Hard cast vs swaged bullets

Skip Sackett · #1 09-27-2010, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbengal

I have used different brands of "hard cast" 158 gr .357 swc bullets in my s&w 686 and Mod 19, both w/6" bbl and in good condition. These ought to produce decent groups from sand bag, which for sake of argument I'll call 2" at 25 yd. Powders range from Tite Group, 231, Universal, Auto Comp, up and down the scale. Never able to achieve better than 5-6" consistently. A change to copper plated or jacketed bullets brought my groups down to an acceptable level. Then I "accidentally" bought a 500 box of softer swaged bullets by Magnus. A phone call confimed these are 9-11 hardness whereas hard cast are 18-19. Another source had suggested Solo 1000 for lead and target use. Having very little published about Solo 1000 in .38 spl cases, I made a horseback guess at 3.0 gr of Solo and made a few. (Found another source that said min of 3.1 gr with 158 gr lead - good guess!.)

Bottom line: These loads will drive nails! Impact is centered with even .357 loads; recoil is lighter than store bought .38's; 5 shot groups 1-2" from sand bag is no problem.

Someone(s) have already said to check the barrel and cylinder bore diameter on my guns, as maybe hard cast bullets are leaking gas; but I figure S&W has had more experience in making gun barrels than I have in measuring, so I'll forego that. Barrel leading seems not to be an issue so far, but we'll watch out and just keep on lobbing those soft bullets into the 10-ring.

Measuring the throats in your revolver would be where I would start, not ignore. It has been my experience that accuracy is a function of fit and so is leading. Most commercial casters don't have a clue about what gun you might be shooting their bullets in so, they make them hard so as not to have problems with soft ones being driven too hard causing leading.

There are a bunch of commercial casters that will work with you to tailor a bullet for you gun/load combination.

Here is the problem that I see with your situation. You don't cast so you have to rely on someone else that has never shot your gun to give you bullets that fit it perfectly! How is that going to happen? It can't.

That dear friend, is why I cast my own. I can make them big enough and soft enough or small enough and hard enough for whatever my guns and loads require.

I have yet to shoot the first swaged bullet and doubt I ever will. My target loads run straight wheel weights from 700fps to 800fps. With just a tad bit of tin or Linotype, I can run them all the way to 2000fps in a pistol caliber carbine (44Mag 210gr LRNFP) with no leading and accuracy is acceptable.

Oh, the two biggest things about casting though: I have what I want when I want, no shortages affect me; The cost of equipment has long ago been paid back and my bullets now cost me hundredths of cents to make. Imagine a 1000 158gr LSWC for $2!

I think I will cast my own, thanks.

p.s. Glad you found a solution to your problems though, that is what matters most. Keep shooting and be safe!

NKJ nut · #2 09-27-2010, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smith crazy

Imagine a 1000 158gr LSWC for $2!

Skip that sounds good to me. I'll take a hundred thousand a month

Skip Sackett · #3 09-27-2010, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKJ nut

Skip that sounds good to me. I'll take a hundred thousand a month

Jes,
Since I don't have to support my family doing so, I don't have to have my time paid for, that is taken care of on another job!

If it was my livelihood, the price MIGHT go up a bit!

NKJ nut · #4 09-27-2010, 09:04 PM

Skip you can keep your day job and cast me a hundred thousand bullets a month, just working at night.

Even if you only worked at it three nights a week you wouldn't have to cast and size but just a wee bit over 8,000 bullets a night

Skip Sackett · #5 09-27-2010, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKJ nut

Skip you can keep your day job and cast me a hundred thousand bullets a month, just working at night.

Even if you only worked at it three nights a week you wouldn't have to cast and size but just a wee bit over 8,000 bullets a night

Jes,
You have my phone number, go ahead and ask the missus if she will go for that!

'Course if she does, I suppose I can move in with my daughter and son in law!

(JK!)

OK, 100,000 a month and let's take the price to 5 cents each, that would include shipping, would bring us to $60,000 p/yr. I will need that in advance, please!

NKJ nut · #6 09-27-2010, 11:28 PM

The check is in the mail

Skip Sackett · #7 09-27-2010, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKJ nut

The check is in the mail

Jes,

I get started as soon as it clears the bank!

HEAD0001 · #8 09-27-2010, 09:05 PM

I really enjoy casting bullets. Personally I have found that leading is more a function of a properly sized bullet, rather than the hardness of the bullet. A good properly sized and lubed bullet does not lead the barrel. So as Smith Crazy says you should measure your revolver and cast your own, or have a custom caster size them for you. a good reputable caster will do that for you. Try casting, just be careful, it is very very very addictive. You will soon have a mess like me. Tom.

Fishslayer · #9 02-27-2017, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip Sackett

Imagine a 1000 158gr LSWC for $2!

I think I will cast my own, thanks.

My friend & I recently started casting our own partly due the political climate in Kalifornistan.

Free lead isn't really available here but even at $1.00/lb we can cast a 230gr .452" boolit for 3-ish cents a pop. We also powdercoat so hardness isn't really all that important. If we need harder alloy a local club sells reclaimed bird shot from their trap range for fairly cheap.

Most importantly in this state we are free from worry about any per bullet "public safety tax" that they have actually discussed in the past.