HSM 180gr harcast bullets?

[CGW Mining]

Was at my local Sportsman's Warehouse yesterday to grab more XTPs and saw 250rd boxes of 180 hardcast by HSM. I've used HSM loaded ammo before years ago, but has anyone used their components or know how their quality is? I'd like to push these at a decent velocity for woods loads if they're gtg.

[The_Shadow]

Be sure to weigh them to insure their weight.  I have only looked at their 200 grain Cast RNFP.
What powder are you wanting to use?  I think they were using Silhouette mostly in their loads however Longshot was found in one.

[sqlbullet]

I don't have any experience with them.

In general commercially cast bullets are way, way, way too hard for my needs in 10mm Auto.  I find 12-14 BHN to be plenty hard enough for the pressure levels encountered in 10mm Auto.  Bullets with this hardness will shoot accurately and with minimal leading assuming correct fit and a good lube.

Harder bullets can shoot just fine, but are less forgiving of poor fit or poor quality lube than bullets appropriately hard for pressure levels.  They work best when pared with the fastest powder that will achieve your desired velocity without being over max.

Early on in shooting cast bullets, I was shooting water dropped isotope alloy (96/3/1 pb/sb/sn) which had a BHN number of between 22 and 25 as measured with a Lee BHN tool.  The bullets were a 175 grain TL style, lubed with LLA cut 50/50 with mineral spirits. These bullets shot great using max loads of Unique, but leaded the barrel of my Witness guns horribly if I used Blue Dot starting loads that shot at the same velocity. 

I tried a heavier 205 grain bullet cast the same way, but with a traditional grease groove. I tried 4 different lubes, including carnuba red, lyman super moly, Felix lube and a beeswax and lithium based lube that was highly recommended.  These gave the same results as the 175 grain.  Loaded with Unique at max load they shot great.  Loaded with Blue dot mild-mid loads that duplicated the velocity of the Unique load I got leading.

I was finally schooled that the difference was the peak pressure.  The Unique charges reached a peak pressure, only very briefly, that was enough to obturate the bullet base and completely seal the bore.  The Blue Dot loads, while maintaining a higher average pressure during the bullets trip down the barrel, were not reaching that pressure peak and therefore were not obturating the bullet base.  Moving up to near max and max charges of Blue Dot cleared up the leading.

Since that time, I have learned that even for my 30-06 loads  air cooled bullets in the 13-15 bhn range shoot just fine and with no leading as long as I have good bullet fit and a good lube, which i pretty much just use Felix lube these days.

So, I would expect these HSM bullets to shoot just fine in my Witness, Ruger, RIA or Para guns.  These all have groove diameters under .401", which is what i assume these bullets are sized.  They probably have a lube that is harder than I would select, but as long as it is staying in the groove and not mostly in the bottom of the box, it should be fine.  Select powder that gives the desired velocity at max charge to keep the pressure up so the bases of these hard bullets will hopefully obturate, and you should be fine.

[CGW Mining]

I'd like to find a load that pushes them nice with BD from my G20 with Lone Wolf barrel. I keep a ton on hand for my 180 XTP loads, and also some Power Pistol. I have a 8.5" DI 10mm AR also that they might find their way into if they're decent

[sqlbullet]

Only use them in a gas gun if they are powder coated and/or gas checked.  Gas checks are really preferred.  It won't take very many rounds of plain base lead bullets to gum up a gas system, or at least that was true for my foray into plain base bullets in my M1 Garands.

[CGW Mining]

I'm pretty sure they're checked, but can't find much info at all on them. Put in an email to HSM, hope to hear back soon