What makes the best hunting bullet for caliber?

[30calflash]

Some great info regarding using an LE as a hunting rifle and candidate for possible re barrel to wildcat status.

Another one that may work is the 375 flanged chambering, it's been a while since I looked but the parent case may be a 303 and it being necked up to 375 would be an awesome round for use in the field IMHO.

Here's a short one on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.375_F..._Nitro_Express

[Duckiller]

Everyone should have a wildcat cartridge once in their life. There a plenty of new,current and older calibers that will do everything you want a gun to do with commercial ammo. I know this is a reloading forum but sometimes life interferes with reloading plans and it is nice to be able to run to the local gun store to buy a box of ammo just before they close so you can go hunting tomorrow. I have guns in wildcat calibers,common cartridges and very good but older, rarer cartridges and I will probably take #2 son's 6.5 Creedmore if I go deer hunting this weekend. Weather is to nice to hunt blacktails but having a rifle in the back seat lets us call it hunting and we will have a good time. May find some grouse or quail.

[gunther]

Lube cast boolits with JB bore paste, and fire lap the rough bore. Can't hurt, and has helped other folks.

[DougGuy]

Lube cast boolits with JB bore paste, and fire lap the rough bore. Can't hurt, and has helped other folks.

+1 on JB bore paste! I got a bottle that was broken nearly in half, as a result it had sat on a shelf in the LGS for ehh 20yrs? I got it, poured all the oil off and dug the paste out with a wooden stick. I boiled the crayon lube off 50 cast LSWC boolits, greatly over flared the cases, seated boolits just low enough that I could pack the lube groove manually with the paste, then seated them the rest of the way and crimped the flare off the case.

I fired these with 8.0gr Unique through a Ruger 45 Colt BH and man what a DIFFERENCE!! The grooves were noticeably smooth and shiny polished and the gun went into 1" groups at 15yds. That was in the 1980s and I didn't know diddly squat about fire lapping I "heard" about it and took a WAG at how to do it and it worked. Couldn't touch the gun for fear of rubbing off the bluing, it was a MESS of gritty oily residue but it cleaned up nicely.

[Concerned Aussie]

Lube cast boolits with JB bore paste, and fire lap the rough bore. Can't hurt, and has helped other folks.

Very interesting indeed & the exact advice I was hoping for. Is there different grits that I should be looking for or just straight up JB bore paste ?

[Concerned Aussie]

Hopefully these pictures upload!

[Concerned Aussie]

Is there a way to get a rough gauge of bullet hardness???
I just jumped in and used up a mix of ingots that I made up years ago .
I water quenched them & they make a tink sound . I believe I was was aiming for a bhn of 13-14 ish . But I don’t really know what I’m doing . Is there a drop test I can do ?? I do own a Lee hardness tester , but can’t find the shell holder thing. Any suggestions???

[Edward]

This can probably be very simple, but also very complicated to get it right .
Knowing I need a new Barrel for dedicated cast boolit hunting / shooting . With my beloved 303 Lee Enfield sporter , I have a few options on the table!
Option 1 Keep it 303 caliber & use what I already have.
Option 2 use a wildcat of .30 or 35 cal . Because of the throating options available to better suit cast boolits, ie wide rnfp .
If hunting & killing performance from cast is basically meplat area , sectional density, weight & velocity & possibly twist rate . “ isn’t going to 35 cal the obvious choice “ ????
I’m sure 303 is very nostalgic & quite capable! But very limited when it comes to components especially off the shelf ones.
If hunting ranges are mostly sub 100 yards & a long shot is 150 y .
Should i base my boolits & cartridge combination around the biggest boolit that will fit / feed in my action ?
This is for large game & close range .

Easy 45/70 mice to buffalo's/Ed

[Edward]

Is there a way to get a rough gauge of bullet hardness???
I just jumped in and used up a mix of ingots that I made up years ago .
I water quenched them & they make a tink sound . I believe I was was aiming for a bhn of 13-14 ish . But I don’t really know what I’m doing . Is there a drop test I can do ?? I do own a Lee hardness tester , but can’t find the shell holder thing. Any suggestions???

Yup get one, water quenched depending on alloy is probably BHN 20-25 I use a Cabin tree tester more accurate and alot more cost ! The Lee I started with but harder for me to see/use. Ed

[Concerned Aussie]

Yup get one, water quenched depending on alloy is probably BHN 20-25 I use a Cabin tree tester more accurate and alot more cost ! The Lee I started with but harder for me to see/use. Ed

I found the Lee tester hard to use back in the day also.
Yep your right about the 45/70 . I got a 454 casull Rossi carbine & it’s fantastic.
Basically a smaller handier mini 45/70 .

[Earl54]

If your throat is worn out, can you seat the bullets longer to engage the rifling? This might save you a rebore job.
If you need a rebore, then 35 sounds like a great place to start. I'd make sure you could get dies for your anticipated caliber first though.
There was a guy on here that did a 405short, 303 blown out straight, Von Gruff I think, a little googling might turn up his notes. I think he did several variations on a Lee Speed Rifle?

That 303Case blown out straight is basically a 40/50 sharps straight, that is how i get my cases, for an old rebarreled high wall winchester

[GregLaROCHE]

Yup get one, water quenched depending on alloy is probably BHN 20-25 I use a Cabin tree tester more accurate and alot more cost ! The Lee I started with but harder for me to see/use. Ed

I agree with you about the Lee tester not being all that easy to use. I often think about upgrading to a cabin tree tester. For anyone considering the Lee tester, consider paying extra for a Cabin tree. I wish I had.

[Concerned Aussie]

[Ramjet-SS]

Wide flat nose .70-.85 caliber meplat diameter. Tissue displacement deep penetration. This has worked outstanding for me. Of course truth be told I am fan of LBT WFN and LFN boolits for hunting game. Alloy is not important in this case exception would be hard driven brittle boolits. The faster you drive WFN the more soft tissue disruption. Much this has to do with what you can get your hands in for alloy and moulds. Pointed boolits need the correct alloy for the velocity range.

[Good Cheer]

The best way to go I ever came up with was to sit down with pencil and paper to calculate rates of displacement in cubic inches per second to decide upon the diameter, boolit design and weight and velocity to be used, a process that inevitably produced my wildcat, custom dies from RCBS, a Ruger No.3 with custom barrel and stock. And guess what, wow, it killed deer.

[jonp]

Those of us who grew up in the shooting community in the 1930's to the 1990's were raised in an era of soft-core, copper-jacketed, soft-point hunting bullets.

Not sure how many whitetail and bear not to mention hogs and moose were taken with the original Core Lokt but I will always use it for meat hunting. It just works.

[BLAHUT]

It shoots ok , but has a dark ruff bore. I’m keen to try find a way to remove the rust as best I can !
That’s why the new barrel. I know cast needs a clean smooth bore to help prevent leading.

Try running 100 rounds of military surplus .303 through it in a practice session, may smooth out your bore and help to clean it up some ?

[Concerned Aussie]

Try running 100 rounds of military surplus .303 through it in a practice session, may smooth out your bore and help to clean it up some ?

. After thinking about for a moment! At current prices + range fee’s that’s 1/3rd of a new barrel! Just saying!��