Tumble Lubing Cast Bullets with Lee Liquid Alox
I have recently started getting into casting bullets. I started off with 45 caliber bullets for my Springfield 1911, but after realizing how cheaply I could load with range scrap, I decided to see what I could do to shoot cast bullets in some of my rifles.
I have a 300-221 Fireball that is a knock off of the 300 Whisper and a precursor to the 300 AAC Blackout. My go-to load for it is a 150 gr. Hornady FMJ fired at subsonic velocities. I have used 220 gr. Sierra Matchking bullets as well, but they are expensive to shoot. I have also loaded 125 gr. Gameking bullets to supersonic velocities.
While doing some research online I came across a Lee 309-230-5R mold from Midwayusa. This casts a heavy lead bullet with a similar weight to the heavy Matchking bullets. While I wouldn't expect anywhere near the same ballistic coefficient as the Matchking bullets, the heavier lead bullet would provide additional energy compared to a lightweight 150 gr. FMJ bullet.
I decided to try out the mold. I wanted to try tumble lube on the bullets, as well as a powder coat. I will post more about which kind I like the most after I have a chance to test them out a little more. I will also post a review of the bullet and mold itself after I use it a little more.
This quick video shows the method I used to tumble lube the bullets using Lee Liquid Alox. There are other methods to lube cast bullets, but this method is fast and fairly inexpensive.
I have a 300-221 Fireball that is a knock off of the 300 Whisper and a precursor to the 300 AAC Blackout. My go-to load for it is a 150 gr. Hornady FMJ fired at subsonic velocities. I have used 220 gr. Sierra Matchking bullets as well, but they are expensive to shoot. I have also loaded 125 gr. Gameking bullets to supersonic velocities.
While doing some research online I came across a Lee 309-230-5R mold from Midwayusa. This casts a heavy lead bullet with a similar weight to the heavy Matchking bullets. While I wouldn't expect anywhere near the same ballistic coefficient as the Matchking bullets, the heavier lead bullet would provide additional energy compared to a lightweight 150 gr. FMJ bullet.
I decided to try out the mold. I wanted to try tumble lube on the bullets, as well as a powder coat. I will post more about which kind I like the most after I have a chance to test them out a little more. I will also post a review of the bullet and mold itself after I use it a little more.
This quick video shows the method I used to tumble lube the bullets using Lee Liquid Alox. There are other methods to lube cast bullets, but this method is fast and fairly inexpensive.
Stay tuned for some additional information on the powder coat that I used. I will post some video of it as I powder coat more of these same bullets. I plan to test the two methods and find out which will yield the best accuracy and shoot the cleanest.
Not sure where to get your lead? Check out this post on Casting Lead Ingots From Range Scrap.
Let me know in the comment section below if you have tried lead bullets in an AR-15 or if you have any experience with this particular mold.
Comments
Post a Comment