what kind of lead to reload with

wcoxy2003

i reload 45acp/45lc, 38/357. i would like to know what kind of lead i should reload with that is not gonna gum up my guns to bad. what should i look for a certain kind of alloy not really sure how to ask this question. what kind of hardness should i look for? thanks. and "perryshooter" ill be waitin for your in-sight too. i know you have used it alot.

perry shooter

Hello When shooting lead bullets there are a number of things that you can do to meet with success. The alloy of the lead Can and does affect your results But I feel The bullet Fit to barrel and bullet lube is the 2 most important factor I and a number of my shooting friends Have been useing with great results Star bullets in 45Acp these bullets were however very soft Swaged bullets. We bought them unsized and unlubed then sized .452 and used Good lube never had a problem .[:)] People that bought the same bullets that were bulk packed sized and lubed HAD leading problems.[xx(] You must remember a company is looking for production and IMHO the hard lube does not work as well as some of the softer lubes . A bullet will leave lead in the bore 2 ways #1 If the bore is rough it will grind lead off the side of the bullet as it goes down the bore.soft bullets make this problem worst but good lube will help to avoid the worst of this #2 if it is not a good seal "bullet too small or too hard a lube" then gas will go by the bullet and GAS CUT leaveing melted lead in the bore . Now my suggestion for casting your own bullets is To find an alloy with some tin and antimony What this does is both fill out the cavity in the mold better but it also shrinks much less on cooling. When I started shooting I used to buy LINOTYPE metal and cast this in H&G 4 cavity bevel base moulds These shot great but when my supply of linotype started dring up "I keep 1000 + pounds " I started looking for other bullets. I found most commerical cast bullets had quality control problems "air holes in base" and liked the idea of swaged because they have very good quality. just a matter of the right size and lube.If you lube bullets I suggest you get a STAR luber 10 times faster then any other type .Shoot bevel base bullets easier to load in a case with out damage to the base and lbe nose down to avoid getting lube on the base that contaminates powder charge. "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN"

bpost

It also depends on how fast you drive them. I cast .45 bullets rather soft. At 800 FPS there is little need for a harder alloy. The same thing is true for .38 and .357 plinker loads. If you drive them around 800 FPS leading is not an issue.

If you are going to drive them at magnum levels the lube and alloy need to work together. My tub of 50/50 ALOX/Beeswax has lubed thousands of bullets shot in .357 and .44 magnums. These are full bore "book Max" loads. Leading is never a problem.

If you are buying cast bullets on flea-bay you never really know what you are getting.

Lyman has a awesome reloading book for cast bullets. It is the bible on bullet casting if you get one and read it it will answer a lot of questions.

good luck

Pearyw

One thing I do to prevent leading is to coat the bullets with liquid Alox. I have used this on guns that have shown a tendancy to lead or commercial bullets that do. I just put the bullets in a plastic bowl and squirt a little Lee liquid Alox in the bowl. Put the lid on and roll them around for about 30 seconds and pour the bullets on a piece of wax paper and let them dry for a day. You get a little more smoke when you shoot them, but I would rather do that than spend the time it take to get the lead out of the barrel.

wcoxy2003

sorry guys, i didnt mean that to sound like i was going to make my own. i just wondered what was a good one to buy and what to look for. but after reading this, if i buy them them i guess i wont know what im getting[V]. sounds like maybe id better stick to jacketed ones. thanks for all the im-put though. back to the drawing board lol.

perry shooter

Hello Don't give up on lead bullets just yet. It is under your control if you make your own with the right lead and lube .It is not under your control if you buy lead bullets. I don't know if you go to gun shows or not . My suggestion is to go to some shows and look at sample bullets for sale the base is the most important part of a cast or swaged bullet . Ask the seller what they are sized to take a dial calibers if you have one. Ask what kind of lube if he says old candles run away.Ask seller how many years he has been selling. longer the better. what kind of lead he uses .hard or soft is not an answer. what alloy? if he does not know walk away. keep records of who you buy from so if you find good one you can get more of same brand.ask if he will ships to you if you miss a show. "cost more but tells you he is not fly by night operation". What do you get for all this trouble ? bullets that cost less then jacketed[:p][:p] you can shoot more[:p][:p] the barrel will be easier to clean with good bullets[:p][:p]It will be almost impossible to wear out the bore of the barrel you may be able to wear out the lock up area of barrel and slide in a semi auto. [:p][:p][:p] as the old alka selzer ad used to say "TRY IT YOU'l LIKE IT"

juddroy

look up Aardvark enterprises cast bullets.I have been using these with great success.They are linotype,I believe a brinnel hardness of 20 ? I shoot these in my .45 and my 9mm My 9mm does lead just a little,but I shoot hundreds of rounds in between cleaning.Using a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will help with cleaning lead.

wcoxy2003

once again everyone, thanks for the replies. ill check into it. ill be looking some people up about it....soon