cast bullets

[Kevin]

So I started loading with some lead cast bullets. I just ordered some 100 grain bullets for my .327. The company is SNSCASTING in Illinois. I wanted to try them because they are .313. Previously I have been using g .312. Not a huge difference but nonetheless I wanted to try them.

So I just got them in the mail today and I weighed a few. They aren't 100 but more like 98.3 to 98.5. I didn't weight them all, but enough to see they were not 100.

Is this a problem or something I should worry about? I'm just going to go with the 100 grain loading data.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

Not a problem at all.cast bullets seldom weigh exactly as the molds maker advertises . A few grains +/- is not a problem. By the way, I size my cast bullets for the .327 to .314" and they shoot great and not a trace of leading.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks. I wondered if I would have any issues of chambering a .313 cast bullet. I seated one in an empty case as a tester. No problems at all. I was curious because I had trouble with some cast bullets clambering in my new model vaquero but not my Blackhawk.

 

[mikld]

"Normally" a good place to start with bullet size is the cylinder throat diameter. You can slug the throats just like slugging the barrel and for shooting cast bullets this information is essential (or you can continue with a WAG :mrgreen: ).

 

[cadillo]

Bullet weight will vary from lot to lot for many reasons including slight changes in the alloy. More tin, antimony etc. makes for a lighter bullet.

 

[sandman228]

I also size to .314 for my gp100 and single seven . they shoot pretty good with no leading .

 

[jsh]

Size is king. Proper size that is. And, guns of the same caliber may or may not respond well to the same size.

Do as you may when you start. You end up with, no better than you start with.
I myself am done with molds made for the masses. You get what they send you no matter what. Yes a custom may cost more. But, you get what size you order for a specific alloy.

It is a lot easier to make them smaller than to try and make them bigger.

Now to my take on casting. If you are shooting less than 1k a year of one design of bullet it will take several years for you to come out ahead or even break even casting your own.
If you want control over size and hardness and aren't worried about cost that is different. It is not a fast process though.
Blasting ammo. Buy the bulk stuff and go on.
If your an accuracy buff, casting your own may be for you. Once again a fair bit of time involved from smelting to shooting them.

I don't weigh mine anymore. However I do check each by eye and cull them pretty hard, to easy to recycle. Besides what would one expect from a jacketed bullet that had a flaw in the jacket?
If it doesn't look like a mirror image, crisp clean lines as the inside of the mold, it is a cull.
A cast bullet can and will shoot just as good as a jacketed, rifle or handgun.

Keep notes on your molds. They can be as finicky to get to fill as getting the best load worked up in a gun.
Jeff