Hard Cast Bullets.

[Seaweed02]

I have been thinking about using some hard cast bullets for reloading some pistol calibers. I've never used them before because I always buy Berry's Bullets, or Xstreme Bullets, or Ranier bullets. But the hard cast bullets do appear to be cheaper, actually about half price. So I wanted to ask if there is a down side to using the hard cast bullets? Do they lead up the barrel and if so how to cope with it?

[pacrat]

I have been thinking about using some hard cast bullets for reloading some pistol calibers. I've never used them before because I always buy Berry's Bullets, or Xstreme Bullets, or Ranier bullets. But the hard cast bullets do appear to be cheaper, actually about half price. So I wanted to ask if there is a down side to using the hard cast bullets? Do they lead up the barrel and if so how to cope with it?

Do lead bullets leave lead deposits in your barrel? Well Yeah, they do. Only slightly more difficult to clean than jacketed.

If you are going to be loading low end pressure, target type loads. "Hardcast" is not the best choice. You need softer bullets that obturate properly to fill the bore and seal the rifling for best accuracy.

JM2c

[bewguns]

Have you ever read "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners" by Glen E. Fryxell and Robert L. Applegate. It's a great source of information that should be able to answer your question.

[Whiterabbit]

lead is much less difficult to clean than jacketed. copper wash never comes out easy. Lead just needs a jag.

Why even worry about leading? that's a rhetorical question. If you can establish your accuracy does not change whether there is no lead, antimony wash, or straight up lead chunks in the barrel (this is not hard to do), then you are GTG.

Here's a suggestion. Buy a box and try them. Judge not by the shiny-ness of the barrel, but by what the target tells you.

Sometimes, lead operates just like a thick jacketed round. Really, happens all the time. That might be you. Sometimes, there's lead in the barrel, they shoot smoky, leave a lube ring on the muzzle, and are dead-nuts accurate downrange without cleaning your gun. That might also be you. Sometimes they lead up and hurt your accuracy over time. That might also be you. Won't know till you try.

Personally, I do not judge my rounds if they puff a bit of smoke and leave antimony wash in my barrel. I've shot a 50-4x at 25 yards offhand at the indoor range, and <4" groups rested at 100 yards with my pistol.

The indoor range is full of people who only shoot jacketed and can't hit the paper at 15 yards.

[NapalmCheese]

I have been thinking about using some hard cast bullets for reloading some pistol calibers. I've never used them before because I always buy Berry's Bullets, or Xstreme Bullets, or Ranier bullets. But the hard cast bullets do appear to be cheaper, actually about half price. So I wanted to ask if there is a down side to using the hard cast bullets? Do they lead up the barrel and if so how to cope with it?

I started shooting cast in light rifle loads just a while back, here are some observations:
1) Bullet fit is important, slug your barrel and buy or cast appropriately sized bullets.
2) Pressure/hardness is the continuum you need to work on. Softer bullets can get away with less pressure, harder bullets can get away with more pressure.
3) Not all lubes are equal, some work better than others.
4) If you're going to buy commercial cast bullets, try to play in the appropriate pressure range for their hardness.
5) Lead isn't hard to get out of the bore, and the time wasted cleaning lead out of the barrel is more than made up for by the amount of shooting you'll get to do in total. Use a brass brush for the slow method, or wrap a bit of copper chore boy around said brass brush to quickly remove lead.
6) A little bit of smoke is cool.
7) Apparently you're supposed to call them 'boolits'.

[Moparformances]

I started shooting cast in light rifle loads just a while back, here are some observations:
1) Bullet fit is important, slug your barrel and buy or cast appropriately sized bullets.
2) Pressure/hardness is the continuum you need to work on. Softer bullets can get away with less pressure, harder bullets can get away with more pressure.
3) Not all lubes are equal, some work better than others.
4) If you're going to buy commercial cast bullets, try to play in the appropriate pressure range for their hardness.
5) Lead isn't hard to get out of the bore, and the time wasted cleaning lead out of the barrel is more than made up for by the amount of shooting you'll get to do in total. Use a brass brush for the slow method, or wrap a bit of copper chore boy around said brass brush to quickly remove lead.
6) A little bit of smoke is cool.
7) Apparently you're supposed to call them 'boolits'.

Ditto

slug your barrel

[stilly]

OP are you for reals?

I am amazed that nobody even suggested this yet.

Its time for an ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPA CHINO!

