with which the boolits "might" come out is a real bad idea!

A cast boolit should be chosen, and I will most likely get a little disagreement here, for the task you wish it to perform. Here's the big secret: no one mold does everything!

If your gonna shoot a revolver with speed loader ( IDPA) than a RN design is a go, target ( NRA Bullseye) then you want a wad cutter or semi wadcutter depending on pistol type because you will get a cleaner "cut" on the boolit hole and thus makes it easier to score the target.

Several other designs are out there, the large meplate rifle molds, the HP's molds, each does something a little different.

So pick a mold based on what you want it to do not how easy you think it drops from a mold.

Getting the boolit out of the mold is a mechanical issue and can be fixed with several different techniques members have discussed on this board.

[chris in va]

I didn't want any feeding issues with my Sig 45 and bought a RN 230gr mold for it. I tried several profiles with my 9mm, ended up with a 'round flat' nose design. In that case though, it was more with boolit fit to the barrel than the actual profile. Mine had to be sized .003 over bore diameter for it to work properly.

[MtGun44]

For the newbie wanting some "known good" molds for 9mm Para, .44 mag and
.45 ACP - OK

9mm Para - Lee 356-124TC Lee pn: 90239 for dbl cavity; avoid TL356-124TC
size to .357
.44 Mag - Lyman 429421 or RCBS 44-250-K - size to .430 or .431
.45 ACP - Lyman 452374 or RCBS 45-201-SWC or Lee 452-230-TC - size to .452

The suggested sizing diameters are if you do not bother to slug your bore. Do
not even try .355 or .356 diametes in 9mm Para. Small possibility that they will be
OK, but much higher probability at .357 and that diam will not hurt in a .355 bore.
If you do slug your guns, size the .44 to cylinder throat diameter +.001 or .002.
For the .45 ACP, you have a very high likelihood of success with .452.

Do these things and you are 3/4 of the way to good results.

[qajaq59]

Bass Ackward, you have a true understanding of people that cast. :bigsmyl2:

[wallenba]

[QUOTE=Bass Ackward;901963]Not really, it's a life cycle thing.

Heyyy....I represent that!! :D

[44man]

Bass got carried away again! :bigsmyl2:
It still comes down to the diameter and design your gun needs or likes. All cast the same.
Sorry Bass for being so simple. :cbpour:

[Blammer]

no suggestions on the 9mm

44mag get one of these, but one of the 4 on the far right will be a very good start
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list.jpg

for the 45 acp I'd get this one
the rcbs 45 200, it shoot and cast's beautifully for me.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/DSCN7180.jpg

[MtGun44]

That RCBS 200 looks a LOT like the wonderful Lyman 452460, an extremely accurate target
boolit for .45 ACP. It just a tad more likely to jam in some semiautos compared to the H&G
68 design, and in my experience a tad more accurate. The RCBS looks so similar that I would
expect it to perform really well, and you report that it does.

Bill

[WHITETAIL]

Bass has said it all.
Yes most of us as with anything
elts goes throu the same cycle.
If you stay with it long enough.:cbpour:

[WHITETAIL]

Blammer, great pics!:redneck:

[JohnH]

i'm not sure I follow what you mean by easy casting. It sounds as though the purpose of a round nose for an easy casting mold would be rounded surfaces that allow the boolit to fall from the mold easily. If that is the case, then it is a complete misdiagnosis of the problem.

If a mold is not dropping boolits without whacking the **** our of it, something is wrong, but it ain't boolit design. Most likely, it is a small burr(s) on the parting line. Get a good magnifying glass and inspect, then carefully remove any you find.

Some boolit sizes can be "finicky" to cast. Iron molds of 22 caliber come to mind. Simple solution, preheat the mold.

I've never had good luck with the Lee hollow point mold design. I simply don't seem to be able to get the hollow pin hot enough to cast well. I always get a hole in the hollow. Always.

Beyond that, the problems most beginners seem to face are temperature related and have very little to do with the mold itself.

