Cast Bullets. Seriously?

[tinkerpearce]

I buy a lot of cast bullets. I load them and shoot them. Been doing so for years. Almost always they work just fine.  I ran across some that didn't and I consulted the experts on a cast bullet page.  I learned things I never knew about cast bullets, and I have been doing it all wrong by buying bullets of the correct-for-caliber diameter!  I wish I had known that before I shot thousands of rounds of them that worked just fine. What a waste of time that was!  So much arcane knowledge was lavished upon me that I expect the deer I killed with .429" hard-cast Keith bullets will spring back to life because everything about my bullets was wrong.

So I did my own tests, conclusively determined the cause and reported back, explaining the tests, the results and conclusions, which were bourn out by further practical tests.  Once again I was flooded with wisdom that directly contradicted the tests, the results, my conclusions and the practical proofs of those conclusions.  These people have bumped their heads. When theory and reality disagree it is never reality that is wrong.

From here out I'll consult here and leave the experts to themselves.

[bigbore5]

Click. Bang. Dead. Bullets are good.

[x101airborne]

Yeah Tinker, I bet I know where you went seeking wisdom.
I have been running cast bullets in all my handguns for nearly 20 years. What those "experts" usually wont admit is every weapon is a rule unto itself. I have a 44 Magnum that if you dont feed it .431 bullets, it leads. All my others work well at .429 or .430. One will not chamber a .430 loaded cartridge if you stand on it. I know I could send them all off and have them somewhat uniformed, but why bother?

Im with you. stick to reality and let the rest slide.

[nicholst55]

Even among the 'experts,' there is still a lot of disinformation and old wives tales in circulation regarding cast bullets. I use what works - if only for me.

[sixshot]

What a lot of people don't understand or won't admit is there's more than one way to cast a bullet. Spend some time reading the writings of Glen Fryxell who has a degree in metallurgy & is a very down to earth bullet caster or boolitdesigner (Bob) and you can learn a lot in a hurry. I learned a lot in my early years from Skeeter Skelton in his articles in Shooting Times & from Jim Carmichael back in his early years of casting.

Dick

[bigbrowndog]

Dick, I was reading some older G.F. articles just the other day and found it interesting to see where he mentioned how subtle little differences occurred thru the “ages” that no one or few people acknowledge or bring up. Case in point how and why Keith, Skelton, et al, had such good luck with cast due to “softer” bullets simply because the common lead available at the time was all lead, then as supplies and sources dried up or got expensive, alloys changed but nobody mentions that today, it’s like you either know or you don’t, much like some secret giant marketing firm decided all lead bullets need to be “hard cast” in order to be effective. But then, what is “hard”? and why does it need to be hard.

And please I am paraphrasing big time here on all of this, it was and still is excellent reading even for a non caster like myself.

Trapr

[rufus]

Them boys that kicked the brits out and settled the country West, killing everything in site wasn’t shooting hard cast. Probably not a direct correlation to what we shoot today but still something I like to keep in mind.

[jban]

Too many self-proclaimed experts these days. I do what works for me. Sometimes I do things that shouldn't work according to some, but work for me. If things work in my mind, that what counts.

[taffin]

Feb 8, 2022 23:57:54 GMT -5 tinkerpearce said:

I buy a lot of cast bullets. I load them and shoot them. Been doing so for years. Almost always they work just fine.  I ran across some that didn't and I consulted the experts on a cast bullet page.  I learned things I never knew about cast bullets, and I have been doing it all wrong by buying bullets of the correct-for-caliber diameter!  I wish I had known that before I shot thousands of rounds of them that worked just fine. What a waste of time that was!  So much arcane knowledge was lavished upon me that I expect the deer I killed with .429" hard-cast Keith bullets will spring back to life because everything about my bullets was wrong.

So I did my own tests, conclusively determined the cause and reported back, explaining the tests, the results and conclusions, which were bourn out by further practical tests.  Once again I was flooded with wisdom that directly contradicted the tests, the results, my conclusions and the practical proofs of those conclusions.  These people have bumped their heads. When theory and reality disagree it is never reality that is wrong.

From here out I'll consult here and leave the experts to themselves.

INN POLITICS OR SHOOTING OR ANYTHING, NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY.

[Sarge]

"Don't cloud the issue with logic!"



In roughly 45 years of reloading I have purchased two boxes of cast bullets that resisted my efforts to generate an accurate load in a particular pistol or revolver. One of those was coated and both of them were too damned hard at 18-20. Some things we must learn from experience.

[taffin]

Feb 9, 2022 16:59:30 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

Dick, I was reading some older G.F. articles just the other day and found it interesting to see where he mentioned how subtle little differences occurred thru the “ages” that no one or few people acknowledge or bring up. Case in point how and why Keith, Skelton, et al, had such good luck with cast due to “softer” bullets simply because the common lead available at the time was all lead, then as supplies and sources dried up or got expensive, alloys changed but nobody mentions that today, it’s like you either know or you don’t, much like some secret giant marketing firm decided all lead bullets need to be “hard cast” in order to be effective. But then, what is “hard”? and why does it need to be hard.

And please I am paraphrasing big time here on all of this, it was and still is excellent reading even for a non caster like myself.

Trapr

I am not sure what you are saying here BUT Elmer and Skeeter did not use soft lead but added tin to harden it.

[bigbrowndog]

My last sentence about paraphrasing should have eliminated the need for your comment, BUT finding and reading the article should explain it better than I can.

Trapr

[Encore64]

For me, the discussion of cast bullets is moot without taking into account each guns personality.

Revolvers especially all react differently to loads.

In my experience, trial and error works better than a written science.

[tinkerpearce]

Feb 14, 2022 13:58:24 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

For me, the discussion of cast bullets is moot without taking into account each guns personality.

Revolvers especially all react differently to loads.

In my experience, trial and error works better than a written science.

Well, technically 'trial and error' is science when done correctly... 

[Encore64]

That's why I specifically used the term "written science."

Trial and error is more of a learn as you go instead of following specific, one size fits all written directions.

A revolver with .430" throats and a .429" will likely do just fine with hard cast. But, if you reverse those two dimensions, soft cast my well expand and seal the oversized bore better.

Just my limited experience. Others may and probably have seen different results.

I'm just not convinced there is an absolute anything in handloading.