Cast Bullets - A Short and Improper History

Lead projectiles have been with us a long time. Until the early 1900's almost all hunting and shooting was done with lead bullets. One of the earliest records we have of lead being used as a projectile is with the Roman Army. Roman Legions had Light Auxiliary Slingers attached to them who used a cast lead "pellet" much like a bullet. They had very good range but only marginal accuracy.

Early firearm projectiles were tried of cast iron and stone. Some firearms shot arrows. However lead never did have a serious rival. Lead was soft, could be easily formed to the desired shape and size and was obtainable without much difficulty. More importantly it had enough mass to retain it's velocity.

The Battle of Crecy in 1346 saw the first use of gunpowder weapons. While these were small artillery pieces it did mark a new era in battle. A single small bullet could penetrate armor and kill the strongest man inside it. Even if the bullet was fired by a frail woman. The bullet brought equality many years before it was ever gained politically.

The 15th century saw target shooting become a popular sport. A match at Ausburg in 1508 had 919 firearms shooters and 533 crossbow shooters registered in competition. At some matches the targets were as far as 805 feet. Prizes were often as desirable as anything today. For instance, at a shooting match in Nuremberg in 1433 the top prize was a fine horse with all accouterments - equivalent to a 4WD pickup today!

The lead bullet dominated every other type of projectile tried. Today's experiments with multiple projectiles are nothing new. It was tried hundreds of years ago. It did not work well then either. And in the blackpowder guns of the day the hardness of the bullet was not a problem. The soft "pure lead" projectile was desirable. Usually just enough tin was added to improve the casting quality.

When smokeless powder appeared on the scene problems began to develop. Higher velocities than with black powder were now possible. But higher velocity meant higher pressures and more heat and friction between bullet and barrel. By "wrapping" the bullet in a copper alloy jacket, soft lead could be driven to very high velocities. By the middle of the 1900's most reloaders felt if they were going to shoot bullets at any substantial velocity they would have to use a jacketed bullet, whether fired from a rifle or a handgun.

In the last 35 years great strides have been made in the shooting of cast bullets. Men like E.H. Harrison, (along with many unknown bullet casters and experimenters) together with organizations like the Cast Bullet Association pushed the limits of what was commonly accepted for cast bullets. Improvements in lubricants, alloys and powders have brought the cast bullet out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st century. Velocities and accuracy once thought impossible are now commonplace.

Jacketed bully improvements have continued also. I am not against jacketed bullets by any means. Bullet makers have continued to look for new ways to make their products better and some have achieved amazing results, especially with dangerous game bullets. While I have hunted and taken a lot of game with cast bullets, these days I pretty much stick to jacketed ones. But I still shot a lot of cast bullets. Done right they work well. And so far I have scrounged and traded for lead, making my own alloys, which really reduces the cost of shooting. No .. I don't save any money. I just shoot more for the money I spend.