What is the downside of shooting cast bullets?

[Floppy_D]

What is the downside of shooting cast bullets?

Saving money. As to the health concerns, I shoot often, cast all my bullets, pick up wheel weights when I see them, and occasionally nibble on Chinese-made toys. I get my blood tested annually, and the doc tells me it's well within acceptable limits. Just wash your hands on the way out of the range, as you probably do anyway.

 

[snuffy]

I see two problems:

1. You will forget how to properly spell the word bullet.

I suppose that is directed at me? Proud of it, I am. Here's the basis of that miss-spelling.

Boolits= as God laid it into the soil,,grand old Galena,the Silver Stream graciously hand poured into molds for our consumption.

Bullets= Machine made utilizing Full Length Gas Checks as to provide projectiles for the masses.

45 nut, the owner of the cast BOOLITS site came up with it, I'm registered over there, took up calling my own cast slugs BOOLITS.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

 

[Cloudpeak]

I only saw two choices for 45acp, and I believe two for 9mm. So, if I get the right size of the two, and the right powder behind it, bullet set properly, I should be good to go. Correct?

I think it's generally accepted to shoot .452" diameter lead bullets in 45 ACP's. Slugging your bore and measuring the slug (I cast pure lead bullets for this. I guess some people use dead soft lead fishing sinkers) might be a good idea. Anyway, I've shot thousands of 45 ACP rounds using .452" diameter bullets.

In my 9mm, I shoot bullets sized to .3575" cast out of wheel weights through several 9mm's and have had good luck.

If you get a bit of leading (a possibility with some store bought cast bullets), you can wrap a piece of "Chore Boy" copper scrubbing pad around a bronze brush and run it through the bore. I do this dry. No solvent. (Be aware, some pads are copper coated steel. You don't want those.)

Besides being cheaper to shoot, lead bullets are very kind to your bores.

Cloudpeak

 

[BUGUDY]

Cloudpeak
Both of my guns have a low round count, would it still be a good idea to measure the bore first? Before ordering some and trying

 

[Cloudpeak]

Cloudpeak
Both of my guns have a low round count, would it still be a good idea to measure the bore first? Before ordering some and trying

Bore slugging has to do with manufacturing tolerances rather than wear on the bore. Shooting undersized bullets will contribute to leading.

I'd recommend starting your adventure into loading cast bullets with a .452" diameter bullet. I shoot 200 gr SWC bullets that are a Lyman version of the H&G 68 in my 1911's and they feed 100%. Some 1911's do have problems with SWC bullets. I had a couple of Lee molds that cast very accurate 45 bullets but they wouldn't feed 100" so I went to the Lyman.

I don't think you can go wrong with the 230 RN bullets. If a 1911 won't shoot these, I think the consensus is that you've got a problem. Bullets sized to .452" are offered by many manufacturers. For factory lead 45's, I only have experience with Penn's. I've used Laser Cast in a 40 S&W I used to own and they were fine.

When it comes to 9mm, some manufacturers offer the choice of several diameters. I think it's generally accepted to use lead bullets .001 to .002" larger than bore diameter. As I said, I get along fine with wheel weight cast bullets sized .3575" in my 9mm's.

Here's some links to some cast bullet manufacturers. I know that others will add more choices.

http://www.keadbullets.com/
http://www.laser-cast.com/
http://www.pennbullets.com/
http://www.cheycast.com/
http://www.dardascastbullets.webs.com/

Cloudpeak

 

[tbtrout]

My sarcasm on bullets was not at anyone in particular. I see it spelled that way many times and it was my paltry attempt at humor.

 

[ds/ks]

No downside for me

I enjoy the scrounging for WW's, the smelting into clean ingots. The casting of the bullets can be tedious at times, but I always feel great about a near free big pile of bullets on the bench.
I only cast for handguns and have never been disappointed in their accuracy.

 

[243winxb]

Downside of shooting cast bullets Compared to Jacketed Bullets.

Accuracy-cast bullet can have hidden flaws,air bubbles. Leading-the wrong alloy can cause this. Undersize bullet diameter- caused by wrong alloy, leading and poor accuracy . Dirty-this comes from the lube and some shaved lead on firing. Cost-if you have to buy alloy to add to the mix for hardness/diameter it can be costly. You must find free alloy.(always say you want to cast sinkers for fishing) Cost-good moulds are expensive, a sizer is a must have IMO. Time-will the wife like it that your making bullets all weekend, NO, lol But when its all said and done, its worth the effort. PS send me your alloy you not going to use now. ty.