Bullets 101: hard vs. soft cast

[Noah Mercy]

I keep reading threads about problems with leading when shooting cast bullets. Almost invariably the response is to "shoot harder bullets".

I'd like to give some reasons why that is not always the solution.

If a hard-cast bullet is smaller than bore diameter, it will not "slug up" (obturate) to fill the bore and flame cutting can occur up the sides of the bullet which will deposit lead in the grooves.

If a hard-cast bullet is larger than bore diameter, it will not swage down easily and the excessive friction usually results in lead building up on the lands.

Also, the "crayon lube" most commercial casters use is all but useless. Dig some of those bullets out of the berm behind the targets sometime and look how many still have that crap in their grooves. Ask yourself this; if it all stays with the bullet, how can it ease the bullet's passage down the bore?

A softer bullet will either obturate or swage down easily and form a better seal in the bore. This allows less flame cutting up the sides of the bullet and reduces friction. Velocity is generally better and accuracy improved. Most handgun cartridges don't reach a velocity that necessitates anything harder than the old Lyman #2 alloy, and most are happy with straight wheel weight alloy.

I shoot many tens of thousands of cast bullets a year at velocities from 550 to 1400 fps and experience no leading using straight ww alloy and inexpensive alox stick lube (NOT the liquid stuff). The bullets I recover have little or no lube left in the grooves...it is coating the inside of the bore and doing its job of reducing friction and holding fouling and lead particles in suspension to be pushed out by the next shot and, ultimately, removed easily by a jag and snug-fitting patch..

This is not to say you can't get excellent accuracy sans leading with hard-cast slugs, but if you are experienceing leading problems, going harder may just make things worse.

[Violator22]

So waht is your opinion of Leadhead bullets, I just tried some in my 45 Colt, they seemed alright, but I am worried about the hardness being 20-22. I am looking for a good Keith Style bullet for it. Les

[Noah Mercy]

I cast my own nowadays, so I haven't shot any commercial bullets in a while, but I've heard both good and bad things about the Leadheads. It seems to depend on the bullet shape/ caliber/ weight/ etc. I've got a buddy who gets mild leading from a bevel base bullet of theirs, and another who won't shoot anything else. Incidentally, the flat base on their Keith bullet helps with bullet obturation in the event of an undersized bullet and is the one the dedicated Leadhead fan shoots.

I also should have mentioned that certain alloys ,despite being very hard, seem to be "slick" enough to help mitigate some of the problems I see with others of equal hardness. I don't know if it's silver, nickel, or some other metal, but some of the high-end hard-casts are far better than their less expensive counterparts. I also suspect the more expensive bullets use superior bullet lube in their grooves. So give the Leadheads a try and see what happens. Worst case scenario, they lead badly and you trade them off for something else.

[ichy_trigger]

Faster powders can attribute to a higher chance of leading as well.

[Violator22]

Tried the leadheads yesterday onver 7.5 gr. of Unique, not much recoil, and No Leading, which I guess is a good thing, I'm gonna bump up to 8.5 and see if it still doesn't lead up. If they don't I'll have to try them in my Casull over some 2400. Thanks, Les