Glock barrel leading

[tomme boy]

Water drop the bullets out of the oven. Have you checked the temp is right? Cook them for for 25 min AFTER they go wet looking. That will make sure they are cooked hot and long enough.

[Bashby]

I’m not sure what to try next. My boolits are getting swaged a tiny bit. Since the 38S&W expander has a taper to it, the case doesn’t get expanded deep enough. I am currently running the shell holder all the way up against the die. I could add a shim above the expander to get it to go into the case further. I could also increase my OAL. (Been seating around 1.125). I could also try a harder alloy, but getting mixed advice on that.

The throat on this barrel is long. I can drop a .358 boolit in it then plunk an empty case behind it. I can seat boolits so they are barely in the case and they will still plunk.

[tomme boy]

The 38 S&W expander goes deep enough. Almost 2x as deep as a 9mm one. So that is not your problem. Leave them as large as you can. Now that you had your barrel reamed you have to fill that freebore. Semi pistols do not need a freebore as deep as what was done to your barrel. I would have been mad if someone did that to my barrel. But that is my opinion.

[Bashby]

The 38 S&W expander goes deep enough. Almost 2x as deep as a 9mm one. So that is not your problem. Leave them as large as you can. Now that you had your barrel reamed you have to fill that freebore. Semi pistols do not need a freebore as deep as what was done to your barrel. I would have been mad if someone did that to my barrel. But that is my opinion.

In post #6 on page 1 I posted Dougs explanation as to why he did what he did. He explained this when he sent the barrel back to me, not trying to make excuses after I complained, actually I didn’t complain. I’m not mad at all. If this barrel isn’t going to work with cast I will just get a new one that will. I was torn on just buying an aftermarket barrel or modifying my Glock barrel before I sent it to Doug.


I loaded up 150 rounds and increased the OAL to 1.160+ with a light crimp. They were too long to load in my magazines, so I had to seat them a little deeper at 1.150. My crimp was light enough that I was able to do that without damaging the boolit. (Pretty sure, anyways). I’m going to try them today and see what happens.

[Bashby]

Update in case anyone is following this. Last weekend when i got to the range, i realized i left the ammo i had loaded up at home, so I shot my Ruger Mark IV instead. I messed my back up yesterday and probably wont get out this weekend. Will post results after i shoot those 150 rounds.

[fcvan]

This is going to be a tad long, please bear with me, I'll get to 9mm through a Glock factory barrel eventually.

The first pistol I purchased for myself was a S&W 459 in 1985. I wanted a 357 but my brother had talked it up so much I bought one. He eventually bought a 659. I grew up loading and shooting with my dad, primary calibers being 38/357/41 all being straight wall cartridges. When I started loading for the 9mm, I didn't know that it was supposed to be a pain to load and prone to cause leading.

I approached loading 9mm the same as I was taught, and never (almost, see below) had leading. Lead was from the range at work, our practice rounds were swaged 38 hollow base wadcutters, very soft. Boolits were cast from a Lee 356-125 RN, pan lubed with Javalina, and fired as cast at .358 diameter. I adjusted my dies so the cartridge would 'plunk in the barrel chamber. I never had leading.

I started shooting many other things beside 9mm, having bought a S&W M13 and a Springfield 1911 which became my off duty carry guns. Years later, my wife gave me a Glock 22C in 40 S&W. I loaded 40 and 45 the same way as Dad taught me. When I did shoot 9mm, I used my Lyman 450 with a 358 die with no problems.

I bought a Wolf 9mm drop in barrel for the G22C and G23, and my wife and brother's G22s and 23s, and magazines to boot. No leading in the Wolf barrels or a friend's G17. Then I got a wild hair and bought a .357 die for the Lyman 450. Bingo, leading in my 9mm Wolf barrel and buddy's G17. The boolits key holed at 15 yards, the bore showed some light leading. I shot them up, checking the bore every 50 rounds. I traded away that sizing die promptly. I picked up a G43 9MM that is pretty much my EDC, but still sometimes carry the G22C.

No one told me Glocks are supposed to lead up and kaboom with lead, so I didn't tell them. No leading, no Kaboom. My buddy did lead up his G17 using some store bought cast boolits he had been given. The pictures after 50 rounds were ugly. I had given him some PCd purple boolits (his wife's request) and told him to load some. shoot a mag full, and check the barrel. 10 rounds later, no leading. He never loaded store bought cast, even if given to him, he just melted them down and cast them again.

Soft lead, .358, dies adjusted to not swage during seat/crimping, has given 35 years of lead free 9mm shooting using Javalina lube. I did try White Label Carnuba Red with a lube heater, good stuff, also no leading. Thanks and shout out to member here, Lars.

