Use of Lead Bullets - Page 2

Farmland · June 29, 2010, 03:33 PM

I must be an idiot because I use both brands and I like both brands. In fact Penns were among the first I have ever used. However the reason was that my local shop sold them and they worked just fine.

Now my local shop sells Missouri and no longer sells Penns. Guess what I can't tell the difference because they work just fine.

I just load lead and as long as it doesn't lead the barrel and are accurate they are fine with me. If the shop stock both then I would probably use price as the factor to decide because in my guns there is no other difference.

Just recently I have been using Oregon bullets in my 45-70 and they are really nice to work with. For some reason it appears I get less lead on my fingers when reloading. I know they don't lead up the long barrel of my Springfield and they are accurate with my loads.

I never had a shipping issue mainly because I only order form CP & Dillion and that was in the 1990's. Today I just stop at my local shop ad they have always had bullets in stock so why order?

The bullets are really liked came from CP Bullets, I just can't find them anymore. The only bullets I ever ordered and that were mailed were back in the 1990's and were Dillion Hard cast, though I''m not sure they really made them.

So I have used exactly 5 different manufactures of lead bullets. There is not one that I wouldn't consider again. They have all worked well in my progressive press and the Oregon the same on my single stage press.

Penns is a local company to me being just outside of Harmerville, Pa. Though I don't know why the few places I go to don't carry them. I know when I started shooting IPSC in Indian back in the 90's most of us used Penns. I must have reloaded over 20,000 of that brand.

Does anyone know if CP is still doing business? There bullets came in a neat black box.

Farmland · June 29, 2010, 04:42 PM

BTW the card shooting is fun if you have never tired it. It is really more easy to do than what you think. The first time I did it was with my SW MP 15/22. The first time was on a rest and soon I was splitting cards every shot.

Later I just had to try the hand gun. Now I don't remember which lead bullet it was but it probably was a Missouri since it was my 40 and they were the only brand I was able to buy at the time. But then again the mfg of the bullet had nothing to do with it. I would like to think it was all me in putting together a reload that fired and having s steady hand. At first I did 10 yards and moved back to the limit of my pistol range which is 20 yards. It didn't take long to start slicing cards. Now I will admit I cheated I was using business cards.

Lead is just fun it is cheap and as you can see some people can get their testosterone into knots arguing about brands. So I guess a new disadvantage would be talking lead bullet manufactures with the wrong person.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · June 29, 2010, 10:11 PM

All commercial cast bullets are bad...that's why I cast my own!

J/K...take another deep breath and let's please get back on track to the OP's question. You guys can bicker all you want, but it makes you both look really silly...especially when you hijack a thread.

zxcvbob · June 30, 2010, 11:48 AM

Back to the original topic, I shoot almost nothing but cast bullets. (I have one .357 with a rough bore, I wonder if jacketed bullets would smooth out the tool marks faster?) I cast some of my own, and I buy some from a couple of different sources.

If you're buying those .401 bullets for a Glock, you *really* need to watch for leading, or buy an aftermarket barrel with a fully-supported feed ramp and conventional rifling. The stock Glock barrel might or might not lead, but if it does it can get dangerous in a hurry.

You can shoot properly-fitting and -lubed bullets at just as high velocities as jacketed bullets, in pistols anyway, it just takes a little more load development -- and usually take a little less powder because the friction is lower.

Travis Two · June 30, 2010, 11:52 AM

Fire lapping is a far better method of smoothing out a barrel than just shooting a whole lot of jacketed bullets. Cast bullets coated with a progressive series of fine abrasives will lap the barrel much faster if needed.
If the barrel is too far out of whack it may just need to be replaced witha better barrel.

zxcvbob · June 30, 2010, 11:54 AM

I keep thinking about fire-lapping it, but I don't want to erode the forcing cone. Maybe I need to hand-lap just the barrel using a lead plug on a stick. It probably wouldn't take much to make a difference.

zxcvbob · June 30, 2010, 12:21 PM

I think someone must be tryin' to clean up this mess

Johnny Guest · June 30, 2010, 12:24 PM

Member BarbreJ asked a simple question, and did NOT request any input about pros or cons of any particular brand of bullets. A "Brand Feud" can get ugly in a hurry. This one is particularly egregious

It only took until post #6 before partisanship began intruding. This is OFF TOPIC, friends, and such posts need to be left out. Please note, there is a forum for Retail Deals and Feedback. If you have a specific problem with a given vendor, you can go there and vent about it without highjacking someone else's thread.

Late edit: prior to this one, there have been 63 posts to this thread. I've deleted 31 of them for various reasons -- mostly for being off topic brand feuding, or inane and silly remarks. PRACTICALLY HALF the posts written. H&R has long been a mostly technical forum, wih little of the bickering trhat haunts some of the other areas. Please, friends, let's try to regain, and remain on, an even keel.

TAKE NOTE: If your post is removed, you are guilty of misbehavior. I hate to call out some long-time TFL participlants, but this type activity drags down the tone of TFL as a whole. Not every petty little act is worthy of an Infraction, but some ARE being awarded.

