Reloading Lead

hardworker · September 2, 2012, 03:05 PM

I've been making light 44 magnum loads and was wondering if anyone has ever had problems with leading of the barrel.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · September 2, 2012, 03:30 PM

I think everyone that has shot lead has at one time or another encountered leading. It is not a huge deal. To avoid leading, you should match the hardness of the lead to the pressure of your load. BUT, more importantly, you must make sure that your lead bullets FIT. Generally, you want to shoot lead bullets that are .001" larger than your groove diameter of your barrel. Remember that extremely hard lead bullets are not always the best. Sometimes a softer alloy will allow the bullet to seal the bore better, thus allowing less or no gas to escape arounf the bullet in the barrel. So, in short, proper fit, right alloy hardness, and good lube are essential to avoid leading.

Stick_man · September 2, 2012, 03:31 PM

Leading of the barrel is pretty common, but there are things you can do to greatly reduce or eliminate it all together. When shooting lead, the very first thing you need to do is make sure your barrel is absolutely 100% free of any copper fouling. Copper fouling attracts and facilitates lead fouling.

After you have made sure your barrel is absolutely free of all copper, make sure your cast bullets fit properly. The only way to do that is to slug your barrel with some soft lead to get an exact measurement of the diameters. Your cast bullet should be .001-.0025" over your groove diameter. With proper fit, you can push a near pure lead bullet to over 1000fps without leading.

The next thing (in order of impact on leading) is your bullet lube. Some lubes work better than others. It is pretty unique to each gun, but in light loads, the Lee Liquid Alox works pretty well and is pretty cheap.

Then, you also have your bullet alloy. Too hard of an alloy will lead just as bad as too soft of an alloy. If you are casting your own, I'd recommend working toward a BHN of around 10-12 for handgun loads up to about 1400 fps. No need for gas checks at those velocities either. Most commercial casters use a much harder alloy simply so their bullets will survive shipping without deformation. 10-12 BHN will work great for hunting and target shooting, soft enough to expand and still hard enough to be pushed to high handgun velocities.

FrankenMauser · September 2, 2012, 03:36 PM

A lot of leading factors depend on the firearm and the bullet.

In general:
If you push a soft alloy too hard, it will lead.
If the bullet diameter is too small, it will lead.
If the bullet diameter is excessively large, it will lead.
If the cylinder throats or forcing cone are smaller than groove diameter, it will lead.

Right now, in 44 caliber, Hornady 240 gr SWCs outnumber all of my other bullets by a factor of about 5:1. It's a really soft bullet, by most standards (BHN ~8), but I really like them in light loads to light mid-range loads in .44 Mag. However, they lead like a sum-B if I push them too hard.

Edit: I took too long to post.

hardworker · September 2, 2012, 03:39 PM

The bullets I've been using are 240 grain semiwadcutters made by Missouri Bullet Company, and have the blue ring of waxy lube on each bullet. The gun is a smith 629 but I haven't checked the dimensions of the barrel. I don't have the gun handy though so I can't check it right now.

jepp2 · September 2, 2012, 05:31 PM

A couple of things to keep in mind:

- your S&W will have 5 lands and grooves, good luck in measuring that slug with a normal micrometer.

- as an alternative, you can start by slugging the barrel using a pure lead object (I use muzzleloader balls), then take the slug that has passed through the barrel and check to see if will pass through each cylinder throat with finger pressure only. This will tell you if your cylinder throats are large enough for your bore diameter. Then you can take the Missouri Bullets and see if they will pass through the throats of your cylinder. This isn't as exact as directly measuring the groove diameter of the slug that passed through the barrel, but you need a special micrometer to measure the S&W 5 groove projectile.

dardascastbullets · September 3, 2012, 03:24 PM

Hi Hardworker,

Send us a slug from your S&W and we will measure the groove diameter for free. At least you will have the groove diameter to record in your data card for the firearm. By the way, it is NOT common to experience leading in your firearm. There are several attributes that cause it and as long as you know the attributes then you will not have any problems whatsoever.

totaldla · September 4, 2012, 10:40 AM

It doesn't do any good to match your bullet to your barrel if your bullet doesn't match your cylinder throat.

The easiest way I found to use crappy bullets with uber-fast powders to make "plinkers" was to lube the bullets with Lee Liquid Alox.

Here some info you might find helpful.

September 2, 2012, 03:05 PM	#1
hardworker Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2010 Posts: 820	Reloading Lead I've been making light 44 magnum loads and was wondering if anyone has ever had problems with leading of the barrel.

