Bullet Sizing

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CB posted this 26 July 2009

Today I used a new .243 diameter Lyman H&I die to resize a hundred or so Cast and sized 245496 already sized greased. I am going to load them up in my 6X45 for next Friday's shooting. I have a 1/10 mic I use for measuring the bearing surfaces before and after sizing. The overall bullet DIA. after my sizing but now the bullets measure the same from one end to the other on the bearing surface. I have no History on the bullets. I wouldn't waste my time too much shooting other guys Cast unless I do the final sizing. In BR jacketed bullet making I deal in 1/10's, I can do the same in Cast. This story has no ending just a pause once in a while.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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CBA Member

billwnr posted this 26 July 2009

How did you pick the diameter to size your bullets to and did you check out the diameter of your sizing die?

What throat angle do you have in your rifle?

Guess I have a couple of more questions: What powder are you using and how did you select it, also approximate velocity if you can estimate it.

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CB posted this 26 July 2009

Bill

Let me answer your questions after next Friday at the Range.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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JSH posted this 26 July 2009

I am listening/watching this, as the 6x45 is a favorite of mine in an XP100. However I am shooting full length gaschecks as I push them fairly hard. This is from afellow that swore he would never own a 45ACP nor cast for anything smaller than a 308. jeff

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CBA Member

billwnr posted this 29 July 2009

Tell me what you did to your bullets before you loaded them up.

Shooting them is the easy part. All the prep work before loading them is the biggest part.

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billwnr posted this 02 August 2009

It's Sunday. I'm interested in hearing the results from your Friday at the range.

I suspect: your twist rate was too slow and your throating angle was too steep for starters.

And...potentially your bullets were too soft.

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CB posted this 02 August 2009

Bill

We lost our local Range last Thursday so I chose to go to another Range that I shot only on occasion before. I left my cast gun home for a week shooting my 6 PPC Sporter instead.This week I will shoot my 6x45 Cast and my 6 PPC jacketed HV gun. Will give report on the 6x45 next weekend.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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billwnr posted this 10 August 2009

Stephen, Why don't you post your results on this thread? I'd like to see them and critique them for you. For starters your twist rate is too slow unless you want to use monotype and really crank the velocity up.

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CB posted this 24 August 2009

Warner

Nobody especially you critiques anything I do at the Shooting Range. You Post something about load development so I can ask you the multiple, shotgun approach questions like you ask me. And do you compete in CBA BR Matches, I'd like to know.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire:fire

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 24 August 2009

STOP!!

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hunterspistol posted this 24 August 2009

:coffee The short answers:

While brass work hardens and needs to be annealed, as you've seen in benchrest jacketed, lead does quite the opposite. By sizing twice, the cast lead is likely work-softened. In cast an oversize bullet isn't tragic, they should measure .002” larger than the bore.

You may not want to shoot them.

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CB posted this 24 August 2009

Hunter

Thanks. I might have made a mistake in resizing already sized bullets. I have over a thousand of these 245486 sized and lubed. The gentleman said his brother cast and sized all the bullets 6-7 years ago. I feel he used a .243 sizing die as my measurements reflect that. I have about 50 of the bullets I sized in my .243 die left. I will order a .244 sizing die from Midway. I'll shoot the remaning .243 diameter bullets up and try some of the deceased brothers sized and some of the ones I size out my mold. I have time to find what works for me. Thanks again Hunter you have helped me several times here.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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roadie posted this 24 August 2009

Mr. Perry, hunterspistol has given some good advice regarding resizing bullets. Cast bullets perform better slightly over groove diameter, undersize or too soft will cause leading as well. Nasty business.

We are all here to help each other in our cast bullet shooting endeavors, I imagine billwnr in his own way is also trying to help you.

I personally don't believe one has to be a BR shooter in order to have the knowledge to shoot well with cast bullets. But thats just my opinion.

roadie

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CB posted this 25 August 2009

roadie wrote: I personally don't believe one has to be a BR shooter in order to have the knowledge to shoot well with cast bullets. But thats just my opinion.

roadie Your opinion's right on the money. Critiquing is different from criticizing so lets keep our heads about us.

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CB posted this 25 August 2009

Roadie

Considering I have been called an idiot here and a dangerous handloader by the same person also my 47 years of Cast have been in the toilet several times I feel some need for redemption. As far as your BR statement I could give a damn about Cast BR. I was mailed a years worth of the secret society of Cast BR by a concerned soul no name coming forward. Doesn't impress me one bit. I cast for my pleasure and I do a pretty damn good job at it. My Sport is jacketed BR and always will be.

But thanks for the concern some have for my passion for casting and shooting lead bullets I appreciate that, good guys. I will join CBA for the casting portion only not the BR portion.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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tturner53 posted this 25 August 2009

Now I'm confused. What will you do with the cast bullets you make? Also, the guy who called you an idiot told me to tell you he apologizes for his inappropriate remark.

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CB posted this 25 August 2009

OK that's settled so let's move on.

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billwnr posted this 25 August 2009

Stephen Perry wrote: Warner

Nobody especially you critiques anything I do at the Shooting Range. You Post something about load development so I can ask you the multiple, shotgun approach questions like you ask me. And do you compete in CBA BR Matches, I'd like to know.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:firefire

As a matter of fact I do compete in the CBA BR and military matches. Wally's sent me a few certificates for military national records.

And... if you were a bit smarter you'd know that when I said your twist rate was too slow unless you want to use monotype and crank the velocity up that it was a very good tip I gave you. For a 14 inch twist barrel you need a high velocity bullet and for a high velocity bullet you need a very high BHN for that bullet. Otherwise the bullet will slide and cause leading as it goes down the barrel. Sorta like cabbage on a sauerkraut cutter.

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hunterspistol posted this 25 August 2009

Bill Warner 200Yard-high score-Individual Target- Modified Scope

100-7X

March 8, 2008

Puyallup, WA

The Cast Bullet Association Official Military Rifle National Records

December 15, 2008

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CB posted this 26 August 2009

Okay guys this is enough of this foolishness.

Having a disagreement on the topic is one thing, but this is past the point of that.

We do not need to assault one anothers character here to have a worthwhile discussion.

I trust that all involved can find a better way to discuss this sensibly right?

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Paul Pollard posted this 27 August 2009

On the question of bullet sizing. There shouldn't be a problem resizing your bullets to .243. There may be a problem with those bullets if the original sizing was done in a lubesizer which was misaligned. I did a test last month using my original top ram and punch which I found to be misaligned. For the test, I sized 55 bullets with this set up. Then put in the top ram and top punch which I had taken the time to line up. Sized another 55 bullets from the same casting batch as the first set.

Shot 11, 5-shot groups misaligned, and 11, 5-shot groups aligned. Measured and averaged the group size. The misaligned bullets averaged 1.350” larger than the aligned bullets.

It could be that the bullets had been sized in a misaligned sizer. It's also possible that your sizer is not aligned. I thought mine was perfectly aligned; it wasn't.

This is just something else to drive bullet casters crazy!

I would suggest casting some in your mould, using your sizer. Also, you will be able to select the alloy, depending on how fast you intend to shoot these. That way you have a known product. By the way, those 1000 bullets will remelt just fine.