Phobia...

[rdlange]

I got a real phobia about shooting lead out of a couple of my guns. Scared I'll lead up the barrel, even thought I got some copper scrub pads. What's the max velocity recommended 'soft' lead. Not the hard cast, high tin alloys please?

Thanks.

[Echo]

Criminy. Read ALL the stickies on this forum, then read them again. Once you have done that TWICE, then re-ask the question, if you must...

Milby '53

[lwknight]

All I can add is " Get over it! ".
OK, really a little lead is not thaaat hard to clean out.
We all have had a few bouts with leading and its no big deal if you don't just iron it in.

[462]

I don't think this site would exist, if shooting boolits was detrimental to our guns.

Had one handgun that leaded, when I first started casting, but that was soon corrected and have never leaded a rifle.

[geargnasher]

All I can add is " Get over it! ".
OK, really a little lead is not thaaat hard to clean out.
We all have had a few bouts with leading and its no big deal if you don't just iron it in.

My first thought as well, "get over it" :bigsmyl2: First time you lead one up good and learn how to clean it out and load so it doesn't do it again, you'll be fine.

Read up about how to avoid the problem in the first place, like matching the alloy to the pressure and velocity, fitting the boolits to the guns, using a good lube, and removing ALL traces of copper fouling before you begin. Many guns that have seen a lot of copper-jacketed bullets have a terrible accumulation build up in the first 6-8" or so of the barrel, which does murder to cast boolits by both creating a restriction (reverse taper of the bore) and a surface that tears lead away from the boolits as they pass through. The reverse-taper can make for gas leaks around the boolit near the muzzle and dust the bore with lead particles.

Gear

[fcvan]

I have guns that have never seen jackets because that would mean buying them or factory ammo. The closest some have the guns have gotten was factory gas checks. I'm trying to deal with that by making my own checks with dies from Pat Marlins, a vendor on this site. Even then, the checks will be aluminum soda can (ok, beer can to be honest) and aluminum flashing material. The only jackets that I'm interested in using in the future will be paper patched, if you want to call those jackets. Frank

[500MAG]

As Gear said, the most at risk is extra cleaning. If leading occurs, find out why and correct the problem. Soft or hard isn't the question, sizing and lube is.

[Larry Gibson]

What's the max velocity recommended 'soft' lead. Not the hard cast, high tin alloys please?


What kind of "guns"?

BP'd of GC'd cast bullets?

Larry Gibson

[runfiverun]

hard cast denotes the use of antimony, not tin content.

[Recluse]

I have some older guns that are extremely special to me that will ONLY have lead shot through them--the barrels will last a lot longer.

Second, leading is a helluva lot easier to clean out than copper fouling.

:coffee:

[oldfart1956]

I got a real phobia about shooting lead out of a couple of my guns. Scared I'll lead up the barrel, even thought I got some copper scrub pads. What's the max velocity recommended 'soft' lead. Not the hard cast, high tin alloys please?

Thanks.

RD just a coupl'a thoughts. First off, don't be too concerned with max velocity. Now mind ye some of these fellers are pushing the limits and it can be done but mid-level loads are easy enough to reach. And don't fret about leading a barrel. It's not nearly the problem new boolit shooters think it is. Get to the gun store and pick up a coupl'a cleaning brushes made by Hoppes called Tornado Brushes in the appropriate sizes. They don't look anything like a normal bristle brush. Kind'a spiral shaped. Run one downbore every few rounds and lead peels right out. Once you figger out the size and alloy you need you won't even need one of these! :) My older brother thought the same way. 57 years old and never fired a lead boolit. Labor Day weekend he took home several hundered he cast himself right at my kitchen table after firing 200 rounds without cleaning from 2 different revolvers. And this is just typical wheel-weight boolits. Nothin' fancy. Air cooled, tumble lubed with Recluse 45/45/10 and kept (slightly) under 1000f.p.s. ! This was .357 and .44 mag. Now gitter done son. Audie...the Oldfart..

