Hmmmm.

Mosin lead.

Veerrrrrry interestink.

Do they do a standard .311 dia of any sort for all of us ordinary conventional Mosin whores ?

RENCORP- oh yes, you can get cast bullet moulds in virtually any diameter. I have learned that you should first "slug" your rifle's barrel, as cast bullets work best when they are cast or sized .001" over groove diameter. So, if your Mosin truly measures .311" across the grooves, a standard .311 mould from Lyman should work well. Most moulds cast bullets .001-.002" oversize to allow for sizing. Slugging the barrel is not too difficult, but will require a soft lead bullet slightly oversize and two rods that will fit down the barrel- one short and one long.

If you need some advice on the specific procedure, I can point you to some online advice, or outline the steps here.

MADPICK- I forgot to add one item about that particular design. It is called a "bore rider", so the long nose is meant to ride just inside the lands, not engraved by the rifling as are most.

Getting a rifle to shoot cast bullets accurately is an art that I am still discovering through a lot of humble experience!

Interesting, thank you.

I assume that you use a gas check on a bullet like that . . . ?

Yessir...if you look at the heel of the bullet, you can see the stepped area for a crimp on gas check. A caster should use a gas check when attempting to drive
a slug past 1500 fps.

Some folks make their own gas checks!

Spent some time Saturday casting, should keep me busy for a while ....

400 pcs Lyman 452460 for .45
600 pcs Lee 401-175-TC for 10mm

^ Nice pile o' bullets.

I'm pretty ignorant about casting, so help me with a question . . . what's that coppery color that I can see on some of the bullets? Is it actually there, and if so what is it? Or is it just a reflection from something that's off camera?

That's just a reflection. Next step is to run them through a sizer-lubricator so they are ready to load.

Adds time to the whole process, but it's rewarding to make the bullets as well as do the reloading.

I've done the lubamatic and I use it for .44 mags with gas checks through a rifle. Anything slower, like a .45 ACP/Colt or even 1200 Fps .357 158's I like powder coating. Less mess and fuss.

Nice job on the pile of bullets.

I have been wondering about the proper applications for the powder coating since your last write up on that. I've done it twice, only used it in .44special and 38special plinker rounds.

What happens at >1200fps? Does the PC get burnt off the base and cause leading? Any empirical testing done?
Thanks for that writeup and pics. It was a better way than we used.

You are welcome.

I use the PC on my 155 gr .311 bullets (sized down to .309-.310" after PC) that I put through my .300 BO at 17-1,800 FPS and I don't see any issues or evidence of leading. Lots of folks have done testing on Castboolits.com as well as .300blktalk.com, so I tried it based on their experiments. I recovered a few rounds from logs where I shot them on end and the bullets while somewhat deformed still had the PC on it. The bullet base PC material was intact, albeit a little sooty, and the PC was intact on the rifling grooves engraved on the bullet. I'll do another test and post some pics when I get a chance in the next few days. One thing though is that with PC bullets you need to bell the case mouth slightly. I use a .30 Luger powder die in my Dillon 650 when loading .300 BO. You just need a very tiny bell.

Some folks have stated that they have PC'd .309/.310" 110's and shot them at 2,200 FPS without issue, but I am keeping my speeds lower than 1,800 just to be safe. 1,200 FPS 158gr .357 loads were just an example, not a limit. My .44 mag rifle loads approach my 1,800 fps limit, so I switch to gas-checked and lubed cast bullets for that gun.

With a good PC job you will be able to crush the bullet in a vise and have the PC stay on the bullet without cracking.

Another similar process is Hi-Tek Coatings which is a similar process but generally requires two coats, plus you use a catalyst for bonding. Produces a dry film like PC.

After some internet research and YouTube videos the powder coating looks worth trying

Time to find a toaster oven........

Walmart, GoodWill, or Craigslist for toaster ovens. Best with a timer. Buy a 2'x2' square of 0.25" hardware cloth and you'll be able to make a few baskets. If you need additional info on the process, let me know.

I may have cast a bullet or two.

No shit there, Sherlock. Pouring ingots for self only, or also for sale ? Wheel weights already alloyed, or pure lead, or both ?