ElMatavenados
06-06-2014, 02:13 AM
Hey all,
I've been coming here for a while, done a lot of lurking, some buying in the Swappin' and Sellin' forum. I've read most (if not all) of the helpful stickies, but I'm at the point where I need to reach out. I'm sure you've all read about 5 bazillion of these types of threads, but if you feel like helping, I assure you that I will be extremely grateful. And God will bless you for your kind deeds!
I'll try to be as succinct as possible, but this might get lengthy.
My goal: 125-ish grain boolits for a Glock 9mm (yes, I know- Glock says not to reload).
Problem: leading.
My loading background: about 10 years or so of loading j-words for rifles, mostly with an old cast iron Herters press, but lately with a new Dillon 550. New to loading for handguns.
Here's what I've done so far. I started with copper plated 115 gr RN, working up to 4 grains of American Select (it was available locally, cheap)- this was just enough to cycle the gun reliably at around 950-1050 fps IIRC. I have fired about 850 of these, and they work well. Next, I slugged my barrel. Micrometer says that the smaller diameter of the slug is .3495-.3500 (depending on where measured), larger is .3555-.3560. I decided to try a .357 mold and sizing kit, so I purchased a Lee .357 125gr RN tumble lube mold (2-cav), and LLA. I went this route because I want to find out if I'm going to be able to be able to shoot cast boolits successfully before I invest in a good mold, lube-sizer, etc. With the cost of these being so high, even for used ones, I took my brother's recommendation and ordered the Lee setup.
My first batch of boolits was cast from a huge bar of lead I purchased at a metal supply business many years ago. I have no idea what is in it, nor its hardness. I think it's nearly pure, though and soft. I poured a batch, air dropped, sized to .357, and lubed with 2 coats of LLA. Waited a couple weeks, then began carefully firing some test loads. I loaded workups from 3.3gr of American Select up to 3.9. However, I noticed quickly that there was significant leading (after 10 shots or fewer), so I stopped shooting them, and pulled the remainder. I also noticed quite a bit of lube in the first half of the barrel. Additionally, the 3.3gr charges cycled the gun easily, which came as a surprise (nothing short of 3.9 gr would cycle the gun reliably with the 115gr copper plated rounds).
Next, I cast a batch of WW, also air dropped. Sized to .357, 1 layer of LLA, and aged for about 3 weeks. I loaded workups from 3.1 to 3.3gr of AmSel. Even the 3.1gr cycled reliably. I need to see how low the charge can go, and put them through the chrony. But even after only 3 rounds of the mildest load, there were signs of leading. No signs of overpressure on any of these loads, either.
The stickies say that .001 to .002 over the groove diameter should work with 9mm WW air dropped boolits. However, I don't have a .358 mold or sizing die. I could beagle the mold, but I'm not sure if it will help. I could water quench, but again, not sure if it will help. I can reduce the powder charge (and I plan to do this anyway), but I'm not hopeful that this will work. I don't have a mold for a lube-groove boolit, nor a lubesizer.
So what do you think I should try? .358 diameter? Harder alloy? Different lube (45-45-10, or...)?
And finally, if someone here might be interested in a trade, I would be interested in 20-50 125gr TC or RN boolits with lube groove, sized to .358 and lubed with whichever lube you think would work. I'm willing to pay generously for them, too, unless it would be illegal for you to sell them to me. If a trade would be better, perhaps I have something you could use. If this were to solve the leading problem, I would buy a mold and sizer, but I don't like the idea of buying the rig just to find out that I can't get it to work!
I am aware of the aftermarket barrels, but I suspect that I would still have the same leading problems that I'm currently experiencing, until I get the appropriate size and equipment worked out.
I am open to suggestions, questions, criticism, etc., especially if it's intended to help me toward my goal of safely shooting cast boolits in my stock G19 Gen3. Thank you all for making this resource available to noobs like me, and for any help you might offer!
I've been coming here for a while, done a lot of lurking, some buying in the Swappin' and Sellin' forum. I've read most (if not all) of the helpful stickies, but I'm at the point where I need to reach out. I'm sure you've all read about 5 bazillion of these types of threads, but if you feel like helping, I assure you that I will be extremely grateful. And God will bless you for your kind deeds!
I'll try to be as succinct as possible, but this might get lengthy.
My goal: 125-ish grain boolits for a Glock 9mm (yes, I know- Glock says not to reload).
Problem: leading.
My loading background: about 10 years or so of loading j-words for rifles, mostly with an old cast iron Herters press, but lately with a new Dillon 550. New to loading for handguns.
Here's what I've done so far. I started with copper plated 115 gr RN, working up to 4 grains of American Select (it was available locally, cheap)- this was just enough to cycle the gun reliably at around 950-1050 fps IIRC. I have fired about 850 of these, and they work well. Next, I slugged my barrel. Micrometer says that the smaller diameter of the slug is .3495-.3500 (depending on where measured), larger is .3555-.3560. I decided to try a .357 mold and sizing kit, so I purchased a Lee .357 125gr RN tumble lube mold (2-cav), and LLA. I went this route because I want to find out if I'm going to be able to be able to shoot cast boolits successfully before I invest in a good mold, lube-sizer, etc. With the cost of these being so high, even for used ones, I took my brother's recommendation and ordered the Lee setup.
My first batch of boolits was cast from a huge bar of lead I purchased at a metal supply business many years ago. I have no idea what is in it, nor its hardness. I think it's nearly pure, though and soft. I poured a batch, air dropped, sized to .357, and lubed with 2 coats of LLA. Waited a couple weeks, then began carefully firing some test loads. I loaded workups from 3.3gr of American Select up to 3.9. However, I noticed quickly that there was significant leading (after 10 shots or fewer), so I stopped shooting them, and pulled the remainder. I also noticed quite a bit of lube in the first half of the barrel. Additionally, the 3.3gr charges cycled the gun easily, which came as a surprise (nothing short of 3.9 gr would cycle the gun reliably with the 115gr copper plated rounds).
Next, I cast a batch of WW, also air dropped. Sized to .357, 1 layer of LLA, and aged for about 3 weeks. I loaded workups from 3.1 to 3.3gr of AmSel. Even the 3.1gr cycled reliably. I need to see how low the charge can go, and put them through the chrony. But even after only 3 rounds of the mildest load, there were signs of leading. No signs of overpressure on any of these loads, either.
The stickies say that .001 to .002 over the groove diameter should work with 9mm WW air dropped boolits. However, I don't have a .358 mold or sizing die. I could beagle the mold, but I'm not sure if it will help. I could water quench, but again, not sure if it will help. I can reduce the powder charge (and I plan to do this anyway), but I'm not hopeful that this will work. I don't have a mold for a lube-groove boolit, nor a lubesizer.
So what do you think I should try? .358 diameter? Harder alloy? Different lube (45-45-10, or...)?
And finally, if someone here might be interested in a trade, I would be interested in 20-50 125gr TC or RN boolits with lube groove, sized to .358 and lubed with whichever lube you think would work. I'm willing to pay generously for them, too, unless it would be illegal for you to sell them to me. If a trade would be better, perhaps I have something you could use. If this were to solve the leading problem, I would buy a mold and sizer, but I don't like the idea of buying the rig just to find out that I can't get it to work!
I am aware of the aftermarket barrels, but I suspect that I would still have the same leading problems that I'm currently experiencing, until I get the appropriate size and equipment worked out.
I am open to suggestions, questions, criticism, etc., especially if it's intended to help me toward my goal of safely shooting cast boolits in my stock G19 Gen3. Thank you all for making this resource available to noobs like me, and for any help you might offer!