Thread is CLOSED

Johnny Guest
TFL Staff
Handloading and Reloading Moderator

June 29, 2010, 10:11 PM	#28
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	All commercial cast bullets are bad...that's why I cast my own! J/K...take another deep breath and let's please get back on track to the OP's question. You guys can bicker all you want, but it makes you both look really silly...especially when you hijack a thread. __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

June 30, 2010, 11:48 AM	#29
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Back to the original topic, I shoot almost nothing but cast bullets. (I have one .357 with a rough bore, I wonder if jacketed bullets would smooth out the tool marks faster?) I cast some of my own, and I buy some from a couple of different sources. If you're buying those .401 bullets for a Glock, you really need to watch for leading, or buy an aftermarket barrel with a fully-supported feed ramp and conventional rifling. The stock Glock barrel might or might not lead, but if it does it can get dangerous in a hurry. You can shoot properly-fitting and -lubed bullets at just as high velocities as jacketed bullets, in pistols anyway, it just takes a little more load development -- and usually take a little less powder because the friction is lower. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth Last edited by zxcvbob; June 30, 2010 at 12:23 PM.

June 30, 2010, 11:54 AM	#31
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I keep thinking about fire-lapping it, but I don't want to erode the forcing cone. Maybe I need to hand-lap just the barrel using a lead plug on a stick. It probably wouldn't take much to make a difference. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

June 30, 2010, 12:21 PM	#32
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I think someone must be tryin' to clean up this mess __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

June 30, 2010, 12:24 PM	#33
Johnny Guest Moderator in Memoriam Join Date: August 28, 1999 Location: North Texas Posts: 4,123	Thread Closure, with observations Member BarbreJ asked a simple question, and did NOT request any input about pros or cons of any particular brand of bullets. A "Brand Feud" can get ugly in a hurry. This one is particularly egregious It only took until post #6 before partisanship began intruding. This is *OFF TOPIC, friends, and such posts need to be left out. Please note, there is a forum for Retail Deals and Feedback.* If you have a specific problem with a given vendor, you can go there and vent about it without highjacking someone else's thread. *Late edit:* prior to this one, there have been 63 posts to this thread. I've deleted 31 of them for various reasons -- mostly for being off topic brand feuding, or inane and silly remarks. PRACTICALLY HALF the posts written. H&R has long been a mostly technical forum, wih little of the bickering trhat haunts some of the other areas. Please, friends, let's try to regain, and remain on, an even keel. TAKE NOTE: If your post is removed, you are guilty of misbehavior. I hate to call out some long-time TFL participlants, but this type activity drags down the tone of TFL as a whole. Not every petty little act is worthy of an Infraction, but some ARE being awarded. Thread is *CLOSED* Johnny Guest TFL Staff Handloading and Reloading Moderator

June 29, 2010, 03:33 PM	#26
Farmland Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 869	I must be an idiot because I use both brands and I like both brands. In fact Penns were among the first I have ever used. However the reason was that my local shop sold them and they worked just fine. Now my local shop sells Missouri and no longer sells Penns. Guess what I can't tell the difference because they work just fine. I just load lead and as long as it doesn't lead the barrel and are accurate they are fine with me. If the shop stock both then I would probably use price as the factor to decide because in my guns there is no other difference. Just recently I have been using Oregon bullets in my 45-70 and they are really nice to work with. For some reason it appears I get less lead on my fingers when reloading. I know they don't lead up the long barrel of my Springfield and they are accurate with my loads. I never had a shipping issue mainly because I only order form CP & Dillion and that was in the 1990's. Today I just stop at my local shop ad they have always had bullets in stock so why order? The bullets are really liked came from CP Bullets, I just can't find them anymore. The only bullets I ever ordered and that were mailed were back in the 1990's and were Dillion Hard cast, though I''m not sure they really made them. So I have used exactly 5 different manufactures of lead bullets. There is not one that I wouldn't consider again. They have all worked well in my progressive press and the Oregon the same on my single stage press. Penns is a local company to me being just outside of Harmerville, Pa. Though I don't know why the few places I go to don't carry them. I know when I started shooting IPSC in Indian back in the 90's most of us used Penns. I must have reloaded over 20,000 of that brand. Does anyone know if CP is still doing business? There bullets came in a neat black box.

June 29, 2010, 04:42 PM	#27
Farmland Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 869	BTW the card shooting is fun if you have never tired it. It is really more easy to do than what you think. The first time I did it was with my SW MP 15/22. The first time was on a rest and soon I was splitting cards every shot. Later I just had to try the hand gun. Now I don't remember which lead bullet it was but it probably was a Missouri since it was my 40 and they were the only brand I was able to buy at the time. But then again the mfg of the bullet had nothing to do with it. I would like to think it was all me in putting together a reload that fired and having s steady hand. At first I did 10 yards and moved back to the limit of my pistol range which is 20 yards. It didn't take long to start slicing cards. Now I will admit I cheated I was using business cards. Lead is just fun it is cheap and as you can see some people can get their testosterone into knots arguing about brands. So I guess a new disadvantage would be talking lead bullet manufactures with the wrong person.

June 30, 2010, 11:52 AM	#30
Travis Two Member Join Date: September 27, 2006 Posts: 63	Fire lapping is a far better method of smoothing out a barrel than just shooting a whole lot of jacketed bullets. Cast bullets coated with a progressive series of fine abrasives will lap the barrel much faster if needed. If the barrel is too far out of whack it may just need to be replaced witha better barrel.