[Unclenick]

Keep in mind that Elmer Keith developed the .44 Magnum shooting bullets he cast and 16:1 lead:tin, and got them to full pressure with 2400. His blunt shaped wadcutters seemed to hold up well to this. The 44 twist rate is slow enough that it didn't cause him a problem with stripping. That said, full loads of 2400 with lead may be smaller than full loads with jacketed bullets. The ability of pressure to distort a lead bullet can cause them to raise pressures some. The mechanism isn't entirely clear, but I suspect the lead may upset out into the forcing cone of a revolver and raise pressure until it swages into the bore. I know Skeeter Skelton and other old timers thought load pressures got higher with lead than with jacketed bullets past a certain point. Below that, the reverse seems to be true.


Detecting leading:

After thorough cleaning with patches, look down the bore and see that it's nice and smooth and shiny looking. Open the cylinder. A piece of white paper held in its place will let you see this. Then take a clean bore brush and run it in and out once and look again. If you now see dull or rough patches in part of the shiny bore, you have lead.

Lead burnishes to a smooth finish easily, so the bore may look clean, though dry patches will usually pick up a little gray from it. But the brush scuffs the surface of the lead and not the steel, so it's a good agent for making the lead visible.