25/20 Day

[earlmck]

Wonderful bullet casting weather this week so once again got the melt going. This time I broke out Arsenal's 5-cavity 70 grainer.

2520Mould0619.jpg

This is another of my moulds that just spills gobs of bullets with no drama and hardly a reject to be found. I can't say that about all my moulds, so when I use one of the good-uns' I really enjoy the experience.

I have a couple of the 25/20's so can go through a fair number of bullets in a year. This batch (drying on a towel 'cause I water-drop them) doesn't look all that many but has to be close to 900 from the amount of bullet alloy consumed.

2520Bullets0618.jpg

This little 70 grainer has become my favorite:

2520Bullets0617.jpg

I'll probably never load another 87 grainer for the 25/20 even though this was my mainstay for 50 years or so. 8 grains of Lil' Gun is plenty zippy and mild on pressure and holds its accuracy to 200 yards which the old 87 grainer maybe didn't do as well out of my guns.

[Ysabel Kid]

I wish I had spent my day that way...

[Sixgun]

Looks like a copy of the Lyman 70 grainer…it’s hard to see the details………gas checked?. Near moa out to 150 with a model 53, Remington 25, and others I can’t remember….—0-06

[Bill in Oregon]

Earl, as someone who rarely casts more than 100 at a time, that's a pile of boolits! I have had one Arsenal mold -- in brass -- and loved that thing. I confess to having mostly Lee molds but when I use an Arsenal or one of Tom's Accurates, I feel like I stepped up from a Ford Pinto to a Lincoln Town Car. Yes, they'll both get you there ...

[earlmck]

Earl, as someone who rarely casts more than 100 at a time, that's a pile of boolits! I have had one Arsenal mold -- in brass -- and loved that thing. I confess to having mostly Lee molds but when I use an Arsenal or one of Tom's Accurates, I feel like I stepped up from a Ford Pinto to a Lincoln Town Car. Yes, they'll both get you there ...

The Lee 6-cavity moulds are pretty nice, and a helluva buy when they have a style you want.

Looks like a copy of the Lyman 70 grainer…it’s hard to see the details………gas checked?. Near moa out to 150 with a model 53, Remington 25, and others I can’t remember….—0-06

Yeah, fairly close copy of Lyman bullet. Here they are gc'd and lubed

2520 Bullets0620.jpg

But maybe they aren't all that good a copy of the Lyman -- my old 92's are more like 3 minute of angle shooters with this bullet.
And I ran out of 25 cal gas checks early on but thanks to your tip from a while back there Six I knew the 6.5 checks made a premier 25 cal job. And I had a couple boxes of 6.5's I was never going to use for anything so all these in the picture are done with the 6.5 checks. I doubt if I'd have even thought of that. Thanks Sixgun!

[Sixgun]

You’re welcome Earl……not all bullets can take the extra length of a larger gas check. I couldn’t believe the difference in accuracy using the 6.5 checks. I think they must stay a half thou larger than the sizing die make them,….springback.

The Remington 25 is the best shooting 25-20 I’ve ever had….made in the late 20’s but still pretty much like new.

Those bullets your casting sure look like a Lyman. I have the same mould in that design for the 32-20. My buddy “The Gunny” had a 32-20 Marlin that wasn’t much….like, almost embarrassing “not much”……….I’m particular and refuse to shoot loose worn out junk and beings the nice guys I am, I cast up a thousand or so for “The Gunny” for our pistol caliber silhouette matches….needless to say, I was never able to beat him after he used the bullets I gave him.