Outside of that, Bass has it nailed perfectly and you'll find that pattern amoung gun cranks, handlaoders, motorheads, cooks, lawyers, politicians, civiliians subject to the actions of the latter, and any thing else which humans do. Everyone is in pursuit of a better thing.

[Lead Fred]

Plaz, I use both.

RN for the 45-70, it dont need any help putting big holes in stuff.
FN for the 30 cal, They need a bit of help knocking stuff down.

The only thing Id say is easier, is the 45-70 mold is a single cavity,
and the 30 cal is a 6 cavity. Which takes a bit to get the have of pouring into.
I like single cavity molds more, but the 6 cavity is a superior boolit.

They all fall out of the mold about the same. The 6 make a cool sound when they all hit the ice water. The one just goes pssst.

[Char-Gar]

The old pedestrian round nose bullet does have some slight advantages than should not be dismissed.

1. A cast bullet with a round surface will always fall easier from a mold than another bullet with a sharp angle.

2. Round nose bullets often self-center in the bore and deliver primo accouracy. The old Lyman 358311 will deliver better accuracy that most any SWC or WC design in sixguns.

3. Round nose bullets often will give very reliable feeding in auto-loading weapon.

This does not mean that non-RN bullet can't be easy to cast, be very accurate or be reliable in auto-loading weapons. But there is enought difference in some cases, so it is inaccurate to say there is no difference between RN and other bullet designs.

[stubert]

The Lee 310 gr. gas check is the most accurate in my Ruger SRH 20.5 gr of ww296,a magnum primer, 1.71 oal

[Dale53]

I believe that several different criteria should be considered when you are deciding what mould you want. This is after pretty much doing everything that "Bass Ackward" relates. I now have 75+ moulds and that is about four times as many as any rational individual can justify.

However, along the way I have LEARNED a thing or two about mould design.

1 - The most important thing is suitable design for the purpose at hand. For general use, I believe it is hard to beat a Keith bullet. It has a nice flat meplat for good terminal performance on game. It cuts a clean hole in the target (I kill WAY more targets than I do game but still want the performance it offers). It also has shot well in all calibers that I shoot.

2 - Another consideration is good "castability". If the bullet is a constant aggravation when casting, then it will NOT be used as much as an all 'round bullet should be used. When designing a SWC bullet, it hurts NOTHING to have a "draft" on the sides of the grease groove and it will help a great deal in bullet release from the mould. I am one of those that prefers a "square" grease groove but I want the sides angled to insure that the bullets drop from the mould. Truly square grease grooves with ninety degree sides, generally tend to hang up in the mould badly. If you have a flat bottomed grease groove and have the sides angled a bit, then you have the best of both worlds.

3 - I seat and crimp with two separate dies. However, I still believe a good crimp groove, ala Elmer Keith, is useful in helping the case mouth to open without damaging the bullet.

4 - I pretty much go with the crowd that prefers "standard" bullet weights for the caliber. 100 gr for .32's, 160 gr for .38 Special/,357 Magnum, 250 for .44 Special/Magnum, but I deviate when it comes to the .45 Colt - for that one I believe Dave Scoville's RCBS 45-270-SAA represents an improvement over the typical Lyman Keith 454424. Frankly, it is just a better proportioned bullet. The .44 Keith bullet is near perfect (H&G #503 or the Lyman 429421 in their better version). The .45 being a larger diameter simply needs a slightly longer, heavier bullet to have similar proportions - the 45-270-SAA gives us this.

Now, if you are handgun hunting for large bears or moose, then there IS a place for the heavier bullets - but those are special purpose needs and have little to do with an excellent all 'round bullet. Heavier bullets simply recoil significantly greater and make little improvement (if any) when target shooting or hunting game the size of deer, black bear, and hogs.

This is, of course, merely MY opinion, but it has been formulated over a period of sixty years of target shooting and hunting along with "autopsies" of a good number of big game animals of the size I mention (deer, black bear, and hogs). I have had the benefit of access to a Ransom Rest and a chronograph for many years, also.

No one persons experience can even begin to approach "knowing everything" but reading extensively of most of the material available has been a big help to me in reaching my conclusions.

FWIW
Dale53