favorite casting caliber for ar's?

[mike_kaleigh]

I have had good luck with my 9mm and 300 blk ar's with cast loads, I have been thinking 338arc or 450bm to change things up. But what do others here have, like and had good luck with. To me the bear creek arsenal 450bm looks fun to mess with without breaking the bank.

[Fitz]

The 358 yeti and the 300 HAMR are both great cast boolit shooters both will do about 1 moa

[sigep1764]

I love my 270 winchester model 70 and would like to try a 277 Wolverine. Brass availability and dies have kept me from trying it.

[Delkal]

If you are thinking about getting close to factory velocity think larger diameter and heavier. Guess I never got they guys bragging their 5.56 cast loads can get to 2300 FPS (at best) when it should be at 3100.

[DDriller]

.458 Socom is my favorite to cast for.

[Wolfdog91]

If you are thinking about getting close to factory velocity think larger diameter and heavier. Guess I never got they guys bragging their 5.56 cast loads can get to 2300 FPS (at best) when it should be at 3100.

Can actually get higher then that but no real point. Don't shoot cast for cast velocity and purpose, if I want super high speed then I'd just use all the jacketed bullets I got ....for..you know...jacketed speeds

[Wolfdog91]

...not to mention most cast isn't gonna keep up with 3100fps so.... Iena most cast rifle stuff is shooting well below factory ammo speed so

[Barry54]

9x43 is another cartridge to consider for using cast in the AR platform.

[dverna]

If you are thinking about getting close to factory velocity think larger diameter and heavier. Guess I never got they guys bragging their 5.56 cast loads can get to 2300 FPS (at best) when it should be at 3100.

I am in your camp on this. But I do not "fit in" with the cast bullet crowd when it comes to rifle bullets. My main rifles are .223/5.56 and .308. Turning a .223 into a .22 Hornet, or less, is of no practical use to me. Same with turning a .308 into a .30/30 or .300 BO.

But that does not make me "right". For other people, the challenge of getting cast bullets to perform well enough to do the job is what interests them. That number is shrinking.

IMO, there will be a slow death to cast bullets in HV rifles. The old rationale of "cheap plinking" is going out the door unless primers and powder get down to the $40/k and $40/lb area. There are less expensive ways to plink.

When primers were $20/k and powder was $20/lb, most of my plinking was with .38 Spl. and 9mm. It cost me $50-55/k with cast bullets. Plus, I had to invest time in producing bullets and cartridges...and producing 15-20k rounds a year takes a lot of time. Today, with $80 primers and $50 powder it would be $125/k.

Now, I plink for $25/k with a high end air gun that is more accurate than a cast bullet and do not need to "waste" my time casting, lubing/sizing, cleaning brass and reloading. Truly cheap, effortless trigger time with superior accuracy.

I have aways used jacketed bullets for serious work. Still have thousands of .224 bullets that cost $70/k. Today they are less than $110/k in bulk. For my demeanor/needs, spending the time to cast, lube/size, GC, inspect, and weight check 1000 bullets is not worth the savings...which are $60/k with $2/lb alloy and $35/k GCs. IMO people casting .22 caliber bullets either do not value their time, and/or are satisfied with substandard ballistics/accuracy and/or enjoys the challenge.

Seems the vast majority of folks here are not fools but enjoy the challenge...it works for them.

[725]

Probably .45-70, but I do like casting for my ML roundballers.

[almar]

458 socom subsonics, but it took some trial and error to get the right bullet and sizing to get good accuracy....the next one is 300blk

[Barry54]

Probably .45-70, but I do like casting for my ML roundballers.

Hmmm? A muzzle loading AR upper. That would throw Mr. Green Jeans a curveball! What do y’all think? 209 ignition or primed pistol brass?

A 45-70 AR pattern rifle sure would be fun!
The closest I’m aware of that is AR compatible is 458 socom. It’s a little lacking in horsepower compared to the 45-70 though.

[405grain]

The 450 Bushmaster can practically duplicate 45-70 ballistics with heavier bullets, but is more versatile because it can also shoot lighter bullets at higher velocities. The 458 socom is also a good big bore choice in an AR platform, but for bullet selection, cost of components, and use in hunting the 450BM is just a little better.

dverna: I enjoy the challenge. It's not about economics; it's about enjoyment. I like casting bullets, and reloading and shooting them. Time spent doing a hobby is never time wasted. There's always new things to try (some work out, and others don't) and casting is always interesting. In my state we can only hunt with lead free bullets, which means that for me loading hunting rounds with "jacketed" bullets is a choir, not a fun pastime. Long gone are the days where I could cast my own, load ammo that I created myself, and then harvest game with it. For me, I prefer cast bullets for hunting, target shooting, and plinking. Casting bullets is part of the enjoyment, and is not a burden at all.

[mike_kaleigh]

458 socom subsonics, but it took some trial and error to get the right bullet and sizing to get good accuracy....the next one is 300blk

I am leaning towards 458, because of more heavy bullet molds and I feel like 458 will feed better. I also am interested in subsonic. Almar, what was your combination that worked and what barrel did you use?

[lar45]

For my 45cal AR, I went with the Ruger in 450 Bushmaster.
It is crazy accurate with Factory Hornady 250FTX ammo.



I kind of like heavier bullets, so I've been taking Speer .458" 350s and sizing them down to .452". I can get them up to 1800fps with 1680. They will penetrate a big hog stem to stern.




