Thanks Tripplebeards. I've got some black powder on it's way from Powder by the Pound. I'll try that since it's already on it's way.
Thanks Tripplebeards. I've got some black powder on it's way from Powder by the Pound. I'll try that since it's already on it's way.
I use an HP 45 colt bullet with hard alloy, sometimes with Lino amounts of Sn to make a frangible bullet at about 1100fps. The front hollow area shears off into several small pieces and the base continues on, like the Hammer bullets. I have only killed milk jugs with water in them so far, but the hard in place of soft will make a little grenade, rather than an expanding wound channel creator.
Otherwise, you have it all settled above.
Let's go Brandon!
Exposed hammer double rifle. Traditional African big game stuff.
Drool.
Sorry for the hijack.
Back to the thread, I’ve only cast with lino. I have a large supply from a friend and the material is so easy to cast. Each bullet perfectly filled out and zero leading problems no matter how hard I try to drive them in a revolver. I am not a “serious” hunter, but everything I’ve taken with those lino bullets had one hole in and one big hole out. I’ve never recovered a bullet, even with the hog I shot. No indications of bullet fracture and the 45 WFN means I have little concern about expansion. Perhaps a smaller diameter bullet will fracture, but the 41s and 45s I’ve shot have not.
Tumblebeards, I've seen/heard of tumble coating with BBs. What advantage/service does that provide?
In my 50's I usually use WW plus a little copper. I add a bit of #3 babbit. Seems to make the boolits cast a bit larger in diameter. Nowadays, I probably would go with WW's and powder coating. Gotta get my moulds out and cast some 660's to try
Just a quick note: When BB's are mentioned with powder coating they are meaning Airsoft BB's that are plastic to help facilitate static cling better. Some Airsoft BB's are better than others. Smoke sells the correct variety when ordering from him. A search in the PC forum on this board is helpful for those looking to know more.
10# lino, 20# Pure and 1/2# CuSO4, then WD if more toughness needed. 165gr TC 40sw, 950 fps into a rock pile from 5 ft. 99% wt retention, expanded nose to body dia. Same alloy, 308W, 165gr GC @ 2400 fps is MOA@ 200 and knocks down large steel target.
Whatever!
What alloy works best for hunting bullets will be determined by impact velocity and nose shape.
I began hunting with cast about 20 years ago. Water quenched COWW's at 1750 fps from my Marlin 357 carbine killed deer like lightning with the 180 grain WFN GC's I was using at the time. I took shoulder shots which immobilized the deer and ruined heart and lungs, resulting in a quick death. I could eat right up to the hole, and this worked great on the public land I hunted at the time because nobody else would be shooting at my deer if I put it down on the spot.
Fast forward to a few years ago when I started using the 30-30. The first deer to recieve my water quenched Lyman 311041 died quickly enough, but at 2200 fps the bullet started breaking apart. Pieces of the bullet were randomly dispersed throughout the wound channel to be found later upon butchering and at the dinner table. Not the kind of performance I wanted! The alloy was obviously too hard and brittle for the higher velocity. I changed my alloy to a 50/50 mix of COWW's and pure lead. This increased ductility was just the ticket and helped the bullet hold together and penetrate while still producing a wound that was quickly lethal.
Then when PC'ing came along I found that the process of heating and cooling bullets to apply the powdercoat lowered the BHN to 10 or 11. I felt this was low enough that I no longer needed to add pure lead to the mix, and this was proved right when I used a Lyman 311008 to take a deer last season. The bullet penetrated through both shoulders of my deer and exited, with no pieces of lead found anywhere in the animal. You can read about it here... https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...008+works+deer
All this applies to flatnosed bullets, and they do an excellent job of killing deer at woods ranges. They are in fact my favorite bullets for deer hunting. Unfortunately my 300 blackout AR won't feed them at all. I have to use roundnose bullets to get the rifle to function. So my thoughts on this are that I need to once again use the 50/50 mix of COWW's and pure lead. Penetration shouldn't be a problem with these bullets at 2200 fps, but without expansion the wounding capability of the roundnoses will be lacking. Hopefully the softer alloy will allow some expansion. Even if I get some flattening of the bullet tip this should be enough to cause a lethal wound. Only one way to find out!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |