lead fouling

[Forrest r]

When loaded correctly a coated bullet will not lead anything. I've loaded home cast/coated bullet that were 2/1000th's undersized in 9mm semi-auto's and never had any leading. Had 9mm firearms that had bbl's that slugged .355", .356" & .357" (typical). Sized bullets .356" at 1st and when I ran out of them I switched over to .358" for everything.

This is what a 686 looks like after a 200 round range session using a home cast/coated 158gr bullet sized to .358" and 3.3gr of bullseye powder. As you can see the cylinder has very little fouling on the sides and the cases have no soot on the sides of them.

I probably should of taken a picture of the bore but I took these pictures and did a thread on another website a week earlier. This is a 1911 chambered in 9mm after a 500+ round range session with 125gr cast/coated bullets and a 25,000psi/1100+fps load.

Yes there is a layer of grey fouling in the bbl. But it easily comes out with 1 wet patch of hoppe's #9 and +/- 10 passes. Then 1 dry patch to finish the cleaning in less then 1 minute.

Coated bullets do have their limits & the limits of the bullets I cast/coat had thiers in a 308w. I cast a 14bhn bullet coated and sized to .310" for the 308w. I've used loads with 50,000+psi with several different cast bullets in that 308w and never had any issues. But when I used a 50,000+psi load pushing the bullet over 2700fps I started seeing this.

Those black streaks came out easy enough using bore-tech eliminator. Just surprised me the pc coated actually started to scorch/burn in the bbl.

Anyway been shooting cast bullets since the 80's and started pc'ing my cast bullets in 2014. Never had any leading with a pc'd bullet. It actually takes something mechanical to scrape the coating off of a coated bullet to get leading with them.

 

[gwpercle]

Back in the day, I loaded up on bulk pack JHPs. Can't do that anymore, so I'm trying to cut costs by using a bunch of different lead and commercially cast bullets I inherited from a friend. Just got a new J frame snub for CC. Putting it mildly, I need some practice. So I paid scalper price for some primers and loaded some standard pressure 38spl with W231 and...lead city. Even with the Missouri hi-tek. It is a brand new gun. Maybe it needs some break in with jacketed bullets. Thanks for the advice. I'll keep experimenting.

You may have a barrel rifled with the new EDM process ... they lead a barrel like all get-out . Find instructions on "Fire Lapping"
Wheeler makes a bore lapping kit with 3 different abrasives pastes in different grits ... applied to bullet , fired through gun ... takes 20 shots to fire lap and smooth the barrel .
Wheeler Bore Lapping Kit -mfg. #299849 . It works very well .
Gary

 

[BigChief52]

The Missouri Hi-Tek bullets are supposed to be .358 dia. but mic at .3594.
That's from a pre digital, Starrett 1 inch barrel mic that I have from my days as a tool and die maker. It is correct. That might answer the question of why they foul. I should have checked. I'm new to cast bullets.

 

[venomballistics]

He already tried-

Missouri CSWC with their hi tek coating

mentioned in the list, but not as specifically as a stand alone test.
I've used both HT and PC beating both like rented mules on borrowed skateboards at the X games.
HT just worked in everything pistol where PC only just began to lead up the edge of the rifling around 2600 FPS.
Im thinking it's performance got lost in a string of tests

 

[max503]

I thought I was the only one with any Bull-X bullets left.

I used to shoot the heck out of those.

 

[BigChief52]

I got brave and fired 12 rounds of the Bull-X through my old Highway Patrolman and saw no signs of fouling. I figure it must be something about the new 637. I'm not planning on shooting the little snub that much anyway so I'll stick to jacketed bullets. I was expecting this little gun to be harder to be accurate with and I was sure right. The combination of the short boot grip, the tiny sights and the heavy double action trigger demands a higher degree of skill. I did send for a Hogue grip. I'll get there with practice. It will just be more expensive practice.

 

[boatbum101]

Your new 637 has an EDM barrel . As the above knowledgable folks have told you fit is king . Until you know the EXACT size of your throats & bore you're peeing in the wind . Throats MUST be larger than bore & should be of uniform size , easily correctible if too tight . Size bullets to match throats . Next is alloy & lube / coating .
This pretty much personifies most commercial bullet casters in that alloy is too dang hard , bullets aren't sized correctly & lube / coating is a joke . For those that think Misery Bullet Co. makes good bullets , I can't help you . Only thing worse is plated bullets .

 

[gwpercle]

Your new 637 has an EDM barrel . As the above knowledgable folks have told you fit is king . Until you know the EXACT size of your throats & bore you're peeing in the wind . Throats MUST be larger than bore & should be of uniform size , easily correctible if too tight . Size bullets to match throats . Next is alloy & lube / coating .
This pretty much personifies most commercial bullet casters in that alloy is too dang hard , bullets aren't sized correctly & lube / coating is a joke . For those that think Misery Bullet Co. makes good bullets , I can't help you . Only thing worse is plated bullets .

One of my Dad's favorite sayings ... " Boy , you just peeing in the wind now ... " it was usually directed at something I was doing ... haven't heard it in years ,
Made me smile when I read it ... Thanks !

Your advice is right on ... the OP would be well advised to follow it .

Gary

 

[mtgianni]

The Missouri Hi-Tek bullets are supposed to be .358 dia. but mic at .3594.
That's from a pre digital, Starrett 1 inch barrel mic that I have from my days as a tool and die maker. It is correct. That might answer the question of why they foul. I should have checked. I'm new to cast bullets.

That size should probably prevent blow-by and increase the chances that the bullet is not causing the leading. Another vote the the EDM process is tearing the bullet as it passes through the bore/

 

[diyj98]

Bullets can be the wrong size, too soft, too hard, etc. I used to load a lot of cast bullets in my 357's and 44's but mostly went to jacketed bullets just to avoid leading issues. I had better luck with target 38 and 45 loads with lead.

 

[max503]

Your new 637 has an EDM barrel . As the above knowledgable folks have told you fit is king . Until you know the EXACT size of your throats & bore you're peeing in the wind . Throats MUST be larger than bore & should be of uniform size , easily correctible if too tight . Size bullets to match throats . Next is alloy & lube / coating .
This pretty much personifies most commercial bullet casters in that alloy is too dang hard , bullets aren't sized correctly & lube / coating is a joke . For those that think Misery Bullet Co. makes good bullets , I can't help you . Only thing worse is plated bullets .

My 638 is very accurate and it does not lead. I don't think it has ever seen a jacketed bullet. It outshoots both my old S&W 36 and my Taurus 605. It gets shot quite regularly.

 

[rockquarry]

My 638 is very accurate and it does not lead. I don't think it has ever seen a jacketed bullet. It outshoots both my old S&W 36 and my Taurus 605. It gets shot quite regularly.

I have to agree with you on the 638. I bought one more than ten years ago and it's noticeably more accurate than my other snub nose J-frame .38s, some of which I bought new forty or more years ago. Maybe the lock has something to do with enhanced accuracy... I seldom shoot anything but the 160 grain cast H&G #51 SWC in any .38 Special revolver.