Definition of Leading

[pearcetopher]

Hi guys, ive been shooting my 9mm 124 .356 lee BHN 33 for a while now and I am not sure if what I have in the barrel quantifies as leading.

Everything shoots fine and is reasonably accurate but my question is:

The deposits left in my barrel are more of a stain, there are no physical peices of lead but the barrel looks dirty. after 3 or 4 runs with a brush the barrel is clean and spotless, is this leading or is leading when theres huge chunks in the barrel that wont come out?

[MtGun44]

Not leading. Leading is a buildup that is substantial, increasing and adversely affects
accuracy, eventually substantially or fully filling the rifling.

Bill

[bangerjim]

MTGun44 is right. If you had true leading......you would know it!

Sounds like what you are getting is just spend powder/dirt/grime buildups that come out easily with a little cleaning. We ALL clean our guns........RIGHT......ever time.......!?!?!?!

You would not normally be able to clean leading out that easily.

Just keep on shootin and swabbin!

banger

[btroj]

Once you get leading you will know. Trust me.

[Larry Gibson]

+1 on what all the above say.

Larry Gibson

[243winxb]

Real leading = Poor accuracy. This barrel looks bad, but accuracy remained the same thru the test using oven hear treated hard cast in a 45acp. Cleaned up easy with #9. http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/th_40shots.jpg (http://s338.photobucket.com/user/joe1944usa/media/40shots.jpg.html) http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/th_IMG_4480.jpg (http://s338.photobucket.com/user/joe1944usa/media/IMG_4480.jpg.html) http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/th_IMG_4494.jpg (http://s338.photobucket.com/user/joe1944usa/media/IMG_4494.jpg.html) Click for larger photo.

[runfiverun]

you might just be seeing antimonial wash, it is a grey coating that many confuse for leading.
I seen quite a bit of it in the 9mm carbine the other day and the grooves were grey but the lands were sharp and square.
I don't even get slightly worked up about a thin edge of it on the lands, as long as it isn't affecting accuracy or building up globs or streaks down the barrel.

[Win94ae]

There was a guy on this site that had good pictures of significant leading. I'll have to shoot some 357 rounds through my 357 to take some pictures of significant leading.

[Win94ae]

I got some "leading' for you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJYIq496iSA

It first shows normal fouling using my 38 special loads, at the end it shows what happens when I shoot my 357 load using the same bullets.

I have a restriction in the bore where the frame is screwed onto the barrel, so the lead accumulates there; other firearms may lead in different areas depending on the issue.
When the velocity reaches a specific speed, I get leading; since I can shoot 357 jacketed bullets without issue, I simply target shoot with lead 38 specials, then hunt with jacketed 357 mags.