Reloading with lead bullets

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john1911

New member
I thinking about starting to reload my .41 mag and .44 mag with lead bullets. I currently use jacketed bullets and H110 powder. When I started shooting, the guy that helped me out warned not to shoot lead bullets because of leading the bore.

I've been thinking of ordering some cast bullets from Meister. I assume these already have the lube on them? Where can I find data for these bullets? Will pushing these bullets at mild velocity cause leading in the bores? What powders work best with lead bullets?

I would like to try these bullets before I invest in the stuff to cast my own. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
 
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Edward429451

Moderator
My advice is to try to find some boolits sized to .430 and start with those.

I fought leading in my 44 for years until I got clued in to sizing. I cast my own 44 boolits and sized them to .429 and convinced myself that it just didn't matter because I got the performance and accuracy I wanted. Now I size them to .430 and life is better now. I was pushing some lead SWC's over 1400 fps this past weekend and the bore had no lead in it at all.

The Lyman manuals are full of lead boolit data. I use 2400, Unique, and H-110
 
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nate45

New member
I use lead in my .45,.44,.41,.357 leading is not a problem if you have bullets that are properly sized to your pistol.

Leading is caused by flame cutting on the sides of the bullet not the base.

If the bullet fits your barrel right it will form a seal and prevent the sides from being melted and leading your bore.

Here is a good place to buy and learn about lead bullets

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/

I like these as well they are just as good as beartooth.

https://secure25.securewebsession.com/proshootpro.com/index.html this is Leadheads Bullets website.

In .41 mag I use the 230gr Keith Type and in .44 the 250 gr KT. Great bullets they have plain bases and I have no
leading problems even with full magnum loads.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
I reload almost exclusively lead, including in my .41 Magnum.

Buy bullets of known quality and hardness and dont' try to drive them too fast and you won't have any problems with bore leading.
 
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WIL TERRY

New member
Too Bad The Guy Did Not Warn You About The Metal Fouling From Jacketed Bullets !!!

It is ten times harder to get out of your barrel than any lead fouling. And to top off your good news today there is nothing better to cause leading in your barrel than the metal fouling from all those jacketed bullets you formerly thought were " clean shooting." All those sharp rough edges on the metal fouling just love to scrape the snot outta lead bullets passing by and keep chunks of 'em as souveniers.
Now, if you want lead bullets to shoot relatively very cleanly all you have to do is clean the metal fouling outta your pistol's barrel. This of course assumes you have lead bullets of the correct diamter for your pistol, they are of the correct hardness for that which you wish to achieve, and they have a good bullet lubricant. After all this you're home free !!! OH...once you got it figured out you'll never go back to shooting jacketed bullets either, plus you'll be buying a lot of new guns with the money you've saved.
 
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LHB1

New member
John,
I shoot cast bullets exclusively in my pistols (.45 ACP, .44 Mag). Lead bullet loads can be more sensitive to variations than jacketed bullet loads BUT can be very rewarding. CORRECT lead loads will not lead the barrel nor ever wear out the barrel. Don't shoot (soft) swaged lead bullets; they are notorious for leading barrels. Only shoot (hard) cast lead bullets, properly sized for the caliber, and with a good lube. I prefer NRA forumula ALOX lube for my cast bullets. My midrange load runs 1100 fps and full power load runs 1425 fps (Oehler chronograph) from .44 Mag S&W M629 revolvers with 6.5" barrels. Neither load leads the barrel. Strongly recommend cleaning barrel thoroughly before switching from jacketed bullet loads to cast bullet loads or vice versa.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB
 
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brickeyee

New member
"Leading is caused by flame cutting on the sides of the bullet not the base."

This leading usually shows up near the chamber.

It can also be caused by driving a soft bullet to fast, or even having the worog lube on the bullets for speed & hardness.
Velocity leading usually shows up near the muzzle.
 
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tlm225

New member
With the exception of my glock, I load lead exclusively in my handguns. On the few occasions that I've had a problem with lead build up my Lewis Lead Remover solves the problem in just a few passes down the bore. I believe that Midway stills sells the Lewis Lead Remover
 
S

ShootingNut

New member
john1911

Great, I'm sure you will find Mike very knowledgeable, he just doesn't make lead bullets, he knows first hand what shooting is about and is very involved himself.
Best
 
C

crowbeaner

New member
John- make sure you mic the chamber mouths to see what diameters you can use to optimize your lead loads. Ammo should seal the chamber to maximize the propellants you choose. Some guns like a little bigger diameter and some don't; you will have to tinker a little to find out what your guns like (that's part of the fun and the Great Obsession). I size my 44s to .430 or .431 and my .357s to .358 unless the gun measurements dictate otherwise. I size the .41s to .410 only because I couldn't find a .411 die. As long as the alloy is hard enough you won't have much leading. What has been posted about copper fouling is true; get all the copper out before you try lead. I've shot thousands of lead bullets and prefer them to jacketed for big game hunting with a revolver; I want my deer or bear to be leaking blood on two fronts to minimize the chance of loss or having to crawl on my hands and knees for sign. Your guns barrels will last almost forever with lead, and lead bullets almost made the bison extinct; they do the Job mister. Hope this helps. Enjoy. CB
 
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FM12

New member
If you haven't already, check in over at www.handloads.com ...join, and get a lot of good info there also...they even have a section for cast bullet reloading. Lots of knowledgeable guys there, and specialize mostly in reloading. FM12:D
 
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