Lead Bullets

atvguy585

I just was wondering if the hard cast lead bullets leave enough lead to where you have to keep cleaning after so many shots like the other lead cast? The company I'm talking about are Laser cast.

Another question is the jacket lead, are they any good, example company Rainier Lead Safe.

And finally if you use the lead bullets, if you buy the 200gr or the 155gr would the 200gr lead the barrel more because there is more power pushing it out of the barrel?

atvguy585

looking to get into lead bullets,being a auto mech. i have lots of wheel weights to make maxi-balls ect. being told the lead is to hard to use for hunting wont expand?/hard to get down barrel. any thoughts will it matter?

perry shooter

Hello I have loaded between 250,000 and 300,000 rounds of lead Bullets in 45ACP . As far as leading goes the barrel bore condition "KART & BARSTO" are two of the best. along with size "undersize" will lead badly about .001 larger then bore is about the correct size. along with the bullet lube used . I for one do not like dipped or sprayed lube on the entire bullet because some of the lube will build up on the seating die nose punch and the more rounds you load the shorter the OAL of the cartridge will get. I like to sit oal by taking barrel out of the pistol and dropping in a loaded round .The case head should be about .005-.010 below flush with the hood of the barrel.. 200 grain might well lead less because it will have a better seal to the gasses behind the bullet. I like to taper crimp with the case mouth at .469 inch. feel free to email me Perry Shooter 1972-2005 "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN"

bpost

Lead bullets will not lead your bore unless something is wrong. I shoot thousands of home cast lead bullets every year. Leading is never a problem. Perry Shooter is correct on the sizing for the bore. Bullet hardness is overrated compared to proper sizing and bullet lube. Overly hard lead bullets can actually be so brittle they strip out of the rifling!

It is hard to beat the old NRA 50-50 mixture of ALOX 2138F and beeswax.

There is not more power pushing the 200 grain bullet. The maximum pressure is the same for the light or heavy bullet. The same pressure applied to a lighter bullet will result in more muzzle velocity than the heavier bullet.

dcs shooters

Just remember not to load lead bullets too hot. When pushed too fast, that's when leading happens.

atvguy585

Ok thanks for the info, but how come some people say they buy lead bullets and have leading of the barrel? And if I cast my own is there anything special that I need to do other then heat some lead up and pour it in the mold?

atvguy585

What is ALOX 2138F and where could I get it and the beeswax do know of somewhere that has it for a good price?

bpost

atvguy585;

If you go to www.castboolits.gunloads.com you can get a wealth of information about casting and shooting lead bullets.

As to your question about leading; Some commercial lubes are more for show than they are for lubricating the bore. You can still get the NRA based bullet lube formula from commercial sources. I made forty pounds of lube several years ago and am still using it!

Leading is somewhat more related to bullet to bore size. Generally speaking a .45 ACP will have a .451 bore. Therefore a lead bullet, properly lubricated should have a diameter of .452. It is also related to bullet speed. It is hard to drive a .45 ACP fast enough to get leading even with soft bullets. Conversely, it is easy to lead a hot 357 mag barrel even with hard bullets.

If you are genuinely interested in casting then the Lyman Cast bullet handbook #48 is a wealth of information.

atvguy585

That site is very helpful thankyou.

CryptoChief

Another thing you might consider is the use of gas checks on your cast bullets. Gases from the burning powder can melt/vaporize small amounts of lead especially with volumn loads. It may be small amounts, but even small amounts eventually build up. I shoot 45LC and use gas checks on all my bullets. Same with my .357 mag. Food for thought.

CC