Lead for the .41 Mag?

[41Rem]

A little help please. I can get 500 rounds of 210 Gn lead bullets at a good price. Out of my 57-1 Smith is this a good idea or should I just bite the bullet (OH MY) and stay with jacketed?
Will leading be a big problem?
Thanks all.

 

[41Rem]

A little help please. I can get 500 rounds of 210 Gn lead bullets at a good price. Out of my 57-1 Smith is this a good idea or should I just bite the bullet (OH MY) and stay with jacketed?
Will leading be a big problem?
Thanks all.

 

[max]

In the past 30 years, I have probably shot 25 jacketed rounds thru my 41's and several thousand lead.

 

[Smithhound]

What are they cast from? Do you know the caster and does he know what he's doing? How fast are you going to push them?.
Keep the loads to 900fps or so for GP loads with a good alloy and you shouldn't have trouble. I use a gascheck for my hunting loads, but they are much faster.
RD

 

[robertrwalsh]

I shoot both but I never push the lead faster than about 900-950 max. I don't have a noticeable leading problem at those velocities.

 

[BruceM]

Good cast bullets can be driven to full magnum velocities without gas checks and without leading. The key is GOOD. They must be hard, sized and lubed correctly. I have shot thousands of Lyman #410459 cast of 3:2 wheelweights:linotype, sized .410" and lubed with standard 50/50 lube thru my Model 57's without issue. I neither download to "Special" velocities nor hotrod the handloads. They are near maximum, full power using H110/W296.

Bruce

 

[Bugs100]

I use 7.0grs of Unique and have never had leading.

 

[Rancher]

If they are moderately hard, try 7.0 Bullseye or 9.0 Unique for accurate, consistent mid-range loads. Verify loads with a current loading manual first and be very careful not to double charge.

 

[S&W revolverman]

41Rem,

I've been shooting S&W 57 & 657's for a long time.
My target load is 6.5 gr of Winchester Super Target (WST) with a 210 gr LSWC. Very nice to shoot - all day long. No leading problems.

Hope this helps
chris

 

[mkk41]

Originally posted by BruceM:
Good cast bullets can be driven to full magnum velocities without gas checks and without leading. The key is GOOD. They must be hard, sized and lubed correctly. I have shot thousands of Lyman #410459 cast of 3:2 wheelweights:linotype, sized .410" and lubed with standard 50/50 lube thru my Model 57's without issue. I neither download to "Special" velocities nor hotrod the handloads. They are near maximum, full power using H110/W296.

Bruce

You said it all Bruce! The proper alloy is the key. My caster uses 50/50 wheelweights/linotype to cast my Lyman 410459 Keith-style SWCs (and others)and cold water quenches them to boot. I too get no leading over full doses of Blue Dot or H-110/W-296.

 

[TwoPoundPull]

Oregon Trail's own load data sheet lists velocities over 1300fps for their 41 215gn Laser Cast SWC. I haven't pushed anything out of my 57 at those speeds, but have dispached many 158gn at around 1200fps "thru-da-tube" of my 686, and 627.....With no leading....

 

[41Rem]

These are Shooters Choise bullets. Measure .410 LSWC with one lube grove. I'll try to find some load data for the 215 Gn. lead rounds. With V-V powder.

 

[max]

I have shot Shooters Choice 41's and they work fine.

 

[41Rem]

Max, What was your load? Pwr,OAL, etc.
Thanks

 

[max]

7.0 of Unique and I crimp in the groove. Never measured them.

 

[Erich]

I've run Tennessee Valley Bullet 215-gr LSWCs up to about 1300 fps in my 4" 57, and have yet to see a bit of leading. I don't particularly see the need for jacketed bullets in that gun. I've used cast bullets almost exclusively in my .41s over the last 20+ years (with some rare factory and exceedingly rare jacketed handloads thrown in every once in a great while).

 

[Three44s]

There are so many variables when it comes to leading or not ....... a particular brand of slug in an unseen gun ...... I can vouch for my guns but only after I have tried them .......

Some react to lead fouling like it's nearly as bad as getting radiation poisoning. Once I got introduced to Copper Chore Girl ..... I quit waking up from night mares over leading.

Here's what I have found with my guns:

I got acquainted with USP Bore paste early on. And through judicious cleaning with it and some good solvents ..... brand is not important ....... have slowly polished my bores and chambers to the point where the bore paste is hardly needed.

And as much as cylinder throat and bore dimensions are touted as being the last word ..... I found that dimensions not quite kosher could still turn in decent performance ..... not stellar ..... but quite servicable.

I am not advocating fire lapping ..... but have not ruled it out either but I would suggest this book (even if you are not inclined to lap your guns):

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm

Look on the left side bar and click on "book".

It's a well written handbook well worth the $14 postage paid they charge!

Add to this the book that Richard Lee wrote .... his Second Edition on Reloading and zero in on the sections pertaining to lead bullets .......specifically the section(s) that deal with his discoveries on "compressive strength" ..... darn inciteful!

With all of this you may come to understand that enjoying lead is a fairly broad continoum ...... alloy constituants, lubricants, gun and slug dimensions ...... bore smoothness .... and loading considerations.

You'll lead some bores .... but just like grease on your hands ..... the right "soap" ..... will clean and all will be fine ..... and you get taught along the way.

Enjoy

Three 44s

 

[KuduKing]

It's true there are variables that determine leading of your bore - velocity, pressure, hardness of the bullet, roughness of your bore, exact bore size and chamber throat size in relation to the above factors, type of lube. You'll pull your hair out trying to factor them all in.

Here's a good guide to hardness of the bullet versus pressure of your load, in relation to leading. Scroll down:
Cast Bullet Info

Basically, take the bullet hardness in BHN and multiple by a constant of 1,422. The product is the minimum pressure your load needs to generate to avoid leading - assuming a bullet sized to your bore.

I use some long-ago out-of-business 215 grain hard cast lead bullet, at two chronographed levels:

1. 7.0 gr 700x for 1070 fps (4-5/8" barrel), and
2. 18.0 gr Lil Gun for 1350 fps (4-5/8" barrel).

Not knowing the BHN of the bullet, I'm assuming it's pretty hard. The high-velocity load shoots cleaner! No leading to speak of. No gas check on it, and the load shoots unto 1.7" at 25 yards, and is dead-on at 50 yards.

I'm looking forward to some hunting with that load during the coming year.

 

[MADISON]

Should I go lead in my .41 Magnum?
Lead in a .41 Special load would/should not lead the barrel.
I have gone, almost exclusively, to PLATED BULLETS. Plated bullets should not lead.

My wife still likes Jacketed though.

 

[mtgrs737]

I shoot lead almost exclusively in my revolvers and pistols and I get very little leading. The key is to make sure the bullet is sized to at least .001" over groove diameter and that the cylinder throat is not so small that it is sizing the bullet down when fired through it. You will need to slug the bore and throats of your 57 to know for sure. Bullet hardness is not as important as a lot of folks think, to hard of an alloy can make for a poor seal in the barrel. I use wheel weight alloy for anything up to 1000fps and a blend of WW alloy and linotype 50/50 for the magnums with no problems.