Recommendation for LBT .223 bullet

[alabamagene]

Hi Veral, I am really interested in shooting cast bullets out of both ARs and Mini-14s.  I understand there are some tradeoffs there, so let me put a couple facts forward.  My final question is just what LBT mould would you recommend?  I suspect the recommendation would be the 66 grain spitzer or "don't bother."  Just wondering what you think.  I've looked a lot on the internet and most of the advice is just people saying not to do it, not people with experience actually having tried it.

1.  I assume gas check style is mandatory

2.  I have multiple mini-14s and plan to build a few different ARs so I assume I would shoot for like a .224 or .225 diameter and then size down as necessary.  I know it's better to slug each gun individually but I'm shooting for max versatility so I understand there's a tradeoff there.  If nothing else I would be willing to employ more than one sizing die (223, 224, etc.) as necessary

3.  I'm pretty sure that both my 186 serial number mini 14s are 1:7 twist, though I anticipate having 1:9 or 1:10 minis or ar barrels as well.  Given the 1:7 twists I assume the heavier bullet the better, not sure how heavy to go though.

4.  I have a good deal of blue soft lube on hand, hope that would work ok. 

5.  I have a large quantity of monotype and am willing to cast straight mono, figure it can't hurt probably.  I have about 350 lbs which could cast up about 37,000 66 grain bullets, right?

6.  I'm willing to load down if max or near max loads produce too much leading/gas system fouling.  Not sure how much <3000fps you can load 223 but I am not too worried about velocity, just consistent loads which will cycle the rifles reliably.

The reason I'm so interested is I want to do a LOT of 223 shooting through ARs and minis and I just don't want to pay 10-20 cents a bullet for jacketed.  So any advice would be appreciated.  I don't want to mess around, I'd just like to get a 4 banger mold, cast a few thousand and launch them downrange successfully! 

Thanks for any suggestions for molds you can offer.  I want to start with the best... I'd rather have a $175 LBT 4 banger than several $75 RCBS molds that may or may not work out.

Thanks!

[Veral]

  Since you have several questions I'll number my answers to match the question numbers.

1. Gas checks are mandatory.

2. Because you want to shoot in many guns, get a .226 diameter, which should work in all, and probably a 60 gr weight would be most likely to fit, though it may be too long for some guns.

3.  Any of them will be twisted fast enough to stabilize 60 gr bullets, but the concern is more with bullets being too long than with being able to stabillze them.

4.   Only way to beat blue soft is with a club, though I've never heard of anyone trying that, of coarse. In fact I'm sure I'm the only person who thinks crazy enough to write such a thing.

5.  Rich alloys are best for 22 bullets as the small amount of lead doesn't keep the molds hot very well, so a runny alloy casts best, and hard shoots best.

6.  I've only known of a couple customers who talk of making autoloader cycle reliably with cast loads that shoot accurately.  It is really difficult to maintain accuracy at the pressures required for consistent cycling, and when shooting rapidly, barrel heat can quickly cause leading of the bore and gas ports.  Experiment with the slower suitable BALL powders.  Ball powders burn coolest, and slow burners will retain the highest chamber pressure after the bullet passes the gas port.

   In case I've not made myself perfectly clear here, cast just simply are not popular in 223's because the majority of rifles in that chambering are autos, or maybe I should say the majority of rounds fired with that cartridge are in autos, which people like to shoot rapid fire.    The fun for most shooters is gone when they can't trip off a clip full fast as they can get on target, and that is definately NOT cast bullet territory.