Leading problem w/ ww's

[twally]

Is there any reason to get leading when using straight ww's? I lubed with LLA/jpw
Maybe not enough lube? I went very light with the LLA per all of the advise "a little will go a long way" any suggestions?

.40 s&w air cooled around 800fps sized to .401

Thank you Wally

[RobS]

Need more info............what caliber are you reloading for would be a start. Aircooled wheel weights work well with alot of applications from handguns to rifle, but if you are trying to push things to the extreme or you are wanting deep, deep penetration on a grizzle bear then...................that is another issue.

Have you slugged your bore??? What is it's groove diameter???? It is good to be .001 to .002 over.

[twally]

Rob,
I am casting 182gr. .40 s&w sized to .401 air cooled ww's shooting at aprox. 800 fps. I have not sluged my bore, but I have used commercial cast sized to .401 in the past with no problems.

Wally

[sqlbullet]

If you drop those bullets straight from the mold into water, you will probably closely duplicate the hardness of commercial bullets.

I would guess your bullets are a little undersize, and their isn't enough lube with the LLA to provide any hydraulic seal at the base. My 10mm both slugged barely under .401.

You may try bumping your load a little, and see if the issue goes away. My leading issues go away if I stay high on the pressure curve, which I attribute to obturation making the bullet fit the bore better. If I want slower speeds, I use faster powders.

[HORNET]

Is your sizing die actually giving you .401? It's not unusual for them to run a touch small and alloy can have an effect. They can be polished out if necessary. You might want to give them another light coat of LLA after sizing, as well. 800 fps shouldn't require heat-treating or water-dropping.

[RobS]

Wally:

I can't tell you for sure on the commercial cast as many times they tend to be in the 18-20 BHN range (much harder than air cooled WW: 10-12 BHN).
At 800 fps:
This would be a low velocity and fairly low pressure round in a 40 S&W. The load you are developing could be as high as the 22,000-23,000 cup with quick powders or as low as 15,000-16,000 cup with a bit slower of a powder selection which is similar to the pressures of a 45 ACP round. Air cooled wheel weights work just fine for most at the pressures and velocities you are reloading for so my best guess without knowing the barrel's groove diameter is you have a bullet that is a bit undersized possibly.

Try some bullets un-sized (if they will chamber) and see what happens. You could also try and duplicate the commercial bullets and water quench the bullets. I know that many people have done this and it worked for them. Your mileage may vary though, but if you don't try you won't know what works for your firearm.

[jbrown]

Depends on the powder speed you are using. Higher (peak) pressures means you need harder alloy. Air cooled WW should be plenty hard though. Most likely it is bullet size/fit though - have you tried pulling a bullet after you seat it and measure the size? Maybe your seating process is squishing the bullet (I had that problem early on)

[jbrown]

Also, make sure you are aging your WW properly - air cooled take awhile to get up to peak hardness, and if you are shooting them right after dropping them (1-2 days) they might be way too soft.

I've had no problems with leading in 40S&W at similar velocities using AC and WD WW and LLA. I size mine to .402 (my barrels slug out at exactly .400).

A little goes a long way - they should be slightly pewter colored and non-sticky after drying for 1-2 days. If dark brown (with visible clumps), or are sticky then you put too much on. Shouldn't cause leading. If you don't wait for it to dry, I notice that the LLA doesn't work very well (learned that when I didn't wait long enough before sizing).

You can always dry it out with a fan or hair dryer if you are in a bigger hurry.

[sargenv]

I had the same leading problem using 92-6-2 when they were air cooled.. when I switched to water dropping either WW's or 92-6-2 it increased the hardness up to 18-20 and all leading problems went away.