cast bronze bullets?

[troy_mclure]

a guy at the range today was shooting cast bronze bullets out of his .308.  he said his brother casts them for higher velocity loads than lead can handle.

the bullets looked kinda cool. i imagine they act like solids.

anybody cast bronze?

[blhof]

I would think they would be a little brittle and you sure couldn't use aluminum molds, as the melt temp would be too high. I knew a guy that was turning his own 50 BMG bullets out of copper rods til his supply dried up.  He is a machinist and made a master out of aluminum and a steel shape guide.  Even though they were made individually, they were within a few grains of each other. He used them in a Barrett.  They were very accurate.

[gnoahhh]

I'm wondering if he cast them. First of all, the melting point of bronze is like 3 times that of lead. The heat above/around a backyard furnace rigged to melt bronze is pretty ferocious. I know from doing sand casting for custom boat parts. The second question that comes to mind is how would you cut the sprue on a mould filled with bronze?  That stuff is harder than you think and I can't imagine a sprue plate, even a thicker custom one, holding up for more than a couple of bullets. I wonder if they weren't lathe turned like the other gentleman's friend did.

[mechanic]

About the only way I can see someone doing it is investment casting.  If you machine a mold and cast a bunch at once, maybe.  Doing onsie twosie would make for some mighty expensive bullets!

Ben