Size or not

[Divedigger]

Well Im going to open another can of worms up on the Lee Micro groove boolits do you size or not? I shot several hundred of the 230 rn for 45acp that got lubed and sized with the Lee liquid alox and got lead in the barrel. They mic 252 after sizing , maybe need to slug the barrel? Thanks

[Boogieman]

I've had very little luck with Lee TL in my 45ACP or 357 mag except for light loads.

[JBinMN]

Sometimes I size Lees "Micro groove boolits"( TL), sometimes I just run them "as cast".

I use both the Lee 230 TC or the 230 RN. I run them "as cast" at around .452 with 45/45/10 lube with 2 TL coats. BHN around 10-12.
Usually the alloy I use is 50%WW + 50% pure lead (with a touch of tin for flow.)
I have sized them at .451 before after TL coating once, then TL coating again & they did fine, but they do just as well as cast & so I save myself the sizing step most of the time, & just 2 coat(TL) them @ 452.

As far as slugging the bbl.?
Some say it is not needed. I just do it so I know. YMMV & you will have to decide what you want to do.

I look at it like, " Why not? It won't hurt a thing & then I "KNOW" where the bbl. is at as far as size.".
Then adjust accordingly if necessary.

"Fit is King!", in cast boolits.

If you are getting lead in the first part of the bbl. from the chamber, it is likely "fit" ( remember, "Fit is King"), or it could be hardness in some case, or even both...
if you are getting leading towards the muzzle end, then it is likely lube issue & you are not getting enough lube on the boolit. Streaking down the length of the barrel could be a combo of fit, hardness & lack of enough lube.

Your description in the OP just said, "leading", but not , "where" the leading occurs or how much, etc..

If you are running a "typical" 45ACp & using 452 boolits, you are likely "fat enough with boolits size & the leading is likely lube issue. The only other thing other than lube or "fit" is hardness of the alloy you are using.

If you are using a harder alloy, you can also get leading from lack of obturation & "gas-cutting".

How fast you are pushing the boolit is also a factor, along with the hardness(BHN) as well.
So, you can see that it is pretty much , "up to you" to give out the info necessary for folks to get you going in the right direction.

Saying more/offering more info about what is going on, helps everyone answer your question(s) & will lead to more info being shared.

Little info will get all sorts of answers until all of the details are given & then a more accurate description of what to do will come out by someone.
Anyway,
G'Luck! whatever ya decide.
:)

[Conditor22]

6 CAV TL452-230-2R is my favorite 45 ACP mold (I PC them). due to the step down from the drive bands (TL grooves) to the nose, it chambers easily in more firearms

It would to know both the slugged diameter of the barrel and the make of the gun.

[Divedigger]

Sorry I did not think about the specifics but it was coww air cooled over 4.5 bullseye and the leading was scattered the entire length in a 3 and 4 inch barrels. I did not check hardness but for lube it was TL Lee Alox and left a sticky mess from start to finish and left a bad taste in my mouth of using it again.I tried Hoppes and brushing and I finally ended up borrowing a test tube of mercury and pluging and filling barrel to clean it out instead of buying this and that as there so many opinions on what works and how fast. I went with some 200 gr plated fn Berrys for couple thousand rds but got a lyman 452374 and have 40 lbs poured up with coww water quinched and a lyman 450 just need a .452 die and gonna see what happens. I did pour some coww 358156 and sized and lubed with what lube was in the 450 and it got the star on the muzzle and barrel looks great. I never felt like there was enough lube after sizing for the shallow grooves so maybe I should have relubed. Thanks for tips and what to look for.

[robg]

im lazy I try all pb boolits as cast first ,if they shoot ok im happy but I do size gc boolits to fit the checks

[JBinMN]

DiveDigger,

After reading your latest post, I am going to suggest some things.

One is to go read this article at this link:
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_7_Leading.htm

Another is "if" you decide to use ALOX, 45/45/10 or any other lube and size your boolits in a Lee sizer ( or any non "lube sizer"),
to TL them first, size & then TL them again. The first coat is to ease the sizing & the second coat is to ensure you replace what may have come off in the sizing process.

If you can, (and after reading that article linked above if ya do), I would suggest you do not water harden your COWWs that you are going to use in a 45ACP. That hardening by quenching is likely part of the issue with leading. Lube is also possibly part of the issue as well, but you have kind of a "double whammy" possibility going on right now.

The water quenched COWW are likely a higher BHN( harder) than what fps speeds you are using in the 45ACP and may be contributing to the leading by lack of obturation & /or gas cutting. Lack of lube will also contribute to the leading issue if the boolits do not have enough lube, using just one coat, to carry them to the muzzle, even in those 3-4" barrels.

So, basically I am saying that if it were I in this situation, I would go with air cooled COWW or even a bit softer alloy.( AS I mentioned before, I already do, by using that 50/50 COWW/LEAD)
I would try lubing 2X regardless of if I size or not, and then see what happens. ( Also what I do & have no issues)

If you do those 2 things and,

If leading still occurs then, in the beginning of the bbl. from the chamber, up to the first half of the bbl., then it is still the boolit hardness preventing good obturation (sealing the bore) & allowing gas cutting around the base cause lead to melt off & stick to the bbl. So you would have to go with a softer alloy yet...

If the leading is towards the muzzle end & there is little of no lead like described above, then it is the lube that is likely still the issue and you will need to find a better lube.

It is kind of like a "narrowing down" of the issues to get rid of them.

With the boolit size of .452 you may likely have covered the "fit", it seems, and since all that might be left is boolit hardness for the speeds you are pushing the boolits & the amount of lube necessary for the boolit to get out the muzzle without leading from either, it is a matter of eliminating both of those things by having a little bit softer boolit & little bit more lube.

Once again, G'Luck!