XD 45 service leading cast bullets

[erikrec]

Has anyone shot OT lasercast 230 grn RN in there Xd 45?

I set them to 1.250 oal and get bad leading in the first one inch of barrel.

Mike @ mastercast is sending me some samples @ 18 bhn when the OT lasers are around 21 bhn.

Are they fowling from being too hard and slow speeds from the 45 acp?

Guys shoot them in 1911's with no problems?

Any thoughts?

Sure would like to shoot lead they were real accurate just a big pain to get clean after even one magazine of the OT's.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

If its a new pistol...the barrel may have a few "burrs" that need to be worked (shot) out with some jacketed bullets first before shooting lead.

Just a guess...I don't shoot lead bullets.

 

[Sport45]

I'll be able to tell you more about a month from now. That's when I'll be out of FMJ and will start reloading 230gr LRN.

In my other .45's I shoot cast SWC and don't get appreciable leading. how fast are you trying to drive the cast bullets in yours? What powder are you using? I've had good results with W231, Titegroup, and Unique behind cast bullets in my other handguns.

 

[Randy1911]

How fast are you running the bullets? If it is too slow the bullet may not obturating (sp?) enough to make a good seal in the barrel. You don't need a bullet as hard as 21 BHN in a 45 ACP. The one's I shoot are around 15-16 BHN and I have no problem with leading. Here is a easy way to remove barrel leading. http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=3853

 

[Walkalong]

18 and 21 BHN are harder than needed for .45. The pressures in your load are too low to obturate the bullet and get a good seal. It is not the lack of velocity, it is the lack of pressure.

The bad leading in the first one inch of the barrel is your clue (proof) that you are getting gas cutting from the bullet not sealing the bore.

More pressure or softer bullets. Softer bullets is probably going to be the answer. No one should be getting leading from .45 ACP. I shot lead in .45 for years without ever needing to clean lead from my barrels, as have many others.

Welcome to THR

 

[MissouriBullet]

This is a link to an article which attempts to explain the whole bullet hardness/obturation thing. It strikes me as a very good exposition on the topic. But probably it just seems like that to me because I wrote it

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

Brad

 

[erikrec]

Thanks guys,

Thats what i wanted to hear.

Sold the Ot's last night.

Do you think the mastercast @ 18 will not be soft enough to seal?

Anybody shhot them in an xd?

Mike will make some @ 15 if i want him to.

It will be great if i dont have to get that damn lead out and get the accuracy of cast bullets.

 

[Walkalong]

At full pressure .45 loads they will probably be OK, but 14 or 15 is more like it for the loads most of us shoot, and 11 to 12, and even softer, is plenty for light target loads.

I used to cast with wheelweights and a bit of 95/5 solder thrown in. It never leaded in .45 ACP or .44 Spl. Neither did the commercial bullets by Valley, Magnus and a couple others I tried.

 

[454PB]

I read a lot of condemnation of hard cast bullets, usually used by shooters that didn't match the bullet size to THEIR bore. It's not the bullet hardness causing the leading, it's the fact that it was undersized to start with. As has already been stated, cast bullets much over 15 BHN will not obturate at the pressures generated in .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .38 special, etc.

But, they don't need to obturate if they are already .001" to .002" larger than the bore.

I personally don't buy the obturation principles or pressure recommendations. If they were true, my 15 BHN cast .454 bullets would be so mangled by the 55,000 psi kick in the butt they would never make the target.