Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only how many guys have used reduced load cast bullets for hunting

I got a really good deal on a Remington 700 custom 458 win mag rifle after the previous owner decided almost instantly after firing a few times off the bench rest that it was just a great deal more dangerous to his shoulder, to own the rifle than it would be to his checking account balance if he sold it at a significant price reduction.
now Im not a huge fan of being beat senseless either so I added a really thick quality recoil pad, I use a good sling and I use a vest with a sewn in shoulder pad, but the rifle usually gets loaded with less than max loads.
the reduced loads make the rifle far more useful in my opinion, because we seem to have very few really dangerous game requiring 500 grain solids in the areas Ive hunted
its seen far more 400 grain hard cast gas check bullets over a load of 60 grains of IMR 3031 that produces about 1900fps in my rifle.
its accounted for several deer and hogs with zero problems and its darn accurate, groups of near an inch at 100 yards are common off the bench, I size mine at .459 cast from 5% tin and 95% wheel weights and cast hot enough to look slightly frosted
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0004482053

Your right on about the recoil from those cannons. At my age I am concerned about my eye and also setting a clot loose from heavy recoil.

I have a background from making cast bullet loads for target and plinking. When a custom 375 HH was finished I worked up a load with a hollow pointed gas check bullet and a modest charge of 4759.

I found an easy shot on a small buck in VT, which is no easy task, and blasted it through the ribs. It ran a short distance and dropped dead.

One was enough. Its too hard to find a deer around here let alone at short range. On top of that the 375 is way too heavy.

To each his own.

I have been a fan of cast bullets in my hunting rifles for quite some time now and my 404 Jeffery with a 350gn GC has a 1400 (Red Dot, a 1900 (H4350) and a 2365fps Varget) load that I play, plink and have hunted with. Last time out I used the 1400fps load and we got onto a mob of goats and between my 404 and the 7x57 I lent to a friend we got 21 out of the 30 or more animal group
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5621043/m/2801043151
Accuracy in all three levels of loading has been in the i/2 to an inch at 55 yds with aperture sights.
Mind you my main hunting load in my 7x57 is a two part (soft nose on a hard shank) bullet I cast and at 2415fpc is good for out to 250 yds, although I also have nice plinking loads at 1900 and 1500fps.

Von Gruff.

I haven't used any for big game. Nothing against it,just haven't done much "hunt'n" just for fun in the last 12 or so years. ( been too busy, so not taking chances). When in the deep south, I shot squirrels, and assorted varmits with a .308 Win.( you head shoot the squirrels). With my .375 H&H, I've taken coyotes and other assorted smaller varmits. One day, maybe I'll take on a deer or antelope!! memtb

I have shot deer with cast boolits in 300winmag,450marlin,458AccRel and 44mag. At ranges of 18-205yds. With cast I find out to 200yds is very possible with a little work.Clint

In have used my 350 Rem mag with 158-gr 357 pistol bullets and my 30/06 with 110-gr Sierra HPs for small game and plinking. The "recipe" I use is with Accurate Arms XMP 5744. Fill your cartridge case to the neck, weigh it; then use 40% of that weight for your load with any primer and no filler necessary as 5744 seems insensitive to position when ignited. This 40% load should give you 40% of the velocity of a top load. If a top load in the '06 would give you 3300-3400, the reduced load should be in the neighborhood of 1300-1400 fps. Similarly, a 60% load should give 60% of the top loads velocity--say ~ 2000 fps. This method will work for about any big bore cartridge and in fact is listed in the back of Terry Weiland's excellent book, Dangerous Game Rifles as a way to use a big rifle, get trigger time, etc.

I pretty much own a mould for every caliber I own, and always have shot reduced loads for pretty much anything I cast for...
I think most guys will download the 45-70 with cast, as well as the 444, etc.
I have hunted cast with both of the above, as well as the 40-82 Win,375 Win, 356 Win, 35 Rem, 30-30, 32-20, 257 Roberts, 25-20
and 44Spec/Mag.

TrailBoss has a similar recipe that will work in any centerfire rifle....
1) Mark case(sharpie) at bottom of where bullet will be seated.
2) Fill case to this mark with Trailboss...weigh this charge....it is your 100% load.
3) You can reduce this load down to 60% as your starting load, and load to anywhere in between. Just multiply the charge weight in grains by 60%/70%/80% whatever you want. Hodgdon techs will give you this formula if you would like to check it out.
johnny