Too Soft?

[Recaster]

I'm new to reloading/casting but thought i had a good combo for my 45 ACP. At first i had some leading but thought i had it solved. After shooting 50 rounds today i noticed moderate leading just after the chamber. No big deal but last time i shot @ 250 with very little leading at all.

I am loading for a Springfield XD-45 with a 4" barrel.
I have a Lee Tl 452 230 2R Mold that drops bullets at .453", weighing @ 237 grain using 50/50 (coww/pb).
I'm loading those boolits over 4.9 grain of HP-38.

After reviewing my notes i noticed a few changes that i had made:
-Made some 45/45/10 lube and used that on the rounds today, last outing i used straight lee allox.
-Tula primers today, Federal last time
-Boolits might have been softer today, i noted them weighing @ 234 grain last time vs. 237 grain for todays boolits.

after thinking back i may have dropped the previous ones in water, todays were air cooled (that could be my problem right there)
i have to keep better notes.

I don't think it's the lube, surely it's not the primers. It has to be the alloy right? or the water vs. air cooled.
What do you guys with greater knowledge think? (i hate to scrap the boolits i just cast, abt 8 pounds worth)

[smokey496]

I'll have to go with a lube problem.

[Recaster]

I was hoping that the boolits were OK, they looked great, nice flat bases and good fill out. The lube was a very thin coat (i read that very little is needed) and i'm not sure but might have overcooked the paste wax. (could this cause a problem?) the consistency isn't what i expected, a little thick.

Thanks for the input.

[MtGun44]

Lube. Liquid Alox is a marginal lube, but if it was working and the mix is not, go back.
Personally, I recommend conventional lube design and THE baseline lube, NRA 50-50
(Alox-beeswax) altho Alox is actually a product line and the product used in the old NRA
formula was Alox 2138F (IIRC) and is no longer available. The liquid made now
needs a bit of microwax to get the proper stiffness.

Readily purchased.

Bill

[Recaster]

i'll try some of the straight allox and see if it helps. Thanks for your opinion, I was sure it had to do with bullet hardness. Glad i posted the question/problem. I really like this site, there is more to this reloading than meets the eye.

[MT Chambers]

I don't believe softness is the prob. instead usually its bullet size and lubricant.

[gray wolf]

I don't believe softness is the prob. instead usually its bullet size and lubricant.

YUP, I agree with the above.

[MtGun44]

In my experience, hardness is at best at a third or fourth level of importance for pistols. First is
fit, second is lube, followed by design of boolit, and eventually hardness comes in a little bit.

I can run a well fitted, good design with a good lube at full house magnum velocities in .357 and
.44 Mag with very soft range lead (8 BHN) and get no leading and fine accy.

Bill

[44man]

I have also shot some pretty soft stuff without leading with a good lube. I don't in my big bores because soft gives me too many fliers.
A boolit is good to go if it does not slump or skid but there is a difference in what shoots best for me.
Even air cooled WW gives me the fliers and I could never explain why.