Thinking of casting

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PWC

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Never done it before, but it kinda looks attractive and fun.

I would like to cast lead for old 30 cal mil surps. 30-06, 1 in 12 twist, using 4064 and 4895; don't really want to use gas checks and requirement for lubrisizer equipment.

In your EXPERIENCE, not what "I think you should do...", or "I've hard about..."

What type bullet, or mold number and make of mold will drop a .310" consistently, do you or a shooting friend have experience with?
 
Before purchasing any casting equipment, the first thing I would do is try to stockpile some lead. I have about half a ton of lead and I'm always looking for more. It is getting more difficult to find.
 
It’s attractive from a money saving standpoint but only “fun” if you are a labor of love kind of guy.

I don’t gas check or wax lube bullets anymore but I do size. Expecting decent results from “as dropped” bullets is being a bit optimistic.

This is how I do it but my hobby is building things.



I can always leave the range with more lead than I cam with by getting it off the berm after a match, at home I have a bullet trap, that allows for easy recycling.
 
I thought the same thing about 3 years ago. . .

Now I have ~3500 of lead (clip-on, stick-on, berm scrap, lino) and all the equipment to cast, coat, and size. . . and I only do it for .35 Rem, .375 H&H, and heavy 45 Colt.

For what surplus common caliber (.308 or any pistol) bullets cost, there's no way it's worth the time to cast, QC, coat, and size. The amount of time it takes to achieve jacketed accurate from a cast bullet (hand sorting and weighting each) just spoils it unless the jacketed competition is expensive.

I wouldn't invest in casting for a caliber as cheap as .308. Save it for a .375, .408, etc.
 
Lyman 311291. Lubed/sized with Lyman 450. Gas checked and loaded with IMR 4895 in 30-06, 1903 Springfield with a new GI $25 barrel.
The short chambered barrel was installed and head spaced for $5. The good old days.:) Old barrel was not suitable for lead. Ok with ball ammo.
I sized to .310" if i remember correctly. Been a while.

No experence with unchecked , non-sized, tumble lubed in rifles.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/castbullets.494/
 
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Sometimes casting is the only way to shoot a rifle or handgun.
There is no commercial ammunition made for what you have.
But before long you will have a collection of molds and lead pots.
Sizing dies and lubricators. And if you shoot black powder cartridge
rifles there is no way but casting.
Welcome to the world of cast bullets.
 
OP, for sizing I can recommend the Lee push through sizers. As some have mentioned it may be difficult to get a mold that drops to the exact size you want. Alloy mixture will sometimes affect size and weight as well.
Are you planning on tumble lubing or powder casting? I'm a relatively new caster, started about a year ago. I went the PC route, and am using the Lee push through sizers.
As to a mold for 30 cal, I have a couple, but I haven't cast with most yet, only the flat nose. I'm waiting on a 165gr mold from a group buy at Castboolits that is supposed to be really good for various 30 cals.
I'd recommend the castboolits site. There's a ton of good info there.
 
There’s plenty of molds out there that’ll work wonderfully with .30-06. I’ve got close to half a dozen from NOE ranging from 121, 150, 180 to 200 grains. They’re having their 4th of July sale right now which means the molds are as cheap as you’ll find.

Typically you’ll need to size the bullets to get them to be as consistent as possible. NOE offers diameters of .308, .309, 310, 311, .312.

Like others have mentioned, finding lead is about the hardest part of the process.
 
I would plan to powder coat your bullets. A gas check might not be necessary if you go easy on the load. If you want to approach 2000 fps, I would suggest a check.

Get a mold from noe. He can event do a mold with some cavities plain base and some for check so you can cast both types. If you need to put checks on, get a lee push through sizing die. Cheap and easy. I would personally buya 311 mold and sized. Maybe a 150 or 170 grain bullet. Flat nose design if you plan on hunting with it.
 
Never done it before, but it kinda looks attractive and fun.

