Another Leading Question

[RustyReel]

I know, slug the bore, but until I get a chance to do that:

Is leading in front of the chamber of a rifle a symptom of an undersize boolit?? Leading is light and easily removed, goes to about 4-5 inches in front of the chamber.

Thanks!

[Outpost75]

Most likely too small and too hard, so that bullet is unable to upset and seal the bore.

[Wayne Smith]

Ditto to what Outpost posted. Look up how to do a cast of your chamber/throat area and do that rather than slug the bore. Remember to use pure lead so you don't have springback.

What caliber/boolit/rifle are you shooting and what is you load?

[243winxb]

Leading is light and easily removed, i can live with that.

As long as accuracy stays the same.

[RustyReel]

What caliber/boolit/rifle are you shooting and what is you load?

38/55, new to me Uberti High Wall, 7.5 Unique (light I know), Lee 379-250 shot as cast (.380) and pan lubed. First shooting of new to me rifle. Boolits were cast/lubed a long time ago and I don't remember lube. All the other 379-250 boolits I have on hand have been PC'd and sized to .377 for my .375 rifles and I was pretty certain they would be too small.

[waksupi]

Take one of your fired cases, and slip one of your bullets in. There should be slight resistance. If no resistance, definitely too small.

[Kraschenbirn]

I also shoot an Uberti-mfg'd .38-55 Highwall using 'as-cast' (.380-381) boolits pan-lubed with Emmert's and, I believe, have seen the leading pattern you've described. Uberti barrels consistently fall into the .377/.378 range so your .380 boolits should be okay. You didn't specify the boolit alloy, so it could be that your charge (7.5 gr. Unique) is bit mild to expand that 250 grain Lee boolit sufficiently to fill the bore...'specially if the alloy is on the hard side. Also, as your boolits were 'cast a long time ago' and you 'don't remember the lube', it could be that your lube has dried out to the point it may not be doing much of anything until it begins to melt after leaving the case.


Bill

[RustyReel]

Thanks guys. The .380's do slip easily into a fired case. I've been PCing everything for several years, to the lubed boolits have been in storage for a while.

Thanks for all your help