Leading issues

[xxRosenbaum126]

Hello everyone, I'm new to casting and finally got around to testing some of my first cast loads today. My 9mm loads seem to be leading
my barrel pretty bad. I'm using lee liquid alox to lube them.

[Thumbcocker]

Bore size? Boolit size? Alloy? Load?

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[BK7saum]

If you are trying to push them too hard, they will likely lead. Also if your lead is soft, they may be getting swaged by the case when seating, which will cause leading as well. Really need specifics asked for in above post to get to the root of the problem.

[xxRosenbaum126]

.356 bore size, .357 bullet size, and I'm just using wheel weights. 4.3gr titegroup, 111gr bullets

[chutesnreloads]

You picked a rather difficult cartridge to learn shooting cast with. I did the same and to this day shoot very little cast in 9mm.
If you really want to enjoy the hobby I'd suggest getting a more cast friendly cartridge to load cast in.
I know it can be done but for me it wasn't worth the frustration. There's just too many cast friendly guns out there to enjoy

[Thumbcocker]

Wheel weights are fine for alloy. Many use tight group or other fast powders although I prefer slower in 9mm.

That leads me to think a bit bigger boolit might help. Can you try. 358?

Also there is a sticky on setting up to load 9mm that is pure gold. You might want to review it.

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[Targa]

Maybe give powder coating a try. I haven’t had any leading issues in the five 9mm’s I use them in.

[xxRosenbaum126]

My bullets drop around .358 so I'll definitely give that a shot. I'll see if I can find the thread about the 9mm setup. I'm new to reloading in general and a friend suggested I use titegroup, I've never tried any other powder.

[BigAlofPa.]

Tite group caused me many leading issues in 9mm with cast.

[xxRosenbaum126]

What would you reccomend? I'm not dead set on using titegroup, it was just the first thing reccomended to me. I've only been loading a few months

[charlie b]

Which pistol and does it have a compatible throat? My HK hates cast as it has no throat. Just shaves off some lead (and/or powder coating) and then leaves lead streaks in the barrel.

[243winxb]

These loads marked in red shot ok, with no leading. Sized in a .356" die. My alloy has linotype added for a harder bullet then yours. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...9mm-luger.317/

More- https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...g-bullets.310/

[gnostic]

Go to a .358 and be certain you aren't resizing in the bullet seating process. Try pulling a seated bullet to be sure it's still .358 in the loaded round. Tightgroup is my go to powder for 9mm...

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have had good luck with unique and power pistol in 9mm. Look into powder coating. I think you will love it.

[rockshooter]

agree with powdercoating. This one step is cheap, easy to do, and clears up several 9mm loading issues
Loren

[Walks]

Powder Coat, I switched after 55yrs with a Lubi-Sizer and 1yr of TL

[Forrest r]

Go to a .358 and be certain you aren't resizing in the bullet seating process. Try pulling a seated bullet to be sure it's still .358 in the loaded round. Tightgroup is my go to powder for 9mm...

Very good advice!!!!

Most reloading dies are setup for the shorter/smaller in diameter jacketed bullets.

The expander die & more importantly the expander button itself makes huge differences in how your cast bullets perform.

For some the expander die doesn't seem to matter. Others use a lyman m-die or a lee 38s&w expander. NEO Molds makes excellent expander buttons that use the lee universal expander die as a host. NEO's expander buttons screw on/change out with easy along with being extremely low cost for them making them an exceptional value for us reloaders. (1 lee expander die body/multiple caliber expander buttons)

I'm sure I sound like a broken record; I've showed these pictures before.

A lyman m-die that has a "step" at the top of the expander button. That step creates a shelf that the bullets sit on that aids in starting and seating the bullets strait.
[IMG][/IMG]

Myself I like using the lee reloading dies for the semi-auto's because of their taper crimp dies (not the fcd die) that do excellent taper crimps on my relaods. A lyman m-die button next to a lee factory expander button. You can clearly see a brass ring (high water mark) on the lee expander button. That was left there from the case mouth/where the top of the case ends. The m-die is larger in diameter expanding the cases more for the larger in diameter cast bullets. The m-die also goes into the case twice as deep expanding the case deeper protecting the cast bullets base better.
[IMG][/IMG]

A lee expander button next to a custom expander that I made for the 9mm's. The custom expander is solid but I have made them for the auto presses/powder drops. You can see the brass colored the custom expander showing wear.
[IMG][/IMG]

Some bullets I like to load in the 9mm's that are sized to .358". I used that custom expander to make those reloads. You don't see any wasp waist/bullet bulge, bullet base showing thru the case, etc. There is also a 3/1000th's taper crimp there that is +/- 20/1000th's long from the case mouth (shinny ring at top of case). This is why I like the lee taper crimp dies!!!
[IMG][/IMG]

In the past I've cast .358" bullets using water dropped range scrap (+/- 12bhn) and traditional lubes for my 9mm reloads. I did try the 45/45/10 tumble lube for a little while. Now I use 8/9bhn range scrap or the same old water dropped range scrap (+/- 12bhn) and size the cast bullets to .358" and pc them. I did try .356" and .357" pc'd bullets, they worked fine. It was just simpler to size all the 35cal cast bullets to .358" and use them in the 9mm/38spl/357mag's.

There are a lot of excellent reloaders on this website, I'm sure they'll get you dialed in.

[xxRosenbaum126]

I appreciate all the info! L definitely give powder coating a try. Tried loading some .358 today and it seemed to help with the leading. But also upon closer inspection I think I may be resizing in the bullet seating process. I'll pull one tomorrow and take a closer look.

[Ban]

Worth a check on the seat resize.
Also try 3.8-4gr of tg.
Ww alloy can also be heat treated or water dropped

[Dusty Bannister]

While I agree that HT/Q to increase the bullet hardness can reduce the bullet being sized down, it is a "patch" and not a "fix". The OP needs to understand that if the case diameter is too small after sizing, it needs to be expanded to prevent reducing the bullet diameter either by reduced neck tension, or reducing the amount of taper crimp on the case. Correct neck tension will hold the bullet securely and not allow the bullet being pushed deeper into the case while cycling from the magazine. Correct taper crimp just removes the case mouth flare to ease feeding from the magazine into the chamber.

Identify the problem by pulling a bullet and checking bullet diameter with a micrometer reading. Then fix the problem by either expanding the case mouth to the correct diameter or reduce the amount of taper crimp applied. Or perhaps you could be doing both.