shooting cast bullets in an ar10

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14 years 10 hours ago #6007 by frmrpat
shooting cast bullets in an ar10 was created by frmrpat
Anyone have any experience to share?

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13 years 11 months ago #6035 by Hot Lead Zapper
Replied by Hot Lead Zapper on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Not generally a good idea because of gas system

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13 years 11 months ago #6174 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Actually, you can do it with a spire point mold, but..............
Your mixture will have to begin with a lead content that BHN's at a nominal 12 to 16. Now comes the tricky part. We used to do the Hard Cast case hardening and quenching method with the stove at 200 etc and watch for the gloss, but we now have a method of casting to an easy BHN factor of 30 and even harder, and I don't mean a 30 case hardening. I mean a BHN 30 all the way through the projectile. You'll have to buy a seperate amount of Anthimony. If you need the contact let me know, or google Anthimony, Thompson Falls Montana.

It comes in a one gallon bucket in small to medium rock-like chunks. To use it you'll have to literally pulverize a very small amount at a time. (Not real easy to do) That minimum purchase will last your great great grandchildren for many thousands of projectiles.

From there you'll need to add the correct % of Anthimony to your lead pot mixture. To melt and mix it you'll need to be at the 1,100 degree mark minimum. Anthimony doesn't melt easily. Your Spire Point projectlies will ramp and feed just like a FMJ and you'll get no leading.

Latigo

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13 years 11 months ago #6177 by BUILDING MY SASS
Replied by BUILDING MY SASS on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Yep...that's why he's the Load Master.....
As for as my experience with lead...I left that behind with my 9mm...a couple of decades ago....and not out of my ARs....Sorry not much help....but I will say if you do....get some heavy duty bore cleaner....you'll need it.
BMS

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13 years 11 months ago #6187 by mrraley
Replied by mrraley on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Just like in the .22 conversion kits for the M-15s.

If you do shoot cast bullets, shoot some regular ammo after you are done to clean out the gas system. If not you might end up having a problem like this guy did and I had to replace the gas tube and re drill the gas port on the barrel too.

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13 years 11 months ago #6189 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
I'm guessing either you didn't read my post, didn't understand my post or maybe you're still talking about a standard cast projectile?
If the cast projectile is sufficiently hard, there will be no more of a problem than firing a FMJ projectile.

One caution... If you add too much Anthimony the projectile can become too hard, brittle and fracture upon firing.

Latigo

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13 years 11 months ago #6193 by frmrpat
Replied by frmrpat on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Thanks to everyone for the information.

How much antimony is enough to harden the bullets ?

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13 years 11 months ago #6194 by zfk55
Replied by zfk55 on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
I won't give you specifics because I never do that with something as critical as projectile casting, but I can give you printed matter that is pretty much what we do anyway.
This was written by Rick Kelter.


Antimony (Sb) melts at 1167o F. It is the current metal used to strengthen/harden lead alloys for bullet casters and for numerous applications in the metals industry. It is an extremely brittle metal but has unique characteristics in a lead alloy in addition to its basic hardening, such as the ability to heat treat a lead alloy bringing the final hardness up far more than what the percentage of antimony would suggest. Alloys such as monotype (19% Sb) and stereotype (23% Sb) are so brittle that bullets cast of them can actually break in two by simply chambering a round or dropping it on the floor. Antimony is a valuable part of the bullet casters alloy but too much of a good thing is clearly not a good thing. The type metals, linotype, monotype and stereotype, if you can still find them, are valuable to the bullet caster for their antimony and tin content when blending (alloying) with other lead alloys.

[5] Antimony is a silver white metal, very hard and brittle. It has no characteristic crystallographic surfaces when sheared. Melting temperature is 1167

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13 years 10 months ago #6372 by frmrpat
Replied by frmrpat on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
OK so I cast some high antimony bullets from a Lee TL312-160-2R
Tumble lubed and gas checked they weigh 169 grains.

Loaded with 35 grains of IMR 4831 with a tuft of polyfill between bullet and powder. Win comercial cases, cci primers. Function was 100% no leading.
Rifle was Rockriver LAR8 A2.

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13 years 5 months ago #7736 by woodnut
Replied by woodnut on topic Re:shooting cast bullets in an ar10
Something no one has ( I think) spoken about is the lube on cast bullets. If indeed you do lube the cast bullets; it WILL gum up everything to the point the AR probably won't A) close the bolt fully, and B) clog up the gas tube and bolt and carrier. I may be wrong; but I saw a guy try it in a 30 carbine with those results. (You may be using a different method of lubing ,too, that may negate that problem?) Not pretty and certainly IMHO not worth the cost savings; if there is any.

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