Just fired cast bullets and wanted to know

[Alex Wheeler]

I sold off all my casting stuff, but when I was doing it I learned that if your getting leading the first thing to do is increase the size of the bullet. .001" over groove diameter at least.

 

[cw308]

Only shot 50 rounds , the barrel was fine , normal burn marks on cylinder face and in the cylinder for shooting specials in a magnum. It is a 357 so I should be fine shooting .358 bullets, correct.
Chris.

 

[243winxb]

Correct.

 

[PigButtons]

I didn't read through the whole thread so excuse me if this has already been covered.
When shooting lead cast through your gun and you get leading, all you need to do is shoot from one to five FMJ rounds and the leading will be gone. Simple, fast, fun. What more can you ask.

 

[Iowa Fox]

Iwoa Fox
Chore Boy is something I will try . I'm shooting hard cast bullets for the first time and now only from revolvers . Mainly from my carry revolvers S&W 2" and 3" models 36 and 65. Both have served me well and are in Excellent shape after many years. In the past mostly carried , now I'm shooting them every week 50 rounds.
Chris

Chris, They make a couple different kinds of Chore Boy. One is copper plated stainless steel, make sure you avoid that one. Only use the pure copper variety. I looked at the box here but there is no part # or item # on it but the pads are nice and soft inside. Hard cast bullets can really cause leading problems sometimes especially if they are bevel based. Good luck, cast bullet shooting is a lot of fun when everything comes together.
Jon

 

[KY_Windage]

I push a few tight patches with some plain, old Shooter's Choice Lead Remover on them (but never a brush) through my '06 after each session, and that keeps it shooting 1 moa at 200 yards.

After patch #5 or 6 I will let is rest/soak for a few hours, or overnight, then finish up with a few more.

All I care about is accuracy!

 

[rogn]

copper chore boy strands wound around a worn brush, I quit buying brass screens for my lewis lead remover years ago, that and old #9 hoppies

Castboolits forum which seems to have a 110X+ times cast bullet experience seems to prefer the Chore Boy copper wool wound on brush. A couple of strokes and you are done. Ive never used it on the old 357 mag factory lead loads which I found to be a bad joke back in the 60s. 3-4 shots on target then the barrel looked like a concrete pipe. But "normal" minor- moderate leading the wool is great. Don't get imitation stuff, check with a magnet because some junk is steel washed in copper. Chore Boy is copper.

 

[243winxb]

The general term "leading" can mean different things.

1. There is normal leading, that is easly removed with many different cleaning products.

2. Severe leading, is when accuracy goes away & the lands can be hard to see. This is where Chore Boy is needed & a lot of scrubbing with a chamber brush.

The worst i have seen in my 50 years was a Colt Python in 357 mag.
The reload was a factory 148 gr full wad cutter bullet. 2.7 grs Bullseye in 38 spec brass.
Buller diameter was .358" The guns groove diameter was .354"

Using jacketed bullets worked well.

 

[divingin]

Im not giving input on rimfire BR cleaning process. I have zero experience in that world. But you can shoot a rimfire for an awful lot of rounds without fouling build up, same goes for a handgun. Very small amounts of powder burned and no leading, the bores look polished. If your getting leading, thats not normal and can be corrected.

22 Ammo is a little more controlled velocity-wise than reloaded centerfire ammunition - that may have something to do with it. The biggest problem I have with rimfire is with lube buildup, not lead or other fouling.

In pistols and revolvers, cast bullets will lead for a few reasons: too fast, too loose, insufficient lube, probably a few others, including a rough or pitted bore. Too fast will strip the bullet through the rifling (hard cast may help); too loose allows combustion gasses to melt the bearing surface; insufficient lube is a no-brainer.

That said, it's fairly normal to get a small(ish) amount of leading. Usually an oil bearing solvent will get between the lead and steel and allow for fairly easy (if slow) cleaning.

I have no experience with the Lead Away cloth, but I know some people take the cloth and cut it into patches and report success. I have also not used the lead solvents others have mentioned.

As a disclaimer, in general, I tend to load towards the low end of the load range, though, as I shoot mostly NRA and International bullseye stuff. Leading in the barrel isn't really a problem at those speeds (the chamber on autoloaders is another story - lube and lead can deposit and cake enough to prevent chambering if not kept in check.)

 

[cw308]

I have the Birchwood Casey Lead Away , I cut it to size as a patch or alittle larger to clean the cylinder face . I can tell you nothing works easier to remove lead, give it a try.
Chris

 

[JSH]

I didn't read through the whole thread so excuse me if this has already been covered.
When shooting lead cast through your gun and you get leading, all you need to do is shoot from one to five FMJ rounds and the leading will be gone. Simple, fast, fun. What more can you ask.

I see reference to this practice off and on.
I tried it exactly one time, O3 Remington. It smeared lead clear to the muzzle. The following month long process of removing that mess, was shall we say a “learning” experience. (I was told my jacketed bullet was the wrong size WTH?)
Do this with a S&W you may have a new problem. Recently saw a 44 Special with a bulge.
I know people that swear by this and use this method when a leading problem occurs.
YMMV

 

[PigButtons]

I see reference to this practice off and on.
I tried it exactly one time, O3 Remington. It smeared lead clear to the muzzle. The following month long process of removing that mess, was shall we say a “learning” experience. (I was told my jacketed bullet was the wrong size WTH?)
Do this with a S&W you may have a new problem. Recently saw a 44 Special with a bulge.
I know people that swear by this and use this method when a leading problem occurs.
YMMV

I guess it depends a lot on how leaded up the barrel is when you try to mitigate it. I never shot more than two magazines of 9mm lead cast before shooting enough FMJ to clean the barrel. I appreciate what you said and understand that there are lots of extenuating circumstances where this technique would be ill advised.

 

[cw308]

I shoot 50 rounds every range trip ,I give the revolver a good cleaning , I don't like any kind of buildup even in rifle benchrest shooting , cleaning is always a topic , wait until your groups open . I always give a deep cleaning after shooting , rifle or handgun..
Chris