Casting 22 caliber bullets?

[black_sheep]

What kind of trouble am I asking for if I were to try casting some 22 caliber bullets for my TC Hornet pistol? I was thinking of Lyman's 225438  44gr .

[John Traveler]

Casting GOOD bullets in .22 caliber is quite a trick.

The smaller the bullet, the more skill and casting ability required.  Exact alloy is more critical.  Sizing and lubrication is touchier.

That's why .30 caliber and larger have always been shooter's favorites.

Yes, I know:  Lyman has always offered a large variety of smaller (.25 cal and below) bullets.  I attribute that to shooter dedication more than anything else.

John

[Blackhawk44]

A couple of tricks told me by a very knowedgeable, but since gone, caster: in 22, stay with RN and FP over 50gr to shoot better, keep the molds very warm and only swing the sprue plate part way closed.  Warm blocks to allow them to fill out.  Partial sprue, when cut it distorts a smaller portion of the base and the base is the steering mechanism of a cast bullet.  Better bases, better shooting.   BOL BH

[Kenneth L. Walters]

In recent years I've only done this with a SAECO four cavity mould so I don't know what you'd get if you used another brand.  With a SAECO, however, this was about as easy as bullet casting gets.  VERY high visual acceptance rates with no problems.

I'd stay away from Lyman moulds.  They are just a mess.

[Orygun Mark]

I have several 22 cal Lyman moulds and 2 of them are HP's. They cast just fine. I use WW's + 1-2% 95/5 solder added. Have a reject rate of less than 5%. I also have one RCBS 22 cal mould. They all cast fine.

[The Cast Bullet Kid]

Hi
I perfer the Lyman 225415 with the flat nose.
Have used it with good results in Hornet and .223 and is a good small game stopper.

[Bug]

Recently aquired a lyman #225415 (49gr) DC mold. Had my first session with it yesterday. Alloy was 1/2 Lino, and 1/2 WW. The mold must have a few micro-burrs, as it doesn't want to release its bullets easily. I'll work on that, but still managed to run better than 200 in about an hour and a half.
 One thing I saw right off: 10# of alloy is going to make a LOT of .22 bullets! They came out at a nominal .225", so right away I wondered about using them as-cast with some liquid alox as lube. Don't know how this GC design will work without the check, but I'm going to try it.
 The next thing I discovered is that the bases of most bullets are too big to accept the gas checks. That and the fact that these itty bitty boogers are hard to handle! More incentive to work on shooting them plain. It's also obvious this mold needs some tuning.
 Cast Bullet Kid: Would you mind sharing some data for the .223? I figure on starting with Unique. About 5gr should start me off somewhere above .22LR, but below WMR speeds. Any light you guys would be appreciated.

[Nobade]

I have been getting very good results with my .223 using the RCBS 55gr bullet over 6.0gr. Green Dot. One thing I noticed is this rifle is VERY sensitive to bullet diameter. Sized at .225 they go into 6 inches at 100 yards. Sized to .224 they hold under an inch! I have never seen something so sensitive to size as this rifle. Just one more variable to play with on your quest for good accuracy.

[The Cast Bullet Kid]

BUG:
My results are a lot like Nobades.
I burn 6.5gr Green Dot over a CCI primer for just shy of 2000fps.  My 700 won't have a bar of Win. primers with cast loads.
Like Nobade, sized .224 they shoot like a house on fire, sized .225 they open up.  Maybe the extra thou. is causing a variance in neck tension or the harmonics of the barrel?
Either way, when this bullet shoots well the light flat nose levels rabbits and hares.
Best of luck.

[alpacker]

I have lyman moulds for 40 grain round nose and the 50 grain spire point flat nose.
I heat the molds on the gas stove on the lowest flame for about 15-20 min and they cast real shiny filled out bullets.
They say not to do this, but it takes forever to heat them casting the tiny bullets.
I use two to three grs Bullseye and lube with 50/50 parrafin and vaseline mix.  I shoot as cast in a .223 Savage over and Under.

Knocks down Rabbits and squirrel and is very accurate.
I shoot without gas checks.

Another thing is I always tap each shell before inserting in the chamber to keep the powder down around the primer. Then I keep the weapons barrel up till I shoot. This keeps the accuracy consistent.