Hornady Frontier Lead Bullets #10428

[dangitgriff]

I’ve looked but cannot find what hardness these factory cast bullets are. I have some (100, to be exact) loaded in .38 Special brass with 3.5 grains of TiteGroup. A prolific handgunner on another forum cautioned they are soft lead and only good to about 700 FPS before leading occurs...mine will be going between 900-1000 FPS out of my GP100 with 4” barrel if my calculations are correct.
Product reviews on Hornady’s website for this line of bullets is very good, with some reviewers reporting MV’s between 900—1100 FPS.
If anyone has used these bullets, and especially the SWC/HP, what was your experience with them, and what is their BH?
Thanks in advance for your comments,
—Griff
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[smkummer]

A simple call to Hornady would answer your question. It would be highly doubtful that they would produce a 38 bullet that would lead at such a low velocity.

[ChristopherO]

Hornady Customer Service 800.338.3220
I called them yesterday concerning the OAL on their bullets I am loading for my son's 338 Win Mag. Matt was very helpful.

[Moleman-]

I've used them in 357 and 44 mag at velocities much faster than that with no leading. Perhaps he has other issues causing leading.

[dangitgriff]

A simple call to Hornady would answer your question. It would be highly doubtful that they would produce a 38 bullet that would lead at such a low velocity.


Hornady Customer Service 800.338.3220
I called them yesterday concerning the OAL on their bullets I am loading for my son's 338 Win Mag. Matt was very helpful.

Am I not on THE Cast Boolits forum?
Surely one of you good people has the answer. [emoji1783]

[dangitgriff]

I've used them in 357 and 44 mag at velocities much faster than that with no leading. Perhaps he has other issues causing leading.

I’m thinking he has these bullets confused with some others.
I swear I read somewhere these were not soft lead. Damifiknow ?

[Wheelguns 1961]

Those bullets look swaged. Not cast. I am pretty sure that they are soft lead like a hbwc. If they fit your gun, they shouldn’t lead at 1,000fps.

[dangitgriff]

I’m gonna find out—that’s for sure! [emoji16]
Thanks for the phone number, ChristopherO—I called but it was after hours. Will call tomorrow when they’re open.
I’ll post the answer to my question on the hardness here, too...looks like it might be useful. [emoji851]

[richhodg66]

Those bullets look swaged. Not cast. I am pretty sure that they are soft lead like a hbwc. If they fit your gun, they shouldn’t lead at 1,000fps.

Yep, swaged not cast which means very soft but does not necessarily mean leading at moderate velocities.

Hate to point out the obvious, but you have them loaded up, try them and see if they lead and or shoot badly, why take some stranger's word for it?

[Texas by God]

They are swaged lead. Same hardness as a Hornady swaged round ball.

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[dangitgriff]

They’re getting shot, and I will still want to know if they’re pure or alloyed lead.
If they weren’t already lubed from the factory, I’d have powder-coated the boogers and been done with it.
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[Moleman-]

They are softer. Put base to base with a good hard cast bullet you can turn one of the swaged bullets into a donut. Got home and looked at my loading book from the 90s' when I used most of these. 357 loads were 1000-1100 fps with no leading out of a 4-5/8" Blackhawk and 44 mag were in a pair of 8" smiths. 240gr swchp #11118 over 23-24gr H110, W296 or on up to 17.5gr BlueDot which aren't light loads. After buying 500 pack after 500 packs for years I finally took up casting and had to go to a harder bullet to not get any leading at the same velocities like I was using the swaged hornady bullets at. Also shot a lot of their .45 200gr lswc at 800-900 fps. Liked them too. Each gun is different though and while I had great luck with them and would use them again in a heartbeat if casting were no longer an option, other guys might have a totally different experience. As richhodg66 said you'll need to load some up and see how they do for you.

[bikerbeans]

Put in your lead pot and see what temp they melt.

BB

[dangitgriff]

Thanks, Moleman...
Bikerbean, I’m gonna shoot hell out of them, just don’t know when.
Need to save some water jugs, tea jugs and lemonade jugs to shoot into, hopefully capture the bullet.

[Hick]

I regularly shoot the non-hollow point Hornady "frontier lead" with the same swaged appearance. over 900 fps in both my S&W 38 special and my ruger New model blackhawk (357 Magnum). never have any leading.

[Texas by God]

Thanks, Moleman...
Bikerbean, I’m gonna shoot hell out of them, just don’t know when.
Need to save some water jugs, tea jugs and lemonade jugs to shoot into, hopefully capture the bullet.You can catch SOME cast handgun bullets in ice. I just tried it with a Lee 105 swc from a .38 Special. Cast from 50/50 COWW/ seine net weights. Mangled just a little. Of course magnum loads will destroy the jug!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190424/4e6b0b2b358abc923010fd1e69d13772.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190424/410ff2b83e8b4201b06192180ae4a1e8.jpg

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[dangitgriff]

Hey Texas—is that a firm roll crimp you’re using? I did mine the same. Manufacturer recommended a taper crimp...which I don’t have.
A roll crimp won’t skin too much lead off the bullet when it’s leaving the case after firing, will it?

