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Thread: Glock barrel leading

  1. #61
    Boolit Buddy
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    I got the oven up to 400 and did a batch. Preheated then put the in for 25 minutes. After a magazine or 2 it seemed my accuracy was going away and the barrel was fouled. I was shooting a plate rack, and was getting misses, a couple times the plate next to the one I was aiming at fell, even though my red dot seemed to stay on target through the trigger pull. Frustrated, I shot a few factory rounds through it and accuracy seemed to get better. I shot the rest of the 150 rounds I had made with some Jacketed bullets mixed in to keep the barrel clean.
    Here’s what it looks like now.Click image for larger version. 

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    Not sure if I mentioned it in this thread, but I wasn’t happy with the accuracy I was getting with this barrel, even when clean with factory ammo. (6” at 25 yd from a rest). I ordered a Lone Wolf barrel which I received yesterday. None of my reloads will plunk. I can take an empty case, resize it, and it takes slight pressure to seat and won’t fall out under its own weight. If I give it a little tap with my finger to seat it in the chamber I need pliers to remove it. Obviously with any case bulging at all it’s not going to chamber. I’m looking for input on that before I contact Lone Wolf.

  2. #62
    Boolit Master
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    Do factory loads drop in the chamber as they should ?
    What size bullets are you using ? Is the bullet hanging up in the throat?
    With a new barrel you are starting over on load work up.
    I would make sure the problem is not the way I assemble my hand loads or my choice of bullet before contacting Lone Wolf.

  3. #63
    Boolit Buddy
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    Factory bullets plunk.
    Using .358 boolits, they are not hanging up in the throat. I dropped one in and took measurements, throat seems good.

  4. #64
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bashby View Post
    Factory bullets plunk.
    Using .358 boolits, they are not hanging up in the throat. I dropped one in and took measurements, throat seems good.
    If you take one of your reloads that won't fully chamber and eject it if you can't find a mark on the bullet , if you have machinist blue you can color a the whole cartridge or even a black marker and you tell what is binding , it may be in the body of the case the crimp or the bullet .
    Your barrel / chamber may not accept the larger .358 bullet properly.

  5. #65
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Bottom 2 are .358 boolits. You can see scuff marks just left of center of the casing. Middle one is an empty case, straight from resizing die to chamber. Scuff is right of center, towards the rim. It didn’t quite chamber all the way and was prett hard to extract.Here is another picture.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    The top two are some .357 boolits I loaded up in nickel cases to display. They sit in a candy dish in the living room as a conversation piece and to irritate the girlfriend. They will actually chamber fully and extract.

    I tried to upload a pic of the other side of that second one up, failed to upload 6-8 times. Those pics took 3-4 tries. The other side is clearly scuffed towards the rim just like the empty case and right at the mouth where the case was flared.
    Last edited by Bashby; 03-07-2020 at 10:49 AM.

  6. #66
    Boolit Master
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    I would try sizing .357 or .356 if those chamber . With .356 I would try the standard neck expander and see how they work if they work good and you get the crimp where it works you are in business.
    The problem with the crimp will show up with mixed lot and brands of cases because they are not all the same length. If factory dimensioned ammo works in your barrel the carbide FCD will simplify loading mixed cases but it won't work for you if you have to oversized bullets more than .356 .357.
    Since you now know part of the problem is the body of your case with the over size bullet your barrel maker may have a recommendation based on experience with that barrel.

  7. #67
    Boolit Master
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    I fought leading in a Glock 17 for a very long time with similar results. I even bought a second barrel that did not improve the situation (I should probably try to sell it).

    For you original barrel, I am guessing that you never got your "as fired" bullets big enough down at the base of the boolit. I am pretty sure the biggest problem was the bullets being swaged down by the case.

    Eventually, I found success that with stuff that included bigger boolits, a custom expander (expander just 0.001" under boolit diameter and brass expanded for full length of seated boolit), sorted brass (FC, Blazer & Speer only), and finally separate steps for boolit seating and a trip through a crimping die (set for flare removal only).

    For your new barrel, you seem to have a very tight chamber and a sizer die that is not sizing far enough down the brass. If you run a whole batch of brass through the sizer you may get lucky and find that some percentage may slide in easily as they were never fired at full pressure in a loose chamber. The next problem would then be getting boolits just the right size to not expand the case too much. And then it may or may not shoot without leading depending on groove diameter. For cast boolits in a 9mm, a tight chamber may not be such a good thing.

    You have already spent a good bit of money with getting the original barrel re-worked and then for a second barrel. Even if your second barrel vendor is willing to work with you, they typically do not cater to (or understand the needs of) cast boolit shooters. Try to get help from them and you will probably be out some more shipping (at a minimum) with iffy chances for a lot of improvement. I would be very temped to try polishing out the chamber just a little with fine grit wet or dry wrapped around a wooden dowel (just a little at at time, just where needed, and just enough to plunk sized brass) and/or try some more with the original barrel.

    Now that I have tried to give you my best ideas on your specific problems, I will add my "standard story on curing leading in a 9mm".




    Take your time and read the following. Then do it. As corny and funny as it may sound, it is probably the best solution.

    The 9mm can be very frustrating. Do not let that put you off. The solution is simple. There 10 easy steps to boolits the 9mm.

    Step 1: Try what you have and what you think might work. Take notes. You might get lucky.

    Step 2: If step 1 did not work, tell us exactly what you did.

    Step 3: Sort through the 50 suggestions, pick one.

    Step 4: Try it and hope you get lucky.