I would like to cast lead for old 30 cal mil surps. 30-06, 1 in 12 twist, using 4064 and 4895; don't really want to use gas checks and requirement for lubrisizer equipment.

In your EXPERIENCE, not what "I think you should do...", or "I've hard about..."

What type bullet, or mold number and make of mold will drop a .310" consistently, do you or a shooting friend have experience with?

The first thing you have to decide is how much time devote to casting. You can powder coat and not necessarily need a gas checked bullet, you won't need a lubrisizer, but it's a time consuming "piddling" process.
A high quality lubrisizer such as a Star, OTOH allows one to size and lube at the rate of about 30 per minute, somewhat less if gas checks are required.

I have cast quite extensively for .308, 30-06, 7.62x54r, 7.5x55 and .303 British. The two moulds I used almost exclusively in all but the 7.5x55 were Lyman's 311291 and 314299. I'd give a light accuracy edge to the 311291.

As to the actual experience (100 yd. targets)-

314299RedDot.jpg

31129110shot.jpg

As you can see in this picture, I make my own gas checks, adds to the fun!

314299group-1.jpg

Enfield100ydtargets-1.jpg

Maltby3-16-06Smallb_zpsaf272993.jpg

P1010022.jpg

35W
 
I use the Lee Precision C312-185-1R for my 7.52x51 loads in my FR8. I do use a gas check, but maybe not necessary, but when velocities start getting much over 1000 FPS I just feel better about it. I have a Lyman lubrasizer but actually prefer the Lee push through sizer. I spray the cast bullets down with furniture polish, run them through the sizer lube them with Thinned down LLA (45-45-10 or “mule snot” whichever you prefer) and dust them with talc.

Lead is getting harder to find and expensive. I can buy bulk bullets now as cheap or in some cases cheaper. 147 grain .308 bulk is readily available and cheap.
 
Never done it before, but it kinda looks attractive and fun.

I would like to cast lead for old 30 cal mil surps. 30-06, 1 in 12 twist, using 4064 and 4895; don't really want to use gas checks and requirement for lubrisizer equipment.

In your EXPERIENCE, not what "I think you should do...", or "I've hard about..."

What type bullet, or mold number and make of mold will drop a .310" consistently, do you or a shooting friend have experience with?

Buy some commercial cast rifle bullets and try shooting them before going out and buying a lot of expensive casting equipment. If you are disappointed in the commercial cast bullets, you may conclude that you will be similarly disappointed in the performance of the bullets you cast. And you won't have spent a lot of money in acquiring equipment you won't use.

Of my Garands and 03's, and 03A3's, the only rifle that shot cast bullets worth a flip is a two groove M1903A3, and the accuracy was comparable to cheap FMJ bullets. The time to create inaccurate cast bullets is immense, and then I have all this casting equipment that I don't use. It's a rat hole.
 
For rifles in common diameter bullets I would recommend buying commercially cast to start. That will give you experience with mouth flaring and crimping, which can be a bit more finicky over fmj. Working up a load with cast takes more time as you will need to respect velocity and twist variables more so than jacketed bullets. Whereas jacketed bullets will generally give you an idea right away on accuracy with most documented loads, getting a cast load on paper can be tricky if everything isn't right. The good thing is that the knowledge you gain from ready made bullets will transfer to casting your own. If you want to jump right in go ahead, but its definitely a learning curve.
 
Surprised to see so many people down on casting. Yep, anyone contemplating it should be aware of the time and equipment required. That said, if we are all so concerned about the time and fiddling it takes, well, you know you can buy ammo down at Wal-Mart, right?
 
I started casting about 35 years ago when I bought my first handgun a Ruger BH in 357 Mag. and never looked back, now I cast for five different handgun caliber and five different rifle calibers in all action types. I have around 30 different molds half are Lee molds and the rest are from NOE, Accurate and Arsenal and a new NOE 30 XCB on the way to shoot HV cast loads in my 30-06 an 300 Sav.

