Daryl
07-06-2015, 07:16 PM
I've been casting about 7-8 years now and shooting thousands per year. I made the mistake of starting with 9MM and did not have much luck. But, now, I'm very, very happy with my other casting. Everything under 900 FPS I'm virtually lead-free in the barrel even after many rounds. I do try to condition my barrels regularly with Bore Brite and Tetra oil. I use lead almost exclusively in 32 SWL, 32 HR Mag, 38 SP, 44 Mag (under 900 FPS), 45 ACP on a regular basis.
So, I dusted off a pile of 9MM the other day and gave them a try. Here's the details:
Magma mold 122 - Flat Nose - Bevel base. One lube groove that I lube with Magma's lube. I had a .357 star sizer so I used that. The BHN is 15. Loaded on a Dillon Square Deal and taper crimp die set to SAMMI specs on case mouth OD. I used 4.5 grains (max load) CSB-1 (similar to Universal) and COL is 1.05. This same load with Berry 124FP generates 1,100 FPS in Glock 34 - so I figure the velocity on the lead boolit may be that plus 25-50.
I used a new Taurus PT111 Pro G2. Conditioned the barrel as above.
Put 100 rounds through it and all worked very nicely. No degradation of accuracy throughout the trial.
So, here's my question. I weighed the barrel before cleaning. Thoroughly cleaned all lead out with the chore boy method. When all was said and done, the clean barrel was 2 grains lighter. So, that's my guess - there was 2 grains of lead and some powder/lube debris on the barrel. This is the first time I tried weighing the barrel before and after. Has anyone else done such measurements and, if so, what amount did you find to be "heavy leading" that affected accuracy?
One point to note, this load shot more consistently and a better group than the Berry 124 FP.
Thanks
So, I dusted off a pile of 9MM the other day and gave them a try. Here's the details:
Magma mold 122 - Flat Nose - Bevel base. One lube groove that I lube with Magma's lube. I had a .357 star sizer so I used that. The BHN is 15. Loaded on a Dillon Square Deal and taper crimp die set to SAMMI specs on case mouth OD. I used 4.5 grains (max load) CSB-1 (similar to Universal) and COL is 1.05. This same load with Berry 124FP generates 1,100 FPS in Glock 34 - so I figure the velocity on the lead boolit may be that plus 25-50.
I used a new Taurus PT111 Pro G2. Conditioned the barrel as above.
Put 100 rounds through it and all worked very nicely. No degradation of accuracy throughout the trial.
So, here's my question. I weighed the barrel before cleaning. Thoroughly cleaned all lead out with the chore boy method. When all was said and done, the clean barrel was 2 grains lighter. So, that's my guess - there was 2 grains of lead and some powder/lube debris on the barrel. This is the first time I tried weighing the barrel before and after. Has anyone else done such measurements and, if so, what amount did you find to be "heavy leading" that affected accuracy?
One point to note, this load shot more consistently and a better group than the Berry 124 FP.
Thanks