Year Round Rifle shooting with cast bullets.

[Adam Helmer]

I shoot most of my bolt action rifles all year round with cast bullets. With jacketed rifle bullets costing nearly $30 per 100 at my local gunshop, I now punch paper targets for 4-cents or 5-cents per shot by using my cast bullets. I keep costs down by scrounging wheelweights at the local tire shop and casting on a Coleman stove in the tractor shed.

The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is a great source of information on cast bullets in rifles. I was surprised at the accuracy possible with light powder charges behind cast bullets in high power rifles.

Adam

[Rapier]

Adam,
What I did years ago at our club, as the match director, was to introduce a match for cast and lever guns. We already had a handgun silhouette match held every month. To increase our participation we started shooting what I called Cowboy Silhouette, using the handgun targets out to 200 meters. The rifles shot in a regular handgun silhouette match. Rules were very simple, all guns shot off hand, no body support, lever guns with rimmed cartridges could use jacketed bullets all other rifles or cartridges required cast. Two categories, scoped and iron sights to get your old duffers into the game. 3/4 of the entry fee went to the winners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd with half to 1st. It was a very fun match and gave the guys with cast and lever guns something to shoot besides paper.

One thing that will happen is that all the 357mag Marlins in the area will disappear. You will also see some interesting guns show up, like originals of the BP era.
Ed

[Adam Helmer]

Rapier,

The local gun club holds monthly Military Rifle Cast Bullet Matches. In 1996, I won my first match and still go shoot occasionally. I spend far more time here on the backyard range at the farm working up loads for all the iron on establishment.

I had to move my ingots from our woodshed today and was amazed at all the big coffee cans of wheelweights still on hand. The woodshed was removed and now my casting stuff is in the Tractor Shed.

Adam