Bullets

[PrairieDogPete]

Just curious as to what bullets people are using these days. I have gone with the same bullet maker for about 10 years and have  rash of bad luck with them this past year. Ordered 125gn bullets and received random amounts of 105gn bullets (which my rifle will not feed). Lately the issue is sizing. I keep having issues with oversize bullets not wanting to feed. They pass a case gauge just fine. Unfortunately, I am done with this bullet maker... too many issues.

 

So what is your go to?

[El Chapo]

I hand casted almost every bullet I have ever shot in CAS and many WBAS bullets as well.  125 Lee RF mostly from the .38s (105 SWCs sometimes, I have a bunch left).  For .45 Auto, a 225 RN Lee.  .358 for .38 and .452 for 45.

Edited September 2 by El Chapo

[Sedalia Dave]

Outlaw Bullets  T-Bone Johnson supports SASS and Long Range shooting in a big way.

 

Other makers of good bullets include;

 

Choice Ammunition aka Chey-Cast Bullets 

 

Slippery Bullets

[Blackwater 53393]

Don’t forget Scarlett!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Bearcreek Supply moly coated.

[Wild Eagle]

Bearcreek and Bullet Boss are both popular brands too.

[Slow Poke]

Busten head lead in Arkansas i have been real happy with there stuff. 

[El Sobrante Kid]

Slippery bullets for all my cowboy guns, and my GP100. Love 'em!

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

My personal hand cast slugs for all SASS shooting, including long range rifle and BAMM.   Sized on either Star or Lyman lubrisizers.  Never a problem with an oversized slug that leads to a failure to chamber.

good luck, GJ

[Griff]

Badman Bullets

[Dantankerous]

Missouri Bullet Company

[Sheriff Dill]

I’ve only used Slippery Bullets and have had great luck with them. 

[Lawdog]

2 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Don’t forget Scarlett!

And she's a SASS Merchant.

[Doc Diesel]

I used bullets from Bishop Enterprises TN LLC. Until I started casting my own.  Great bullets and super nice guy.

[Gimpy Draw]

https://tbbullets.com/product/45-colt-200gr-rnfp-452/

 

T&B Bullets.  Free shipping if over $50.  It usually takes a week to get my order.

[Eyesa Horg]

Slippery Bullets! Soft cast coated and free shipping over $70.

https://slipperybullets.com/product/38-357-125-tfp-ht/?v=0b3b97fa6688

[Done Gone, SASS #49052]

I second Sedalia above: Outlaw Bullets. Tony and Pops are good people. 

 

@T Bone Johnson @Pops Corbin

[Go West]

105 bullets often work if loaded to OAL a rifle likes, e.g. loaded long, not in the crimp groove. 

[Tall John]

Plus one for Slippery Bullets.  
 

https://slipperybullets.com/?v=0b3b97fa6688

The whole family shoots SASS and sponsors a lot of clubs’ annual matches.  Ships free with orders of 1,000 bullets and is more affordable than most other sellers.  

S&S Casting is another reputable seller.
https://snscasting.com/pages/coated-bullets

 

 

[Tall John]

To your initial question…I’m no expert but here’s what I’ve been taught and used. 

Relative to feeding problems,  most of the .357 caliber rifles we use are chambered to accommodate the longer 357 magnum round.  
 

Generally speaking  most any .357 caliber bullet will feed in your rifle if you adjust the OAL.  For me, that’s  to 1.47-1.50”.  However, depending on the bullet profile it may not allow use of a crimp or lube groove, so a firm taper or roll crimp is advisable. (In my pic below the two left rounds are 97 gr.HBFP and a 125 gr RNFP both sized at 1.46-1.465” taper crimped exclusively for pistols. 

 

Personally, I use a coated 125 RNFP or 147 RNFP (right 2) sized to .358 and a taper crimp to 1.50” OAL in my rifle .  Both are NO LUBE GROOVE bullets so I can find the right OAL w/out having to deal with the crimp groove and never have a problem with KD targets.   (147gr Advice from a world champion) I’m a big guy so rifle recoil isn’t a factor and I’m slow anyway.

 

relative to what bullets we shoot….thats a whole other topic depending on your goals.  Lighter bullets produce less recoil but sometimes can be problematic with big rusty knockdown targets

 

38spl rounds as light as 97grain hollow base, 105 SWC’s and 125 RNFP, SWC or TC’s seem to be the most popular for pistols.   105’s, 125’s and those that shoot 105’s in their rifles will also carry 158 SWC’s or RNFP’s for the big KD targets.

 

if you haven’t read Capt Baylor’s book, it’s a great addition to your library.

 

https://a.co/d/06xLWKga

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:48 PM by Tall John

[Sheriff Dill]

I load 125 gr TFP for both pistol and rifle with .38 brass. 1.45 OAL seems to run the best in our rifles. 

Edited Wednesday at 06:52 PM by Sheriff Dill

[Chili Pepper Kid, SASS #60463]

Howdy Prairie Dog! I’ve been getting my bullets for many years from Bishop Enterprises which was formerly known as Summers Enterprises. 
https://www.summersenterprisesllc.com

[PrairieDogPete]

Thank you all for the input.

 

And for those that did not quite catch it... the issue has nothing to do with OAL, it is bullet diameter inconsistency from the maker in addition to previously receiving the wrong bullets.