I have a Lyman mold that makes a heavier bullet (63 grains if I recall correctly). Perhaps I should cast a few with it and try the 4198 with it. Thanks for the comment.
The results show the hand crafter's challenge with the different powders, I agree with C.W. along with IMR or Hogdons 4198 being the most promising, also, slugging your bore, flip-flopping bullet sizing, and range tests can tune an individual rifle for the most accurate loading. However, for small game, varments up to coyotes those loadings would do the job that you fired during the video. anyway, Great stuff, great video. -Dave
Thanks for the comment Dave. The small bore cast bullets do seem to be more finicky than the larger 30 cal and bigger stuff. I doubt I'll ever be shooting groups with them that are comparable to the ones I get with jacketed bullets, but they are for different purposes.
Thanks for the video. It is a crying shame that IMR4759 was discontinued as it was a great powder for cast shooters. Luckily, i still have 2 or 3 pounds left so it is still worth occasional load development.
222 ammo is very expensive! for that reason, I've managed to make my own 222 brass out of 223 brass. You won't believe how I do it as a matter of fact you would probably call me crazy LOL. I do not use sizing lube of any kind, I run the brass dry and after 300+ converted brass, I have not one stuck case. The important thing to take note of is the 223 brass must not have any form of dents, ripples or scratches on the shoulder. Remove the decapping pin from the die, and follow your normal standard for setting up a sizing die. With the 223 brass seated on the ram, gently raise it to the die until it stops, then rapidly put all your weight on it until the brass is fully seated in the die. DO NOT bring down the ram slowly, it will tear the brass base. Instead, gently raise the handle to slightly lower the ram, then quickly drop the ram and you will have a perfectly uniformed 222 case with a 223/556 headstamp. There will be quite a bit of trimming to do but the labor outweighs the cost of buying 222 ammo. If this works for you, make a video of this process.
I agree, 222 and 223 have been challenging. I’ve been casting straight WW, don’t know the BHN and have used aluminum and copper gas checks. Alum are a really struggle to install properly. I powder coat all my cast bullets. So far the best powder I’ve tried is Alliant Bullseye, 4gr but 4227 (10gr) isn’t bad either. I got distracted with other calibers and need to get back to the 222 and 223…
@@jimbo3615 I use straight WW ( avg . 12 bhn ) and water quench after casting and after powder coating . This normally gives me 16 bhn or higher . It seems to vary with different batches of WW's . It may be 18 or 20 bhn the next time .
@@jamespollard1670 A long time ago I always water quenched after casting. I need to go back to that, and after pc’ing like you and see if that makes a difference. The bullets are soft enough that sizing and applying the gas check, base in first, is squashing the bullet a little.
@@jimbo3615 After finding that the quenched bullets did better , I actually re baked my powder coated bullets and water quenched again in ice water . Like that , they grouped better .
Yes .223 Rem/5.56x45mm was developed out of the .222 Remington, it uses the same case head, but of course is longer and with a different neck/shoulder.
I think I have a few of these bullets powder coated that I have not yet loaded and shot. I was given some coated bullets by a friend a few years ago and they shot decent ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l-Wj8-Dh2OQ.html
+ Is there a general velocity limit with gas checked lead cast bullets? Also, have tried powder coating cast bullets? I have a 722 in 222 I’d consider cast bullets but I want to do more research first Great video 👍🏻
I have seen cast bullets shot in excess of 3000 fps with decent accuracy, however most reloaders will find success at lower speeds. The 222 seems well suited to shooting cast bullets as the guns chambered for the round are generally modern with tight tolerances and barrels in good condition. The 222 standard one in fourteen twist rate also helps with achieving high velocity without leading. My experience is that you will rarely get accuracy with cast bullets that is as good as with the jacketed bullets. In 222 I have had some good results in the 2400 fps range.
Haven't gone there, but seems like .223-ish cast loads might involve a bit of finesse. I would suspect relatively small variations would have a more profound effect.
I agree, minor variations probably have a larger than evident impact on results compared to 30 caliber. Might make sense to weigh and segregate bullets and powders for the small calibers when using cast.
Enjoyed watching this test. But the groups you were getting for a 222 were very disappointing. I've made and shot cast bullets for 50 years but the smallest were cal. 6.5 and go larger. Making good rifle bullets is a little more challenging than pistol bullets. 👍🙂
Not all tests result in outstanding results. Sometimes the groups are average and sometimes poor. Have you shot cast bullets in the 222? I got better results with the bullet and load used in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l-Wj8-Dh2OQ.html
@314299 your results were very honest. Cast bullets can be that way.Ive shot sub .5 in my 222 BR gun and cast and next time out couldn't hold inch.. if this was easy it wouldn't be fun. I've been casting 40 years and at times I just shake my head like I've learned nothing!
Really enjoy your channel, thank you for sharing with us! Just starting my bullet casting adventures, loading for a martini henry. Wondering if you have any advice or videos on starting casting?
I dont have any casting videos. One of the few videos that I had that showed casting bullets was removed by RU-vid, apparently they think that shows "manufacturing" ammo and therefore violates their terms of service. I would recommend purchasing and reading the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, lots of good info for the new and veteran caster in the first part of that book.
Do you have the lyman 3rd edition cast load handbook? It designates potentially most accurate load for a 222rem shooting a 54gr lead bullet being win748 @ 19.2gr @ 2163fps that is the suggested starting load and a max of win748 @ 24.0gr @2836fps