Cast Bullet?

[carsonbm]

I have just started reloading my own ammunition, I don't do any hunting just tageting. What kind of cast bullet does a person use for target practice?

[corvette8n]

Depends rifle or pistol
Wadcutters for pistol
flat nose for leveractions
pointed for all others
most people I know melt down wheel weights
$25 bucks or so for a starter pot
under $20 for a Lee mould mail order
gas checks $20-$35 per thousand depending on caliber
sizer die $10-$20
time spent casting priceless.

[SharpsShooter]

I have just started reloading my own ammunition, I don't do any hunting just tageting. What kind of cast bullet does a person use for target practice?

Welcome to the board sir! In order to answer your question, I have to ask a few. What caliber(s) in particular are you interested in for starters? Cast boolit lend themselves to a very broad range of velocity so "target class" loads are possible with most any caliber and usually not incredibly difficult a task to accomplish. Tell us a bit more and we will get you going the right direction.


SS

:coffee:

[carsonbm]

To start with I will be loading 38 special and 357.

[AZ-Stew]

carsonbm,

Consider the Lyman 358429 semi-wadcutter. It's plenty accurate for target, cuts a clean hole for easy target measurement and it's also a good hunting bullet, should you expand your interests.

To see what it looks like, copy and paste the "Lyman 358429" into a Yahoo search and scroll down until you get to a MidwayUSA link. You'll see a picture of the bullet and of the mould. You'll need a set of handles for the mould, as well as a casting pot, a ladle if you don't buy a bottom-pour pot, a lubricator/sizer and a few other assorted items. A book on bullet casting will also be a good investment. Check the MidwayUSA web site and teh Wolfe Publishing web site.

Regards,

Stew

[SharpsShooter]

To start with I will be loading 38 special and 357.


38 and 357 is a good spot to start. They use the same die set and boolits too. If it were me starting out these days for pistol or revolver shooiting, I would use the Lee 6 cavity 150gr SWC http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=200554

That mould along with a set of handles and a Lee 10# bottom pour would put you in business. For target velocities, you could use Lee Liquid Alox boolit lube and not even need a lub/sizer press, providing your cast boolits are .001-.002" over your revolver's throat size. If they are too big, a Lee push through sizer is very wallet friendly.

I use Lee, Lyman, and RCBS moulds for several calibers. They all have their good and bad points. Lee moulds are cheap, but produce a good usable boolit for just about anyone and with proper care will. last many thousands of boolits. The 6 cavity moulds are finished a bit better and you can really pile up the boolits in a hurry.


SS

[AlaskaMike]

Carsonbm, it should probably be pointed out that if you want to use the same bullet mould for both .38 and .357, you might have problems using Lyman #358429 in .357 depending on what your gun is. Some .357 revolvers, like my Smith & Wesson model 28, have a shorter cylinder along with recessed case heads, resulting in relatively less room for long bullets. It'll work fine in such guns using .38 special brass, or by seating the bullets long and crimping over the forward band instead of in the crimp groove, but some people don't really like doing that.

Alternative moulds might be Lyman #358477 or RCBS 38-150-SWC.

Mike

[wills]

some other thoughts on getting started

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6774

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6520

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6203

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6108

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6059

[Bret4207]

Although a 6 banger mould is nice for piling up the boolits, I'd suggest a cheap single or 2 cavity plain base Lee mould, a steel pot and dipper for melting and pouring and some Lee tumble lube Liquid ALox (aka- Frog Snot). Thats the minimum investment. Try making a few hundred that way and see if casting is for you. Go for a light or mid-range load, not full house loads. Unique or Red Dot or Bullseye powder will work. Read a bit here and you'll get the idea of the basics. And most of all, have fun!

[Bret4207]

Although a 6 banger mould is nice for piling up the boolits, I'd suggest a cheap single or 2 cavity plain base round nose or SWC Lee mould, a steel pot and dipper for melting and pouring and some Lee tumble lube Liquid ALox (aka- Frog Snot). Thats the minimum investment. Try making a few hundred that way and see if casting is for you. Go for a light or mid-range load, not full house loads. Unique or Red Dot or Bullseye powder will work. Read a bit here and you'll get the idea of the basics. And most of all, have fun!

[Goatlips]

Carsonbm,

If by any chance you might want to shoot Black Powder (as in Cowboy Action Shooting), do a search for the Snakebite Greasewagon .38 158gr "Big Lube" boolit. Lee sells the six banger mold, which can be seen in use here:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/casting.html

If not, I'd follow AZ-Stew's advice for the Lyman. Don't matter, molds seem to collect themselves using your bank account <g>

Goatlips

[boogerred]

get yourself some catalogs from lee,lyman, and rcbs. they all have moulds in the 150-158 gr swc that work well in just about anything. everybody makes a 148 gr wadcutter for 38/357. it looks like an oil drum and was THE bullet for target shooting with a 38 for many years.

[Leftoverdj]

The Lee one and two cavity moulds are more likely to turn a new caster off than on. The six cavities are far better made and far more satisfying to use. A set of handles and a set of blocks will run about $50 mail order, and each extra set of blocks is only about $35. Other than that I agree with starting on the cheap.

The Lee 358-148-TL WC would be my choice of a place to start.