Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Hard Cast Bullet Expectations

My casting is hardly very technical; I use whatever lead alloys I can acquire locally, usually centered on the lead core from old gill-net lead lines. I add solder when necessary to get uniform fill in my molds, adding high antimony birdshot to add hardness if I need it. I expect good penetration in the spruce logs we find on our beaches for firewood, erring toward lead 'smearing' rather than crumbling or breaking up.



This is a bull I shot today with a 320 Lyman .452 from around 200 yards. The bullet launcher was a Winchester 94 Trapper in 45 Colt. The bullet struck the bull square in the left shovel, punched his chest just aft of the shoulder blade, and exited the right rear hindquarter. Lungs were quite thoroughly stirred in spite of the dowel-like holes in and out.