res45
Member
Kmw1954 The 357 Magnum was my first foray into casting as well, I learned pretty quick on my own as there was no internet or forums to glean information from that fit is king and hard bullets are not always best, my Ruger BH shoots bullets size to .359" best and no commercial cast bullet mfg. sold those dia. bullets so my bullet casting started at that point and I never looked back.
Most individuals that have issues with leading in 9 mm handguns don't do the proper research before buying commercial cast bullets or a mold to cast their own. Not all 9 mm handguns are made equal there are a variety of different throats / styles of leads that affect bullet seating depth especially with RN bullets, TC or SWC style not so much. Then there is groove diameter, they are all over the place in 9 mm handgun and it seems to run the gamut form .355" all the way up to .358" My CANIK TP9SA shoots best with bullets sized to .357" don't even bother trying a .356" dia. cast bullet it's just not going to be accurate.
To hard of a cast bullet be it undersized or borderline on fit can cause leading because the bullet want obturate to fill the grooves along with the lube and seal the bore, I cast all my rifle and handgun bullets mostly from 50/ 50 Lead / Wheel Weights with a bit of tin and either air cool or water quench if I need a little extra hardness, I've shot that alloy blend in rifles at 2300 fps. with no issues. I also powder coat most all my bullets but the PC is just for lubrication purposes an easy of long term storage of bullets that I let age out. Some use PC to help stop leading issues which it does for some but some still get leading even with powder coated bullets. Most leading issues in rifles and handguns is an easy fix if you know whats causing it.
A good read on casting for handguns but it applies to rifle loads about as well.
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
Most individuals that have issues with leading in 9 mm handguns don't do the proper research before buying commercial cast bullets or a mold to cast their own. Not all 9 mm handguns are made equal there are a variety of different throats / styles of leads that affect bullet seating depth especially with RN bullets, TC or SWC style not so much. Then there is groove diameter, they are all over the place in 9 mm handgun and it seems to run the gamut form .355" all the way up to .358" My CANIK TP9SA shoots best with bullets sized to .357" don't even bother trying a .356" dia. cast bullet it's just not going to be accurate.
To hard of a cast bullet be it undersized or borderline on fit can cause leading because the bullet want obturate to fill the grooves along with the lube and seal the bore, I cast all my rifle and handgun bullets mostly from 50/ 50 Lead / Wheel Weights with a bit of tin and either air cool or water quench if I need a little extra hardness, I've shot that alloy blend in rifles at 2300 fps. with no issues. I also powder coat most all my bullets but the PC is just for lubrication purposes an easy of long term storage of bullets that I let age out. Some use PC to help stop leading issues which it does for some but some still get leading even with powder coated bullets. Most leading issues in rifles and handguns is an easy fix if you know whats causing it.
A good read on casting for handguns but it applies to rifle loads about as well.
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm