Cartridge with good power using cast and jacketed bullets?

So I want to start casting my own bullets. I am looking for a cartridge that has good external ballistics with jacketed bullets, but will still retain most of the capability with cast lead ones. My only centerfire rifle is in .223 right now, and I have been told that casting bullets for it is a losing proposition, as the bullets are so light they won’t do much at the velocities lead slugs go. I know there is the 45/70, but I am looking for something with slightly less recoil, and better performance with jacketed bullets (less drop and windage) and less recoil. Also, more power than the .357/.38 team, though that is a possibility later on. This is going to be a mostly plinking gun, out to 600yd or so (hopefully), and I want it to be cheap.-er. Am I asking too much, good performance with both types of bullets?

Thanks for your help,

Neal

You ask for a lot from one cartridge. No one cartridge can do everything with both cast and jacketed bullets.Take a look at the .35 Whelen. It can drive a250 grain slug 2500 fps, or a 300 gr. cast bullet at 2200. Mine is built on an old 03 Springfiled and is accurate to 600+ yards. Alternatively, the .30-06 will do nearly as good using 180 grain jacketed and 220 grain cast bullets. If you want a hunting cartridge where you can load lead or jacketed bullets to the same velocity, you can't beat the .30-30WCF or the .32 Win. Special.

I am not expecting to send them both at the same velocity, basically i want it to have good performance with jacketed bulllets, with slightly worse performance with cast ones. What kind of mold do you use for those 300gr .35 bullets? That might work.

How about 44 Magnum? It performs great in rifles too.

What about a 1903 Springfield? Kinda like a .30-06 that was designed for 220 grain round-nose bullets.

You might be talking about the 30-03 Springfield.

There are none.

Almost all of them were converted to 30-06.

How about 44 Magnum? It performs great in rifles too.He said 600 yards!

rc

I have a custom LBT mould made for my .35 Whelen. Veral Smith of LBT makes bullet moulds cut to the measurement of your rifle's chamber throat for best performance. To shoot the .35 caliber 300 grain bullet accurately at long distance the barrel has to have a twist rate of at least 1 in 14 inches, not the usual 1 in 16" that most gunsmiths use for the .35 Whelen.

Check out LBT website: LBTisAccuracy@Imbris.net Check out his Long flatnose design for rifles. Veral's moulds are top notch for ease of casting. His designs are great performers and a mould cut for your rifle will eliminate all the experimenting and failures usually associated with the "one-size-fits-all" commercially available bullet moulds.

How about 44 Magnum? It performs great in rifles too.


Not at 600yd.


Curator--cool, i will check that out.

Some of you mentioned the 30-06 with 220gr bullets, would i be able to do that with the .308 also, and get decent performance? That way i could also use jacketed bullets for longer ranges.

Most .308 Winchester rifles are made with a 1 in 12 inch twist. This will stabilize a 180 grain bullet but probably not a 200 or 220 grain slug. Savage did produce .308 rifles with a 1 in 10 twist, so this is not universal. Also the .308Win's case neck is a bit short for the much longer 200 and 220 grain bullets unless the rifle is built with a very long throat.

At 600 yds.........I missed that part of the question.

Wait a minute, all you would have to do is find the correct trajectory for a 44 Mag.:)

I sometimes wonder how many folks who post new rifle questions here know how far 600 yards really is!

It's a fur piece folks, especially for a new rifle shooter!

rc

You could light load a 45-70 for plinking. All your rounds don't have to be full power.
45-70 is the only round/gun I know of built to throw cast lead over a 1/4 mile and have it land on a point target.

I shoot hard cast lead out of my 30-30 some times for plinking but the rounds are loaded just above super sonic for one load and the other is loaded little shy of full power. The bullets are flat nosed so super long range is kind of out of the question.

Okay, i just talked to a friend, and he really likes the .338-06, are there any good cast molds for that caliber? Could serve double duty for a few other things too. (looks like most of my options are/or are based off of the 30-06) Curator, the link is for a email address, not a website....?

Thanks for the replies so far guys, and keep 'um coming!:D

The only way to get a .338-06 is to build one, or buy a very high-dollar custom rifle, or a Weatherby.

338-06 A-Square ammo is hard to find also, as it is only available as a factory load from Weatherby at $69.00 / 20 rounds.

There are not nearly as many good bullet mold designs in .338 caliber as there are for .30 & .45 caliber either.

rc

For the rifle, someone i know is selling one for a REALLY good price. I would be fine if i could find one good mold, maybe two different types. (any decent 250gr+, preferably 300gr, molds?) Other than that, i would use standard jacketed bullets.

Suggest you look on Lyman, RCBS, and LEE websites to see commonly available .338 bullet molds.

Custom mold makers are another can of worms, but there are several very good ones.

rc

I am new to this (hence the thread) so what kind of bullet profile should i look for for my uses?

Of those companies, only one had a .338 caliber mold, and that was a flat point. That i could find. Anyone know of other makers of .338" molds?