Teach me about lead bullets

[paperboy98]

I'm a handgun shooter (targets only) and a relatively new reloader. I've bought jacketed bullets in the past, but I want to learn about lead bullets. Every time I look into lead bullets, I realize how little I know about them. Also, what do they do to barrel rifling and how do you clean it out? Any info on shooting lead bullets would be appreciated. Thanks
paperboy98

 

[ronnie gore]

lead

just about everything including rifles that i load i use lead bullets. as long as you don't load to the maximum you won't have any leading. with rifle bullets i use a gas check design.
i shoot, 45 auto, 44 mag, 44 special, 38/357, 32 mag. 40 cal. 9mm,10mm,38 super, 44-40,45 colt. even if you load a little hot a few strokes with a brush and solvent will remove any lead.
allways use hard cast bullets .

 

[HCD]

My 2 cents

not all lead is created equal, some will lead the bbl. quite bad some will not, depends on hardness. after shooting a lot of rounds run a few jacketed rounds thru the piece this will take out a lot of leading and make final clean up quicker. one trouble i have is when reloading FWC is the case mouth shaves off a little slice of lead sometime and this is transferd to the cylinder and builds up to a point that is hard extract the spent cases. hope this info is helpfull.
hcd

 

[8th SPS USAF]

Lead bullets

Make sure you do not shoot jacketed bullets after lead. If bbl has

heavy lead , could cause high pressure. Not good. Lead is great and

cheaper. See if you can find a Lewis lead remover -just incase.

Good luck

8th

 

[OKFC05]

how do you clean it out?

Cleaning a gun shot with lead bullets depends more on what you did BEFORE you shot it.

A smooth bore with no copper fouling left in it, with a proper lead load, fouls very little and cleans easily.

A rough or copper-fouled bore with a soft overdriven bullet will foul horribly and leave a lot of lead.

So if you get a copper solvent cleaner (works for lead too) and care for your bore after shooting, a lot of the problems just don't happen.

For revolvers, the throat to bore match is vital to accuracy and leading issues. An undersize throat causes all sorts of problems with lead bullets.
(Added)
This article goes into great detail on cleaning and bore maintenance:
http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_7-8_CleanCBGun.htm

 

[Hunt200]

Ha ha I was waiting for the shoot don't shoot jacketed after lead and vise-verser!! Knew it was coming!! From what I found out, there isn't a study done on this to prove it one way or another.

 

[44Steve]

Hi , Steve here. I dont like the lead handling , so i load copper coated bullets. Copper coating will not stop leading.You still load them like all lead bullets .They are still cheaper than most jacketed bullets.Other lead bullets for the most part will be reduced loads. Gas checked bullets are another choice, with good hard lead they can be loaded Hot if thats what you like to shoot. Get A lead remover.

 

[ScottJ]

There are many factors to leading or not. Fit to bore, alloy, lube, velocity and pressure curve all have a part to play.

It really is an art.

I've been a reloader since 1992 but have only been casting a year and still have tons to learn.

This forum is a great place to learn: Cast Boolits - Dedicated To The World Of Cast Bullets!

 

[Skip Sackett]

Well, if your equipment is good, there will be no leading to clean out provided you follow one simple rule, "Have the correct size."

I am becoming more and more convinced that even over hardness, size is the predominant factor in keeping lead to a minimum. Now, that statement needs to be qualified like this: "With hard cast bullets." All bets are off when it comes to swaged bullets!

That is the reason some data is drastically reduced in our manuals today. They are stopping at 1000fps rather than pressure because of these bullets.

I have friends and I have done this myself, that drive cast lead bullets over 1800fps with little problems. Thing about it is, you have to clean your firearms, period!

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Ha ha I was waiting for the shoot don't shoot jacketed after lead and vise-verser!! Knew it was coming!! From what I found out, there isn't a study done on this to prove it one way or another.

Actually, there has been considerable study done on this, as well as every other aspect of cast lead bullets.

"Cast Bullets" by Col. E.H. Harrison (NRA publication, 1979) goes into great detail and is an outstanding reference for those pursuing lead bullets and bullet casting.

Lyman's "Reloading Handbook" (mine is the 46th Edition, 1982) contains a lot of good information on these subjects as well. Lyman has also published handbooks dedicated to cast bullets.

I've been casting and shooting lead bullets in rifles and handguns for nearly 40 years. I have several firearms that have never been fired with factory ammunition, or jacketed bullets. I also have a few 19th Century vintage weapons that I can keep shooting only by making my own ammunition.

It is a fascinating and rewarding hobby with much to learn.

Best regards.

 

[BruceM]

"There are many factors to leading or not. Fit to bore, alloy, lube, velocity and pressure curve all have a part to play.

It really is an art."

Right!

It falls exactly in the middle in difficulty between brain surgery and moon shot telemetry calc's.

I guess it's human nature to take mole hills and successfully make mountains out of them.

Just look at the publishing dates of the previously mentioned books. No publicly available internet, no PC's. Heck, the pocket calculator had only been around for about ten years. And there were no velocity vs harness charts because these folks knew that they weren't necessary. Shooting cast bullets is an old, old technology and the basics of what works and what doesn't have been known since Flintstone wheels were popular.



