.223 FN vs RN

[snaggdit]

I have been thinking about casting for my AR. In looking at the choices, I see a lot of FN molds and not that many RN. I have been using 55gr FMJ (RN) up to now and they work fine for targets. If I was looking for a boolit that would still punch paper but be better on stopping game which would be better? I'm not looking for sub MOA at 100yds. More interested in better game stopping. Also, since everyone seems to be sold out, anyone have an old mold laying around that you would like to see get used again? Hint, hint...

[303Guy]

anyone have an old mold laying around that you would like to see get used again? Hint, hint...

Old nothing! I have an almost brand new RCBS 55gr FP mold. I used it once - very frustrating - many years ago and have just started playing with the remnants of that batch. I tried it again last night - would you like it? In short, casting for a 223 takes a little more patience and skill. Try casting with someone elses mold before commiting yourself. Some folks do fine with 223. I go by the old addage that bigger is better!
(I'll try it again - when I have regained my composture! )
Actually, they didn't come out too bad considering the mold was cold. I gave up for the evening without trying different lead temps and heating the mold and all that.

[Bret4207]

For hunting I always prefer a FP. As to whether it will feed or shoot accurately... ya gotta try to know. I like the Lyman 225415 design and the 22 Bator. I have the Bator, someplace, but haven't tried it yet.

[NHlever]

The current Lyman 225415 is different than the older one. It is about 5 grains heavier, and has to be pushed to higher velocities, or in a faster twist perhaps to stabilize. I was disappointed when I bought some commercially cast 225415's and they shot very well out of my gun so I bought a new Lyman mold, and the results with the longer boolit were not anywhere near as good. My boolits were cast from the same alloy as the commercial ones, and came out very well, were weighed, etc. and sized the same. The bullet is longer in the nose, more like the old 22596, but doesn't shoot as well as that one either out of my .22 Hornet 14" twist, or CZ 223 12" twist. It does best out of the CZ at the higher velocities I've tried it at perhaps 2200......... just got my chrony so I'll know soon.

[dk17hmr]

I have run 225415's out of my AR-15's. Havent shot any game with this bullet out of a 223, but it does a heck of a job out of my 22 hornet.

Casting 22's isnt that bad. I just keep my mold hot and injection cast. I dont ussally look at any bullets until I am done casting. I also use a 50/50 pure/ww alloy when casting 22's, that way if they get used for game Im not shooting a hard bullet at it that would just zip right through.

[garandsrus]

I haven't had any trouble casting 22's either. I do thoroughly preheat the mold though.

John

[Calamity Jake]

My AR likes the RCBS 22-055fp better than 225415 and no 22's are not hard to cast, I use only one mold when runnen 22's and cast HOT.

[303Guy]

Well, I shall try again this morning, this time with hot melt and hot mold. I did find one or two shootable boolits from my first attempt. Just slight chill wrincling on the ogive.

Casting 22's isnt that bad. I just keep my mold hot and injection cast.

By that do you mean holding the sprew plate up against the pouring nozzle of a bottom pour? That's what I started doing and found it to work rather well. Tiny sprews.

How does one get those little boogers to drop out the mold? I had to poke each one out with a stick!

[mroliver77]

I have a 225415 I bought fom a member here. Boolit does not look like the pics I have seen of this boolit. It haS LONGER NOSE AND SMALLER MEPLAT. It dont shoot well in my NEF hornet. I use some RN boolits for hunting and set my Lyman sizer up to bump the noses flat and this works well. I do fins that my small Lee bottom pour or ladle works best for these smaller molds. The 20 lb Lee and Lyman pots have to big of a stream of lead.
Jay

[outdoorfan]

In my short experience casting with my 22 LBT mold I have found that I need to preheat the mold by leaving it in the melt until it's hot enough that the sprue stays molten for at least 2-3 seconds when I start pouring.

If I don't cast at a fast enough cadence to keep that sprue liquid for at least 2-3 seconds, then back into the pot it goes. I'm not using any tin added to the ww's, so it's seems critical that everything stays plenty hot to get good fillout. Otherwise, lot's of wrinkles.

With my .310 180 mold I kept getting wrinkles in one of the cavities until I figured out that that particular cavity likes a long pour for good fillout.

