casting bullets for 300 Blackout

S

Snagman

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:confused: I'm new to bullet casting and plan to start making 230 gr bullets for my AR in 300 Blackout. I'll be using a Lee mold and have about 30# of wheel weights I have melted down into ingots. I have a Lee 4-20 melting pot to pour the lead and all sorts of other pieces of equipment so I think I have that part covered. I've read just about everything I can find on the subject but I'd still like to hear from anyone with experience on this one. Some people say the wheel weights are fine "as-is" and others say to add some tin or antimony. My plans are to use these in multiple applications ranging from plinking at the range ( both sub and super sonic ), and hopefully a bit of hog and deer hunting. I'll coat these with Hi Tek coating and also use a Forster hollow pointer to help them expand a little better in hunting conditions. ANy ideas on what else I need to do?
 
Sorry I don’t have experience with 300BO, but I do have quite a bit with 7.62x39 in my bolt gun and some 30-06 with my Garand, using wheelweight powdercoated. When I tried to find a ‘sweet spot’ in x39 I found it didn’t like being pushed past 1600fps with accuracy dropping off rapidly past that point.

The Garand did alright around 1900 but I had to experiment with different powders to get the action to cycle, and eventually I just gave up on the idea.

If you single cycle your 300BO and fire one at normal velocities, check for accuracy first. I don’t know much about that coating you plan to use, but if it’s being fired in a normal AR gas system, be absolutely sure it won’t build up in those tiny holes and tubes.
 
You have cast bullet data for it? No supersonic speeds with a cast bullet. It'll lead your barrel.
Wheel weights are usually contaminated with something. Worst of it is they're no longer made of lead at all. However, if you didn't have a lot of 'scum'(the technical term) when you melted 'em you should be ok.
Best to buy a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. $29.98 direct from Lyman.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/publications.html
 
HOT mold, not too hot, water quench into a deep bucket or you may get lots of U shaped bullets. I'd suggest powder coating and sizing.

New wheel weights aren't nearly as good as they used to be, make darn sure you dont melt zink wheel weights into the mix, they'll screw everything up!
 
Thank you for the replies

Yes, I went through everything with a magnet and removed all the steel, zinc, and some other mystery material they now use for wheel weights. I made ingots, then ran that through my Lee melting pot ,that I fluxed several times, and poured ingots again out of the bottom. I finally cast a bunch and they look awesome. I'll coat them next weekend.
 
I cast those bullets for my 300BLK. I use wheel weights as is, and then powder coat. Some people add tin to help the mold fill out better. If you have problems with your mold filling out properly, then that is something to try. I have never found a need, but that's not to say I won't at some point, with some mold.

I've found that powder coating allows me to achieve higher velocities than standard lead. I cast for 223 as well, and I have pushed those to 2600fps with no problems with accuracy or leading. I don't shoot my 300BLK very often so I haven't done near as much experimentation with loads, other than to find ones that cycle and are accurate enough. Speed shouldn't be a concern with 230gn 300BLK bullets though. You're not going to be pushing them to excessive velocities.
 
I talked with a fried the other day that's loading the same round in his 300 BO. He's also using the Hi Tek liquid coating. His recommendation was 11.4 gr of AA-1680 and he claims there is very little, if any, lead fouling in his rifle with a 1:8 twist. He also claiming about a fist size group around 75 yards. He also experimented with 10.8 gr and it wasn't quite as accurate but again no fouling in his barrel or ports. I guess this will be a good starting point to work up rounds on my rifle.
 
If you find that you are having trouble with that alloy consider buying commercial casting lead. Bass pro was carrying it locally, Missouri bullet company will, you can find other sources. It won't be cheap after shipping.
 
Thanks for all the info and advise. I've made about 120 rounds, coated them with the Hi Tek, and loaded up with 11.4 gr of the AA-1680. Now just need a day at the range to see how well they shoot.
I'm also considering buying a 160 gr mold in .312" size and then resizing them to .309 so the entire length of the bullet contacts the rifling. I've found the bullets in the .309" Lee dies are actually .300" and ride the bore except for the lube grooves which are the .309" size. Some people claim they keyhole and others don't so I guess I'll try these first and then decide on the .312" molds
 
Quick update
I loaded up the 230 gr boolits with the 11.4 gr of AA-1680. They shot great but the recommended OAL of 2.245" was way off and they jammed every time and wouldn't feed. I worked on the OAL until I found that 2.210" fed great ( I think it was a mag issue more than anything else ). Either way; at 50 yds I fired 10 rounds and cut a jagged hole about the size of a quarter. I moved back to 100 yds and kept them all inside the 2" bulls-eye on the target. I shot 100 rounds and I later cleaned the gun and found the bore to be very clean. I believe I'll keep this recipe.
I also used my Forster hollow pointer on the next batch and they shoot just as tight. They also expand nicely on pigs. I think I've found a keeper.
 
Usually folks add tin to wheel weights to make them fill out better by amending the surface tension, but if you can get them to drop nicely it probably doesn't matter. I sweeten with a little pewter and thin out with range lead to get hardish bullets and stretch out the alloys from the WW's.

Arsenic is the big one in WW. The arsenic allows heat treatment, which makes harder bullets than merely tin- which in turn will perform better at higher pressures. Coatings change the rules a bit, but if you want to get the most "bang" for your buck, I'd consider looking into "water dropping" them hot. IIRC there is pretty minimal tin in WW's.

http://www.lasc.us/heattreat.htm

^ Read this if you haven't.
 
IIRC there is pretty minimal tin in WW's.
Click to expand...

Yep. If you plan on casting, get yourself some solder. I've got 50/50, 60/40, 63/37, and 95/5 to choose from. I cast a lot of handgun bullets, and keep antimony to a minimum and use lots of tin.

Don
 
Rotometals is an excellent source for lead bullet casting metals. I bought antimony and pure tin from them. Pricey buying your own metals but I look at it as an investment in my shooting independence.
 
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