I was lucky to be able to stock up on plenty of free lead and lead based alloy before it got harder to find, I want ever have to worry about lead to cast with and I recycle as much as I can recover from my berm. Casting like reloading are my hobbies and I enjoy that as much as I do shooting. Most people that don't cast or shoot cast lead don't realize just what you can do with cast lead bullets in rifles and handguns and all the options you have with bullets, ways of lubing or powder coating and the load variations you can work up for a particular purpose. Other than some SD ammo or surplus ammo I have I pretty much can't think of a good reason to ever buy a jacketed bullet for any of the type shooting I do.
 
I find most commercial one size fits all cast lead bullets to be anything but accurate especially in rifles, most are cast from to hard of an alloy, don't use a good lube and in general don't fit the chamber throats or bore dia. for the rifle or handgun they are used in, then when individuals get leading or poor accuracy they give up the who idea of using cast lead bullet or casting their own all together simply because they don't understand the mechanics of how cast bullets work and how to make them shoot accurately even at jacketed bullet velocity.
 
I enjoy casting for my handguns, PC carbines, and BP guns.
You're not going to get rich with savings.....but there is much satisfaction in making your own ammo.
It is comforting to know that I can keep myself in ammo for at least some of my firearms come what may.

Ps. Sizing and applying gas checks is a simple process with my Lee push through sizing die. Its quick and easy.
20170226_161516.jpg 20151231_105937.jpg
 
NOE molds is running a 20% off sale.

Get the mold you like AND their push through sizing body, push rod and bushings in .309, .310, .311

Then pick which color of Hi-Tek you like.

You're half way to an addiction.
 
I have a few Lee molds I like in my 30-06 in the 170 to 200 gr. range. Cast them from 50/50, powder coat and quench then gas check and size from .309 to .311 depending on what the rifle likes. Waiting on my new NOE 30 XCB mold as we speak.
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Some shooting with the Lee 170 gr. FN in the 06 last weekend. Going to push it up to 2500 fps. next weekend.
avLuFh3.jpg
 
I have a few Lee molds I like in my 30-06 in the 170 to 200 gr. range. Cast them from 50/50, powder coat and quench then gas check and size from .309 to .311 depending on what the rifle likes. Waiting on my new NOE 30 XCB mold as we speak.
View attachment 848966

Some shooting with the Lee 170 gr. FN in the 06 last weekend. Going to push it up to 2500 fps. next weekend.
View attachment 848967

I have that same mold.
Have you ever tried that bullet in a .30-30?
 
I have that same mold.
Have you ever tried that bullet in a .30-30?
Yes with excellent results, shoots great at 30-30 jacketed bullet velocity although for hunting purposes you really don't need to go that fast with the right alloy. It's a great bullet in my Sav. 99 in 300 Sav. as well.
 
Back in 1980 when I started shooting it was with a 357 revolver. I started reloading for if because a good friend taught me how. Back them I could buy bulk Speer or Hornady WC or SWC really cheap and they shot well. At that time I didn't load any jacketed bullets. Then when I took up the sport and hobby once again this time it was with a 9mm Semi-auto. I seriously thought about shooting cast lead in it until I started hearing and reading of all the horror stories that many experienced with lead and the 9mm. Then as I delved deeper into it I then also found that because of new regulations that scrap lead wasn't as easy to find as it once was. For instance lead is now classified as a hazardous material and at lease in Illinois and Wisconsin the recyclers will not sell it to anyone that does not have a Hazmat Lic.. They have also outlawed lead wheel weights in Illinois and Minn.

So with out a reliable source for scrap lead I gave up on the endeavor of casting because if I have to pay $2.00 per pound I might as well just buy commercial cast bullets like ACME or Missouri.

So please this is not an argument to not do it, it is just my view point and the reason behind why I decided not to cast. If I could find a reliable and cost effective source I would do it.
 
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