Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only How fast can cast bullets be loaded to?

I have some gas checked 300gr hardcast slugs that I load to about 2100fps in my 1895GS. Just curious if these and heavier gas checked cast bullets can be run a little faster in my Lott.

Thanks

In all of the reloading manuals I have seen that list data for cast bullets, 2200 FPS is about tops for a cast bullet, regardless of the cartridge. The limitation being the lead and how easily it strips in the bore, even with the hardest of suitable alloys.

You may be able to shoot that bullet easily in your Lott and get alot of practice and even take some game with it. You could even drive it alot faster if you want, but if your gonna hit a barn with it, best be standing inside of it.

Thank you sir. My top load probably won't ever exceed 400 @ 2200 cast or jacketed, but it would be nice to do so with cheaper cast bullets. Of course, neither my shoulder nor the target would notice any difference if I had to dial it back to 2100

I run a 350gn GC boolit in my 404 Jeffery at 2356fps over 74gn Varget and HT 90/10 ww/lino at 2400fps with 87gn H4350 (ADI 2209 and resold as H4350)and very good eccuracy with no leading. Pic is aperture sights at 60 yds.

I run a 160gn GC boolit in my 7x57 at 2416ffps over 39gn H4350 and hunt it out to 250yds.
http://www.mausercentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32271

Here is a link to a high velocity cast artical
http://www.jesseshunting.com/articles/guns/category16/9.html

Then there is the 3600fps loading of 22 caal cast boolits on the Cast Boolit forum
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=119026

Von Gruff.

Get Veral Smiths book and it will explain how to accurately run them to 3000 FPS if memory serves

http://lbtmoulds.com/books.shtml

That's one of those simple questions with a complex answer. It's akin to saying, I'm having a 458 lott built, how accurate will it be. The answer to both questions is, it depends.

What are the dimensions of your barrel and throat, how smooth is the bore, what is the barrel twist, what lead alloy are you using, how hard is the lead, what lube are you using, what dia are the bullets sized to, what powder are you using and what peak pressure is your load generating.

All of those factors affect what velocity you can reach in a rifle with a cast bullet, retain accuracy and prevent leading.

You certainly can run a 300 gr cast slug to 2700+ fps from a 458 lott, but whether or not you can do so accurately is not a simply yes no answer. 2200 fps seems to be a threshold at which one can achieve accuracy with no fear of leading with little effort in the average rifle. Some rifles can get up to 2400 fps without much muss and fuss.

Personally I'd look at a 400 gr cast bullet @ 2200 fps as a goal. That combo should be capable of good accuracy without a doctorate level cast bullet approach, and it'll be shootable. I've shot the 458 lott enough to know when increasing bullet weight and velocity, the joy of shooting the gun quickly diminshes. But if you just need more from the lott, look at increasing bullet weight, not velocity. I've shot 500gr cast @ 2200 fps, reasonable accuracy and gives you the full lott experience. You might even try 550 gr cast

Got a Bud that runs 525 gn. LBT's to 2200 fps. in a 50-110 WCF, my load clocks about 1875 w/ the same bullet, I have no lead fouling issues in my rifle.

Gunner

Depends a lot on how hard they are.
And the lube in the grooves. I've shot
hard alloy, heat treated ones over 3200 fps,
and rifling as clean as jacketed.

I also found that hard alloy lubed ones,
no treating, in big bores don't lead the barrel,
once you get above 2700.ED

obviously bullet alloy hardness and bullet lube efficiency, use of gas checks and rifling depth and twist rates effect your results
but I tend to get the best results at 1200fps and up thru about 1800fps and below , yes you can push bullets faster but you'll generally start getting leading and reduced accuracy in my experience, both my 44 mag and 45/70 tend to get the most consistent results in that velocity range

You are spot on the hardness and the lube is the key

....and fit and bore condition.

Bare lubricated lead can be pushed well into the 3,000 + FPS region & paper-patched has no limit that I've been able to find having gotten good accuracy from some 7mm mags @ over 3,600 fps.

A given..........