Lesson learned today, SLUG YOUR BARREL! Tips for newbies.

[RacingRedGT]

Ive been having some leading issues. Tried all sorts of things to fix it. Lubing, water dropping, crimping, etc...

Well, I learned a valuable lesson today. SLUG YOUR BARREL!!

I was a dumb newb and bought what molds I thought would work. Well, I was wrong. I bought a .401 for my .40cals, and a .430 for my S&W 629-1 44mag. After tons of googling I thought those would work. Well both my 40s slugged @ .401 and my S&W slugged @ .430. Those numbers are exactly what my molds spit out.

General rule for casting. Bullets should be +.002 bigger than barrel.

I was very intimated by the whole process, ended up being WAYYYY easier than I was making it out to be. I mean it literally took me less than 5 minutes to slug 4 barrels. That time doesn't count making slugs or dismantling the firearms.

*Tips for people like me*

-Buy some lead fishing weights from walmart, or any other pure lead or as close to pure as you can get.

-Throw a few weights in a ladle, put over a fire (If you are casting you should have a ladle) I used the side burner on my grill. Melts pretty fast.

-Pour lead into a used brass casing. I used fired/non-sized pieces brass since its expanded from firing. (This will make a nice round elongated slug.) The casing should be from the caliber being slugged.

-Use a kinetic bullet puller and smack the slug out after it cools (you should have one if you reload)

-Slugs will be sloped on one end, stick that end into barrel. Clean and lube barrel before you start.

-Use some sort of rod to push through. This is up to you. I used my lyman ladle handle. I wrapped the end with electrical tape and put a small piece of brass case over the tape. Use enough tape so the piece of brass fits on snug. I then put a little bit of tape over the bottom of the brass. (The brass needs to be small enough to fit easily through the barrel, it should just fall right through.)

-Lightly tap with whatever you have handy. Hammer, mallet, your kinetic bullet puller, etc. Should be small resistance at the beginning, once it gets past the muzzle it only takes really light taps to finish pushing through.

-Use micrometer to measure.

There are more elaborate methods. This was quick and easy and you get the overall diameter of the barrel.

If anyone needs picture let me know, I could update if needed.

[tazman]

This is an excellent post and the exact technique I used to slug mine. The only difference was I used a 1/4 inch brass rod as a punch, and I lubed the lead slug before running it through the barrel.

[TXGunNut]

Yes, good post but lube is important. I use 00 Buckshot for slugs, can even slug a .35 bore if I whack it with a hammer on an anvil first. A good micrometer works better for measuring slugs than a dial caliper...but I get by with a dial caliper.

[Love Life]

Great post!! I just learned a new method of making slugs that is mo' better than having a few boxes of round balls hanging around. Thank you.

[RacingRedGT]

Yes, good post but lube is important. I use 00 Buckshot for slugs, can even slug a .35 bore if I whack it with a hammer on an anvil first. A good micrometer works better for measuring slugs than a dial caliper...but I get by with a dial caliper.

Thanks. Forgot to put lube barrel. Edited the OP.

[Whitespider]

Yeah, good post... but...
The proof is in the pudding... or in this case the leading.
An undersized boolit will near always contribute to lead fouling, but I don't believe a "big rule for casting" is that "bullets should be +.002 bigger than barrel." Heck, I shoot boolits in several guns that are sized at something other than .002 inch over groove diameter without leading... one I size right at groove diameter with zero leading (my .40 by-the-way).

Report back on the leading issue once you get things modified to produce boolits .002 larger.
I ain't sayin' larger boolits won't eliminate the leading issue (it may very well do so)... but, at this point, there ain't no proof it has. In revolvers I've seen lead fouling caused by boolits undersized for the cylinder mouths, yet well over groove diameter. And more-often-than-not I find lead fouling in auto pistols to be caused by an alloy too hard, not too soft.

The learning never ends...

[Love Life]

In my 10mm, .401 didn't lead. I had much better accuracy sized at .402.

[blikseme300]

It's amazing that the basics will bite us in the behind every time if we ignore to do them. It takes but a few minutes to know what boolit size is needed yet much time is wasted trying other things first.

Good post, OP.

[RedHawk357Mag]

melting slug into a used cartridge...kinetic bullet puller...I like it. Thanks for the tip.

[RacingRedGT]

Yeah, good post... but...
The proof is in the pudding... or in this case the leading.
An undersized boolit will near always contribute to lead fouling, but I don't believe a "big rule for casting" is that "bullets should be +.002 bigger than barrel." Heck, I shoot boolits in several guns that are sized at something other than .002 inch over groove diameter without leading... one I size right at groove diameter with zero leading (my .40 by-the-way).

Report back on the leading issue once you get things modified to produce boolits .002 larger.
I ain't sayin' larger boolits won't eliminate the leading issue (it may very well do so)... but, at this point, there ain't no proof it has. In revolvers I've seen lead fouling caused by boolits undersized for the cylinder mouths, yet well over groove diameter. And more-often-than-not I find lead fouling in auto pistols to be caused by an alloy too hard, not too soft.

The learning never ends...

Thanks for the feedback. I changed it from "big rule" to "general rule".

[35remington]

FWIW........I've shot cast in a great many guns for which I've never bothered to slug the barrel. For example, many if not most 30 caliber rifles will accept a .311" bullet in the chamber and will shoot it with very good accuracy. I simply went with that and accuracy was fine.

Perhaps more relevant than barrel diameter is the maximum size your chamber throat (if present) will accept in your rifle, and cylinder throat diameter in revolvers. This is worth knowing even more so than barrel diameter, and I've also gone with that rather than measuring barrel diameter and again found success.