No j/k. But seriously, maybe it is time for you (OP) to look into Powder Coating the bullets you get. That will eliminate leading and give you joy in the creation of new things...

Just have a look at the wonderous things that can be yours...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?251956-Powder-coated-bullets-pics-only

[noylj]

Oh God, the "hard cast bullet" myth.
If lead bullets leaded up the barrel, they would have disappeared about 100 years ago.
Leading is caused by poor bullet fit or poor lube, and alloy has little to do with it until you get well north of 1500 fps.
In almost ALL pistols, any alloy over about 15BHN is TOO HARD. Unless you slug your barrel and determine the actual groove diameter of your barrel, and buy bullets that are at least 0.001" larger than groove diameter (and 0.002" never hurts), you may get leading.
However, leading is NOT the end of the world and is easily cleaned up (Google "leading and Chore Boy") and I'll bet you'll find lots of references).
Coating is the in-thing today (just as a decades ago the in-thing was hard alloy). It solves all the world's problems and will bring peace to the world. Of course, the bullets are priced about mid-way between cast lead and plated/jacketed, so if the goal is strictly to save money, they aren't the best option.
Don't get HARD alloy. Get what is today called a soft alloy (which, 25 years ago, would have still been considered ridiculously hard even by rifle shooters) from mastercastbullets.com, Missouri Bullets, or Penn Bullets. If you want to try coated bullets, get the swaged and coated bullets from Precision Bullets in Texas.

[NapalmCheese]

Don't get HARD alloy. Get what is today called a soft alloy (which, 25 years ago, would have still been considered ridiculously hard even by rifle shooters) from mastercastbullets.com, Missouri Bullets, or Penn Bullets. If you want to try coated bullets, get the swaged and coated bullets from Precision Bullets in Texas.

I've grown fond of the hi-tek coated bullets from Missouri Bullet Company (I've not tried anyone els's yet). To be honest, the ease and cleanliness of loading is worth the extra $10.00/1000 to me in a plinking bullet. That they don't seem to lead my bore (at least not yet) is a bonus.

[bruce381]

leading NO

IF you get
right size 1-2 tho over grove
right lube good ones are NOT hard crayon wax.
right hardness

I shoot 300 per week after a month (1200 rounds) run a bore brush 2-3 times shiney as a mirror

[opos]

I've grown fond of the hi-tek coated bullets from Missouri Bullet Company (I've not tried anyone els's yet). To be honest, the ease and cleanliness of loading is worth the extra $10.00/1000 to me in a plinking bullet. That they don't seem to lead my bore (at least not yet) is a bonus.

I load a bunch of the "high tech" coated Missouri bullets...I've loaded their plain cast lead a lot over the years...if you go to their web site and look at the "technical" pages it will tell you about hard cast vs softer bhn and what the formula is for figuring what hardness you need...only time I've leaded much is with harder alloys...My "go to" target load for 45acp is a 12 hardness, high tech coated "cowboy #4" Missouri over W231 (don't give recipe info..but it's in the manuals)....it's deadly accurate...gentle and never has leaded anything..if I were to go to an "uncoated" bullet I might go to a harder alloy but not much..also were I to shoot hotter loads (but why?) I might try a bit harder but coated for sure....I shoot the same exact bullet in my 45Colt Ruger revolvers over Trail Boss for gentle but accurate target loads...again, very soft (12 hardness)....Clean and fun to shoot.

[Whiterabbit]

leading NO

IF you get
right size 1-2 tho over grove
right lube good ones are NOT hard crayon wax.
right hardness

I shoot 300 per week after a month (1200 rounds) run a bore brush 2-3 times shiney as a mirror

I just want OP to know, don't necessarily expect these results for yourself, especially if buying commercial bullets. That said, don't think the opposite either. Meaning if you get lead or a smidge of smoke, let the target tell you what you should think, not the bore condition or any other factor. Keep in mind the next bullet pushes out what's in there now. At 15 yards you will never see that. At 25 yards, doubt it.

Unless strings are coming out the barrel when you fire, and you can't see rifling when you get back home and shine a light down the bore. But I'd be surprised if you see either of those.

[stilly]

Meanwhile, in a $15 toaster oven in the garage...

[Seaweed02]

Thanks fellas.

Thanks for all the imput and advice. I guess I'll just have to try some out and see how it works for me.

[mmesa005]

Great advice given here but for all things cast check out http://castboolits.gunloads.com/