Connecticut Preparedness

[GreggAndrews]

I know i most likely will expand but the casting i know i won't maybe i am a bullet snob but cast lead loads are dam messy and honestly too dam lazy to brush all the leftovers out of my bore lol

Actually, I cast & load my own .32-20 with an old Ideal Mfg. tong tool (mold built in!).

A good, hard bullet, lubed properly is actually fairly clean! Turns out Lee Liquid Alox isn't terrible.

[JohnFH]

I know i most likely will expand but the casting i know i won't maybe i am a bullet snob but cast lead loads are dam messy and honestly too dam lazy to brush all the leftovers out of my bore lol

I would say about 75% of what I shoot now, I cast. As long as you load properly for lead ammo, there is no "leftovers" to worry about.

[newguy]

Might be because i blow thru anywere between 75 to 120 rounds at a clip and barrel prolly hot that i get the leftovers lol but that me i go overboard

[JohnFH]

Might be because i blow thru anywere between 75 to 120 rounds at a clip and barrel prolly hot that i get the leftovers lol but that me i go overboard

I have to ask, exactly what purpose does rapid firing 8-9 magazines in a row serve?

I shoot 2-300 rounds of pistol ammo in an average range session, usually per gun(could be 2 or 3) including Glock, and still have no issues with leading barrels.

Lead fouling is usually a result of loading lead with either too much powder(velocity) or a powder that burns too hot(fast), or improperly lubed/sized bullets.

If your barrel is reaching temperatures that can melt lead, I would be concerened about the longevity of the barrel. But thats just me.

[newguy]

It normally 75 to 100 rounds in 2 hour period not really rapid firing. but they are rifle rounds not pistol rounds. Just end up having more cleaning to do then i normally do when i use FMJ rounds. I do have to say i am pretty anal when it comes to cleaning the rifles when i get home you could prolly do a white glove test in barrel

[JohnFH]

OK, rifle rounds and pistol rounds, 2 way different things.

But the same basics apply to rifles. Use properly gas checked bullets, of the proper hardness(super important) with the correct powder, and again you really shouldn't have lead issues. You probably have more powder residue than lead in your barrels when cleaning.

My 30-30 loads are cast bullets 180gr flat nose with a copper gas check, hardness in the 18-20 range.

Suprisingly, I get much more copper fouling from jacketed bullets then I get lead fouling.

[GreggAndrews]

If your barrel is reaching temperatures that can melt lead, I would be concerened about the longevity of the barrel. But thats just me.

I agree 150%. If anything, getting the barrel hot enough to physically MELT the lead itself will also f&ck up the heat-treat. Pretty hard to get it that hot, but it can happen if you try hard enough.


Admittedly, my loading experience is really limited to the .32-20, but that is hardly a rifle round. Cast bullets work beautifully for me. CTSixShot & JohnFH know what they're talking about here though.

IIRC, aren't cast (non-GC) boolits pretty much limited to around 1700-1800fps?

[newguy]

Maybe it is just powder then and i don't know what hell i am talking about which may be right has happened before just seems like i do less cleaning with FMJ

[CTSixshot]

Plain-based, rather non-gas-checked cast bullets are best under 1200 fps, I believe. I had some bevel-based cast .30-30 FN bullets in my 7.5x55 that I was pushing too fast and had trouble hitting a B-27 target at 100 yards or less. After slowing them down, they all grouped rather nicely where aimed.

[JohnFH]

If you are only buying factory ammo, then you really have no idea what powder they are using, and unless you chrono, you don't know how fast they are loaded up too.

Some powders are dirty as hell, while others you can shoot 100 rounds and the gun looks brand new.

See how bad a sickness reloading is, wait till you start looking at burn rate charts and start trying to tailor rounds to barrel length.....

See if you get all the powder to burn everytime before the bullet leaves the barrel, you tend to get more constant velocities.

And yes, unchecked bullets, about 1200 max, with checks, about 1600, though some people have told me near 2000, I have never done that myself.

[newguy]

Ya I can see myself in the room with the scale now measuring trying to make it perfect. Just way I am everything always gotta be just right