Had a little setback today at the range. Need help!

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flip180

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I was trying a new load for my 4 inch .357 M520. I went out with a batch of handloads to try out. I leaded up the barrel in just ten rounds which, was the ten rounds that I used to chrono the load. I was trying out the following load.

Winchester case
Winchester SPM primers (unique's website listed mag primers for this load)
Hunter's Supply 158 gr. Hard cast bullets
6.3 gr. unique.

I was getting around 1150 fps with this load. After shooting the string I checked the barrel and noticed a good amount of leading in the barrel. These bullets are supposed to be rated to 1600 fps without gas checks. My crimp is a little on the heavy side with the pimers flattened. Extraction wasnt's too difficult. What can I change? Do I need gas checks, lighter crimp, non-mag primers or go to a 158 JSP which, are just about as cheap as the hard cast bullets I'm using?

Thanks, Flip.
 
First, clean the gun really, really good. Use a lewis lead remover, flitz, chore boy copper, or whatever you use to get it really clean.
Save a couple of those 'hard cast' lead bullets.
The softer the better. Use swaged wadcutters to save time and effort, if you got 'em. Something dead soft.
Mic 'em.
Now, if they're .358 like they're supposed to be, take a dowel and tap hammer, and carefully drive one through the barrel into the muzzle out through the forcing cone.
Mic it again. Write down the diameter.
Then VERY carefully, supporting the cylinder on a piece of wood take another .358 slug and drive it through the back of the cylinder (Just like the bullet would normally travel.) and out the front (Just the cylinder, once in each chamber.), letting the sized slug fall onto the floor. Remove the cylinder if you have to, just don't bend the crane or damage anything. Mic and write down the number.

Now.

If your barrel and cylinder are the same and at .356-.357, then I just wasted your time, except you know your gun is ok.
If any of the cylinder measurements are SMALLER than the barrel measurement, then THAT's your problem. It's ok for your cylinder measurements to be .357 as long as your barrel is .356-.357 and your measured slug through the barrel is round.

My .357s were all good, but my .45 colt was WAAAAAYYYYYYY off, and it leaded bad.
I had the cylinders recut bigger, the forcing cone recut to 11 degrees, and I polished the inside of the cylinders and barrel to a mirror finish. Poof, no leading.
 
Check the bullets with your thumbnail - if you can easily scratch them, they're probably made using a cheap alloy with too little tin and/or antimony, and don't really deserve to be called "HARDcast."

Sometimes if you don't drive the bullets fast enough, the base won't obturate to seal the bore and you get gas blowby which can cause leading . . . but 1150 ft/sec seems like it should be fast enough.

The earlier suggestion about slugging your barrel and chamber throats is worthwhile.
 
From the picture, it looks like those bullets have quite a bevel to their bases. For cast bullets to obturate properly and stop the gas blow-by, beveled bases don't help a darn bit. But many, if not most commercially cast bullets DO have beveled bases. I've complained about it before, but it seems beveled base cast bullets are easier or faster to manufacture.
I'm not real sure what you're asking about gaschecks. A gascheck can't be installed on a bullet that wasn't built for a gascheck. If you already knew that, please excuse me. It's just that you ask if gaschecks would help with your leading problem or not. Yes, they probably will. But you'll have to get some different bullets - gas check types.:)
 
Actually, I really thought gas checks could be added to any lead bullet. I'm new to reloading so, I'm still in the learning process. Would it be just better to go to a JSP. I've had these bullets at 950 fps though this gun using titegroup with no problems. I reload .45 acp using this brand of bullet with 5.2 gr. of unique at 790 fps with no problems either. I'm happy with the .45 acp load but really want to use .357 in my M520 and 1894C to stretch out the velocity out a bit. Would a JSP be better for this?

Thanks, Flip.
 
Well, jacketed bullets won't leave lead in the barrel.
They may copper foul, but that's a LOT easier to clean up.
I shoot JHP in everything except .45 colt.
In .45 colt, I had the gun tweaked and use cowboy loads to shoot soft bullets with no leading.
 
A gas checked bullet will have a stepped base. As for them not leading they don't. Even in microgroove barrels.
 
I tend to agree with both of the above posters. And I use to cast all of my own handgun bullets. I've pretty well given up casting bullets because to me, it's just not worth the time and effort to cast bullets that are accurate and don't lead. Nowadays, I almost always shoot jacketed bullets. I still prefer heavy, cast bullets in large bore (.41+ caliber) revolvers. But I buy them. And they have gas-checks.
 
So, I guess I'd be better off going to a jacketed bullet for my hotter .357 loads. I still have quite a few of the 158 gr. lead bullets left. I'll probably use them with my titegroup load of 5.0 gr. and using a winchester sp primer. I didn't have any problems with that load and it was accurarate. Now, would a good 158 gr jsp suite my needs;) . I want a good accurate higher velocity load that I will give me that magnum shooting experience.

Flip.
 
The recipe for MAGNUM loads in any magnum cartridge:
A CCI magnum primer.
A hornady XTP-HP bullet.
And a max load of any of the following: blue dot, 296, H110, 2400, L'il gun, or N110.
I prefer H110.
Oh, and a firm roll crimp on the cannelure.
 
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before shooting lead bullets in a gun

It's sometimes very helpful to REALLY clean the bore of all jacketed material.I know my old Marlin levergun threw lead bullets all over the valley until I REALLY cleaned it with copper solvent.
gas checked bullets are a bit more spendy to buy,but goodby leading up.
 
Flip,

You've recieved lots of good advice. I'll relist it:

1. Slug your barrels make sure your cylinder throats are larger than your bore.

2. Start with a clean barrel.

3. Assuming your cylinder throats are larger than your bore, use lead bullet sized to the cylinder throats. There in nothing wrong with bullets sized up to .359" in a .357 Magnum if that's what it takes.

4. The harder the bullet, the faster you need to drive it to get it to obturate. You should be close, if the bullet is really 15bh. Your load is really only a start load, more power!

5. Flattened primer don't have anything to do with high pressure in your case. Oily chambers are more likely.

6. A good solid roll crimp is all you need, anything more and you're hurting case life.

7. Forget the leading and the velocity, how did the load shoot?


David
 
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I'll never shoot lead again. Jacketed for my 357 & 9, plated for my 45. Barrels stay much, much cleaner. Plus I hate cleaning lead out of rifling:D John
 
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