All:

I've loaded thousands of jacketed rounds, but never a lead load, so... I'm trying to load a practice/plinking load for my 329 Smith, .44 mag, 4" barrel. My questions:

1) I bought a couple boxes of Hornady 240g SWC bullets, nominally .430" but when I mike them, they come out at around .425". Does this mean they are meant to be loaded with gas checks only? Do the gas checks make up the other .005"?

2) I have since learned that the Hornadys are swaged, not cast. If I load to around 900fps, am I going to have leading problems in the 329?

3) Can I just load 240g jacketed hollowpoints with, say 8.5-9.0g of Unique and get that 900fps load?

4) Do all lead pistol loads need gas checks? I thought they didn't. What CAST semi-wadcutters at 240g would you recommend for cheap practice/plinking rounds?

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the newbie questions, but I've never dealt with plain lead before....

MKane160

quote:

Originally posted by MKane160:
All:

I've loaded thousands of jacketed rounds, but never a lead load, so... I'm trying to load a practice/plinking load for my 329 Smith, .44 mag, 4" barrel. My questions:

1) I bought a couple boxes of Hornady 240g SWC bullets, nominally .430" but when I mike them, they come out at around .425". Does this mean they are meant to be loaded with gas checks only? Do the gas checks make up the other .005"?

2) I have since learned that the Hornadys are swaged, not cast. If I load to around 900fps, am I going to have leading problems in the 329?

3) Can I just load 240g jacketed hollowpoints with, say 8.5-9.0g of Unique and get that 900fps load?

4) Do all lead pistol loads need gas checks? I thought they didn't. What CAST semi-wadcutters at 240g would you recommend for cheap practice/plinking rounds?

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the newbie questions, but I've never dealt with plain lead before....

MKane160

1. Dia should be .430" to .429" nothing smaller. The gas check would already be on the bullet if it is sold as a gas check. 2.The lead hornady bullets at the correct dia. should not lead you barrel at 900fps. 3. Yes, you can light load jacketed bullets. Keep the vel. above 750fps as slower could lodge in the barrel. 4.Factory swaged bullets can have a gas check, it would be on the bullet when u buy them. Cast bullets have to be designed to accept a gas check. The bullets needing a gas check will have room at the base for one. I cast my own, so can't recommend a brand. Lead bullets, in swaged and cast, can have a gas check or no gas check. A cast bullet of the correct hard alloy, with out a gas check, will not lead your barrel at higher speeds 1200-1300 fps. A swaged bullet may if shot faster then 900fps.

when checking the dia. of a lead bullet like the hornady, use a micrometer, NOT a vernier calilber.

quote:

Originally posted by 243winxb:
when checking the dia. of a lead bullet like the hornady, use a micrometer, NOT a vernier calilber.

Agree.

And if they actually measure 0.428", then you bought bullets for the 44-40, not the 44Mag. Chances of them shooting well in a 44Spl or 44Mag are not good.

If you get a good measurement and they are not 0.429"-0.430" and that is what it says they should be on the box, contact Hornady and I believe they will get it corrected for you.

You could "invert" a Gas Check and put it in the Case ahead of the Bullet, or cut some from thin Cardboard(Wheaties Box, Toothpaste tube box, etc.) with a sharpened Case, but that won't compensate for the undersize diameter.
---

You can go too slow and get Leading and you can go too fast and get a different kind of Leading. The Alloy can be too Soft and get Leading, or it can be too Hard and get Leading. All of these are slightly different and come from both the Sides and Bases of the Bullets.

So, it is a Balancing Act to get a specific Lot of Bullets shooting without Leading. Once you get the Formula correct, you will want to hang on to it.
---

I don't normally recommend Loads, so just go by what ever it says in your Manuals for the 240gr Jacketed Bullet to get 900fps. You can use 44Spl Loads in the 44Mag Case and it will be just a bit slower.
---

No, you do not need Gas Checks on Lead Bullets. However they do help with some "types" of Leading. The Swaged Lead I've shot is typically a "softer" alloy than most Cast lead Bullets, but it just depends on who made them and what is in them.

You do not see much written about Lead Bullets by most of todays Gun Scribes, because what works well for one Barrel and set of Components may not shoot worth beans in the next one. Lead is well worth the effort though, cause it is nearly impossible for the typical shooter to wear out a barrel with Lead.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks, fellas. OK, I did measure them with a vernier, but... I am loading them on a Dillon 550 and when I get to the bullet seating station, the bullets just fall into the middle of the case. Do you not bell the case mouths when loading lead? What am I doing wrong here?

MKane160

Kane
I've never had good results with any caliber swaged lead bullet in any of my revolvers. They are to soft, to small in diameter.
With that said take your powder measure off and take out the powder thru case expander.
What you need to do is get shank of the expander turned/polished down so that the bullet does not drop down in the case. Leave the flaring part alone.
I do this as a matter of course with any of my Dillon powder thru expanders and all Lyman M-dies.
Jim

Hey MKane, I was flipping through the Midsouth Catalog last night and noticed their 44-40 Swaged Lead Bullets are listed as 0.427" instead of the 0.428" I mentioned above.

You have the WRONG bullet for your 44Mag.

Either you bought the wrong ones or Hornady somehow got the Lot mixed up. But it should be easy to figure out.

If is has #11208 on the box, you bought the WRONG bullets.

If it has #11108 or #11118, then that is the correct Part# for the 44Spl/44Mag and Hornady needs to replace them for you.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by MKane160:
Thanks, fellas. OK, I did measure them with a vernier, but... I am loading them on a Dillon 550 and when I get to the bullet seating station, the bullets just fall into the middle of the case. Do you not bell the case mouths when loading lead? What am I doing wrong here?

MKane160

If your Hornady swaged lead bullets do measure .425" you are doing nothing wrong, its the bullets. When using a jacketed bullet, does the problem go away using the same brass? Some lots of brass have thin walls. Check the dia. of the expander, it should measure around .426" - .427"(my RCBS dies). You do bell the case mouth with lead bullets,same as jacketed.

I just pulled my Dillon 44 mag. expander, it measures .424" to .426". As you can see, its not ever round, oval shaped.

All:

I have a box of 11108s and a box of 11118s. Both measure .426-.427". But so do the Nosler 240g jacketed bullets and they fall into the case, too. I'll bet I've somehow got the wrong expander installed in the powder station...

MKane160

quote:

Originally posted by MKane160:
All:

I have a box of 11108s and a box of 11118s. Both measure .426-.427". But so do the Nosler 240g jacketed bullets

Hey MKane, Then you are somehow getting a measuring error. There is no way possible for both boxes of Lead Bullets and a box of Jacketed Bullets all to be undersize as they come from the factory. They should all be reading right at 0.429"-0.430".

quote:

and they fall into the case, too. I'll bet I've somehow got the wrong expander installed in the powder station...

Perhaps you have the "Expander Die" adjusted incorrectly.

It should be adjusted so it just barely Flares the Case Mouth enough that a Bullet will set inside the Case Mouth. It should not be adjusted to go way down inside the Case - just barely touch the Case Mouth.

That should completely fix your problem. Now you can go on to enjoy dealing with Lead.

Best of luck to you.