[MoreIsLess]

I have a 6" Ruger Security Six that I shoot lead 148gr 38spl wadcutters out of. Is leading of the barrel a concern and, if so, what can be done to eliminate/minimize it?

[Steve C]

You shouldn't get any leading with .38 spl wad cutters but leading can be removed with normal cleaning if light and with some extra effort if heavy. Most bore solvents will remove ordinary leading, a brass brush will help. For heavier deposits you can use a Lewis Lead Remover, a Foul Out electronic cleaner, scrubbing with a lead specific bore cleaner like Shooters Choice Lead Remover, or plug the barrel and chemically remove lead with a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide and White Vinegar (use properly following good directions or you can pit the bore). Lead can also be removed using Mercury but that's out of favor now both environmentally and health wise.

To avoid or minimize leading keep your barrel clean of both lead and copper fouling. Lead will build up on existing fouling quicker as the bore gets dirtier. New gun bores often lead until enough rounds of jacketed bullets have gone down the bore to smooth it out. Lapping the bore can eliminate the break in time.

[Coal Dragger]

The above is good advice, the other being that if you are reloading try to limit velocities on lead bullets to very moderate levels. This is especially important if you are going to be shooting soft swagged lead bullets like the wadcutters you mention. For soft lead bullets keep velocities to around no more than 850-900fps for minimal lead fouling.

If you want to shoot heavier loads using hard cast lead bullets you can, and your Ruger is more than strong enough to do it. Hard cast lead bullets tend to not lead up nearly as much at higher velocities than soft swagged bullets, but they still will at a certain point usually in excess of 1350-1400fps leading can get obnoxious. Two factors are at work here: friction from the bore to the bullet peeling off lead, and gas cutting from the expanding/burning powder gasses melting the bullet base and sides leaving lead deposits. The answer for hot loads using hard cast lead bullets is to use a gas checked lead bullet, a gas check being a copper washer that is pressed onto the base of the bullet. This prevents gas cutting, and seems to scrape the lead off the rifling as it passes (at least some think it does). I use gas checked lead bullets in my Freedom Arms .454 Casull, and get virtually no measurable leading at all.

[dragon813gt]

With lead bullets fit is king. If it's to small it's going to lead. .001-.002 over groove diameter is a general of thumb. If they are commercial cast or factory loaded ammo you are at their mercy on sizing.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

[Certaindeaf]

No.

[dragon813gt]

There are a lot of things that can be done to prevent leading. Even if you don't cast your own bullets give this a read: www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

It explains a lot. It's a common unfounded misconception that lead bullets will lead the barrel. Even w/ a Glock.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

[Peakbagger46]

I have had good luck firing 5 or 10 jacketed bullets after shooting lead out of my .357. Seems to "shoot out" most of the lead in the bore.

[BCRider]

Most of my .38/.357 guns seldom see anything BUT cast lead. To date I have not had to use anything more than regular solvent to clean them to a nice shiney spotless look. I've simply not seen any sign of any lead buildup in any of my center fire handguns from using lead bullets.

Shoot away. You'll almost certainly find that you're worrying about a whole lot of nothing. Especially when it comes to the lower velocities of .38Spl.

[rcmodel]

I have a 6" Ruger Security Six that I shoot lead 148gr 38spl wadcutters out of. Is leading of the barrel a concernSeems to me if you are already shooting lead without leading?

It isn't a concern.

rc

[LubeckTech]

With hollow based wadcutters you should not see any leading unless you are trying to induce it. These bullets are generally shot at velocities well below the point of concern plus a HB wadcutter will fill out the bore in such a way that thehot gasses responsible for most leading will be kept behind the bullet and not sneeking around the sides of the bullet.

[HEAVY METAL 1]

Wrapping pieces of a copper Chore Boy pad around a cleaning brush and dry brushing prior to using solvent will substantially reduce the lead deposit.

[Remllez]

Gotta go with RC on this one......The HBWC are loaded to powder puff levels and should cause no problems. As someone mentioned the hollow base seals quite well.

[MoreIsLess]

Gotta go with RC on this one......The HBWC are loaded to powder puff levels and should cause no problems. As someone mentioned the hollow base seals quite well.
The wadcutters I have ben shooting are not hollowbase

[Remllez]

Then by golly you better start shooting HBWC....:) Okay let's strike the hollow base part from my post.....if your shooting factory wadcutters the song remains the same. (powder puff.)

[Sam1911]

Brad over at Missouri Bullet Co. has an interesting write-up on balancing the pressure of your load to the hardness of the bullet alloy for minimal leading.

http://www.missouribullet.com/technical.php

You'll see that he offers bullets at several hardness levels intended for various pressure ranges from mild to wild.

Bullet fit to the bore is important, but so is (maybe MORE so) the chamber throat diameter. You can have your chamber throats reamed for proper size with cast bullets, if they mic too tight.

Go here: http://www.cylindersmith.com/
Read this: http://www.cylindersmith.com/Why-ream.html

Between using bullets of approriate hardness, and making sure my cylinder throats are appropriately sized, I can shoot 1,000s of lead bullet rounds through my 629 between cleanings, and not have enough lead in the bore to even notice.

[tekarra]

Steve C, will you elaborate on how to remove lead with hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar please.

[BCRider]

We should also be pointing out that it's quite easy to see the leading during cleaning. With the cylinder open simply stick a cleaning patch or other white paper through the frame so it reflects light up through the barrel and look in the bore. If it's clean and shiney all the way through after running a patch or two down the bore you are done. If you have any leading it'll show up as dull or crusty looking patches that typically are located up against the edge of the rifling.

I've had some of this occur on a couple of my .22's when new. The one surprised me since the gun was bought "used" but it did lead up a couple of times. But once I got a few hundred rounds through it the issue went away. Little did I know that I'd bought a basically NIB old gun. When looking down the bore it was easy to spot the leading by looking for what I described above.

Mind you I've only been doing this a few years. I'd welcome some of the old hands to either confirm or correct me on what leading looks like.

I've never had to resort to any sort of lead dissolver. Any leading I've had came out easily with regular gun cleaning solvents and either patches or a few passes with bronze bristle bore brushes. I'd suggest you not go sticking lead dissolving stuff in the gun unless you've got a serious problem where it won't come loose with the regular methods.