Now I ASBBPC using Prismatic Powder in any color. Note, their 'satin black' still looks dripping wet when cured. That is pretty much every caliber I shoot. I shoot a lot of 9mm for 2 reasons. 1) it is fun. 2) my wife picked up 15K once fired cases over the years and well, compulsion caused me to load them all. My favorite AR is in 9mm, and I sometimes switch between the Lee 356-102 RN and the 125, both of which cast at 358, and are push through sized to 358 after PC.

9mm kills tin cans. I hate tin cans.

[Landshark9025]

Cast and powder coated and loaded and shot within 24 hours of casting. No chance for age hardening was there?

I’ve messed with cast in various polygonal rifled barrels. Multiple Glocks and HKs. I did find that hardness matters a bit both in accuracy and fouling. Generally at least 3% antimony worked for me in those guns. Use the Lead Alloy Calculator found on this site to help you formulate your alloy.

I use a Lyman M die for expanding and that helped a lot.

I also recommend a minimum of two weeks to age harden if air cooling. A week if water dropping.

If you can chamber a .358, I’d give that a go as well.

Lastly, swing by the grocery and get an oven thermometer. 😏

[Bashby]

How does the Lyman M die compare to the 38 S&W? Does it expand the case any more? Does it have less taper than the 38SW?

[Bashby]

Put about 150 rounds through it today, ran a patch through with some break free, then a clean patch with some brake cleaner to dry it out real good.

I guess that’s leading I’m seeing in there. Not nearly as bad as it was. A gentleman at the range was kind enough to let me put a few rounds through his chronograph, the 130 grain boolits were going 920 FPS. They were not locking my slide back on the last round, so I guess I need to up the powder charge a bit. I’ve been using 4.3 gr of Unique.

[Bashby]

Newbie question, If I load with more powder should I expect leading to get worse? That would seem logical, but it seems I read the opposite somewhere.

[sigep1764]

Getting them up to pressure sometimes helps obturation reducing any leading. These are powdercoated rounds right?

[Bashby]

They are powder coated.

[cwlongshot]

You should not be seeing leading.

What’s the dia?

Hardness with PC at sub 1k is moot. I have shot dead soft to straight Lino PCd zero issues multiple Glock bbls.

Are you crimping heavily?

Said before but your sure the PC is cured properly?

CW

[Bashby]

You should not be seeing leading.

What’s the dia?

Sizing to .358 after PC. Barrel slugs at .3555


Hardness with PC at sub 1k is moot. I have shot dead soft to straight Lino PCd zero issues multiple Glock bbls.

Are you crimping heavily? No

Said before but your sure the PC is cured properly? I am not. I have been baking at 400 for 20 min and air cooling.


Have not confirmed temp with thermometer.

CW

.....

[cwlongshot]

Well that’s a big one!

My first attempt set at 400 left a pool of lead with a couple lumps. Ironically it was red HF and looked omanis.

Temps on these cheap ovens can be all over the map

[Bashby]

I got an oven thermometer from Walmart this afternoon and checked the toaster oven. With the oven set on 400, the thermometer indicates 350. How big of a deal is that? I can’t set the oven any higher to compensate.

[Landshark9025]

I got an oven thermometer from Walmart this afternoon and checked the toaster oven. With the oven set on 400, the thermometer indicates 350. How big of a deal is that? I can’t set the oven any higher to compensate.

Yeah, that's likely to be a problem. Going a little hot or a little long is generally ok. I cook mine at a solid 400 to just a bit above for 20 min, but if you are only hitting 350, it is likely not curing. Double check the specs on the powder, but 400 is assumed to be the minimum temp the bullets themselves need to be heated to. If you aren't even getting the air inside the oven that hot, then there's no way the bullets are. Did you give it a solid 10-15 minutes to preheat? I know my ovens cycle on and off LONG before the oven thermometers have leveled out.

The only other thing I could suggest is getting a second oven thermometer just to ensure that one isn't off. "By the mouth of two or more witnesses, a thing must be true." and all. But it sounds like a new oven is in order.

[cwlongshot]

Something else to remember. It’s generally recommended 20/400. Meaning 20 AFTER bullets reach 400. NOT JUST 20 min in oven.

CW

[rockshooter]

one thing I learned- my toaster oven turns on the broiler element to preheat- If there is a tray of bullets close to the top burner they become lumps of lead contained in powder coat. So now I make sure the oven is up to temp before putting any bullets in
Loren

[cwlongshot]

On my two Usually that’s the “toast” setting.

I use the center rack and have tried it both ways. If your temp is correct having heat coming from any direction would be a good thing. More even heat. As long as it’s correct temp heat.

I mentioned it before but I see improved results from lava rock on bottom of my ovens. It collects and radiators heat for a more even application of that heat. (At least in my recollection)

CW