[trapper9260]

Years ago before I got my reloading set up again ,I had bought some factory ammo for 44 mag with swadged bullets loading in it that was for cowboy and the gun leading was bad and that was in my RH . After I got my reloader and casting pot going.For what I cast and lube . I did not had any more problems with leading.Just letting you know what I had happened in the past.

[Texas by God]

Hey Texas—is that a firm roll crimp you’re using? I did mine the same. Manufacturer recommended a taper crimp...which I don’t have.
A roll crimp won’t skin too much lead off the bullet when it’s leaving the case after firing, will it?Probably a medium roll crimp IMO. I used a Cabela's gift card for 500 of them last year. They work fine at the 850 fps level that I load them to. The accuracy in our two 4" S&Ws is ok but not as good as my home cast. (He says proudly)[emoji16]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190424/adc17be97618c6d692877419a4a720a5.jpg

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[dangitgriff]

That looks like the ones I did. Hope they shoot with the TiteGroup, 3.5 grains is one tiny scoop with the Lee 0.3cc dipper. Very economical!

[Larry Gibson]

I've loaded a thousand of them in 38 SPL +P loads (5.5 gr Unique) which gave 980 fps out of a 4" M15 and 1010 fps out of my 5" M15.

I TL'd them with a light coat of LLA and let thoroughly dry before loading. I seated and crimped with a medium crimp almost exactly as the picute posted by Texas by God shows. With the additional coat of LLA I got no leading. Expansion was excellent and equal to the Winchester and Federal +P LSWCHP factory loads in sopping wet newsprint. I developed that load to equal the velocity of the factory Win/Fed +P loads back in the 70's. Recent pressure testing (Oehler M43 PBL with a Contender test barrel) shows the psi is within SAAMI +P MAP for the 38 SPL.

[Norske]

I've used those in the past, and they are indeed like the hollow based wadcutters in terms of hardness. Also like the HBWC bullet, they are already lubed with a dry powder coating (mica?). It's a very effective bullet in a 38Spcl, they expand a lot at 38 Spcl speeds. Mine blew an exit hole almost 2" diameter in a jackrabbit.

[dangitgriff]

Thanks for all the replies and input, men.
I just got off the phone with Hornady CS, they confirmed the whole Frontier Lead product line is plain old lead...5 HB.
I intend to find an effective way to de-lube them so I can powder coat them so I can load them to velocities above 1,000 FPS. Maybe boil them in water? Soak in 99% isopropyl alcohol? Or Gasoline?
I don’t suppose paper-patching is an another option?

[dangitgriff]

I've used those in the past, and they are indeed like the hollow based wadcutters in terms of hardness. Also like the HBWC bullet, they are already lubed with a dry powder coating (mica?). It's a very effective bullet in a 38Spcl, they expand a lot at 38 Spcl speeds. Mine blew an exit hole almost 2" diameter in a jackrabbit.

Oh yeah, that’s what I like to hear!

[richhodg66]

Thanks for all the replies and input, men.
I just got off the phone with Hornady CS, they confirmed the whole Frontier Lead product line is plain old lead...5 HB.
I intend to find an effective way to de-lube them so I can powder coat them so I can load them to velocities above 1,000 FPS. Maybe boil them in water? Soak in 99% isopropyl alcohol? Or Gasoline?
I don’t suppose paper-patching is an another option?

De lubing bullets is a lot of trouble, especially when several people on this thread have told you they can be shot over 1000 FPS without leading. Tumbling them in LLA like Larry said will take 30 seconds plus the drying time and will be as good a lube as you can find for pistol velocities.

[RED BEAR]

I haven't bought any of these in a very long time but they used to be dead soft or close to it.

[dangitgriff]

De lubing bullets is a lot of trouble, especially when several people on this thread have told you they can be shot over 1000 FPS without leading. Tumbling them in LLA like Larry said will take 30 seconds plus the drying time and will be as good a lube as you can find for pistol velocities.

I already said I’ve loaded 100 of them right out of the box with 3.5 grains of TiteGroup, and I will shoot the hell out of them and see what happens [emoji1783].
I prefer powder-coating, and therefore am interested in boolits that don’t have a lube groove or gas check. These fit the bill. Also the Lee 358-158-RF with the tapered heel, if it didn’t have a lube groove it would be exactly what I have in mind.
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I appreciate all the input, I’m still learning, and yes, listening too. [emoji106]