[dk17hmr]

By that do you mean holding the sprew plate up against the pouring nozzle of a bottom pour?

Yep thats what I ment.

[BCall]

I pretty much cast as hot as my pot will go with all of my 22 molds. 303 guy, I think your mold may have a burr or something, I don't have any trouble with any of my molds dropping. They all prefer a little different pour, and I have also found that my small Lee pot works better than the 20 lb one. With the bigger one I always get bad bases, but they come out good with the small pot. Preheat my molds on a hotplate, and within 2 or 3 cast I'm getting good boolits. My RCBS 55 FN does seem to have a problem with dropping if I don't squeeze the handles a little tighter than the other molds. May just be me, I don't know why they would be that way, I never get any flashing or finning, but if I just squeeze a little more, they seem to drop easier. Wears the arm out more though. Billy

[303Guy]

... 303 guy, I think your mold may have a burr or something ...

The boolits stick in the halves randomly. I tried closing the mold on them and they swapped around! I am getting finning too.



The melt was pretty hot and so was the mold. Perhaps the mold was not hot enough? This is with pressure casting.

I'll try squeezing the handles tighter next.

[mtgrs737]

Snaggdit,

I had the Saeco 221 which is a RN design that I got because of the RN. I had to send the mould back to Saeco because the gas check shank was too short and a tad too large in diameter. I got a email from Saeco that said they were waiting on a new cherry to arrive before they could replace the mould. The new cherry and manufacture of the new mould will take 12 weeks which is a bummer as most of the summer will be over by then. However I should get a good mould back and that is the important thing. My mould was a 4 cavity.

I do have some boolits cast from that mould and you may be able to get checks on them easier than I and a friend did. If you would like to try I would send you some castings and you could give them a try. I cast them out of straight Linotype so they should be hard enough for the higher velocities. PM me if you are interested and I will send you some to try.

[snaggdit]

I do have some boolits cast from that mould and you may be able to get checks on them easier than I and a friend did. If you would like to try I would send you some castings and you could give them a try. I cast them out of straight Linotype so they should be hard enough for the higher velocities. PM me if you are interested and I will send you some to try.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't even have any gas checks for .223 yet (or a sizer to seat them). As I said, I'm looking at getting a mold and wanted some input on FN vs RN. Thanks to all for your posts. Sounds like the Lyman 225415 or RCBS 55 FN are the recommendations. If only I could just find either of them without having to play the search and then wait game. I avoided .223 at first until I got the hang of casting. Now I'm ready for the abuse

[bruce drake]

Are you really ready for it?

I don't drink when I reload but I crack a beer as quick as I can after loading a block of hundred of those tiny b*astards...but I keep going back to reloading them

Bruce

[303Guy]

Now I'm ready for the abuse

At least you know what lies ahead!
Good luck! (You can see the trouble I am having )

[Bret4207]

The boolits stick in the halves randomly. I tried closing the mold on them and they swapped around! I am getting finning too.



The melt was pretty hot and so was the mold. Perhaps the mold was not hot enough? This is with pressure casting.

I'll try squeezing the handles tighter next.

The mould wasn't that hot. You have a hot melt, yes, that's where the whiskers are coming from. But the mould itself isn't all that hot or you'd have some frosting. What I see is a mould that needs cleaning. You've got what I call "oil boils" on the nose of the upper one which I believe is caused by crud in the pores of the mould. The finning is caused by something not letting the mould close right. Check for burrs, lead on the faces and see if the pins are too long. A very light deburring of the halves may help.

[randyrat]

Snaggit, If you need Gas checks and get near Superior Shooters supply they have/had them.

[303Guy]

Thanks, Bret4207. I only saw those "oil boils" when I posted the pic. I did not realize it was from oil. Or residual anti-rust. So, I need to heat the mold more, make sure the halves are closing properly, deburr - should I leave the melt hot?

My earlier attempt was with a cooler mold and I got some well formed boolits but they had those little 'impressions' on them. "Oil boils"!

Oh, snaggdit, those are RCBS 55 FN's in the pic. Turns out they might just be do-able for me! And I'm going to be patching mine!


Hooh boy! They are actually a lot smaller in real life!

For my hornet.