Since there is a serious shortage of supplies at the moment I have started wondering if casting .223 lead bullets would be useful for my Ruger #1 .223 heavy barrel gun. The application is target shooting not hunting.
Making bullets for .38, .357 .44 ACP, .303, 30-06, 308, and various black powder rounds is common for my family. Is there any down side to making our own .223 and what hardness of lead works best. This does seem a reasonable solution to cronic bullet shortage.

Saving money is not the objective, having something to shoot is. Does anyone have a favourite mold for this caliber.

Thanks folks.

i have 2 favorite molds for the 22 cal rifles.
the one i have been shooting and the one i have been waiting on for 6 months now.
molds and gas checks are in short supply right now too.
anyway my alloy is 4/6/90,all the bullets are sorted into .01 gr weight groups and are ruthlessly sorted visually.
i just threw back an entire 5 lb run and re-cast them because of visual flaws.

I use wheelweights. 58 grain RCBS mold. This is designed for a gas check---but I also shoot them without the check and can tell no difference. Your question was for .223. I didn't get these bullets to shoot in my .223. (Win mod 70). They shoot great in my 222's and 22-250. Just saying I use wheelweights sounds too simple. I mix them 50-50. 50% wheelweights I didn't pay for and 50% wheelweights I got free. Believe it or not I can still get free wheelweights.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
I use wheelweights. 58 grain RCBS mold. This is designed for a gas check---but I also shoot them without the check and can tell no difference. Your question was for .223. I didn't get these bullets to shoot in my .223. (Win mod 70). They shoot great in my 222's and 22-250. Just saying I use wheelweights sounds too simple. I mix them 50-50. 50% wheelweights I didn't pay for and 50% wheelweights I got free. Believe it or not I can still get free wheelweights.

Carpetman,
I just bought a clone of that RCBS mold, casted up some bullets (with WW that I had to pay for ) and plan on loading them in a .222 when the bullets ripen..
What is your favorite powder with that bullet in the .222?
thanks!

Low Wall---With both my 22-250 and .222 I found it harder to find a powder they would not shoot than one they did. I looked in my later Lyman Manual and I didn't see my favorite listed. I got the data from my Lyman 44th which was printed in 1967 but it is IMR 4227. Unique also worked well. With Imr 4227--Lyman 44th listed 11.0 start to max of 13.5.

i think they listed that same 4227 load in their later manual in the 22-250 as their most accurate.
i took the 4227 even higher.
i have had good luck in all three 22 cal rifles i have with just about everything from red-dot on up through 4064.