Pure pb in smokeless

[Hogokansatsukan]

Now, it seems like a good idea, so it probably is not.
I was thinking (this is a rare thing as I have been discouraged from doing it because it often causes trouble).
Casting a boolit, let's say for the .380 or 9mm, or any handgun caliber for that matter, in pure unadulterated pb. I know the pressure would go up and it would lead the barrel something fierce, but for a defensive bullet, would this not be ideal? Expansion should be no problem with a large meplat. Would not have to worry about the HP filling with t-shirt and denim.
Any thoughts?

[onondaga]

You are incorrect. The pressure goes down with lead instead of jacketed bullets because lead is considerably softer than copper and friction will be a lot less down the bore. Pure soft lead bullets that fit .002 larger than groove to groove slug measured bore diameter and are properly lubed will work fine with low pressure loads 800 - 900 fps. Poor bullet fit and poor lube is what causes leading. Under size bullets lead up firearms the most, tumble and shoot all over the place.

You will need molds that cast bullets the correct diameter or big enough to be sized the correct diameter over your measurement for each barrel and a Lyman "M" die to expand your brass and flair it for seating lead bullets for each caliber if you intend to be happy with the results. You will also need to re-size the flair back or crimp after seating bullets.

That kind of care preparing your ammunition within the limits of soft lead should yield accuracy superior to jacketed ammo, just slower. Hopefully not too slow or too low pressure to operate your actions. Gas checked bullets with a harder alloy like Lyman #2 or harder are much more practical and can be loaded to much higher pressures/velocities than handguns can function at. If you already have pure lead, alloying your own #2 or harder alloy isn't really hard to do and plenty of reference for getting started in that is here for the searching.

This likely leads you to a lot of questions, and it should. Shooting cast bullets should not be taken lightly by anyone starting. There are many differences that should be studied and learned completely to keep safe and get your results superior.



Gary