Leading; I just deal with it

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Lee Q. Loader

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I see a lot of threads about how to prevent leading your barrel. I have decided to just deal with it.
It's not that difficult to clean out.

I have some really good loads in 44 mag that shoot so well that I don't mind that they lead my barrel. I shoot 50 or so rounds and clean the barrel with hoppes 9 and a lead remover. Just a few passes and it's clean and ready for my next shooting trip.

I write this just to see if anyone else is like me on this. Do you have leading issues that you just deal with?
 
"Do you have leading issues that you just deal with?"

Sort of. Even "perfect" guns and loads still leave a light "frost" of lead, if shot enough. I find this doesn't tend to build up - it gets to a certain point and then sort of stays that way - but I don't like to leave it in the bore, as I am concerned with what might go on underneath it. I just rip it out with Chore Boy or 0000 steel wool on a brush. As you note, it takes just a moment.

On a couple of my most accurate revolvers, I have discovered that the "frost" is actually helpful to accuracy. Much like a freshly cleaned .22 LR, I find that a dozen or two rounds can be necessary before the gun really goes back to work.

I no longer put up with guns that seriously lead, as in lead that continues to build up until accuracy is diminished or even presents a hazard. I either fixed those guns or traded them off, and am glad of it.
 
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In my experiences leading is caused because there is an underlying problem like the bullets are too small or the throats are too small. Taking care of these issues not only resolves the leading but allows for a more accurate gun.

I use powder coat for most my cast bullets but still use lube for some .45 ACP and .38 Special loads. None of my loads leaves any leading in the barrel. Any time I have experienced leading in a gun it gets progressively worse and you see a noticeable decline in accuracy after not too many rounds - 50, 100, maybe 150.
 
Lee Q. Loader said:
I see a lot of threads about how to prevent leading your barrel. I have decided to just deal with it.
It's not that difficult to clean out.

I have some really good loads in 44 mag that shoot so well that I don't mind that they lead my barrel. I shoot 50 or so rounds and clean the barrel with hoppes 9 and a lead remover. Just a few passes and it's clean and ready for my next shooting trip.

I write this just to see if anyone else is like me on this. Do you have leading issues that you just deal with?
Click to expand...

I highly doubt that your removing all the lead with Hoppes and a lead remover. I find it takes copper Chore Boy strands wrapped around an old bore brush to really get the lead out. I've cleaned a leaded handgun really well then did the Chore Boy over a white paper towel and was amazed with the amount of lead it pulled out of the barrel.

I do have some 30 year old lead handloads I loaded with factory lead bullets before I knew about lead bullet sizing that lead both the 44 and 45 that Im dealing with until gone but for the last 20 years I don't put up with leading and work the load until there is none.
 
Spent many an hour scrubbing revolvers with a Lewis Lead Remover after a few weeks of Bullseye Competition, nothing at the time was going to change that fact. As they say “it is what it is”. Other loads I have learned to source flat based bullets rather than beveled which is an easy fix for 80% of severe leading. Always going to have some sort of residue from shooting lead though. I just came home from shooting 100 .38 SWC and 100 .32 H&R SWC and all is clear after a few passes of the Stainless Steel Armorers brushes. The majority of my loading is lead, I try to keep the hardness low and keep my velocity on the mild side. I load to shoot targets and the occasional field venture and hunt. So unless someone is pushing the physics and/or has a poor throat/barrel situation leading should not really be a problem that regular cleaning cannot solve.
 
Depends on the extent of the leading. If I have to scrape long strings of lead out of my barrel after 20 shots, I will search for a remedy. But a lot of research, experimentation, trial and error, my cast bullets just leave a very minimal amount of lead in the barrel, and some none. I could shoot my Dan Wesson 44H 50 rounds and just run a patch through the barrel to clean it. The most difficult caliber to reduce leading was my 9mm, but I now size the bullets for 3 different barrels, use a good home made lube and leading is quite low...
 
I shoot 99% Lead Bullets in all my 14 single action big bores. My loads take a lot of shooting before some minor leading might show up. But, with that said. Leading can creep up on you from time to time. I had the Lewis Lead Remover years ago. Worked great. Big hassel though. Finally heard a solution to use a Broze wool fine mesh (looks like a Brillo pad BUT don't buy the one at a store!They have a steel center) got mine from Brownells, Take an over size regular bore brush and wrap a wad of the mesh around it and a few vigorous in and outs and your bore is bright and ready to go.
 
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I’ve noticed the recent trend of making undersized bevel base bullets has ruined some classic old flat base designs and now leading is an issue. Wasn’t before or so rarely happened with very hot hunting loads. It’s never bothered me. I use Shooters Choice lead remover to dampen the bore before cleaning with Hoppes No.9. I’m mostly seeing it with newer .359” in .35Rem. I run them pretty hot out of Super 14. I’m to the point of not bothering to order from casters who only sell bevel base and/or only sell painted bullets. They just don’t shoot as well as properly made lubed bullets. Talking mostly hunting here. If you’re just making noise and smoke it don’t matter.
 
I dealt with it in 9mm because I couldn't locate a Dillon 358 powder through expander die that would work (the 38 spl expander doesn't) so I turned to powder coating.
 
I do not like cleaning lead from my firearms' barrels.

I know that with proper bullet sizing and casting alloy, one can make cast bullets that do not lead barrels at magnum velocities but I'm too lazy to fiddle with that.

I use cast bullets for my light to medium loads and they shoot clean just fine. If I want magnum loads, I generally will use jacketed bullets. I do not shoot many magnum level loads these days so the cost of the jacketed bullets is not an issue.

I do some powder coating of cast bullets and they shoot clean but I have not tried to push the veloicities of them yet.
 
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jdsingleshot said:
Why don't .22 LR bores lead up?
Click to expand...

Well, after I stopped rubbing the sticky schmutz off the Armscor 22lr, so they would run through my speed loader, they returned to being remarkably accurate for the price.
And I no longer pull strips of silver lead ribbon out of my MKIII…:oops:

It only cost me one TandemKross GameChanger compensator to figure it out.:fire:
The grease is the lube.

I buy hard waxed cartridges for the speed loader now. And I continue to admire the price tag on the Armscor when I load them into my rifles.:thumbup:

I find less copper fouling when I lube jacketed bullets as well.
 
When I started casting my own I jumped right into the mix with my 454 and top end loads. Luckily I had plenty of help along the way and didn'trunintoanyreal issues. Since then I have worked up several blends of alloy for other calibers that let me run anything, including my magnums, at magnum velocities and pressure with little to no noticeable leading with solids and HP'S.

This of course did not come easily and I experienced quite a bit of leading along the way. This was the result of a test batch of alloy and only 4 rounds from my 41 magnum...
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However the same batch has easily been able to be run over a hundred rounds through my 45 Colt over a healthy dose of HS-6 with hardly any leading that has never effected accuracy...

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All of these were flat based conventional lubed without a gas check.

That said buying commercial cast is a hit or miss proposition. Most are cast of alloy that is usually too hard so they can be shipped with less chance of being deformed during transit. Also the lube used may or may not be compatible with the loads used. Most of the alloy I use is in the 12BHN range or less, mostly less. I also size according to bore diameter and use lube that is tailored to the expected load. That is something that is also a hit or miss thing with commercial cast and can cost extra to have them sized for a particular diameter.

Me personally, I prefer to not have to spend the time and effort of scrubbing out a layer of lead, but in some cases where it only builds in the initial inch or so ahead of the chamber or throat and stops, if accuracy is still working, I let it ride until hunting season is over or I do a complete strip down and thorough cleaning.
 
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