I've yet to find a 45 ACP autoloader barrel that would not accept or shoot accurately with a .452" bullet.

In other words, give me single choice of measurement and I may choose not to measure the barrel as measuring and matching the interior diameter of something else is often much more relevant. In many instances I don't measure at all. This is due to knowing what works from past experience and making the correct choice based on that. The measuring bit is therefore sometimes and very often much of the time avoided altogether.

I, from my own experience, very often remove the idea of slugging the barrel as a "have to be done" thing on my list of things to do.

[square butte]

I'm with 35 Rem. But I do enjoy having and using pin gauges for revolver throats.

[spec234]

That's a really handy idea!

[rhead]

My first rule is to check and see if I have a problem before I start looking for a solution. A lot of the time a new firearm will do fine with what is already on hand. (Near max loads excepted)

[mdi]

Great basic knowledge. Sometimes those of us with a bit of time in casting ferget how if felt the first time we pounded a slug into the barrel of our prized firearm!, it ain't natural!

Since the information is mainly for newcomers, the general rules are still good no matter what results some may get from different methods. In many guns bullets sized to the bore diameter will work, with the right alloy and the right load (obturation), but "generally", for a starting point .002" is best (90% of my cast bullet sizing follows this "rule" in .38/.357, 9mm, .44 Special and Magnum, 45 ACP, and 2, 30 caliber guns, some larger, and very, very few smaller).

[chutestrate]

Any suggestions how to slug the barrel of a lever action? I think I can cast the right size slug, but is it a good idea to pound the slug while the shoulder stock is resting on the floor?

[CastingFool]

Just put a folded up towel on the floor. Actually, anything to pad or cushion the buttstock, you're not going to be pounding the slug that hard.



Any suggestions how to slug the barrel of a lever action? I think I can cast the right size slug, but is it a good idea to pound the slug while the shoulder stock is resting on the floor?

[DeanWinchester]

After Goodsteel put me on the path to making a pound cast, I don't think I will ever slug another bore. Fill the throat, that's where it's at.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

snip...

-Buy some lead fishing weights from walmart, or any other pure lead or as close to pure as you can get.

-Throw a few weights in a ladle, put over a fire (If you are casting you should have a ladle) I used the side burner on my grill. Melts pretty fast.

-Pour lead into a used brass casing. I used fired/non-sized pieces brass since its expanded from firing. (This will make a nice round elongated slug.) The casing should be from the caliber being slugged.

-Use a kinetic bullet puller and smack the slug out after it cools (you should have one if you reload)

-Slugs will be sloped on one end, stick that end into barrel. Clean and lube barrel before you start.

...snip

well, well, excellent suggestion !
in December when the next thread entitled, "what was the one tip or trick did you learn in 2014" is posted...I'll be mentioning this
Thanks,
Jon

[SSGOldfart]

Don't pound it's more of a tap tap tap:razz:

[madsenshooter]

Make absolutely sure you never use the "mold" for your slugs for reloading. The temp of the molten alloy has likely annealed the head of the case which can make things go Ka-boom.

[Harter66]

That's the 1st time I've seen casting a slug in a case suggested. Its too easy and makes a self aligning slug too.

I've never had 1 lead that was properly sized, I have had boolits properly sized that were too hard lead and some that were too soft for that pistol. While they didn't lead in a 40 they did key hole . Harder cured that .

[Wayne Smith]

One caution, the slug will only be tapered if the case is. Many are straight and it won't work for my 44-40 or my 32-20 or any other necked case.

[mdi]

Don't pound it's more of a tap tap tap:razz:
I prefer a large hammer (3 lb. dead blow) to get more of a "push, push, push"...

[Harter66]

Good point about the straight wall vs ''ACP'' type . I would tend to think the average joe would think about pouring a slug mould in a 5.7FN in its case,but lately I've noticed the need to state the obvious more and more.

I had a rifle that slugged very tight for a 30 cal once . After a lot of scrubbing and a reslug I was shocked when the slug practicaly dropped through the middle 12'' of bbl then needed a bump to clear into the chamber.

[RacingRedGT]

One caution, the slug will only be tapered if the case is. Many are straight and it won't work for my 44-40 or my 32-20 or any other necked case.

My .40s, 45acp and 44mag cases all made slugs with tapered ends.

[tazman]

My .40s, 45acp and 44mag cases all made slugs with tapered ends.

My 38 special and 9mm did as well.

[Polecat]

Hey those molds cast just right for PC'ing It adds .001 to the boolit which makes it .002 larger should be just right

[RacingRedGT]

Hey those molds cast just right for PC'ing It adds .001 to the boolit which makes it .002 larger should be just right

It has crossed my mind.

[Sweetpea]

Make absolutely sure you never use the "mold" for your slugs for reloading. The temp of the molten alloy has likely annealed the head of the case which can make things go Ka-boom.

Any time I have done this, I have used nickle cases, and set them aside.

It would also be very easy to mark the rim with a file.

[Pinsnscrews]

Rolls of Heat Shrink Tubing can be easily found at HF/Fry's Electronics and sometimes Radio Shack (they usually carry the pre-cut in the store rather than the rolls). Cut to length, slip over the rod to be used, then heat until it shrinks tight to the rod. If you have several different rods, you can color code them. I have also seen the tip of using a Gas Check at the tip of the rod. This too can be put in place before the heat shrink tubing, just make sure the tubing extends past the gas check for a trim to fit.