Lead Bullets

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lizziedog1

New member
I haven't done much reloading using lead bullets. I don't really want to get into bullet casting, but I did some web surfing and see that there are quite a few companies that make and sell lead bullets.

Who has tried premade lead bullets? How do they perform? I reload for a .38 Special and I'll probably start their. I notice that you can buy lead bullets for in just about any caliber. They even have 22 caliber cast bullets.

I recently picked up the 49th edition of the Lyman reloading manual. It has many recipies for cast bullets. But they are for bullets that one would make at home. Is their any problem substituting those bullets with ones that are already made if the weights are similar?
 
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Uncle Buck

New member
I use Missouri Bullet Co. (http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=9) for my lead bullets. Brad has been more than helpful and he ships very very fast.

I have used the Lyman #49 for reloading recipes. I pick the load for the bullet I am reloading. I find the load that closest match the bullet/weight and go from there.

The .38 Special is a very easy round to reload. I would just caution against making sure you do not double-charge the case, which is very easy to do.
 
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jmortimer

Moderator
There are many great sources for hard cast bullets or even softer cast or swaged bullets. If you are just plinking or punching paper then Missouri Bullets would be great. If you are hunting or using for self defense like I do then I like Beartooth Bullets, Penn Bullets or Oregon Trails Laser Cast. Lead bullets are easier on your barrel and less friction so you can add a little more powder per charge for similar bullet weights. I like the LBT bullet design with the widest meplat possible or even a wadcutter with a full profile meplat. For a .38 special I like the hard cast Oregon Trails 148 grain wadcutter -Great penetration and accuracy even at low velocity. Again, if you are just punching paper then go with a cheaper bullet. I like to use Unique powder but many like Universal or 231 or many others. There are so many choices when it comes to cast/swaged bulets Meister, Magnus, Hunters Supply, etc. Midway USA and just about every vendor sells a wide variety and many manufacturers sell direct. Again, if you are hunting or using for self defense pay extra for the best possible bullet. If you plink or punch paper it does not matter if your gun likes the bullet and if you really want to get into it you might want to "slug your gun" to see what size would work best. This is good info from the Beartooth Bullet site FAQs http://www.beartoothbullets.com/faq/index.htm
 
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Adamantium

New member
I shoot lots of lead because I cast myself, but if I didn't I'd skip lead altogether and buy plated bullets. They are priced very well compared to lead, even being cheaper than many lead bullets. Plus you can drop all the lead handling safety precautions because they are 100% coated with copper. Hard cast lead will do somethings better but if you are just going to punch holes in paper plated would be the way to go.

http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/ has a variety of Berry's plated bullets for around $75 per thousand.

Who has tried premade lead bullets? How do they perform? I reload for a .38 Special and I'll probably start their. I notice that you can buy lead bullets for in just about any caliber. They even have 22 caliber cast bullets.
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If you do really want to try lead though slug your bore before you start buying bullets. Here are simple directions and you can do it with a fishing weight that is just bigger in diameter than your barrel. Should your barrel be oversized it may save you a lot of time and frustration. Remember you want to shoot a .001 bigger bullet than your groove to groove diameter. Smaller will lead to leading and awful accuracy, but a bit larger, say .002 or.003 will shoot fine and long as it chambers.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm

You could also save yourself some money and shoot the cheaper/softer Missouri cast bullets. All things being equal hard cast lead is not needed for 38spl pressure and velocity levels.

I recently picked up the 49th edition of the Lyman reloading manual. It has many recipes for cast bullets. But they are for bullets that one would make at home. Is their any problem substituting those bullets with ones that are already made if the weights are similar?
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Yes you can, just remember to do a proper load work up and follow all safety precautions. Honestly though for all the lead loads I've worked up accuracy has degraded before pressure got to dangerous levels.
 
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Tanker6

New member
I'll +1 for Missouri Bullet Company and Penn Bullets. I've also used the Laser Cast bullets but found them more expensive for a same/similar product.

