OK I give up........

[bjornb]

.......on shooting cast in medium caliber Handis, that is. I've been experimenting with 30-06 and .270 Win for some time, and it's getting very frustrating. My .223 is a tack driver with the Lyman 225415, the .44 mag needed some load workup (now shoots into 1,5" with the Lee 190 gr. FN over 28 grs. 296), and both the BC and the short 45-70 are very accurate cast bullet shooters. So good in fact that the 45-70 Handi will be my only rifle for this year's Alaska moose hunt. With 405 grs. of lead over a stout load of 5744 it will do the job if I do mine.
The above mentioned calibers (30-06 and .270), however, are giving me fits. Took the 30-06 to the range today; also took along a Rem 783 as a "control gun". Shot a "standard" cast load in the Remington first (Lyman 311291 over 16 grs. 2400), grouped about 1 1/2". Same load in the Handi gave me an 8 inch vertical string with the POI being a foot below what it was in the Remington. Adjusted forearm torque, have O-ring on forearm lug, tried several different cast bullet loads, could never get consistent results. Are my Handis doomed to an existence shooting jacketed only? They do that very well, no accuracy issues, but as a fan of lead bullets I'd really like to square these 2 guns away and make them shoot cast well. Any advice?

[bigvarmnt]

Don't Give UP

[quickdtoo]

Perhaps bigger is better, .311" or maybe .312" would do the trick if ya aren't already there.

Tim

[bjornb]

Yeah I'm sizing to .310, maybe just lube and load unsized. Most of my molds are dropping .311 and bigger.

[bikerbeans]

+1 on bigger. As long as it will chamber a larger OD cast bullet is the way to go.
 
BB

[gcrank1]

+1 to the above; I shoot a .311 in my 1923 Springfield '03 at about 1450fps with success. A .312 is tight to chamber up in it, but not all chambers are alike.
Make sure the latch and shelf are clean and dry and that you close the action up with a little authority and the same each time.
Where are you resting the front when you shoot? Have you tried it without the forend mounted?

[petemi]

The only cast bullets I shoot in my Handis are oversized gas checked for my older .445 at close to 2000 fps.  The others are 158 gr. and 100 gr. cast for sub-sonic plinking in my Maxis and .32-20.  I've tried other cast bullets in my Handis....the .38-55 is a good example.  I had much better luck with jacketed.  I'm not telling you to go jacketed. I'm just relating my limited experience.

Pete

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

perhaps you have a copper fouling issue to deal with first?

[cjrjck]

You could do a chamber casting and slug the bore. I think you might be surprised at what you find. Once you know the dimensions, the right sized slugs and cartridge oal might result in the accuracy you are looking for.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

What alloy are you shooting? I had to harden up my alloy for the 7mm-08 to get it to shoot.
I'm up to 2100 fps now and holding under an inch @ 100
I think it's the shallower rifling requiring a harder mix.

[gcrank1]

Ive found too many guys try to drive cast bullets too fast right off. First you need to get the bullet fit to the throat right, use a GC Bullet, then go for a load that is around 1450fps. Once you have success there you can start upping the velo, or changing one aspect at a time to 'improve' what youve done so far.
What Im getting at is, shooting cast bullets is not just substituting a cast bullet for a jacketed bullet. A lot of what a guy knows about loading/shooting jacketed needs to be put aside and there is no need to reinvent the wheel, there have been a lot of guys before you who have done cast successfully.

[Jason F]

+1 on bigger. As long as it will chamber a larger OD cast bullet is the way to go.
 
BB

+2 on bigger. I size all my 30 cals at 312.