I don't want this to be a big debate,but I am wanting to see why those who use cast choose to do so.My first and foremost reason is accuracy,second is financial,and third is effects I have witnessed on game.They seem to perform outside of their realm,meaning they do more than just poke calibers size holes in game,for example here is an entrance wound and an exit wound of the heart on a doe I just recently took.The damage is obvious but the chunks of blood and other internal disruption is not.In either case a quick and humane kill was the objective and was completed.This is from a 45colt using a 300grWFNGC Montana Bullet Works bullet traveling between 1100-1150fps and the range was around 70 yards.

Exactly the type of results that I have experienced for decades with wide meplat hard cast bullets. The notion that they only punch caliber sized hole is incorrect. The only bullet that I haver ever used that only punches a cliber hole is "hardball" (round nose bullets.

Looks like the same type of wound channel I have with cast bullets

My experience as well. Claims that they push through without doing any damage are absurd. I simply love the fact that they work consistently from any and every angle presented.

I cast my own: I get better accuracy because I can 'fit' them to my pistols, I can 'tailor' them to the animals I'm hunting, and they're always 'in stock'. Lately, I've been experimenting with hp moulds which will even expand my ability to tailor loads. Oh, and they are cheaper, allowing for lots of practice.

thanks guys/like they say,the proofs in the pudding!!

My experience also......every time. The only bullet that I have ever used that performs the same way EVERY TIME.

Thanks Cottonstalk
I use both jacketed and cast depending on what i hunt. Iv'e had good luck with both.

Ditto all above!

There is something about the magic of lead that defies explanation.

I use cast bullets almost exclusively, even in my 22 Hornet!

I went to cast for purely economic reasons. We shoot A LOT of hogs. I found out real quick they work just as good if not better than jacketed slugs.

Amen to that!

Cottonstalk, Were you shooting a Colt 45? What was your bullet and powder loading? My Colt 45 is very accurate and I would like to load it with cast bullets for hunting.

cfish the load was a 300gr WFNGC over 23gr of H110 with a WLP primer.It is in 45 colt,and this load is safe in my gun.

Thats putting some stink on it!

I can just imagine the recoil in my 4" 625.

Well it obviously works!!

LongKnife in my converted bisley it's a peach,but it would be hard on a S&W.I'd use the same bullet about 1000fps with no worries.I gotta 350 load @ 1200 that's a whopper,and a 350 load @ 950 that's a dream to shoot.The heavier recoil of the heavy loads(320-360gr bullets from 950-1200fps) for me are more pleasent than the fast whippy recoil of the lighter loads(255-300gr bullets from 1100-1400fps)but that's just me.

Your 350 grain loads push a bit. They let you know that you're on to something!

I am result oriented and a proper flat point hard cast bullets gets results

When a jacketed bullet encounters soft tissue it works just as advertised, its when the operator taking a less than ideal shot that strange things can happen, even when the shooter swears he made a perfect hit. What actually happens is the bullet sometimes strikes a rib or other bone & the bullet starts to deform & it also changes direction, now that all important penetration is lost & also the animal can be lost.
With cast bullets there are no bad angles, thats the least of my worries when shooting them, if I can line up my sights so the bullet can "reach" the vitals I'll score every time, my bullet won't deform & won't change directions & won't fail to penetrate...I'm going home with backstraps!
An experienced cast bullet shooter already knows this, a jacketed bullet shooter wonders how something so simple can work so well.
If you have correct bullet fit & the bullet hardness matches the velocity then you just have to make the shot. The vitals can be a long way from the impact, your cast bullet is going to get there! You just can't say & do that with jacketed.

Dick

Very well said, Dick!

Ctoon thanks for the reply. I picked up this Colt cowboy model awhile back for a song. YA I know its not a real McCoy. But it is accurate and I called Colt directly, they said it was designed to handle +P loads. I will have to try this load of yours out. As I said mine is accurate as can be.

Just a friendly reminder. Cottons heavy loads are Ruger Only loads which are not the same as 45 Colt +p loads. check Hodgons load data.

Please DO NOT shoot the load mentioned in your Colt Cowboy. There is no standard for "+P Loads" in 45 Colt caliber and your gun is not anywhere near as strong as a Ruger Blackhawk. I am only guessing but I would say your gun is safe with loads in the 23,000 psi range. The load mentioned is closer to 30,000. I think you can push that same bullet at around 950 fps and you will get results that may surprise you. I know that no whitetail alive will be able to "stop" a 300 grain lead bullet at 950.

You guy's results and two so far from our family,demonstrates what Marshall Stanton wrote in "Handgun Hunting Loads-A Critical View",very good article on cast bullets...

Thanks guys. Thats what I was trying to find out if his gun was a ruger or an actual colt. Ya I would never shoot anything out of this colt without checking. Heard horror stories from others. I am new to the cast scene and would like to pursue it for all the reasons mentioned.

For the above stated reasons and, to paraphrase Longknife, there is just something magic about lead bullets that appeals to me. Oh, and did I mention they are cheaper and easier on my barrels.

Mike

They certainly work that's for sure and for certain