I normally load .38 and .40 S&W -- .38's mostly for SASS/CAS (at very low velocities) and .40 S&W as practice rounds for my CCW. I've been very pleased with both the MBC's stuff as well as Penn's bullets.

The interesting thing about Penn's bullets is that he makes a softer version for low velocities and a different one for high velocities. I've not tried the high velocity ones yet, but one day I'll probably order 500 or so and load some high power .357's with it. You can check out his info on these at the website someone posted above.
 
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Adamantium

New member
I've used Oregon trail, Missouri and several others, and am now completely sold on www.Mastercast.net bullets for plinking rounds.
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I checked out the link and let me say thank you. 50 pounds of lead shot for $57 dollars shipped is exactly what I need to get back into shotshell reloading. I was in the army for a few years and didn't do any shooting/reloading and when I got out my jaw dropped when I saw how much shot cost these days. $80+ for 50 lbs is just outright ridiculous.
 
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zippy13

New member
Before I got into casting, I tried some Remington "bulk" lead wad cutters for .38 Spl target loads (revolver and M-52). They performed very nicely. IIRC, there were 2K in the package and they were swaged, not cast.
 
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mikejonestkd

New member
Like I said, I am completely sold on Mastercast.net for plinking rounds. They ship in USPS priority boxes ( the large one is up to 70lbs for $17 IIRC). I have purchased over 5k of bullets from them this fall and they are well made and the owners are great to deal with. Any order I placed before noon was shipped the same day, and I received the bullets in the next day or two. I can't tell the difference in the accuracy between Mastercast.net and Oregon trail, or Penn, or Missouri.

The only problem is that my local mail man is going on disability for a back injury from carrying the boxes to my front door...
 
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Travis Two

New member
For my top performance shooting the best I found are www.pennbullets.com
top notch accuracy and consistency from box to box. A Big Plus 1.
Bob is great guy to deal with and he'll give you as much help as he can . That's top notch in my book.
 
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jmortimer

Moderator
"Wow, those Mastercast guys are 1/2 the price of the Oregon Trail bullets I bought through Midway USA!"
Yes, but the Laser Cast Oregon Trails is 20 + BHN so you get what you pay for. Those are premium bullets as are the Bear Tooths at 22 BHN. Again, if you are hunting or using for self-defense pay for the best. But for shooting paper get what works for the least $$$.
 
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maillemaker

New member
Again, if you are hunting or using for self-defense pay for the best. But for shooting paper get what works for the least $$$.
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Shooting paper is pretty much all I do.

For self-defense, I buy a box of self-defense factory ammo. Same for hunting.

Can't wait to start casting my own bullets from wheel weight lead!

Steve
 
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orionengnr

New member
I have used lead bullets by Kead, Penn and most recently, Missouri. All work well. Please note that Missouri offers different hardnesses for diferent purposes.
 
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huntinaz

New member
Shooting lead is the way to go in my opinion. Just as good as jacketed except way cheaper.

This is why I will never buy bullets from mastercast :http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275492

Mike at mastercast bad-mouthed Stonewall Bullets, a competitor by calling it "cheap crap" (post#9) on this forum. Then he goes on about how he got some and shot them and they sucked, leaded, inaccurate...yeah right. That's been completely opposite of my experience with Robert Green at Stonewall, great shooting bullets with minimal-to-no leading, accurate, and priced right. He ships fast and is nothing but nice. Robert would never go on a forum and talk trash about a competitor's product. It looks like he's getting out of the casting business, which is a big bummer for me cause I loved his product. So when he runs out MissouriBulletCo will be getting my business.

Now Mike backed up his product and it looks like he sells a good product, but so do others without the trash talking. At the end of the thread he looks like a hero with the best bullets ever made, total publicity stunt. I didn't care for it at all. Wasn't trying to steer people towards his product...please:rolleyes:
 
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mikejonestkd

New member
Huntinaz,

Please do not confuse Mastercastbullets.com with mastercast.net....

Two totally different companies...Mastercast.net has been nothing but a great company to deal with.
 
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huntinaz

New member
Well how about that! Surely you can see how I made the mistake...same name and all. Thanks for the clarification.
 
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