Jacket then Lead or Lead then Jacket?

[JesterGrin_1]

At one of the few shooting ranges I go to cleaning your rifle is kinda looked down upon since it takes up time. So I would like to try some cast loads after I sight my 35 Whelen in with the jacketed loads I have now. Can or should this be done and if so what is the best way to go about it?

Thank You for your thoughts. :target_smiley:

[303Guy]

My thoughts - no! The jacket fouling needs to be completely removed before shooting cast. Leading and poor accuracy can be expected if you don't and that will be more embarrasing than the time it takes to clean.

[gray wolf]

NO,NO, and no,
Shoot your jacketed bullets and get over it. Go home and get every bit of copper out of the barrel, then go shoot your cast bullets, You will be working up a load for them---
If not what's the sense ??. Once you have picked the load you think is best go home again and load some ammo. Go back to the range and confirm your load and if you are happy with it--Re-site in the rifle for the lead bullets. Your site will most likely be off now for the Jacketed bullets. Unless you can record the movement of the site and trust it to go back to it's jacketed bullet setting.
In any case I would not shoot either one over the other.

[HenryC460]

Where, if anywhere, do gas checked lead boolits fit into that plan? Shoot those for a while, and I'd guess you're running lead over copper. (I am asking/typing out of complete ignorance and inexperience on gas checks here, having not ever shot any yet). Do gas checks let you get away with shooting over regular jacket fouling?

[JesterGrin_1]

HenryC460 that is a good question as it might have a bearing on the answer since I did not add that I use only Gas Checked BOOLITS.

[JesterGrin_1]

Ok will it hurt anything to shoot lead with a GC after jacket?

I thought while I was there I could shoot some lead and fire form the brass at the same time.

[gerrycan]

Hi,
I,ve often shot off a few J-words after a cast session , went home cleaned up[nothing]. No problem, try it. Cheers, Gerry.

[geargnasher]

I'd say make up your mind which it is to be, and stick with it. You can get some detrimental copper fouling in as little as 20 shots, but it is easily removed from a previously clean barrel with ammonia solvent and a few patches. Shooting a few jacketed after lead doesn't seem to hurt anything, and often clears a few minor lead streaks out. If you're just sighting in and then doing some fireforming with plans for shooting mostly cast in the future, just go do your business and worry about any metal fouling you may have when you get home. It isn't like it's all that tough to clean out. I'm also assuming you have a copper-free barrel to begin with?

Gear

[JesterGrin_1]

Well I do have a bottle of Sweets 7.62 or something like that since I do not have the bottle in front of me.

So It looks like I will just go ahead and take some cleaning stuff to the range.

As I have two things I wish to look at.

1. I 24 rounds loaded up for a ladder powder test as well as accuracy with a 250Gr Speer Hot Core. I am mainly doing this as a stand by load or in a pinch all around hunting load.

2. I have some of the BRP 360-220 loaded up to see how the accuracy is as well as to finish form the cases even though I feel I am darn close.

[MtGun44]

Never seemed to make any difference to me, but I am mostly a pistol shooter. I have had
excellent results in rifles shooting cast without any cleaning after years of j-bullets down the
tube.

Bill

[JesterGrin_1]

MtGun44 now that is a new Wrench in the pot. I guess all I can do is try and see what happens. :)

This may turn into an experiment. :)

[Blammer]

I have a few guns that I regularly shoot jacketed through then some lead, etc...

no problems no worries.

[dbldblu]

Never seemed to make any difference to me, but I am mostly a pistol shooter. I have had
excellent results in rifles shooting cast without any cleaning after years of j-bullets down the tube.
Bill

+1 to that. A lot of copper fouling would probably mess you up for shooting cast. However, I have long been a try it myself sort when it comes to cast bullet lore. I have shot cast after say 20 rounds of jacketed and could tell no difference. This was in a rifle with a decent bore.

[dnotarianni]

If your starting off your range session with a clean weapon and shoot 20-30 jacketed then switch to lead you won't have enough copper fouling to worry about. By the same token you can throw a couple jacketed down range after you finish off your cast loads to get the lead out of your barrel.
If I shoot a match with 200-250 rounds of lead I'll use a mag of jacketed for my last reload to clear out any lead fouling in my barrel.
Dave ---> Waiting for the flames!