38 Special Barrel Leading

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  • Last Post 03 July 2009
[email protected] posted this 30 May 2009

       I shoot light 38 Special loads in a combat league. By light I mean 3.2 grains of tightgroup and a 125 gr. Lee bullet cast of quenched w.w, and lubed with liquid alox. Last year I would experience just a smattering of leading. Not enough to worry about, really didn't need to clean the gun. This year though the same load is leading something awful. Two changes I made from last year, one I stopped resizing the brass. I just deprime it, then run the completed round through a Lee factory crimp die which I did last year except the brass was full leght resized. The second thing I did was switch from Winchester small pistol primers to Remington 1-1/2 small pistol primers. I switched out of necessity cause I couldn't find Winchesters. I also tried the same new load in other revolvers I own that shot the same old load well without leading and got the same leading. Should I blame the primers or the different loading technique ? I can't see either one of causeing that much difference!

Flashman

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 30 May 2009

Use an impact bullet puller to remove a loaded bullet and mic the bullet to see if the FCD is swageing the bullet smaller as it crimps the bullet in the case.  Duane

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corerf posted this 30 May 2009

Seems like a quenched ww bullet is aweful hard for such a light load. Have you tried air cooled straight ww?? You shouldn't be getting any leading with an 850fps load like that unless the bullet is WAY too small and/or too hard. Maybe the primers push a little harder say to 875, then you FCD them and they are now too small, pushed too hard and bullet too hard. A snowball effect due to the accumulation of negatives. I'd shoot straight ww - air cooled, same load and see wht goes on after several foulers.

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[email protected] posted this 31 May 2009

Did pull a bullet this morning, miked it, and measured no difference from an unloaded bullet. I thought about increaseing the charge to bump up the bullet a bit on firing which would possibly have the same affect as softer alloy. Still can't figure why I didn't have such drastic leading problems last year. I will try air cooled w.w. Thanks Flashman

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[email protected] posted this 20 June 2009

I tried a couple of things. Shot air cooled bullets. Couldn't see any difference in leading. Went back to full length sizing. No difference. Loaded max load of Unigue, 5.3 grains according to Allient literature. No better but no worse either. I can't try differentprimers cause I still can't get any. Flashman

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hunterspistol posted this 20 June 2009

      I'd think maybe your liquid alox isn't enough lube for the load, then.  One of the thoughts about lubes is that it provides a hydraulic cushion between lead and rifling. Not an original idea, just something that a thin liquid lube may not do.  If the other primers are faster or igniting more powder then, you may need to use a thicker lube, an alox or other semi-solid lube.

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JSH posted this 21 June 2009

My .02 with 38's in 357 chambers, if that is your case? My experiance is with a SW19. I shot 38's with fair to mediocure success. I thought I had the chambers clean. A GOB of crud that had built up is driving me nuts to get cleaned out. I went through a couple of pistol season league shoots with no problems. Same issue with a marlin in 357, using 38's. I am done with it for the headaches it causes me, going to all 357 cases for 357 guns. I imagine that a better forcing cone and a bit of work, could clean them both up, to be able to shoot both cases. To many projects now and results could be nill in the long run. The 357 cases shoot just fine and no issues. jeff

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WILDCATT posted this 21 June 2009

have you tried something other than titegroup.bullseye or red dot or 700x.

I load 2.8 700X with 148 gr WC and I go a season with out leading or cleaning.I use WW,never hardened them even in rifle loads.

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[email protected] posted this 03 July 2009

I left a little oil in the bore. Fired my standard 120 rounds in the combat league relays.Cleaned the gun ;found no leading. Could it be that simple? I think so. A little lubrication gopes a long way. My first shot went into the x ring as usual at 7 yards with the gun or me seemingly shooting better than usual. I supose that oil gave the bore enough initial lube to allow the Lee Liguid Alox to continue to keep it lubed enough to prevent leading. My bullets at this point where a mixture of water quenched and air cooled W. W. I am going to load up some hotter 158gr. gas checked semiwadcutters for a .357. I'll try them dry bore and oiled bore to see if there is a difference. Flashman

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hunterspistol posted this 03 July 2009

 Could it be that simple?  Yes, I make sure my barrel is cleaned and oiled before I shoot(and I have several barrels to shoot). I does make a difference in accuracy and, possibly, leading.  It can be just what you patch through it before you shoot.

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Papa Smurf posted this 03 July 2009

HA Flashman-----I had the same problem with leading when I slowed down my .357 to find a light load for my grandson. Bullet is too hard and does not upset enough to allow the lube to work. I went to a 50-50 mix of W W and pure lead air cooled and leading went away. Good Shooting--------Papa Smurf

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Papa Smurf posted this 03 July 2009

HA Flashman-----I had the same problem with leading when I slowed down my .357 to find a light load for my grandson. Bullet is too hard and does not upset enough to allow the lube to work. I went to a 50-50 mix of W W and pure lead air cooled and leading went away. Good Shooting--------Papa Smurf

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