[ThirdShift]

I've taken the jump into cast boolits. For starters, I'm going to be shooting these LSWC out of a Charter Arms Bulldog. At what point do I need to worry about gas checks?

 

[Shootnlead]

In the Charter, the velocities will be low and there will be no need for gas checks.

You want to use powder coated or some type of coated bullets...most commercial casters offer them.

 

[ThirdShift]

Evening, Shootin. I hoped you would chime in.

I have a box of LSWC already. Not coated or powdered, already lubed.

I went away from boolits because I hate with the white hot hate of a thousand burning suns cleaning lead out of a barrel.

 

[Shootnlead]

Evening, Shootin. I hoped you would chime in.

I have a box of LSWC already. Not coated or powdered, already lubed.

I went away from boolits because I hate with the white hot hate of a thousand burning suns cleaning lead out of a barrel.

Just hold onto them and buy a couple of hundred coated bullets...try them and see how you like them. That coating really resolves most of the issues with leading unless you have an abnormally large bore or are REALLY pushing them fast. I have shot coated bullets up to over 1600fps without a trace of lead left in the barrel...and this is in a gun that I have never slugged the bore to find out the diameter...it is the best thing that has ever happened, for shooting cast bullets with minimal effort.

TIP: If you ever have leading in barrel, again...go to the grocery store an d buy a pack of Copper Chore Boy pot scrubbers. Take a pair of scissors and cut some strings of it and wrap a good quantity of them around a bronze bore brush and run it in and out of the bore...it will remove leading with virtually no effort. Normally, 8 or 10 trips through the bore will have it sparkling clean.

 

[ThirdShift]

Just hold onto them and buy a couple of hundred coated bullets...try them and see how you like them. That coating really resolve most of the issues with leading unless you have an abnormally large bore or are REALLY pushing them fast. I have shot coated bullets up to over 1600fps without a trace of lead left in the barrel...and this is in a gun that I have never slugged the bore to find out the diameter...it is the best thing that has ever happened, for shooting cast bullets with minimal effort.

Will do.

Let's talk about SD for a second. I have a choice of SD projectiles in the Bulldog.

SNS 240gr LSWC
Hornady 240gr XTP
Speer 200g Gold Dot

I tried pushing the 180gr XTP fast just for grins. But the POI wasn't anywhere near the POA. I'll just keep those for carbine loads.

The velocity charts show the XTP expanding at 44 Spec velocities. But the LSWC has been a mainstay of this chambering for a long, long time.

Thoughts? You know much more about this round that I.

 

[Shootnlead]

Will do.

Let's talk about SD for a second. I have a choice of SD projectiles in the Bulldog.

SNS 240gr LSWC
Hornady 240gr XTP
Speer 200g Gold Dot

I tried pushing the 180gr XTP fast just for grins. But the POI wasn't anywhere near the POA. I'll just keep those for carbine loads.

The velocity charts show the XTP expanding at 44 Spec velocities. But the LSWC has been a mainstay of this chambering for a long, long time.

Thoughts? You know much more about this round that I.

Of those choices that you have, I would use the SNS 240gr LSWC.

For personal defense, I only use a 200gr or 215gr FULL wadcutter...not a semi wadcutter. I load these bullets to between 900 and 1000fps. What creates damage with a cast bullet is the "meplat" area of a cast bullet...that is the "flat" portion on the nose of the bullet. The larger the flat portion the more tissue upset and larger the wound channel. The full wadcutters have a meplat that is essentially the entire diameter of the bullet. That makes these wadcutters perform very well on flesh and combine with that the well known properties of great straight line pentration and ability to go through bone...and you have the qualities that are conducive to consistent performance.

Now, the Speer bullets work pretty well...but, in my experience, they have to be pushed above reloading manual data to get them to expand. I have just never been able the get any hollow point to expand at the velocities touted by the manufacturer...they need to be pushed at least 100fps faster.

