Parts & tools for slugging the bore

[OnceFired]

Hey all

I'm going to slug the bore of my Beretta 9mm PX4 Storm.

I have my cast boolits - many of which look slightly oversize, so I have one of those lubed up. I plan on oiling the barrel of course. I have a few questions...

1) The rod to push the lead through - I have seen lots of posts & people avoiding wood dowels like the plague. Some people use O-1 drill rods. What size should I get, and from where? 19/64 from Fastenal work ok?

2) I'll put tape on the rod to protect the barrel. Should this be electrical or masking? Does it matter?

3) Do I need to push the boolit all the way through from chamber through the barrel? I see many videos that just show tap in & tap back out the way it came in.

Thanks in advance,
OF

[wv109323]

I would not use a cast bullet to slug the bore unless I knew it was oversize for sure.Also I would want a soft lead slug and not a harder bullet alloy. The softer slug will be easier easier to pass thru the bore. What if you used a .358 bullet in a .359 bore? You would probably never realize that the bore is larger than the bullet. The rifling would engage the bullet but the bore would never size the slug since it is larger.
You can take a fired case(with primer in place) and pour a slug that is oversize and with a soft alloy. Just melt a small amount of soft lead in a spoon with a propane torch.
I would use electrical tape and as many layers as possible. You can use any steel rod but I would try to find a brass case (like a .25 auto or something that would pass through the bore) to go over the end of the rod. I hate to mention this but an old chain saw file works. The brass case is better if it comes in contact with the barrel but the objective is never let the rod touch the barrel.
I would pass one slug all the way through the bore to insure that I got the smallest diameter. IF there seems to be a tight or loose spot then you might want to partially pass a bullet to confirm a large or small diameter in the barrel.
Lube the slug and the barrel with some oil.

[Mk42gunner]

I have never used a bullet to slug a bore. I have always used a round ball meant for muzzle loading.

Once you get the slug engraved by the rifling, it doesn't take a lot of force to push the slug through the barrel. If I were to buy a rod specifically to slug a 9mm with I would buy a piece of 5/16" brass slightly longer than the barrel. I have done quite a few with nothing more than a rawhide mallet to get the ball started, then my regular steel cleaning rod with a brass jag on the end.

The main thing is to not contact the rifling with anything that will damage it, hence the use of a brass (softer than steel) jag.

I am one of the ones that avoids putting a wooden dowel in the barrel; I still have bad memories about getting a broken wooden cleaning rod out of a 12 ga on my first ship.

Robert

[country gent]

Another thing to make slugging the barrel easier is once you get your rod and its cut to length Make sure both ends are square and flat. A quick pass thru the lathe faceing each end true will make it much easier to control and give better results. A stop at a small local machine shop or trade school and ask to have ends faced square. Will take longer to ask than to do. You can also work with a square and file. Besure nad break all the sharp edges. Heat shrink insulation is tough and can be used to cover rod also.

[Catshooter]

once fired,

This works for me and has for about 40 years.

I use quarter inch brass rod. One is full length, that is to say 36 inches. The other is 12 inches. Mobil One oil. Hammer. A piece of lead.

I slugged the bore of a Glock 27 yesterday, here's how I did it.

Clamped the barrel in wooden jaws in the vice. Grabbed a 40 caliber boolit. Oiled it and slipped it in the chamber. Took the 12 inch rod and drove the boolit through the bore and out the muzzle. Now this boolit had been water dropped, and it had aged a bit so it rang in at about 20 BHN. In case you don't know, that's about twice as hard as most of my wheel weights. It's hard.

But as pointed out above, once it engraves, it just goes down the bore.

The same procedure works for a rifle. I start the boolit with the 12 incher and then switch to the longer rod.

I needed to slug a 9mm bore one time and had exactly zero boolits anywhere near that size. So I grabbed a 45 boolit and drove it carefully into the muzzle. The careful part meaning I was cautious not to strike the muzzle with the hammer. When the boolit was all the way in there was a nice little ring of lead hanging off of my brass rod. That was the difference between a .357 bore and a .453 boolit. :)

Let's say you want to measure a 45 but the biggest boolit you have is a .357. Well just smack the boolit with a hammer until it's fat enough and you're good.

Never have used a wooden rod, never, ever will. Steel will work if you tape it. I'd tape it maybe every six inches or so. I wouldn't want the rod to flex in the bore and scratch it. The rods do definitely flex. Maybe even every four. But then I scare easy.

Hope this helps.

Oh yea! Then I measure with a Starret micrometer. I measure gently as lead, even 'hard' lead is a soft metal. You can use calipers as long as they aren't plastic.


Cat

[OnceFired]

Fantastic advice, all. Much appreciated!

OF

[Moonie]

If you have a kinetic bullet/boolit puller simply fill an unsized case with soft lead and knock it out with the puller, oil slug and barrel well and drive it through with a rod wrapped with tape to prevent barrel damage, do not use wooden dowel. Measure with micrometer, not caliper.