38/357 Lead info

[Bones507]

Greetings guys
I have been reloading for a while but i have been reloading only jacketed bullets for my 38/357. At the range the other day my friend asked me why i didnt reload lead rounds as the recoil is less and doesnt beat the gun up so badly. Well i have always been leery about loading lead as i have heard a lead build up will occur and its a pain to get it out. Well he told me that most of the lead now is hard and if you dont load it too hot it wont build up.
So my questions are where can i get some for a decent price and from who and im only going to be shooting target with it so is wadcutter prefferable to the round nose ? Whats the differences also between the two.
If this has been asked before i apologize for being a pain but i see more knowledge on this board than at the range so i fgiured i would give it a shot.
Thanks for any and all help fellas, its greatly appreciated.

[jsflagstad]

Lead works fine for this application. I would say the semi-Wadcutter for the 38/357 would be a good choice. You can get them about anywhere reloading supplies are sold or shop them at midwayusa.com. The most common is the 158 grn LSWC and they work well. I push them around 800-1000 fps and it gives me real good results with minimal leading.

Have fun,

JSF

[Scorch]

is wadcutter prefferable to the round nose ? Whats the differences also between the two.The difference between the two is in the design of the bullet nose. Wadcutters are flat across the front. Target shooters use wadcutters because they cut nice round holes when they hit the target, kind of like a hole punch. Makes scoring targets easier. Round nose bullets are more streamlined, with no ridge to cut paper when shooting, so they make a torn hole when they go through targets, but penetrate better in animals. Semi-wadcutters still cut a fairly clean hole in a target, but penetrate better and fly better than wadcutters, and are one of the most common types of cast bullets loaded for all-around shooting.

[scsov509]

Thanks to the advice of others on this forum, I've been shooting a 158 grain SWC over 3.3 grains of Bullseye now for the last year. It makes nice round holes, and through my 4" 686 I can pretty consistently shoot 2-3" groups at 25 yards. Really nice target round.

It's worth mentioning as well that I've had no problems with leading shooting this round. I think pretty much as long as you keep the round below 1000 fps and clean the gun regularly then you probably don't need to worry about leading. I also shoot 240 LSWC from my 44 all the time and don't have problems there either.

[crowbeaner]

IF your gun is a .357 you could try the Speer swaged lead 158 gr. bullets with 11.0 of Alliant 2400 in either a 38 or 357 case. Just be sure to mark them for the .357 so they don't get fired in a small .38 by mistake. The same bullet over 14.0 of WW 296 and magnum primers will really shoot well in a lot of guns. Just my humble $0.02. CB.

[Bones507]

Thanks for the help and insight guys, i will probably try out the semi wad cutter and see what happens. I shot some jacketed wad cutters from berrys and they shot pretty well, but they werent cheap if i remember right.
They did leave a nice round hole now that i think about it.

Theres another question i have and dont want to start another thread seeing as i havent posted much before, so i will throw it in here : I shoot a Glock 17 and i have heard its not the best idea to shoot lead rounds thru it ? Any particular reason why ??

[cpaspr]

Glocks have a polygonally rifled barrel which spins the bullets differently than do traditionally rifled barrels. They don't do lead bullets well, though I'm not sure why, since I've never examined a Glock barrel to note the differences.

Someone else may be able to tell you more specifics.

[Scorch]

Lead doesn't work too well in Glocks or HKs with polygonal rifling. I have heard mixed results about plated bullets like Berrys and Rainier. Lead is too soft to engage polygonal rifling and spin. It just mushes and keeps going without spinning.

[scsov509]

I shoot a Glock 17 and I have heard it’s not the best idea to shoot lead rounds thru it? Any particular reason why??

The big concern is reportedly that the polygonal barrel will lead to leading that will possible prevent the gun from fully going into battery, and thus there is a concern that the gun could still be fired from this partial-battery causing damage to the gun and/or shooter. That being said, I've shot thousands of rounds of lead through several different Glocks with no problem.

Personally, I wonder if Glock doesn't recommend against this in the same way that pretty much every manufactured recommends against reloads at all. Are reloads the problem, or is it negligence in reloading? By the same token then, is lead the problem or is it perhaps negligence in cleaning and maintenance.

[Shell Shucker]

I shoot lead bullets in 38spl and 357.
My favorite in the 357 is 158 SWC over Universal for around 1200fps.
In the 38spl I like Clays powder as it is much cleaner at 38spl pressures than Universal. I shoot 158 SWC or 148 DEWC. The 148 DEWC are cheaper and do a fine job of knocking over steel plates or punching paper so they are my go-to bullet for 38 spl. Both cut nice round holes in paper. I'll shoot round nose bullets if the price is right.
I've ordered a lot of cast bullets from Georgia Arms. The price was right and the bullets were of good quality. It's been a couple of years since my last order.
I tried cast bullets in a Glock 17. It was a mistake. I found it nearly impossible to get the lead out. I haven't had that problem with barrels with conventional rifling.

[crowbeaner]

The problem with Glocks and HKs is that the so called hard cast bullets that commercial casters sell are really not that hard. I shot linotype in a Glock, and the bullets worked fine. You won't find lino bullets listed in Berrys or other mfg. listings because lino is too hard for many pistol applications, but is desirable in some. This is the beauty of making your own. The Saeco truncated cone .40 bullet is a very good one for those who have one to try. It has lots of bearing surface, and casts great bullets with a minimum of effort. Just my humble $0.02. Enjoy. CB.

[Dogjaw]

I have the best results in my 6" 586 of 158gr. LSWC and W231 powder and CCI 500 primer for both .38 and .357 target loads in the 800 - 950 fps range. They're cheap to shooot, and easy on pistol and shooter. Keep the speed down as stated, as .357 mag is notorious for barrel leading at high speeds.