September 2, 2012, 03:30 PM	#2
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	I think everyone that has shot lead has at one time or another encountered leading. It is not a huge deal. To avoid leading, you should match the hardness of the lead to the pressure of your load. BUT, more importantly, you must make sure that your lead bullets FIT. Generally, you want to shoot lead bullets that are .001" larger than your groove diameter of your barrel. Remember that extremely hard lead bullets are not always the best. Sometimes a softer alloy will allow the bullet to seal the bore better, thus allowing less or no gas to escape arounf the bullet in the barrel. So, in short, proper fit, right alloy hardness, and good lube are essential to avoid leading. __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

September 2, 2012, 03:36 PM	#4
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	A lot of leading factors depend on the firearm and the bullet. In general: If you push a soft alloy too hard, it will lead. If the bullet diameter is too small, it will lead. If the bullet diameter is excessively large, it will lead. If the cylinder throats or forcing cone are smaller than groove diameter, it will lead. Right now, in 44 caliber, Hornady 240 gr SWCs outnumber all of my other bullets by a factor of about 5:1. It's a really soft bullet, by most standards (BHN ~8), but I really like them in light loads to light mid-range loads in .44 Mag. However, they lead like a sum-B if I push them too hard. Edit: I took too long to post. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

September 3, 2012, 03:24 PM	#7
dardascastbullets Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Essexville, MI Posts: 164	Hi Hardworker, Send us a slug from your S&W and we will measure the groove diameter for free. At least you will have the groove diameter to record in your data card for the firearm. By the way, it is NOT common to experience leading in your firearm. There are several attributes that cause it and as long as you know the attributes then you will not have any problems whatsoever. __________________ Matt Dardas

September 4, 2012, 10:40 AM	#8
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,294	It doesn't do any good to match your bullet to your barrel if your bullet doesn't match your cylinder throat. The easiest way I found to use crappy bullets with uber-fast powders to make "plinkers" was to lube the bullets with Lee Liquid Alox. Here some info you might find helpful. __________________ Lee Auto Bench Prime Castor Oil Case Lube

September 2, 2012, 03:31 PM	#3
Stick_man Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2008 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 241	Leading of the barrel is pretty common, but there are things you can do to greatly reduce or eliminate it all together. When shooting lead, the very first thing you need to do is make sure your barrel is absolutely 100% free of any copper fouling. Copper fouling attracts and facilitates lead fouling. After you have made sure your barrel is absolutely free of all copper, make sure your cast bullets fit properly. The only way to do that is to slug your barrel with some soft lead to get an exact measurement of the diameters. Your cast bullet should be .001-.0025" over your groove diameter. With proper fit, you can push a near pure lead bullet to over 1000fps without leading. The next thing (in order of impact on leading) is your bullet lube. Some lubes work better than others. It is pretty unique to each gun, but in light loads, the Lee Liquid Alox works pretty well and is pretty cheap. Then, you also have your bullet alloy. Too hard of an alloy will lead just as bad as too soft of an alloy. If you are casting your own, I'd recommend working toward a BHN of around 10-12 for handgun loads up to about 1400 fps. No need for gas checks at those velocities either. Most commercial casters use a much harder alloy simply so their bullets will survive shipping without deformation. 10-12 BHN will work great for hunting and target shooting, soft enough to expand and still hard enough to be pushed to high handgun velocities.

September 2, 2012, 03:39 PM	#5
hardworker Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2010 Posts: 820	The bullets I've been using are 240 grain semiwadcutters made by Missouri Bullet Company, and have the blue ring of waxy lube on each bullet. The gun is a smith 629 but I haven't checked the dimensions of the barrel. I don't have the gun handy though so I can't check it right now.

September 2, 2012, 05:31 PM	#6
jepp2 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 1,476	A couple of things to keep in mind: - your S&W will have 5 lands and grooves, good luck in measuring that slug with a normal micrometer. - as an alternative, you can start by slugging the barrel using a pure lead object (I use muzzleloader balls), then take the slug that has passed through the barrel and check to see if will pass through each cylinder throat with finger pressure only. This will tell you if your cylinder throats are large enough for your bore diameter. Then you can take the Missouri Bullets and see if they will pass through the throats of your cylinder. This isn't as exact as directly measuring the groove diameter of the slug that passed through the barrel, but you need a special micrometer to measure the S&W 5 groove projectile.