Thread: .303 Cast bullets

Hi Guy's
I have bought a new mould for the .303
It casts a 210 grain bullet .314" with a .304" nose
only have a few hundred due to Gas Checks being unavailable at present
Get in touch if you want any, They are listed on TM as well.

I'm in for some.
Pmd you

These pills shoot awesome

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

These pills shoot awesome

What load are you using? I assume they are from NOE mold.

I have only shot 10 of them, selling them so fast i never have any left for myself,
A friend says 24.0 grains 2206H is good 2205 or 2207 starting at 20.0 grains should be ok
also IMR 3031 at 20.0 grains, I loaded 16.5 grains of Alliant 2400 to sight in with shot ok at 50 m
going to use 2206H as my main powder
For sub loads 8.5 grains of Traill Boss seems to be about right,
The mold is not from NOE.

Originally Posted by shooternz

I have only shot 10 of them, selling them so fast i never have any left for myself,
A friend says 24.0 grains 2206H is good 2205 or 2207 starting at 20.0 grains should be ok
also IMR 3031 at 20.0 grains, I loaded 16.5 grains of Alliant 2400 to sight in with shot ok at 50 m
going to use 2206H as my main powder
For sub loads 8.5 grains of Traill Boss seems to be about right,
The mold is not from NOE.

Ha ha sorry about mate, they shoot really well and are too much fun. I want more but broke at the moment. 24 grains of 2206h your friend says? I'll be picking up some imr4895 this weekend because thats all I can find (which is supposed to be the same?) so I'll have to try it. I found 10 grains of trailboss really got them moving and gave me the best group, sub moa at 50m. not quite subsonic, 9 grains seem to be the max for subsonics. Have you ever though of powder coating them? seems to be the in thing now.

I apply powder coat to bare bullets that have been water dropped from the mold with no other preparation.I take the bullets from the water and when dry i put them in an ice cream container(2L), spoon in 1 teaspoon of powder,put the lid on and shake for about a minute. Up and down, sideways and all over. I then pour the bullets into a piece of shade cloth and wriggle around to get rid of excess powder. I have a mini oven that has been preheated to 400 deg F. You can buy non stick foil and if you stand your bullets on this(using needle nose pliers) and then put into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes you will end up with fantastic bullets that glide through the sizer . If you are shooting 303 I coat 308 bullets a couple of times and get great results in my 303,s as the powder coating increases diam nicely. 7.62x39 shot in a Norinco has a sloppy bore and powder coating takes up the slack nicely. I get a 1 hole group at 100 m (except for the first bloody shot)
I powder coat 9mm 115g 124g 125g 150g. 38 (357) (I have 23 different molds) 32 cal 98g,102g,112g. 45acp 200swc, 240gswc. 303(.312,.314) 308 (.309,.310) and 7.62x39 (5 different styles)
I get my powder from the US but in NZ you can get non TGIC PC from Resto supplies.

Originally Posted by Driverman

I get my powder from the US but in NZ you can get non TGIC PC from Resto supplies.

Good info thks. I had a look at Resto site but all the powders I looked at were Polyester TGIC. Did a search "none tgic" nothing came up. Can you give us the link to the non tgic powder you are sourcing from them or a SKU or something specific to look for?

I regret that I dont have any SKU from Resto as I have never bought from them but last time I checked prices a couple of years ago they had several listed. I found a source from a supplier on the Cast Boolit website and buy from them. A little goes a very long way. I have coated many many thousands of projectiles.
We have a member here called Marky123 who has purchased from Resto and hopefully will be able to help if you message him.

Originally Posted by shooternz

Hi Guy's
I have bought a new mould for the .303
It casts a 210 grain bullet .314" with a .304" nose
only have a few hundred due to Gas Checks being unavailable at present
Get in touch if you want any, They are listed on TM as well.

Attachment 157268

have you ever thought of making your own Gas Checks?

Originally Posted by Mauser308

This... A sheet of shim copper from an engineering outfit, a smallish broach press with a punch into a cup die. I was around when one was getting set up a little while back using soft drink can as the source material, lost touch with the guy doing it but I think it was hammer operated. Rather crude but competently effective... Another option would be a punch to cut discs, a cup with a punch in a sleeve. Fairly easy to set something up that works I would think???

It is and it does

I have bought Eastwood powder from Resto (https://restosupplies.co.nz/Powder-Coating). They have several colours, including Ford Light Blue (about $25 for 225 grams), the gold standard for powder coating using the shake and bake system outlined above by Driverman. However, it is winter and I have noticed that even Ford Light Blue has been affected by the damp/cold weather, so I put the bullets in a container in the vibrator cleaner for a few minutes and the powder goes on but rather thinner than in summer (warm/dry) so I need two coats for full coverage. Maybe if you did your shake and bake inside it would be OK in the winter. Dulux sell powders of the correct type but I have not tried them yet.

Originally Posted by shooternz

I have only shot 10 of them, selling them so fast i never have any left for myself,
A friend says 24.0 grains 2206H is good 2205 or 2207 starting at 20.0 grains should be ok
also IMR 3031 at 20.0 grains, I loaded 16.5 grains of Alliant 2400 to sight in with shot ok at 50 m
going to use 2206H as my main powder
For sub loads 8.5 grains of Traill Boss seems to be about right,
The mold is not from NOE.

What sort of velocity are they getting to with this load and what do you recommend?

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Ha ha sorry about mate, they shoot really well and are too much fun. I want more but broke at the moment. 24 grains of 2206h your friend says? I'll be picking up some imr4895 this weekend because thats all I can find (which is supposed to be the same?) so I'll have to try it. I found 10 grains of trailboss really got them moving and gave me the best group, sub moa at 50m. not quite subsonic, 9 grains seem to be the max for subsonics. Have you ever though of powder coating them? seems to be the in thing now.

Thanks for the feedback saves me working it out for myself, IMR4985 is a great powder it is a little faster than 2206H,
Never thought about powder coating too much hassle unless I buy a commercial setup then that is too expensive,
as it is I Gas Check size and lube in one hit; powder coating would be another couple of processes I can do with out
also bullet lube protects the bore and helps with cleaning, I don't know if the powder coat adheres to the bore or not
could be a problem if the barrel is not cleaned regularly, Surprising how many people don't clean their barrels.

Originally Posted by Tertle

have you ever thought of making your own Gas Checks?

Looked into it but the kits that are available don't crimp on to the bullet like the commercial ones do, Ok for personal use
but I don't think customers would appreciate getting a 100 bullets with a bunch of GC in the bottom of the bag
I have trouble keeping up with demand as it is with out making GC's and powder coating as well.