Griff, I liked your highlighting, so I stole it...
(1) What is the most unusual/unique/interesting cartridge you shoot?
7.62x39mm Russian (SKS) with a .30-30 Cast bullet -
173 gr. Lyman #311041 Flat Point w/ Gas Check (FP-GC), sized to .311
IMR 4895 23.0 gr (CAUTION - WORK UP TO THIS, ONLY FOR STRONG ACTIONS!!)
Winchester new brass
CCI 200 Lg Rifle Primers
C.O.A.L. 2.143 in. (note where bullet is crimped in photo below)
1704 FPS Est. Muzzle Velocity, 1,116 ft. lbs. ME (not yet chrono'd for my rifle)
(2) Why does it qualify for that designation?
1) This is a .30-30 hard cast bullet in a Russian carbine (my bore is in fact .311)
2) Cheap SKS rounds - either cast 'em or purchase .30 cal. commonly cast bullets for SKS!
3) So far, no leading due to hard cast lead and .30-30 velocity
4) You have a rapid firing .30-30 deer and hog rifle in a semi-auto carbine
(4) What does it cost per round on average?
Exact cost, using calculations of reloading costs BO (Before Obama)
I purchased the cast bullets, so this factors in the cost of purchased lead bullets, shipping, tax, and so on - and the cost of brand new Winchester brass, and my actual cost for powder (in a large lot) with shipping and Hazmat costs figured in on a large order:
$0.586 ea round, $11.72 for 20
Brass used 10 times (if the pressure stands it), cost drops down to:
$0.316 ea round, $5.64 for 20
Much, much cheaper if you cast your own and buy larger lots of powder
(3) How does it perform?
One ragged hole at 10 yards, shows promise for great accuracy at longer ranges; to be tested further and perhaps with small variations in powder load.
Bullets come out hot to the touch as with factory loads, but no apparent signs of pressure
Surprisingly, absolutely no leading (I stripped down the carbine to check)
Unbelievably soft shooting .30-30, as if that would be an issue, anyway!
I cannot claim any credit for this, Junior Doughty's, load. He is no longer at this forum, but is still at
http://www.castbullet.com and probably still has his own website. His listed powder, however, was SURPLUS 4895.
I must apologize for the poor exposure of the bullets shown below; I merely snapped a quick offhand flash photo of part of my bullet board and cropped it for this posting.
Left to right:
Standard 7.62x39mm Russian 173 gr. SP (Factory or Handload; I disremember)
7.62x39mm Russian 173 gr. LFNFP GC (Junior's Handload - my "unusual" load)
.30-30 Win. 173 gr. LFNFP GC (Handload, Same boolit as above)
Standard .30-30 Win. 150 gr. R-P SP (Factory)