I have done a little bit with cast in it and could get around 2" groups. I guess that's good enough for Hogs, but I can't help myself trying for tighter groups.



I did try some subsonic 405s sized to .452", they shot reasonably well.

[Land Owner]

Can actually get higher then that but no real point. [REDACTED] shoot cast for cast velocity and purpose, if I want super high speed then I'd just use all the jacketed bullets I got ....for..you know...jacketed speeds

BEST adivce...

There is a lot to unpack in casting lead alloy and shooting cast bullets. Here is the Doctorial Thesis, as I see it...

To start, I use a 49%-49%-2% Pb-COWW-Sn alloy. Water quench to haŕden bullets as they drop from the mold to BHN 13, by the Pencil Test. Then I PC two times, though one PC in some paints is OK, unless, like me, you want more, or different hue, or pattern.

PC increases the bullet diameter, which the sizing die brings back in line. My PC'd bullet and its aluminum gas check are swaged together to a diameter of 0.225". This gives the bullet a nominal 0.002" over bore diameter.

The ignited, expanding hot gases, and instantaneous pressure spike at the shot slam against the gas check driving the dead stopped and slow to react lead bullet forward into the lands and grooves. The 0.002" over bore lead diameter is literally squeezed longitidunally as that "excess lead" MUST go somewhere.

Imagine slowing the chamber action down in the Mind's Eye. The now "spanked" into motion by expanding gas and extreme pressure "fat" lead bullet slams into the smaller diameter lands and grooves and "jamb fits". The hot gases can no longer escape past or along the bullet sides. The total pressure spike is delivered to the gas check end of the bullet.

The heirachy to preclude lead shedding:

A.) Fit to bore is King. Slug your bore. A 0.224" sizing die may be required for tighter barrels.
B.) Plain, sized, and wax lubed lead bullets are deliberately slower than
C.) PC'd bullets, which are often not quite as fast as, but can be close to,
D.) Jacketed bullet velocities.

Bottom lines...

1.) The gas check and PC contribute to:
.....i..) higher pressure and increased velocity over waxed lead bullets
.....ii.) higher pressure and increased velocity approaching published jacketed bullet velocities, in most cases.
.....iii.) GC's scrape lead off too.
2.) Clean barrels. No lead shedding.

LABOR OF LOVE

There is a LOT of labor, Labor of Love, in these bullets. Every bullet in a can is equal in weight to every other in that can. 50.X gr. = 50.X gr. in the can. Bullets in each can are not exactly 55 gr. (per some ad titles), but consistently close 50.4, 50.5, 50.6, 50.7 gr., etc.

LABOR (included)

i. ) Every bullet is poured in a 2- or 4-cavity, brass, steel, or aluminum mold
ii. ) Every bullet is weighed and segregated into equal weight in a can
iii. ) Powder coating each segregated weight can (some 166 bullet lots)
iv.) Gas check and sizing each bullet (thousands of repititions)
v. ) Packaging in Altoid cans, ( some166 bullet lots)
vi.) S+H SFRB through the U.S.P.O.

You get the final product for a few cents per bullet. I get even fewer pennies for hours of my labor. It is no big deal though. I do this for me, and as a seller, your benefit. Our shooting improves through consistency and practice, which instills high confidence in our equipment, our techniques, and our quality control.










They've been killing Buffalo and humans for one hundred years with slow cast bullets.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Move along Citizens, Nothing to see here.

End of Dissertation.

[Barry54]

For my 45cal AR, I went with the Ruger in 450 Bushmaster.
It is crazy accurate with Factory Hornady 250FTX ammo.



I kind of like heavier bullets, so I've been taking Speer .458" 350s and sizing them down to .452". I can get them up to 1800fps with 1680. They will penetrate a big hog stem to stern.




I have done a little bit with cast in it and could get around 2" groups. I guess that's good enough for Hogs, but I can't help myself trying for tighter groups.



I did try some subsonic 405s sized to .452", they shot reasonably well.

Looks like you found a work around with the pistol bore size in a rifle. That’s what turned me off regarding the 450 bm.

[steve urquell]

Hmmm? A muzzle loading AR upper. That would throw Mr. Green Jeans a curveball! What do y’all think? 209 ignition or primed pistol brass?
.

Weirdly enough it exists.

[lar45]

I guess the 450 Bushmaster vs 458 Socom really comes down to what weight of bullets you intend to shoot?
The velocity with the same weight bullets is very close.
The 458 Socom has a larger case, so the pressure needs to be slightly lower to keep bolt thrust the same.
That and brass availability?
I think the Socom can use unmodified 223 GI mags?
The Bushmaster needs a single shot follower, or dedicated 450 mags.

[P Flados]

I have a 357 AR Max (the straight wall 35 cal wildcat that preceded the 350 Legend). It handles cast 180s & 200s pretty good (2 MOA or so).
To get that accuracy, the gun is "picky" for ammo. Case prep (esp. length) is very important for accuracy. Headspacing on the mouth is not optimum in my opinion.

The 358 Socom would be a little hotter and with headspacing on the shoulder, it might be a better 35 cal choice. The Yeti is "too much" for my taste.

I do not have a 45 cal. In 45 cal, I would again go with Socom over BM to stay away from headspacing on the mouth.

I tried very hard with a number of barrels to get a 300 BO happy with cast. I never got the results I was looking for.