Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting In case you wondered how accurate they can be...

Well-crafted cast boolits will rival jacketed bullets. This report started with me running low on 2400, my favorite cast boolit powder. I've got a bunch of others on the bench - 4 lbs. of Unique, 2 lbs. Blue Dot, N133, 1680, Accurate #9, Reloder 7, 4227 etc. that should be good for cast boolit loads - I just hadn't stretched my horizons with powders.
So with that in mind, I reached for Rx7, Blue Dot, Unique, 1680, Accurate #9, and N133.
Firearm - Stevens 44 1/2 (original frame) .30-40 Krag barrel built and fitted by CPA Rifles
Sights - I like shooting this rifle with Scheutzen Pope rear and Lyman 17A, but for load development I have a Nikon Monarch 6.5-20x44 mounted
Brass - Remington
Primer - Remington 9 1/2
Boolit - NOE 311299GC - seated to crimp groove and lightly crimped
Lube - Lotak Hard
Gas Check - copper checks from Blammer
Range conditions - 100 yds, portable bench, 32 degrees, winds calm

I didn't shoot all of the loads I have put together - I ran out of time and had to go pick up my daughters from Tae Kwon Do. I have included photos of the best loads.
Cartridge Block # Powder ChargeBullet Results @ 100 yds
.30-40 Krag 1 Unique 10 311299 MOA
.30-40 Krag 2 Unique 11 311299 sub-MOA - beautiful round group S
.30-40 Krag 3 RL 7 18 311299 1.25" - flyer 2.5"
.30-40 Krag 4 RL 7 19 311299 1/2" - beautiful group
.30-40 Krag 5 RL 7 20 311299 <1/2 - one hole and a short flyer
.30-40 Krag 6 RL 7 21 311299 3/4" square
.30-40 Krag 7 N133 20 311299 MOA
.30-40 Krag 8 N133 21 311299 2.5" vertical string

First - the setup at the bench. That's my .260 Rem leaning against the bench - report coming on that shortly as well.




21 gr. RL 7








Those photos are the highlights - everything but the N133 worked very well. These groups were simply shot one after another, a few minutes of cooling between groups while I shot my .260 Rem and Ruger Mark III .22 LR for fun at the 10" steel from 100 yds.

You're doing it right!

Nice shooting, and nice bench too.

Excellent shooting!!

nice grouping ,,,

The 30-40 and 30-30 are naturals for cb's IMHO.
All of the powders you mention but one I have had good to excellent luck with in a large variety of cast bullet guns. My out cast is blue dot. I found it to be position sensitive in all of my work with it. Maybe just the lot I was into but I am done with it none the less.
When I started casting I had very high hopes of coming close to jacketed accuracy. I have surpassed that in several cartridges of various calibers. I have found the .35s to be the most user friendly on game and paper.
Jeff

good shooting!
here's a few targets of my cast bullets.



Here's a 100yd target with cast out of my 30-06'


Here is the same rifle with jacketed


so yea, I have them shooting to my potential behind the trigger with cast or jacketed.

M70 Win, 30-06, NOE 311284, 32 grains 4895, 50 yards.