    Step 5: If it did not work, tell us exactly what you did and what happened.

    Step 6: Sort through the 40 suggestions. Pick a new suggestion.

    Step 7: Try it and hope you get lucky.

    Step 8: If it did not work, go back to step 5.

    Step 9: After you get something that works, assume you are an expert and provide suggestions when some else shares their problems.

    Step 10: After a bunch of newbies ignore your suggestions, come to understand that the 9mm is too finicky to ever be simple and work the same way for anybody else.
    Last edited by P Flados; 03-07-2020 at 02:35 PM.

  8. #68
    Boolit Buddy
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    This thread has been a very interesting read. I own a few Glock and Sig 9mms.

    What bullet molds do you guys like for casting for these? I'm thinking 4 or maybe 6 cavity mold.

  9. #69
    Boolit Buddy
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    Both the Lee and Lyman 120 TC molds are very popular, probably more so the Lee because of cost. I bought my Lyman (4 cavity) about 5 years ago and it was about $90 without handles. But it casts beautifully and drains my 20 lb pot in no time at all. I powder coat mine and seat to 1.120" OAL and they never fail to feed. Determining your barrel diameter and sizing .001"-.002" over is half of the equation. The other is getting an expander that opens the case more than one designed for a jacketed bullet. The stock 9mm powder funnel/expander on my Dillon has a diameter of .350" and the cast boolit was being swaged down as it was seated. Accuracy was miserable and inconsistent. The one I bought from Lathesmith (on this forum) measures .356" and it was the key to accuracy in my Glock 23 (LWD conversion barrel). That and reading just about every post regarding cast boolits and 9mm that I could find here.

    One more thing...don't crimp the bullet too much. You only want to remove the 'flare' created by the expander.
    Last edited by mvintx; 05-07-2020 at 02:57 PM.

  10. #70
    Boolit Master
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    If an empty case that has been sized binds in the chamber and factory loads will plunk with out binding then your sizing die is off or you brass is bulged to close to the case head to be corrected with standard sizing for that barrel.
    You may need to run your cases through a bulge buster . If sized empty cases will not chamber correctly I don't see how they can get better after after seating a bullet in them.

  11. #71
    Boolit Master
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    For figuring out the right crimp, what worked for me was taking a case that you have sized and expanded. Then back out the seater plug and raise the seating/die up in the press. With the caser in the press, raise it into the die, all the way, now begin to lower the die until it is contacting the flaired case mouth. Then keep lowering and checking until the case will drop into the chamber of the barrel you are going to shoot these through. Worked for me, gives you the least required crimp. This might help, you will at least know the crimp isn't the issue anyway. I do think, as it has been said, it is an expander issue. Keep at it, you will get it right....and then don't touch those dies! On a Dillon, I also got an expander funnel from Lathesmith and in my turret press have the Lee 38S&W expander in that die...both set-ups work. I also am PCing with Smokes powder and size to .357 or .358 after PC in my Lyman 450, seems to work in my XDm pistols.
    Take a kid to the range, you'll both be glad you did.

  12. #72
    Boolit Grand Master fredj338's Avatar
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    I hear about leading in Glock bbls but I shoot mostly coated lead bullets. I do my own, PC & HT, but sometimes buy them. I used to use only 0.357" bullets but in mixed brass would get too many that wouldn't chamber, so I went back to 0.356". I shoot mostly range scrap & water drop out of the oven after coating. I don't have leading issues or loss of accuracy. Maybe just lucky but they work in all my 9mm, Glock OEM, after market or my Springer 1911. Shooting off a rest @ 25y I have not seen better accuracy sized 0.356, 0.357 or 0.358".
    SOme barrels can just be rough & without lapping will always lead, regardless of the alloy or coating. They will also copper foul badly in my exp.
    EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
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  13. #73
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by fredj338 View Post
    I hear about leading in Glock bbls but I shoot mostly coated lead bullets. I do my own, PC & HT, but sometimes buy them. I used to use only 0.357" bullets but in mixed brass would get too many that wouldn't chamber, so I went back to 0.356". I shoot mostly range scrap & water drop out of the oven after coating. I don't have leading issues or loss of accuracy. Maybe just lucky but they work in all my 9mm, Glock OEM, after market or my Springer 1911. Shooting off a rest @ 25y I have not seen better accuracy sized 0.356, 0.357 or 0.358".
    SOme barrels can just be rough & without lapping will always lead, regardless of the alloy or coating. They will also copper foul badly in my exp.
    I shoot with 2 other guys 1 has almost all Glocks between us we have at least 12 different 9mm pistols we all load 125 gr .356- 357 bullets Hi-Tek coated and to add to the controversy we all use the carbide factory crimp die.
    We normally shoot 50 to a 100 rounds per gun that we bring to the range none of us get any noticeable leading We clean each trip. I don't know why this works So well for us . I load mine hot enough to always have the slide lock back and still provide enough accuracy to work for how we shoot. Both my range partners load a little hotter than I do. This is not once in a while we shoot twice a week . Usually 1 or 2 of us bring a 9mm of some kind.
    We all 3 use BE-86 and WW primers , I also use red dot on occasion.
    I am with you some guns are just contrary. but frequent cleaning may prevent buildup that gets bad enough to notice . It seems some people take pride in not cleaning.

  14. #74
    Boolit Buddy
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    Thanks for the info!

    I already obtained a custom expander die for my Dillon press from Lathesmith.

    And I've been using a light taper crimp on 9mm for many, many years.

    Andy

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