Where do you get round lead balls for slugging barrels & revolver chambers?

[JimGnitecki]

I want to slug the barrels on my .45-70 Pedersoli rifle and my 2 357 Magnum Colt SAA replicas, plus the cylinder chambers on the 2 revolvers.

1. What size of soft lead round balls should I use?

2. Where do you get them, in Canada, without having to buy a boxful or bagful of both sizes, and shipping all that weight?

Jim G

 

[Englishmn]

Lead fishing weights work.

 

[mcb]

Cerrosafe is a much easier way. It's a supper low melting temperature (less than 190 deg F) alloy you can use to cast chambers, throats and even rifling's for measurements. It will melt with a low temperature heat gun or even a hot hair drier.

https://www.brownells.com/tools-cle...ers-cutters/cerrosafe~-chamber-casting-alloy/



Cerrosafe casting of my Gewehr 98 when I was trying to figure out what weird cartridge it was chambered in. As you can see it capture the chamber shape and even the rifling shape very accurately for measurements.

 

[Hartkopf]

If you have soft lead bullets for your guns, squeeze one longways in a vise, it will grow in diameter. Or tap it with a hammer. It won’t take much. Get it to the diameter you want and tap it through.

 

[.38 Special]

It's possible to buy "slugging kits" for not a whole lot of money. Most of these are caliber-specific, though. It may be better economy to buy a box of relatively small lead balls - .350" or so - and simply smash them to needed diameter. (I use a hammer, myself.)

 

[JimGnitecki]

If you have soft lead bullets for your guns, squeeze one longways in a vise, it will grow in diameter. Or tap it with a hammer. It won’t take much. Get it to the diameter you want and tap it through.

I love the simplicity of this suggestion! How do I first remove the Hi-Tek coating though? Will Acetone or Lacquer Thinner remove the Hi-Tek? Or?

Jim G

 

[JimGnitecki]

It's possible to buy "slugging kits" for not a whole lot of money. Most of these are caliber-specific, though. It may be better economy to buy a box of relatively small lead balls - .350" or so - and simply smash them to needed diameter. (I use a hammer, myself.)

I had called the one local gunstore that caters at all to "non-tactical" shooters. They had only ONE diameter of lead ball available, and that was 0.500" ! A little too large to push down either a .459" or .357" barrel.

 

[JimGnitecki]

I think I might have some .357 Mag lead bullets that have conventional lubricant versus Hi-Tek. Will Acetone or Lacquer Thinner remove the lubricant well enough?

Jim G

 

[Englishmn]

Hopefully they are soft enough usually comercial cast is pretty hard. The lube won't hurt anything you will probably have to add some more.

 

[.38 Special]

I think I might have some .357 Mag lead bullets that have conventional lubricant versus Hi-Tek. Will Acetone or Lacquer Thinner remove the lubricant well enough?

Jim G

If you really want to you can scrape the lube out with a screwdriver. As @Englishmn points out, it's unnecessary - you'll need to oil or grease the slug anyway, before running it down bore. And there is every possibility that store-bought .357 bullets are "hard cast", which would make getting them down the bore (let alone through forcing cones) a real task.

 

[JimGnitecki]

Hopefully they are soft enough usually comercial cast is pretty hard. The lube won't hurt anything you will probably have to add some more.

You raise a very good point. Yes, most bullet makers make their bullets rather hard in order to reduce shipping damage, which would otherwise be significant if the bullets are soft enough to use in low velocity loads without leading (like Cowboy Action and 4-50 buffalo rifle use).

I would think that a softer lead alloy would give both easier and better slugging results, and also be kinder to the barrel since it would require less hammering to get the slug through the barrel.

Are fishing lure weights usually hard or soft?

Jim G

 

[JimGnitecki]

Wait a minute! I have a big supply of that Hornady 357 Mag SWAGED bullet that is almost pure lead - VERY soft. (My revolvers did not like that bullet at all, because the normal seating and crimping processes actually re-swaged its diameter, rather than stretching the brass case, to make the bullet too small). That would likely work, no? Do I still need to add oil, and can I do that without affecting the measurements obtained?

Jim G

 

[Blue68f100]

I would oil the barrel just to make it easier to push through. Use a brass rod to drive them through. Don't use wood.

 

[JimGnitecki]

I would oil the barrel just to make it easier to push through. Use a brass rod to drive them through. Don't use wood.

I think you are right about not using wood. Even though it would be gentler on the barrel, it might easily splinter and break.

Jim G

 

[JimGnitecki]

You cannot just push them in a few inches and then reverse direction, right? Because barrel diameter can theoretically vary along its length, and that could missing a tight spot?

Or, is it like a bore brush: You cannot simply reverse direction partway through?

Jim G

 

[AJC1]

Wait a minute! I have a big supply of that Hornady 357 Mag SWAGED bullet that is almost pure lead - VERY soft. (My revolvers did not like that bullet at all, because the normal seating and crimping processes actually re-swaged its diameter, rather than stretching the brass case, to make the bullet too small). That would likely work, no? Do I still need to add oil, and can I do that without affecting the measurements obtained?

Jim G

I was thinking this as I read, I was waiting for you to realize it.... you did before I got to point it out. your swaged bullets should be lubed already. If not use some alox.