[Texantothecore]

RD just a coupl'a thoughts. First off, don't be too concerned with max velocity. Now mind ye some of these fellers are pushing the limits and it can be done but mid-level loads are easy enough to reach. And don't fret about leading a barrel. It's not nearly the problem new boolit shooters think it is. Get to the gun store and pick up a coupl'a cleaning brushes made by Hoppes called Tornado Brushes in the appropriate sizes. They don't look anything like a normal bristle brush. Kind'a spiral shaped. Run one downbore every few rounds and lead peels right out. Once you figger out the size and alloy you need you won't even need one of these! :) My older brother thought the same way. 57 years old and never fired a lead boolit. Labor Day weekend he took home several hundered he cast himself right at my kitchen table after firing 200 rounds without cleaning from 2 different revolvers. And this is just typical wheel-weight boolits. Nothin' fancy. Air cooled, tumble lubed with Recluse 45/45/10 and kept (slightly) under 1000f.p.s. ! This was .357 and .44 mag. Now gitter done son. Audie...the Oldfart..

I was very curious how well those Tornado brushes work. They could be a real advantage for BP fouling. Any problems with scratching the bore?

[MBTcustom]

OK, you want to run soft lead in your gun without leading? You dont say how soft, so I assume you mean pure lead. You dont say what guns you are running weather rifle or pistol, so I'll assume pistol.
Running pure lead with good lube and no gas-check, you need to stay below 800FPS. Can they be pushed faster? Of course, but not by a novice.
If you use a gas-check, you can push a pure lead boolit to 1200FPS easily.
If you are using WW alloy, you can get a plain based boolit to shoot 1400 easily.
With a gas check, you can get about 2200 FPS easily with WW.
If you start adding a little linotype and solder to boost your alloys, you can get 1400 with a PB boolit and 2500 with a gas-check.
Anything over 2600 FPS is going to take some fancy footwork to some degree to get a cast boolit to shoot accurately.
This is very general information based on my personal experiances with a large variety of firearms and calibers. If I knew what firearm/caliber you are dealing with, I could give you much more accurate information. The main thing to remember is that fit is king. If you get the boolit to fit your barrel right, you will be surprized how fast you can shoot it with a clean barrel.
Don't be afraid of leading your barrel. Its easy to clean out if you know how. I just wrap 00 steel wool up in an old brush and bust it out of there. It only takes about 15 minutes for a 1911 barrel that has no rifling visible (ask me how I know). Some here will undoubtedly jump all over me for using steel wool instead of copper chore boy, but I have my reasons, and I am also a gunsmith so I am looking for a reason to rebarrel every gun I own anyway. That being said, in 15 years of doing this, I have never had a problem. The crown is the most delicate part of a barrel and about the only part that can be easily damaged, but its also about the easiest thing to fix.

[1Shirt]

You obviously have not read what is posted on stickies as stated! Read-find an experianced caster and shooter, and pay attention to what you read, and what you are told, and you can't help but learn!
1Shirt!

[fredj338]

I am sure one can get a dead soft lead to well over 1400fps w/o leading, but I haven't tried. Proper fit, good lube, leading will be minimal. Soft swaged lead bullets w/ dry lube, maybe 1000fps w/o leading. It's a guess based on my own exp though.

[MtGun44]

Done correctly you can run 8 BHN (very soft) at full magnum velocities in .357 and .44 with
zero leading a good accuracy.

Done wrong, you can lead the heck out of a barrel with 22 BHN hard cast at .45 ACP or .38 Spl
velocities (low).

Hardness is AT BEST a secondary factor, NOT a primary factor in leading.

Spend time on the stickies.

Bill

[ShooterAZ]

I have a phobia about shooting jacketed in my guns now...I don't want to ruin my "seasoning"!!!

