Barrel leading in my .45ACP

[Deep Creek Rock]

No that does not work...
What that does is force that lead into the pores of the barrel and smear it in real good.
It may look clean but it is a mess and as soon as you start to clean it you will realize that.

Always shoot jacketed bullets first if you have both jacketed and lead. Never shoot the lead first.
You cannot make copper fowling worse by following it with lead but the reverse is not true.

Ive actually heard the reverse - that shooting copper first, will cause lead to strip from the copper fouling, if you follow up by shooting cast after jacketed.

Id personally would stick to one or the other - making sure whatever fouling is left behind gets totally cleaned before switching to a different jacketing/ cast bullet.

 

[marc357]

I thought Wipe-Out didn't take out lead.

Doesn't dissolve it like it does copper, but it breaks it down and makes it easier to push out.... But not as easy as a couple rounds of FMJ

I've shot lead, looked in the barrel and seen lead smears in the grooves, then shot a couple rounds of hardball, and it's gone. Were the pressures on those rounds high? Primers didn't look too flat.

Would I shoot it till the grooves are so full of lead you can barely see them, then shoot some hardball? ......... no, but 50 rounds of lead followed by a magazine full of FMJ has caused me no problems that I know of.

BTW, I am shooting (relatively) hard-cast lead, not that super-soft stuff that leads up like crazy.

YMMV

 

[Bikebreath]

I hear a lot of things on this board. I was told that it's more than whether the lead BHN is soft or hard, but to much pressure that causes lead to smear on the groves. You're supposed to match the pressure to the BHN, as in, you can't shoot the soft stuff with hot loads. Concur?

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

You technically can fire a lead bullet (soft lead!) up to 800 FPS with no lube without leading the bore from gas cutting- I would still use lube regardless. You can use softer lead in a low pressure, and low velocity round like the 45 ACP - if properly lubed.

Hard cast is really needed for higher velocity rounds - and rifle calibers. Most people dont bother checking the BHN for the 45 ACP - prob because it isnt as crucial. Softer lead tends to drop a heavier bullet during casting since it contains less tin.

Usally where the leading occurs is and indication of whats gone wrong, towards the muzzle usally indicates the lube running out - towards the throat -probably a sizing issue.

 

[TripleChris]

Clays is #10 on the burn rate chart...
Universal Clays is #32.
HP-38 and W231 are one and the same at #28 and #29
Yes there is that much of a difference.

http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

Red Dot is faster than Bullseye? Well I'll be.