Am I likely to have a leading problem shooting the Hornady swaged 240gr SWC in my 44mag in the 850fps range? Are they any more likely to lead than a cast lead bullet (Speer's for example)? I have lots of bullseye, can get the Hornady's cheap for practice, and my mod. 629 seems to like them. Would they do the trick on deer/antelope size critters up close? I've also loaded some 300gr CPB WFNGC- I assume these in the 1100-1200fps range would do the job quite nicely. Give me your opinion?

Lead's lead the only way to over come leading is to gas check the bullet . on those bullet's you will need the cup gas check type .

And when did thay start selling Swaged bullet's

as far as i know there all cast lead bullet's.

Are thay greased bullet's? are thay smooth on the side wall's

I believe the bullets you are talking about are designed for the velocity range of 850-950 fps. Barrel leading depends on many factors including roughness of the bore. You may not be driving the bullets too fast, but may still experience some leading. This is taken care of with cleaning.

I would be more concerned with using very small doses of Bullseye in a mag case. Too much opportunity for double charging a case.

I had so much leading problems from the bubble gum soft swagged bullets (at any velocity) that I stopped shooting them YEARS ago.

My advice is throw them away or remelt into cast bullets with some alloy...........

OR, just buy you some quality made cast bullets and be done with it.

Here is a good source:
http://www.proshootpro.com/

The Hornady's have a sort of criss-crossed pattern the length of the bullet with no crimping groove, so I called them and they told me they were swaged and could be crimped wherever I preferred. Then I start reading bad stuff about swaged bullets and leading which prompted the question. Give me a couple brands of cast bullets you'd recommend for lighter practice loads, but still suitable for up close smaller game? (Speer?, Lasercast?)

Drill a hole in the swaged bullets and use them for fishing sinkers. I spent several hundred dollars on Corbin Swage equipment to do swaged bullets; they are too soft they will lead your gun terrible, they do work well for paper patched bullets, and for use with a sabot when shooting a muzzle-loader. I cast my own using Wheel Weights. Lee makes an entire line of bullet casting equipment. Everything you will need and while it may not be cheaper initially if you shoot as much as I do it is defiantly cheaper to make your own bullets.

Have you shot any? Or are just wondering before buying some? If you want to shoot them, you might try some Rooster Jacket. It's a liquid that you apply then let them dry. I've heard that it might be floor wax and it smells about the same. I used some for several hundred rounds of cast 158 rn in 38 special CAS loads. I didn't have any leading at all when run through 1 rifle and 2 six guns in one afternoon at a family reunion shoot. the Rooster Jacket does build up in the seating die and needed constant attention or the bullets kept seating deaper. Maybe if it dried for several days first??
I think that a cast bullet would work better. The Lazer Cast are not too bad and are availible most places. I would think that a harder bullet would give better performance and less leading problems. You can always try some and see how they do. I haven't tried the Lee Liquid Alox, but it could also be used to coat the swaged bullets before loading.

The Hornady's that I tried leaded like crazy even at very low velocity.

FWIW, the Speer's are swaged as well. However, I have had pretty good luck driving Speer 158 grain SWC and SWCHP to about 1000 fps in a .38 Special S&W Model 15 with no appreciable leading.

You can certainly try Speers in your .44 - I'm guessing they should do okay at 850 fps.

I just buy Oregon Trail bullets mostly - they are widely distributed around here and are as good as anything else I've tried - except of course, my own cast and gas checked bullets. But the OT's are good for general phartin' around loads and great when I don't have the time to cast and size up my own.

A friend sent me a bag of swaged bullets he made. (.45's) They had a moly coating on them. I loaded a very light load of maybe 700 fps and they filled my throats and bore with so much lead I wore out a Lewis lead remover. The bag sits in my pure lead box waiting to be melted for round balls.
I will give you a tip on the 629. When shooting silhouette I would watch my friends bullets in the scope. He was using 240 gr Hornadys. The bullets would rotate around the flight path (yaw). As soon as I convinced him to go to the 300 gr, the yaw stopped and the bullets would run a straight path. I would use the LBT WLNGC, 320 gr for hunting. I would not go below 300 grs. for any shooting with the S&W. 265 grs. might shoot OK though, never tried them. Fine gun, very accurate!

I don't know about your gun but I've shot a gazoogle of the Hornady HBWC's in .38's and .357's without leading and long as I keep the velocity at or below the 800 fps range. In the .38 one of my favorites was the 148 gr. version loaded backwards over 3.0 gr of Bullseye. It will separate a LARGE barracuda from his head nearly every time.

Ok guy.!

Swage lead bullet's require a backing /or gas check/or jacket. or require a knurlling tool to cut grove's in to the bullet for better lubing .
You can make you own swage lead bullet's using CH's
swage die's - thay fit your reloading press . you can use car /bic/wheel weight's this type of lead mix is less likly to lead your barrel and with the adding of a simple copper gas check slow's the leading down even more.and pistol gas
check run about 22.00 pre thousand .

Cast bullet's are a great thing to shoot swagged bullet's have there own use .

I have run over a quarter million round's of swagged bullet's through my old Ruger Single action .
No matter how you chose to shoot / lead bullet swagged bullet's. gas check bullet's jacketed bullet your still going to have to clean your firearm just learn to do it
on a regular bases. And you will be fine.
The only real plus side to casting your own bullet's is the ability to cast super hard lead/babit mix's and casting take's less time to do.


Pottsy