[mpmarty]

My favorite rifle is a Savage short action in 308 Winchester, Pillar bedded and scoped with a 4.5X14 Mark 4. I bought this rifle specifically for shooting cast and that's all it has ever seen. I shoot 175gr Cast tumble lubed boolits at near 2400 fps (yep over 1600 miles per hour) and have never had any leading. My lube is 50/50 JPW & LLA.

[GP100man]

rd

We really need more info to give a helpful answer .

I had a S&W 586 that would lead up in 25 rnds. until I decoppered the barrel & polished it with a bit of FLITZ. I`ll swear ya could feel the bore smooth up with every pas of the patch&jag (by the way I loved the revolver but had to tote a screw driver around with me to shoot it).

I`ve recently (2yrs. ago) started to cast for my rifles , I went slow & slugged my bores & selected sizes & moulds from info gleaned from this forum & had instant gratification in the results obtained!!

My most daunting task is trying to maintain a consistent alloy from which to cast from as wheel weights vary in content .

[geargnasher]

I have a phobia about shooting jacketed in my guns now...I don't want to ruin my "seasoning"!!!

I've fired exactly five jacketed rounds in as many years. That was to "baseline" a rifle I was having trouble getting to shoot cast accurately. My phobia isn't ruining the season, it's all the cleaning I have to do before and after shooting those nasty copper-covered thingies.

Gear

[btroj]

If you don't lead a barrel now and then it means you aren't pushing the envelope.

Lading is a learning tool. It isn't difficult to remove. It isn't harmful to the barrel. It does teach you what doesn't work in that gun.

The only real way to learn to shoot cast is simple. Cast some, load them, then shoot them. Obserrve what happens. Learn from it. Repeat often. After a few hundred pounds of lead you will have a good idea what does or doesn't work for you.

Keep your loads safe and nothing will be harmed. Leading is a tool that show what doesn't work. Without failure there can be no real leaning.

[Jim]

Man, I remember the first time I leaded up a rifle barrel. "Oh, dear God, I've ruined my rifle!" Shaw. I posted about it and somebody got me outa' the ditch. I did like I was told and found out "I'll be dang! It works!"

I could teach a doctorate course on what I've learned here about it and what I've learned from my own mistakes. That translates to a LOOOOOT of mistakes!

I know one thing for sure and certain: There's a lot o' stuff I DON'T do any more on account of what I've learned. And it has definitely improved my shooting skills. Why, just the other day, I actually hit the paper! :holysheep

[3006guns]

And it has definitely improved my shooting skills. Why, just the other day, I actually hit the paper! :holysheep[/B][/QUOTE]

Ya mean them knarly old lead thangs can akshully hit something?? Wow.

For every person who has "worried" or "lectured" me about the evils of lead, I simply ask them "How did our ancestors survive, hunting buffalo, shooting at bandits and so on without leading up their guns? If it worked back then surely it must work now........"

Casting and shooting lead is inexpensive, easy and fun. I actually pity the poor guy who thinks the world revolves around factory ammuniton. So, come join us!:smile:

[Bluehawk]

Several years ago I purchased a "collectors" Winchester 94 from a Local gun store . He had not been able to sell it for several years in the rack . ( Cowboy Commemorative Model) I wanted it due to the OLD style carbine STYLE and the fact it had been un-fired and I wanted a gun STRICTLY for Cast bullets that had never had a J bullet through it . It still hasn't had a J bullet through it . Its my TAKE ALONG gun now for over 6 years . I pull it out when i'm up my place in the PA mountains and I usually shoot 2 to 3 shots every trip with it . Standing at about 98 yards with an 8 inch Steel "GONG" I can hit it 4 out of 5 times that way with ease EVERY TIME nothing but cast and NO LEADING . Its shooting the RCBS FP 180 gr GC bullet at about 1900 FPS. WAY easy to lead the barrel at that velocity but the fit is right and the lube is right and the pressure is right WAY more to leading than just FPS and softness . That's why I just bough the Rossi M92 in 357. It will NEVER have a J bullet through it from ME . Wont need it Wont lead either !