All these bullet caster going out of business

Is there any hope or do we need to learn how to cast? 

I understand that Magnus is out of business but it looks like an outfit in Australia of all places has parts for the commercial casting equipment.

Is Magnus out of business? Terry still has the website up.

Perhaps he meant Magma Engineering, not Magnus.

Ah - that would make sense. I got quite worried for a moment there. I've only got about 5K Magnus bullets left :-)

I think he was referring to Magma.  Machines MAY be coming back,…but….in actual reality cast bullets may become a dinosaur.  There are places that swage now, Zero, Precision Delta, Bear Creek Supply.  As well as Zero, Hornady, Nosler, Sierra make suitable JHP.  We have options.

The real market for machine cast was/is USPSA.  But a lot of those guys now load plated.  Now plated don’t work well for us, but we can get swaged and jacketed and that may be enough.

Wobbley wrote:I think he was referring to Magma.  Machines MAY be coming back,…but….in actual reality cast bullets may become a dinosaur.  There are places that swage now, Zero, Precision Delta, Bear Creek Supply.  As well as Zero, Hornady, Nosler, Sierra make suitable JHP.  We have options.

The real market for machine cast was/is USPSA.  But a lot of those guys now load plated.  Now plated don’t work well for us, but we can get swaged and jacketed and that may be enough.

Ahhh trhat makes sense I did mean Magma. 


BTW if you know any that shoots 9MM/38 Super RMR makes an JTC excellent bullet. 

I just god some ZERO's you think swaged will be sustainable?

Yes, mostly because jacketed makers have to make lead wire to make cores for the jacketed bullets.  Precision Delta has a video on how they make bullets and the core making process is shown.   It’s my supposition that there will be a few that will soon offer swaged lead bullets with coatings to prevent leading.

Wobbley wrote:Yes, mostly because jacketed makers have to make lead wire to make cores for the jacketed bullets.  Precision Delta has a video on how they make bullets and the core making process is shown.   It’s my supposition that there will be a few that will soon offer swaged lead bullets with coatings to prevent leading.

Good point and in general a coated swaged bulled would be ideal because swaged should have lower weight SD because of the swaging process.

The Bear Creek 148 grain lead HBWC for 38 special are swaged and coated.  I believe their 185 and 200 grain swc for the 45 are also swaged as well as coated

Their 185gr SWC is available in a hollow base. Anyone ever shoot them?

Bill

I have.  No targets to show, but they shot well.

I have looked at Bear Creek a few times for their odd and interesting selection of different bullets. I have never actually ordered from them or loaded them. They use some kind of moly coating and I have never liked what I’ve read about moly so it’s kept me from them.

Has anyone got hands-on experience with Bear Creek?

I use their 38SP HBWC and I'm very happy with them. I've just ordered more of those and some 200g SWC today in fact. I get less leading in the barrel than with the swaged Zeros.

Sevens wrote:I have looked at Bear Creek a few times for their odd and interesting selection of different bullets. I have never actually ordered from them or loaded them. They use some kind of moly coating and I have never liked what I’ve read about moly so it’s kept me from them.

Has anyone got hands-on experience with Bear Creek?

My experience is not deep just yet, but I have tried their 260gr 455 Webley bullet, and so far so good; at least, in 100 rounds, the leading is minimal from examining the bore with a scope.

Thanks,
Chase

I ordered a bunch of samples from Bayou. They all look nice I have not measured or loaded them except for 5 x 147gn 9mm. 

For my Jarvis Barrel which has a very short chamber They look the same as Barzos, but the ogive is better and therefore I can load them longer about 1.10 inch COL versus 1.065 for the Brazos sample iI had. 

At the end the Brazos quality was not what it was, still acceptable buy not like it was. The Bayou bullets are harder exhibiting less deformation when over crimped. The Hi Tek coating looks evenly applied and no coating came off after pulling the bullets from the case. 

I ordered samples for 38 spl swc, 185gn swc 45acp and 120gn 9mm

Regarding the Bear Creek Bullets, I have shot a lot of the 148gr HWBC for the 38 and have not had any issues with the coating I have not done any accuracy comparisons from a rest with them though.  One of the other guys I shoot with uses the same bullets in his model 52 and the 200 grain swc in the 45 and they both shoot very well in his guns.

Almost forgot, I use the Bayou 185 grain SWC in for my 45 and they shoot well.