Trying casting and loading .22 bullets for the first time

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  • Last Post 03 June 2025
Idahocaster posted this 30 May 2025

I will soon be getting a New England Handi Rifle in .223. This is a new cartridge and caliber for me. I have two .22 molds, a double cavity Lyman 225438 (nominal 45 grains) and a single cavity Lyman 225415 (nominal 55 grains). I am looking at a moderate load (1600 - 1800fps) and was thinking I would use linotype for the bullets as I have a reasonable amount of it. I have a .224 die for my lubrasizer and top punches for both bullets along with thousands of .22 gas checks.  I have lots of experience casting for .30 caliber rifles (30-30, 30-06, 7.5x55) and handguns (.32 long, .380, .38 special, .357 magnum). I have even cast and loaded a few .270 and 6.5 loads, but not much.

Any tips or recommendations from you experienced .22 casters out there? Is my alloy selection reasonable (I have others and I am not afraid to mix my own). Should I be trying for different velocity? The goal right now is just to have a fun plinking load.

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John Carlson posted this 30 May 2025

My best results have been with the NOE 225-67FN and the NOE 227-79SP.   The best information about casting for 22cal centerfire is a book titled "Why Grown Men Cry".

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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delmarskid posted this 30 May 2025

I had good results with a good hot mold and a dipper. I wet my finger and tested the mold like a iron. Linotype casts in 22 nice.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 30 May 2025

keep your mold hotter than for larger bullets ... the relatively larger surface area tends to cool too much and wrinkle bullets result.  better too hot than too cold.

i thought good bases were more important in the little bullets than say 30 cal ... 100 shots each of lathe turned bases vs non turned showed lathe turned were mean radius better ... but way too much tedius work for shooting rats ...

i shot 438 and 462 in my 222 .   the 438 was better, maybe the 462 in a 14 twist was too long for my 1400-1600 fps loads.  i got a lot of 1 inch groups at 50 yards with the 438 ...  gas checked.    oh, my 438 was hollow pointed ....  terrific rat load .....

... oh .... for a po farm boy got a lot of 438 out of a pot of scrap lead ...  

ken

 

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Tom Acheson posted this 30 May 2025

My only .22 mold is an NOE 227-79 SP. As noted above keep the mold "quite warm". My chambering is 22 BR in a twist of 1:8. So far SR 4756 is the better powder, but it's out of print today.

Tom

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Lucky1 posted this 30 May 2025

Lots of great advice so far and I have also had the best luck worth the noe 67 and 79 grainers. I used to cast with what was basically Hardball and also found hotter was better. The next revelation came when a couple of days ago I cast some 79s with Ly#2 by adding more tin to the Hardball. Fill out was way better and the reject rate decreased some more. They can be fiddly to deal with so it was nice to get even more good ones.

Scott Ingle

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Wm Cook posted this 30 May 2025

Hey Tyler, what’s the twist rate you’re going to be working with?

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Idahocaster posted this 30 May 2025

I do not know the actual twist rate yet, but I belive it is one of the older 1 in 12 barrels.

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Lucky1 posted this 30 May 2025

Well...that changes the game alright and the 67 and 79s are not the best choice. Your molds are a good starting place and I'm having good luck with VV N110 now as a powder choice. Since you're not trying for blistering high velocity, I think linotype is harder than you need and you could temper it with some more lead. I'm running my Hardball loads at 1900 fps and WL2500 lube with no leading issues after several thousand rounds. Have fun and enjoy your new rabbit hole.

Scott Ingle

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gnoahhh posted this 30 May 2025

You may well not want to use straight linotype. I've had excellent luck playing in the 16-1700fps neighborhood with 225438's cast of half-and-half lino&lead and equally good results with COWW's+tin. I run the bottom pour pot blazing hot (but then again I tend toward that with everything) and honestly I never felt handicapped when casting .22's.

'Tain't rocket science. All the normal rules dictating rifle bullet casting apply, including fit to throat/bore. There's a lot of guys out there buffaloed by .22 casting, and I don't really understand why.

.223 isn't the best platform for shooting cast, but it's ok. Try loads like 5gr. Unique and 4gr. Red Dot or Bullseye. I found .22 cast bullet nirvana with a Hornet, shooting 225438's and bullets from a Lee Bator mold.

Here's the thing about 225438: Ideal, then Lyman, went through at least four iterations of that mold over the maybe 10 decades its been around. I personally own 4 of them and each one is a little different, mainly in groove/driving band configuration. Rule of thumb: the one's with wider bands are easier to cast with. I like the old Ideal mold with its narrower bands for duplicating .22LR performance (mainly in a Hornet), it also shines for single shot breech seating when using primed empty .22LR brass charged with 1.0-1.5 grains Bullseye. If you try that trick cast them plenty soft, like 1-30 or 1-40 tin:lead.

Beat the bushes for a Lee Bator mold - you'll thank me. That fat stubby 50+ grain bullet isn't much if any longer than 225438 so it performs beautifully in slow-ish twist barrels. If I had to relinquish all my .22 molds but one, that would be the one I'd keep. I shot more squirrels than enough with that bullet at 1600fps out of a .223 Browning Low Wall and a 5.6x35R German kiplauf.

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linoww posted this 31 May 2025

not to be contrary but my best 22 caliber cast bullet shooting has been with linotype in the 1600-2200 range.You just gotta try it.

my best shooting 22 caliber rifles are 22-250 and 223.

I shot the 22 250 in a CBA match years ago in production class and shot a 194-2x  at 100 .This was an Eagan  tapered 60g bullet at 2170 fps.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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Bud Hyett posted this 31 May 2025

Not .22, but the slightly larger 6mm.

  • I found the harder alloys of linotype and even monotype shot better. 
  • I found the higher velocities around 1800 feet-per-second shot better. 
  • The heavier bullets shot better. (RCBS 243-095-SP and SAECO #243)
  • Reloder #7 was the powder.

Keep us posted for your results as I would like to develop a load with a 55 grain bullet in the .22 Hornet for the Smallbore Match at the Nationals.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Bud Hyett posted this 31 May 2025

Where can you get a copy of this book, "Why Grown Men Cry"?

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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.22-10-45 posted this 31 May 2025

You might want to expriment with a larger dia.sizing die. In my .22 hornet snd .222 rem. I am using .226 and plan on trying .225.  It really depends on your throat dia.  Biggest accuracy increase was when I made a tapered sizing die tapering 1st. Driving band to match the throat taper.  I am finding I really like Vhtavouri powders. My go to powder had been H4227, Vhtavouri N110 is a bit more accurate.   In the .30-40 I used Reloader 7, Vhtavouri N130 proved more accurate.

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John Carlson posted this 31 May 2025

Correction, it was an article on CastPics.Net which has closed down.  I did find it here:

.https://www.hensleygibbs.com/casting/223cast.htm

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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OU812 posted this 31 May 2025

Soft alloy 10 bhn and about 6 grs. of Titegroup will do the trick. If this does not group well problem isn't the powder it's the bullet. My favorite lighter weight bullet is LBT 62 grain...and lots of throat erosion.

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shootcast posted this 03 June 2025

If your mainly looking for plinking rounds don’t push the velocity . Softer alloys probably will shoot just as well. Shotgun & fast burning pistol powders work here. As for casting I haven’t experienced any difficulty over larger calibers. I use mainly w/Wts. Sweetened with some Lino.  Not saying other alloys won’t work. I just have a lot of w/Wts.

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