If you are interested in these wadcutters and don't want to load them...Buffalo Bore sells them. Someone, on this forum, posted this a couple of weeks ago...I was not aware that anyone loaded these for defense...but, they do. Should have known that I did not have an original idea...HAHAHA Matter of fact, after I wrote out all of that stuff up there about meplat, I went to the link and saw that they had the same thing posted there...could have saved that bandwidth, had I known.

Go to this link and read what they say about them.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=282+

Here is the wadcutter like I use.

 

[ThirdShift]

Now, the Speer bullets work pretty well...but, in my experience, they have to be pushed above reloading manual data to get them to expand. I have just never been able the get any hollow point to expand at the velocities touted by the manufacturer...they need to be pushed at least 100fps faster.

Thanks for the insight, Shootin.

I typically load those Speers as my 44 magnum social loads. Or I run them in my lever actions.

I load everything I shoot. That way I KNOW what's been done and it's my own damn fault if something doesn't work.

 

[PAcanis]

Why do you suppose you are getting so much leading?
I've had lead accumulate around forcing cones (.22 rimfire) and ported barrels (.44 magnum) where the ports are by the front sight, but never in the barrel itself.

 

[OD*]

Using gas checks is a good idea IMO, they let you run at higher velocity, you can use "soft" lead, or you can use very hard lead without leaving a huge leading problem. (yep, too hard of lead will foul just as badly as soft, if not worse)

 

[ThirdShift]

Why do you suppose you are getting so much leading?
I've had lead accumulate around forcing cones (.22 rimfire) and ported barrels (.44 magnum) where the ports are by the front sight, but never in the barrel itself.

I'm not. I just don't want to. Thousand burning suns and all of that. :biggrin:

Using gas checks is a good idea IMO, they let you run at higher velocity, you can use "soft" lead, or you can use very hard lead without leaving a huge leading problem. (yep, too hard of lead will foul just as badly as soft, if not worse)

I'm limited in this case by the gun they will be shot in. The Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Spec isn't going to move the lead fast enough to be a problem. If it is, I'll find out pretty fast. And it's a short barrel to de-lead.

 

[dangerranger]

My own experience with lead fouling has been that no matter what speed or lead hardness you have it can still lead if the bullet is not fitted to your bore. A tight fitting bullet will shoot cleanly at what ever speed you want [ with in reason.]

I had a revolver that was famous for lead fouling. I slugged the bore and my bullets were the correct size, But when I measured the cylinder throats I found two that were under size! After correcting those, I had no more leading. Those two cylinders were swaging the bullets under size. Once the lead fouling started each bullet left a little "Gift!" DR

 

[NelsonHolsters]

I've taken the jump into cast boolits. For starters, I'm going to be shooting these LSWC out of a Charter Arms Bulldog. At what point do I need to worry about gas checks?

HA I knew I would get you to messing with cast boolits _ what was that you said to me ??? I never use cast.
So I guess you need this charter arms revolver back soon then??
Check out powder coatings for cast as well, not done it myself but got one customer who does and swears by it.

 

[ThirdShift]

HA I knew I would get you to messing with cast boolits _ what was that you said to me ??? I never use cast.
So I guess you need this charter arms revolver back soon then??
Check out powder coatings for cast as well, not done it myself but got one customer who does and swears by it.

:rofl:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll never use boolits, etc.

 

[OD*]

I'm limited in this case by the gun they will be shot in. The Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Spec isn't going to move the lead fast enough to be a problem. If it is, I'll find out pretty fast. And it's a short barrel to de-lead.

The reason I said that was, you can get leading even at lower velocities because the harder the bullet the less it expands even at low velocities, allowing the gases to blow around the bullet softening it.

 

[PAcanis]

The reason I said that was, you can get leading even at lower velocities because the harder the bullet the less it expands even at low velocities, allowing the gases to blow around the bullet softening it.

That's why I like Missouri Bullet Co. You can choose the hardness. They have a below 850 and an above 850fps.
I've never experienced any leading in the bore using their bullets (in three different calibers).
I'm sure if you were casting your own you'd eventually dial it in by trial and error.