Lyman 175 TC leading in Delta Elite

I've got sort of a mystery here with a bullet that I have shot for many years and now it's leading the barrel just in front of the chamber. I used to use Zambini Red Rooster until my supply ran out and started using Thompson Blue Angel. All of the shooting I did back then was waay before Al Gore invented the internet and the selection of a bullet lube was based on word of mouth and personal experience. I know there are better lubes out there now but I'm about to take off down the powder coating path and enter the 21st century. I've dusted off all my casting equipment and I'm ready to get started again but I've got several hundred bullets left over that I've been using to come up with a bullseye load. I should probably throw them all back into the casting pot and start over with PC but I'm curious as to why my old load is now leading the barrel.

The bullets are cast from COWW, sized to .401" and loaded on a Dillon 550 that I bought about the same time I bought the Delta Elite. A pulled bullet from a loaded case measures just a hair over .400" so I know they are not getting swaged waay down during the seating process. Cases are well-worn Remington but I do have a fresh batch of Starline. I'm shooting 5.6 grains Unique that chronograph about 950 fps. It used to be said that shooting lead bullets under 1,000 fps would keep the leading demon away but that was obviously heresay.

I would be delighted to hear what the castboolits tribe has to say about this issue.

For leading in front of the chamber with a hard lube I would try tumble lubing the existing boolits in some thinned down Lee liquid alox.

I use LeStuff's blue (White Label) carnauba in the sizer and then coat them up with Ben's LL. I shoot various stuff and get no leading.

Those are both very good ideas...I used to have some Lee liquid Alox laying around from my early casting days but as I recall, it wasn't very expensive. The Ben's LL I am not familiar with...will have to research. Thanks to you both.

I have had a lot of success with that Lee 175 in my tens. Try powder coating! Dry tumble is where to start and probably finish for easy and good results. Look up the process described in the “how to” section of the MP molds website and follow it exactly. Get some powder from Smokes’ right here on this forum, a cheap convection toaster oven from Wally World, a used Cool Whip container and some non-stick aluminum foil from the grocery store and you’re in business! I size my coated 10’s to .401 with a Lee push-through die. Easier than lubrisizing!

Attachment 242273
(This is an MP bullet with Smoke’s Glossy Clear, not the Lee)

the bullets look great. I signed up for the MP 165 grain .40/10mm mold buy but I don't think they've got enough takers yet. No telling when I'll get it so I'll be casting more of the Lyman 175s for now. And yes, I've been reading up on PC for some time...I think I've got everything I need to get started, just need to take the first step. I've read about Smoke's powders too. His'll be the next one I try after I get my feet wet with HF red.

Another thought...I usually polish my loaded ammo in corn cob to clean off lube and oils from handling. How does PC stand up to that? It always dulls the cast bullets to a grey color. I wonder if Smoke's glossy clear would stay on?

seconds on Major Dude's advice. However, if you aren't going to switch to PC (Strongly recommended), I'd consider using a bigger boolit. .401 is likely too small, and .400 definitely is. Rule of thumb is to have your cast boolits a few thousandths over bore size. PC usually adds a few thousandths, so you may not need to size much, anyway.

mvintx. -- A thought about polishing loaded ammo: Extensive jostling (Only reported, I've never gone there) may affect the granulation size and thus affect burn rate. The theory goes like this. Ammo gets bounced around a lot, the granules of the powder abrade each other and get reduced in size, the now smaller powder grains burn at a higher rate and excessive pressures result. YMMV. I have no experience with this theory, so I'm just passing it along for what it's worth.

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Originally Posted by 725

mvintx. -- A thought about polishing loaded ammo: Extensive jostling (Only reported, I've never gone there) may affect the granulation size and thus affect burn rate. The theory goes like this. Ammo gets bounced around a lot, the granules of the powder abrade each other and get reduced in size, the now smaller powder grains burn at a higher rate and excessive pressures result. YMMV. I have no experience with this theory, so I'm just passing it along for what it's worth.

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Thanks for your concern, 725. I also have read of such claims. There was a fellow over on the AR15.com website that conducted a realistic and thorough test of different powders being tumbled in loaded cartridges for as many as 300 hours. He took photos of the powder before and after with a 150X microscope and there was no discernable effect to the coating or kernels themselves. He put an incredible amount of work into his study and I was then satisfied that tumbling my loaded ammo for 30 minutes would be safe. I think his study was conducted in 2010 but I had been tumbling ammo since the mid-90s and continue to do so. A 30 minute tumble removes case and bullet lube, as well as any substances that may have been on your fingers while handling the ammunition. It does dull the finish on a cast bullet but I'm OK with that. I'll be interested to see what it does to PC. Thank you again for taking the time to pass on your concern.

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Originally Posted by dogmower

seconds on Major Dude's advice. However, if you aren't going to switch to PC (Strongly recommended), I'd consider using a bigger boolit. .401 is likely too small, and .400 definitely is. Rule of thumb is to have your cast boolits a few thousandths over bore size. PC usually adds a few thousandths, so you may not need to size much, anyway.

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I slugged the barrel on my 10mm and it is .400". My sized boolits are .401" but are being swaged down to .400" during seating. I'll be honing my Lyman .401" die to .402" and see how that works. I may need to get a M-style powder funnel for my Dillon 550 from lathesmith to prevent further sizing when seating the bullet into cases. And yes, I've taken the PC plunge...got some powder from smoke, a toaster oven from WM, some plain lead to mix with my WW and some tin - man is that stuff expensive!