Just curious if anyone is shooting lead reloads in their SR1911. I have been having some leading issues and was blaming my reloads until I went shooting with my son. His new SA didnt have nearly as much lead in the barrel as my Ruger did. Is that just a fluk or possibly barrel finish or dimensions?
barrel leading
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Skalkaho Slim
Blackhawk
Oddly enough, I was surprised at how little leading I got with mine.
After shooting about 300 cast loads, I had virtually none at all.
I had shot about 200 jacketed loads through it first. Maybe that had something to do with it. All of my cast reloads were of about 4 different bullet types and various make.
After shooting about 300 cast loads, I had virtually none at all.
I had shot about 200 jacketed loads through it first. Maybe that had something to do with it. All of my cast reloads were of about 4 different bullet types and various make.
I'm probably close to 8000 rounds of Bear Creek 230 gr Moly LRN reloads thru my Ruger 1911 now. I run a patch with Hoppes thru, let it set while I clean the rest of the gun, then a few patches on a brush and all lead is gone.
All lead bullets are not created equal.
All lead bullets are not created equal.
Skalkaho Slim
Blackhawk
I've found that sometimes it takes some experimenting to find that sweet spot where leading is minimized.
Perhaps slug your bbl. Maybe your SR just doesn't like those pills. I'd be curious what they're sized at.
Try to get some samples from Missouri Bullet Co. and some other casters and see if they do the same thing.
Perhaps slug your bbl. Maybe your SR just doesn't like those pills. I'd be curious what they're sized at.
Try to get some samples from Missouri Bullet Co. and some other casters and see if they do the same thing.
mattsbox99
Hunter
Mine are .4515" and BHN 11 with zero leading, only about 600 lead ones through it so far.
I have shot the 235gr lrnfp with 6.5 Herco with almost no leading. I'd suspect it would be your load. Perhaps get the bullet up around 900fps?
Tellico
Buckeye
Bullets direct bullets are cast using 2% tin, 6% Antimony, 92% lead. I don't know what that would be for hardness? Some of our caster's would know. I like mine around 11-12 and I get no leading with my R.O. but had a little with my Citadel. I like Trail Boss or WST and 200gr SWC. Great article on barrel slugging in May/June American Handgunner mag. by "Duke" Venturino.
I ask the same question before I shot my 1911. Stainless is harder to machine than other steel and sometimes barrels can be a bit rough and this can contribute to leading. I plan to shoot 500 rds of fmj and scrub my bore with bore paste prior to trying any lead.
ChuckS1
Bearcat
Lead is all I shoot in my 1911's and I don't have a leading problem. The key is making sure your bullet fits the barrel. I cast my own and I have a couple of different sizing dies, so I'm not relying on a commercial caster's "one size fits all" approach. That being said, I use a .452 sizing die.
A second thing to consider is that if you shoot both copper and lead bullets and get leading, you may have a problem with copper still being in the barrel. Found this out when I was casting for my .223 bolt action rifle. If I didn't get every speck of copper out of the barrel, my cast bullet loads leaded horribly. So, my point is that any copper left over in the barrel acts like little razor blades and will cause leading as a lead bullet passes down the barrel.
A second thing to consider is that if you shoot both copper and lead bullets and get leading, you may have a problem with copper still being in the barrel. Found this out when I was casting for my .223 bolt action rifle. If I didn't get every speck of copper out of the barrel, my cast bullet loads leaded horribly. So, my point is that any copper left over in the barrel acts like little razor blades and will cause leading as a lead bullet passes down the barrel.
Well, Ive changed my loads and still having the problem. I increased my charge to max and it was worse. I then switched to 5 gr of w231 and it is less but still there. The bullets I use seem to be pretty hard but I dont have others to compare to. The bullets are sized to 452.
If I lube the bullets with alux? will that help? The charge I'm useing is in the middle of the scale.
Is it possible that the crimp is to lite and the bullet is moving before up to proper case pressure? Most of the leading is in front of the chamber and even some blow back around the case. I know this sounds stupid but I would really like to get this figured out so I can continue to load. The last time I shot I spent about two hours scrubbing the barrel after.
I really appreciate all the help and info you guys have to offer.
If I lube the bullets with alux? will that help? The charge I'm useing is in the middle of the scale.
Is it possible that the crimp is to lite and the bullet is moving before up to proper case pressure? Most of the leading is in front of the chamber and even some blow back around the case. I know this sounds stupid but I would really like to get this figured out so I can continue to load. The last time I shot I spent about two hours scrubbing the barrel after.
I really appreciate all the help and info you guys have to offer.
ChuckS1
Bearcat
What diameter are you crimping to? If you're using excessive crimp, you could be reducing the bullet diameter to a point where you have, in effect, an undersized bullet. That will cause leading, no matter the hardness of the alloy. I crimp to .469.
Being's how you are shooting the same ammo through two different guns, and one has a problem yet the other don't, my guess is that your son's SA has a smoother bore than your SR1911 and/or is sized a bit differently.
You have already recieved excellent advice from other posters on how to address issues that concern an individual gun, so there aint much that I can add there except this;
In my experience, it's not unusual to recieve a batch of bullets that aint the size that the box say's they are. The ramification of that is; If you're slugging the bore to determine "bullet fit", but haven't measured the bullet, you're only doing half of the job.
Just in passing, I think it worth mentioning that a barrel's twist rate can also effect leading, particularly in certain gun designs that were meant exclusively for realitively high-speed jacketed bullets. As a rule though, one will not find that to be a problem with a .45ACP pistol to the extent that it can be in other calibers. But still, it seemed like something worth passing along.
DGW
You have already recieved excellent advice from other posters on how to address issues that concern an individual gun, so there aint much that I can add there except this;
In my experience, it's not unusual to recieve a batch of bullets that aint the size that the box say's they are. The ramification of that is; If you're slugging the bore to determine "bullet fit", but haven't measured the bullet, you're only doing half of the job.
Just in passing, I think it worth mentioning that a barrel's twist rate can also effect leading, particularly in certain gun designs that were meant exclusively for realitively high-speed jacketed bullets. As a rule though, one will not find that to be a problem with a .45ACP pistol to the extent that it can be in other calibers. But still, it seemed like something worth passing along.
DGW
