Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Cast bullets in rifle for hunting

Hunting with cast bullets in your rifle this year? I'd like to hear about it!

I'll take my favorite woods walking carbine out for a few days while looking for deer. I bought it several years ago just for the purpose of using cast in it and find it is very accurate with a 165 grain bullet at 1900 fps. Here is a pic of it after action:

Last hunting season, I went on an exotics hunt. One guy killed 3 Nilgai with cast bullets in a 45-70. Took him 3 -4 shot per animal to put em down.

.44 Magnum rifle, 300 grain Beartooth Bullets WFN at 1575 fps. Using Lil'gun, and this combination seems relatively accurate, given the platform (Ruger 77/44). It'll consistently do 2 MOA, often a little better, but the rifle is bone stock, even the 428 lb trigger.

.45-70 with a Beartooth Bullets Piledriver Jr at 1750 fps. Really more than I need for hunting whitetail deer, I just like the round and the rifle, which is a Guide gun.

And possibly a .44 Mag pistol, A Ruger Redhawk. 300 grain Beartooth Bullets LCMN DCG. The pistol is scoped and the owner is not really all that good with it, hence the "possibly". But I'm trying to improve that. With a rest, I'll burn a deer up at 100 yards, it's without that concerns me.....

I'll take my old Marlin '94 25-20 out for small game and called coyotes this year. Been playing with a new NOE mold, close copy of the old Lyman 260283 plain base bullet but with a bigger meplat. Likely settle on a load just over 1400 fps with 4198. While not quite as accurate as the gas checked 80 gr. from a custom group buy over 12 gr 4198, it's cheaper to load and fine for my uses.

I've had really good results on paper and plinking targets with the Lee 30 cal 170 fp in various alloys and both plain-based and gas checked. In my 30-06, quenched ww w/gc shoots MOA with a couple powders and speeds 2k to 2200. Never would have expected that.

Just started a few months ago loading for a couple 30-30's. Still trying to nail down what is going to work out best in one, have yet to do much shooting with the other, and another is coming my way too. The 'serious' hunting I do isn't the kind of thing where I can handicap myself to shorter ranges, but for a meat deer, I'm excited to give the 30 cal casts a try.

I also load the Lee 310 in a 44 Marlin, seated way out and behind a bunch of H110. I'm sure I could push em harder, but accuracy is incredible, and velocity is right at 1600. That's all kinds of hammer if I can get into the timber after elk. I shot that same bullet in a Contender sans gc last weekend at about 950fps and put over 40 shots into 14" at 200yds with open sights.

My hunting partner brother is planning to use his scoped 38/357 Marlin for a meat deer this year. During last weekend's shoot, he was sniping half-liter water bottles at the same 200yds with 158 Lees in 38 cases and 18in holdover. Unbelievable! Took him about 10 shots to get the holdover right, and then he just picked them off from a seated shooting position.

It amazes me how easy it is to cast bullets, and make them shoot well! Much of my hunting for some years has been open country and long shots, but since I got serious about casting, I've been trying to scout out more timber pockets that I could carry a less-than-200yd gun into this year. Thanks for sharing your experiences, and please keep them coming!

I lost count years ago of the hogs my marlin 44 mag carbine loaded with a LEE 310 grain bullet over 21 grains of h110 have taken

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/51...flat-nose-gas-check?cm_vc=ProductFinding

I seat them out past the 2nd crimp groove, and 22gr H110 is not a hot load in the rifle. I wouldn't shoot them in the handgun. Past about 1100, the recoil gets prohibitive in the Contender. OAL is 1.78".

I used a NOE 368-286 in my 9.3 x62 on the last 3 deer I was able to use a rifle on. Before that it was the 458AccRel,450 Marlin and a 300wm. At this time am working on a 450 Marlin x1.8 to meet the new Mi rule to let us use a rifle in zone 3. Clint

Sounds like a slick little cartridge. I want to rebarrel to shorty 45 cal for a bolt gun, specifically to shoot heavy cast slugs at modest speeds.

The 450 Marlin is a great case for cast! With longer bullets will feed in most bolt guns with little work. Do not make the mistake I made and make it to heavy as recoil is not bad with most loads. Clint

The first deer I ever took over 50 years ago was with a Savage Model 24 22/20ga, the shot was 60yds. The deer shot through the lungs and leaving a highway of blood. Only made about 40yds. So yes, lead will kill deer. I plan to use an 8mm carbine with 170gr G/C or possibly a Savage 99 in 38-55 with a 265gr G/C, either of which I have the utmost confidence in. Didn't get to hunt last season due to my back surgery, but I took this guy season before last with a Savage carbine 30-30 150gr Loverin G/C, at 100yds. Have also taken many with round ball 54 cal. over the years. Believe it comes down to bullet placement and having confidence in yourself.

Any info on what style/type of bullets they were, other than cast?

I really have no idea. I didn't get into the details with him. He pissed alot of hunters off chasing nilgai past other guys' pop ups. The guy was just walking around, shooting with no concern for anyone else.

Sounds like cast bullets weren't the problem.

Every thing that I have shoot with cast has been one shot then get the knife Clint.

It could very well be that he was just a poor shot.

THIS


made this


and it was 30:1,NOT hard cast. Dropped like a safe fell on his head

Just starting to load test this 250gr GC in my 338/06 AI. Should be more than ample for any deer hunting needs as full power jacketed certainly aren't necessary.that's not a split neck just reflection.



Or the Lee 310 GC for the 44mag and 444



But to keep the Evil one happy something on the order of 500grs in PP for the 45/110

I am currently gearing up-- been casting my own ML bullets for years, and thought I'd try something new.

I have a 125 grain Lee, a 158 grain Lee, and a 200 grain RCBS mold for .358. My goal is to have my 35 Whelen, my Marlin 357 Mag carbine , and my Ruger Blackhawk all shooting cast.