El Chapo Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Do any of you cast for your BAM? I bought a 30 cal mold last week and I'm thinking of developing a load for my M1903A3. I haven't shot it in a while but it's older than my dad and I have owned it for almost 20 years. I bought a mold last week for 185 grain gas checked bullet and I'm thinking it might be fun to play around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Yes, I cast just about everything I shoot. For a .30-06 rifle, usually have good luck with 185 to 200 grain bullet, gas checked, and cast pretty hard (20 BNH), lubed with conventional Alox type lube, sized to 0.311 for a good barrel, and powder to make about 1600-1800 FPS. Usually it's easy to load for 3" groups at 100 yards. And most rifles with sufficient load tuning can get to 1.5" groups. It often takes 3 months of range work to satisfy me that I have wrung out a load for best accuracy. Have fun! GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Chapo Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 18 hours ago, Garrison Joe said: Yes, I cast just about everything I shoot. For a .30-06 rifle, usually have good luck with 185 to 200 grain bullet, gas checked, and cast pretty hard (20 BNH), lubed with conventional Alox type lube, sized to 0.311 for a good barrel, and powder to make about 1600-1800 FPS. Usually it's easy to load for 3" groups at 100 yards. And most rifles with sufficient load tuning can get to 1.5" groups. It often takes 3 months of range work to satisfy me that I have wrung out a load for best accuracy. Have fun! GJ While I wouldn't ask for load data, can you share what powder you use and perhaps a source for published loads? I made a few dozen bullets last night. I'm waiting on one more sizing tool so that I can size them (also to .311). I use powdercoat in my CAS guns so I'm going to try that, although I have conventional lubes if it doesn't work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 (edited) Best (most extensive) source for cast bullet loads - the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition: https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/publications/cast-bullet-handbook-4th-edition (May be a few bucks cheaper at Amazon or sometimes found used in book stores online) Also lots of load data at the Cast Boolits forum (yeah, they use that exact spelling of their name), look at one of the subforums called either CB Loads/Military Rifles or CB Loads, Your Favorite Cartridge. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php Also the Artful Bullet: https://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php#discussions.12 Powder...... The very best (finest accuracy at 300 yards) that I have EVER used for .30-06 cast bullet rifle loads is IMR SR 4759. They quit making it 15 years ago. Sadly. If you find it at garage sales, snap it up. Close to that accuracy - Accurate 5744. Followed by IMR 3031, Reloder 7, IMR 4227, IMR 4198 and bunches of others. For most BAMM shooting, folks often find matches being shot at 50 or 100 yards, due to lack of range real estate at many cowboy clubs. For that kind of shooting, one can drop down to "gallery" loads like the C E Harris load which is famous for 100 to 200 yard shooting - 16 grains of 2400 in just about any bottleneck military cartridge case of WW I or WW II, bullets ranging from 150 to 200 grains. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?13425-Cast-Bullet-Loads-for-Military-Rifles-Article Each gun is a project unto itself. A load that may be fantastic in one of my guns may be a stinker in yours. Keep trying. good luck, GJ Edited June 10 by Garrison Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Chapo Posted June 10 Author Share Posted June 10 The good news is that I have 2400, 4227, and 3031 here already, so I can get started soon on this project. I ordered the book you suggested. I already have the Lyman Pistol and Revolver manual so this will supplement that for rifles I suppose. Wish me luck. I am a member of the other forum you suggested. Those guys are probably the reason I'm here. Some guy at a match gave me his casting stuff (no molds though) and eventually I started casting bullets (or boolets as they say). Then I needed a reason to shoot them, so cowboy action seemed like a good place. From there I found out about WB and I'm going to try that before the end of the year. And since I saw this BAM in the rule book, I thought I ought to get started casting for that, too. I haven't fired a single round out of my 03A3 in at least 5 years, so at least this will get me shooting it, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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