New to cast bullet reloading

[Xshot]

I'm an experienced hand loader, but I have never loaded cast bullets. Next week my Rossi 92 .454 Casull and required reloading supplies will arrive. Never thought I would use cast lead bullets, but joining this site has peaked my interests.

I purchased Oregon Trail Laser-Cast 250 grain (.452) flat nose bullets. These bullets have a BNH of 24 and are not gas checked. From what I have read these bullets perform well, but need to be driven hard to prevent leading of the barrel. I'll be using new Starline brass and have Lil'gun, H110 and 2400 powders on hand. I'm flush with a full range of Fedral and CCI primers for both pistol and rifle. I do have a chronograph.

Looking for advice from R92 .454 Casull cast bullet reloaders.

Thanks,

John

[Ranch Dog]

Aahh, dipping into to silver bullets!

In that the OT bullet is not gas checked, I suspect you will need to hold the pressures to 28.0K ~ 30.0K PSI to prevent alloy failure. That would event would be expressed as leading in the barrel.

[Xshot]

RD - thank for the reply. I was thinking 30,000 PSI was the upper limit. Problem I'm running into is that references I'm finding are listed as CUP. IIRC it is not wise to convert CUP to PSI. I'll keep looking for additional load data, but if someone can give me a range for Lil'Gun from QL I can get started.

Up to this point I haven't found it necessary to purchase QuickLOAD, but my new Rossi addiction may change that view.

[Xshot]

I did the conversion math and it looks like 26 grains of Lil'Gun should come in around 27,500 PSI.

[Ranch Dog]

I did the conversion math and it looks like 26 grains of Lil'Gun should come in around 27,500 PSI.

Lil'Gun is a tough powder to guess at. If you can provide a bullet length and overall cartridge length that you are going to use, I can get you spot on with QuickLoad.

[Tuco Ramirez]

I love shooting cast..... I even built a box to shoot into so once a year I can break it down and recycle my lead. It does not take long to go through 20 pounds of hardcast lead. If my plan works I will keep my shooting cost to a bare minimum.

Let us know what your thoughts are after shooting cast.

[Xshot]

I did the conversion math and it looks like 26 grains of Lil'Gun should come in around 27,500 PSI.

Lil'Gun is a tough powder to guess at. If you can provide a bullet length and overall cartridge length that you are going to use, I can get you spot on with QuickLoad.

I expect the bullets will arrive mid-week. I'll sample them for length and pass on the information requested.


Thanks for the offer to help.

John

[Xshot]

I love shooting cast..... I even built a box to shoot into so once a year I can break it down and recycle my lead. It does not take long to go through 20 pounds of hardcast lead. If my plan works I will keep my shooting cost to a bare minimum.

Let us know what your thoughts are after shooting cast.

Will do. I have a substantial collection of lead ingots from a past hobby of mine - building and flying experimental aircraft.

[Tuco Ramirez]

I thought the 120 pounds I had was substantial..... boy was I wrong...... When you start pouring these big boys you go through the lead fast. Sure is a good feeling to send one of your own creations down range to the bulls-eye.

[donhuff]

Dang Xshot, was your plane that far out of balance? I built a Rans S7 back in 1996 and have 2600 hrs on it now. It came within specs on the balance, but it has such a wide cord wing that the CG range is pretty wide also. I didn't have to add any weight, but rather just moved a few things around until it was OK.

Like tuco said, your gonna use a LOT more lead than you ever thought you would. I have a flying buddy that owns a small tire store, so every 3-4 months, I go by there and get his weights. Usually about 2/3 rds to 3/4 of a 5 gal bucket full. Time I sort out all the trash and iron and zinc, I end up with about half a bucket. I've done that 3-4 times in the last year and right now I'm out again! I do try to cast enough at a sitting that I have a "good supply" of that one type to last me a while. Doesn't seem to be working all that well though.......they keep disappearing!

I'm fixing to try digging in the dirt bank at the shooting range I go to. I have to make me some kind of a sifter first. Problem is, I live in west central Georgia, and our dirt bank is red glue....I mean clay!