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Question about lead bullets.

hrbie
Isnt a good rule of thumb about shooting lead bullets is to try to keep the fps under 1000?
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11 comments

Date Votes
  • steve45
    You dont have to worry about leading if you use properly alloyed (hard cast) lead bullets and keep them under 1000 fps.
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  • hrbie
    Thanks for the reply steve. But i am curious as to why some ammo makers have lead loads that are well over that 1000 fps mark.
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  • Nwcid
    There is more then one hardness of lead. If you shoot super soft lead at 500fps you would have a mess. If you shoot lead that is hard enough to shoot at 1000fps then you can shoot it at that. There is harder lead and with gas checks some rifles shoot them up in the 2000fps area.
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  • Rocky Raab
    Lead can be funny. Bullets too soft can strip (lead the barrel) at high speed - and bullets too hard can do so at slow speeds.

    Fit may be more important than hardness; a lead bullet two thousandths larger than the bore can be driven surprisingly fast without leading. But a bullet one thousandth small will always lead, sometimes horrendously.

    Remember as well that what the old-timers called "hard cast" measured about BHN 12. Today, we think of that as soft - and hard doesn't start until the 20s! Commercial cast bullets today are probably MUCH harder than they need to be. They're made that hard not to shoot well but to survive shipping without getting dinged up.
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  • bpost
    Hardness is MUCH less important than proper sizing to the bore of YOUR gun and proper lube for the bullet. A bullet cast out of wheel weights, with a touch of tin added for mold fill-out, sized properly can be driven over 2,000 FPS without leading. I do it all the time.

    Of course the bullet design, using a gas check, helps keeps the leading down too.

    Here is the Mecca of lead projectiles.
    http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php
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  • hrbie
    Thanks for all the info guys. Got some great information.
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  • Mort4570
    ONe thing,you MUST get all the old jacket material out of your bore when switching to lead.My old old Marlin would not hit a barn until I did so.That's been my experience anyway, ymmv
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  • perry shooter
    BPOST has given you the best advice Proper size proper lube "soft is the best for me it seals the barrel to bullet better so no gas cutting /leading and 2000 FPS no problem in a good bore.
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  • excavman
    I have been using the Lyman 311284 210 grain gas check bullet made from 95% wheel weight 5% bar solder in my 1898 Spfld 30-40 Krag since 1970. Loaded to a velocity of 1800fps it is very accurate and no leading problems.
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  • jonk
    Bore fit is king. Good bore fit is achieved by bullet sizing diameter on one hand and how it enters the bore on the other, meaning getting a good fit to the throat of the gun, if possible, is also important.

    Regarding getting all copper fouling out, it helps yes. How important it is depends on what you are doing. For a 1200 fps rifle load shooting at tin cans, just a normal cleaning is good enough. For a load pushing the velocity envelope over 2000fps and for top notch accuracy, then yes a thorough de-coppering helps a lot!
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  • shoottatclay
    quote:Originally posted by hrbie
    Isnt a good rule of thumb about shooting lead bullets is to try to keep the fps under 1000?

    you can take them beyond 1000 fps soft or hard. I have but the harder lead is more brittle flyers of lead breaking about on inpack. but less leading.
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