leading

should i anticipate leading with standard pressure .38 wadcutter, semi wadcutter and round nose lead bullets? i thought i read somewhere, it's not a problem at velocities under 1000fps. thanks for any input.

I noted considerable leading in my J-Frames after firing several hundred rounds of semi wadcutters (under 1000 fps). Purchased Kleenebore leadaway cloth - swabbed out the barrels good - lead gone.

If you're using swaged bullets at standard pressures, you will probably get some detectable lead in the barrel, but you should be able to shoot many, many of them without accumulating enough to be a problem (i.e., to cause accuracy to degrade). Cast bullets typically lead a little more at low velocities (though much less at high velocities), but still not enough to be a problem.

You can clean this small amount of lead out of a handgun barrel pretty easily with a brush, or buy a gizmo called a Lewis Lead remover (though you really won't have enough to justify a Lewis with the loads you describe).

If it's a new gun, and you want to decrease the likelihood or tendency for lead to stick to it, you might consider shooting a few hundred jacketed rounds through it first, which can smooth out any rough spots. Clean in between jacketed and lead, when switching either way.

If you're using swaged bullets at standard pressures, you will probably get some detectable lead in the barrel, but you should be able to shoot many, many of them without accumulating enough to be a problem (i.e., to cause accuracy to degrade). Cast bullets typically lead a little more at low velocities (though much less at high velocities), but still not enough to be a problem.

Christopher,
That is not consistent with my experience. I found swaged bullets to lead much worse than cast bullets because swaged bullets are typically soft lead and usually have little or no lubricant. Conversely, cast bullets with a good lube (i.e. NRA ALOX formula) will not lead substantially IF they are cast with proper alloy, sized correctly for your barrel, and loaded to reasonable velocity. I get no detectable leading in my .45 ACP 1911's with 200 gr H&G #68 bullets, ALOX lube, sized .451, and loaded to about 900 fps. (Haven't run this load over the chrono yet.) Nor do I get leading in my S&W M629 .44 Mag's with 250 gr H&G bullet, ALOX lube, sized .429, and loaded to 1100 fps or 1425 fps. However, leading DOES increase when lead bullet (cast or swaged) velocities exceed a given value (which varies with individual situation).

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

I'm not sure about some brands of swaged bullets, but on average most swaged bullets are soft and lead up barrels and cylinders.

There is a very easy way to remove lead, and it's not the Lewis Lead Remover, I used the LLR for many years, although it would remove leading, it was somewhat slow and tedious. A few years ago I bought a video from Wilson's about the care of the 1911, in that video he told about using a copper Chore Boy wrapped around a bore brush to remove lead, I tried this and it worked so well I quit using the LLR.

Go to WalMart or a similar store, in the section where they have the dish washing supplies you should find the Chore Boy metal scrubber, they come in stainless and copper, the copper cannot harm your bore at all! Spread that thing out and use a pair of scissors to cut patches out of the copper mesh, wrap that around a bore brush and go to work, it will amaze you how quickly it will remove the lead buildup, clean over a newspaper and look at the lead as it comes out of the bore!

Copper Chore Boy, not stainless!

In addition to the above, let me mention this: some barrels are more prone to leading than others.

"...should I anticipate leading with standard pressure .38 wadcutter..." Nope. I've used cast and swaged for target loads exclusively for 30 years or so. No leading whatsoever. Leading is caused by driving cast or swaged bullets at excessive velocities. Target loads, out of your manual, will be fine. Using .38 cases in a .357 will cause lube crud build up in the cylinders though. Doesn't happen in a .38 Special revolver though. It has to do with the length of the case in the cylinder.

Most important fit is the cast lead bullet to the CYLINDER. BIG is good when dealing with cast bullets. Quantrill

Standing Wolf makes a good point. Some guns just lead more than others. Other culprits may be too hot a powder (Keith mentioned ball powders), bad bullet to throat/barrel fit, and too hard of a bullet. I have generally found that softer bullets lead less in many cases--especially with black powder.

I stumbled accross a kind of "magic" solution to most of my leading problems several years ago. JB Bore Compound. After you have cleaned your bore and removed the offending lead, if any, finish up with JB as instructed. Your patch will turn black--but more importantly, The gun will lead less each time you clean it.

Another way to use it is to heat a few (10 or so) bullets untill the lube runs off and re-lube with JB. Load these up and fire them. I have never had a bore which did not respond. I Guess it is kind of a poor man's firelap.

JB is also great for cleaning the black marks off stainless guns. I would not use it on blued ones. I think it would take the blue off.

I talked to the man who invented this compound a number of years ago. He was dying of cancer and was concerned that if he sold the rights his invention would be degraded. He was convinced that it would not only clean out lead and help prevent build-up, but that it absolutely could not harm the bore and, in fact, would improve accuracy. I never talked to him again, but did eventually see that Brownell's had JB.

I would not be without it. Your mileage could vary.

Lou