Bruce

 

[acl864]

You will find that there are alot of opinions about lead bullets and what causes/cures leading. The most important thing to keep in mind about lead bullets is that leading is not the end of the world. There are alot of easy solutions to removing lead. If you search this forum you'll find myriad threads and opinions.
Overall I've had the best luck with softer bullets- around 12 bhn like you can get here- TVB- About Us
Harder bullets and softer swaged lead bullets make a proper fit crucial. With bullets in this middle hardness range you have a little more leeway in bullet fit. Now that I'm casting my own I still stick with a straight clip-on wheel weight alloy that I air cool. This approximates the hardness range of the Tennessee Valley Bullets. Just like the TVB bullets, I can use my cast bullets in all of my S&W revolvers without leading at low to mid-range loads even though I'm sure not all of my guns have identical bore and throat dimensions.
It may take some trial and error to find a combo that doesn't lead you're guns or you may stumble upon a good combo right out of the gate. It is definitely worth the effort to develop lead bullet loads- you can shoot much more cheaply than jacketed bullets and for me they are more accurate too.

 

[Travis Two]

Heres another source that has a wealth of info as well that will help you.
Welcome To Penn Bullets INC..

 

[Missionary]

Good afternoon
Well having read all the above I think all of you should go to the Castboolits sight.
A properly fitted cast Bullit will do all and everything any jacketed bullet will.
Paper patched pure lead bullets are driver to any velocity you can desire.
A poorely fitted HARD CAST bullet causes more leading problems than a properly fitted pure lead bullet ever will.
Lead bulets have been fired continuasly for 500 years and will continue to be done at any velocity a knowladgable caster cares to.
None of this is any deep dark misterious dark room science. But like any other worthwhile endevour you need to pay attention to details.
My dad was involved in casting and I am even more. Every firearm I own shoots my cast bullets. This includes 454 Casull and 414 Supermag on the hotter revolver side. 30-06, 308, .243 just for a sample of rifles. Fit the appropriate bullet to the throat area and that firearm will do just fine.
Again wander over to the Castboolit. Gunloads sight and get an education.

 

[Wayne M]

Agree, go to a site that deals specifically with cast bullets. Castboolits will be great help and Penn Bullets has a very good section on what you need if you intend to buy bullets rather than make your own. I'd only add that while many people really enjoy casting, for me it's going to be the path I take when I can't buy cast bullets(which could be here sooner than later!) . Have done a lot of it over the years and have come to the conclusion that when shooting between 6K and 10K a year of various calibers and loading them, that casting is a job i just don't need. A real pain in the neck. Sorry, just don't have enough time left to be casting until it's absolutely necessary but it ain't black magic and you can indeed make excellent bullets.

 

[cp1969]

I'm a handgun shooter (targets only) and a relatively new reloader. I've bought jacketed bullets in the past, but I want to learn about lead bullets. Every time I look into lead bullets, I realize how little I know about them. Also, what do they do to barrel rifling and how do you clean it out? Any info on shooting lead bullets would be appreciated. Thanks
paperboy98

There isn't all that much to know about them. They were the original bullets; jacketed bullets came along later.

The most important thing to know is the diameter of the barrel and the size of the cylinder throats, if you're shooting a revolver. Jacketed bullets give you no choice in this matter--one size fits all. But lead bullets can be had in different sizes, usually in .001" increments for most handgun calibers. That's because barrel diameters can vary a couple thousandths and correctly sized lead bullets can make a world of difference in how much lead is left in the barrel.

I have never found hardness to be all that important. A few years back, I bought a bulk box of WW 148 gr. hollow base, swaged wadcutters, soft as butter. But I can shoot hundreds of them through my M15 and it stays clean.

That would be my suggestion: To start with low-velocity, swaged bullets to get your feet wet. You won't have to size your barrel to do this. Then, if you have good results, you can move up to cast bullets, sized for your gun and see if you like them. You can stop there, as there are many, many suppliers of lead bullets, or you can get the equipment and cast your own. My recommendation for a supplier is Dry Creek Bullets, run by Lynn Halstead, one of the members here. His company casts traditional flat-base, Keith-style bullets. Not many do that. Send me a pm if you want his phone no., I don't think he has a website.

 

[pberry]

Lead bullets.
1. Not very pretty. 2. Leaves stuff on your hands. 3. That stuff may poisen you. 4. Smokes when fired. 5. Lead left in barrel hard to remove. 6. Lead left in throat hard to remove. 7. Lead under top strap hard to remove. 8. Face of cylinder looks dirty. 9. This list gets even longer if you make your own.
Other than that, they are great. I buy them 1500 at a time.
Phil

 

[foxtrotter]

Don't be scared, lead has been used for years. A good cleaner and a SS brush will do the trick.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have had good results with Rainier bullets. They are a copper plated lead bullet. I have loaded the 125 .357 plated hollow point over 8.4 Unique for .357 mag. This around 1300 fps. 2" groups at 50 yds from a sand bag from a 8 3/8" model 27.

I have also loaded the 230 gr plated hollow point over 4.9gr Bullseye for .45ACP this should be about 850 fps

MidwayUSA has some of these on sale now. The 125 gr is $85.49 for 1000 and the 230gr is 125.99 for 1000.

I have not had any leading problems with either load.

You can get hard cast lead bullets cheaper.

Here is a link for several sources.

Reloading: Bullet Manufacturing Companies

 

[Dream to Dream]

So if you get a copper solvent cleaner (works for lead too) and care for your bore after shooting, a lot of the problems just don't happen.

What's the general procedure for using a copper solvent in a bbl? Wouldn't the solution damage a phospher bronze bore brush?