Loading the 357 with cast bullets

[markp]

My belief is loading a cast bullet in the .357 with  anything approaching magnum velocities will likely produce
leading? My question is this. Can I load a  200 grain cast bullet at 800 to 850 with a reasonable chance it
won't cause leading?

How can I load the 357 with lead bullets keeping Most of the power of  the round...ie not dropping down to 38 spl ....and not have leading problems. Not interested in gas check bullets. I suspect they would drive the price up........which is why the lead rather than jackieed  bullets.

[ButlerFord45]

1. Gas check
2. Better lube
3. Harder Alloy
4. Heat treat
5. Remove ALL copper alloy from the barrel

You can heat treat even with purchased sized and lubed bullets.  Treat then pan lube.

I have no problem at .357 mag velocities.

BF

[Dee]

Been loading 158 grain semi-wadcutter cast from wheel weights since 1976, in both 38 special and 357 mag. Keep the load at around 1000fps, and you should be fine. Good bullet lube (I make my own) will help, and not too fast a powder I use unique as it is extremely versatile. I use the same loads in my rifle, with a some increase in fps but it is a build up due to the long barrel. Luck!
You can also drop the bullets directly out of the mold into a five gallon bucket of water with some ice in it. Just don't over work the bullet in a sizing die. That will definitely help.
If your interested, the bullet lube recipe is: 1 pound of vasoline, one pound of canning wax, a table spoon of something like STP oil treatment, and some broken crayons for color. Other wise you will have trouble seeing it on the bullet.
Melt all this in something like a coffee can OUTSIDE, or in your shop. I then with a dull kitchen knife just cut out what I need and stuff it in the Lyman sizer. One can will last for thousands of rounds.

[wncchester]

I've been shooting .357 and .44 mag SWC-GC loads at speeds of 1300, and a bit more, fps since '65. I get very little leading, usually just a soft smear that brushes out easily.  It's really not difficult to obtain normal full velocities and little leading with cast bullets in a handgun with a smooth bore.  I get normal speeds for a .38 and .45ACP with only light traces of bullet rub, no more than I would get from jacketed bullets actually.

My alloy is 5-6# of lead for most of the alloy, 4-5# Wheel Weights for the antimony, 1# of either 50:50 tin/lead  solder OR 60:40 electical solder for the tin needed to make the alloy mix and cast well.  Bullets are hard enough not to strip out with full charges of 2400 or H-110 and soft enough to easily obturate in the bore.

My lube is simply the excellant old NRA formula of a 50:50 mix of Alox and beeswax, commonly available from most lube makers.  In the quanities I use it, it's too cheap to buy rather than mixing something that may not protect the bore or shoot nearly as well.

Bullets are sized at bore size or one thousanth over, no more, to obtain a good bore seal.

I've never heat treated a cast bullet in any special way.  Not opposed to it, just haven't done it.

[Reed1911]

I run hard cast 200's all day at mag velocity and no leading.

I honestly think a BIG part of it is #1 having a clean barrel to start (no copper, no lead, no oil) and #2 having a smooth barrel. Many, many barrels come from the factory with terrible machine marks, rough as all get-out and will lead like sandpaper. Either hand lap or fire lap and it will clear that out. #3 make sure you are shooting bullets that are sized to the barrel and throat. If you have very small throats as compared to your barrel it will lead no matter what you do. If your throats are larger than the barrel, as long as you have a smooth forcing cone that is concentric to the bore and symmetrical you'll have no problems at all.

Any fixing you have to do can be done at home with minimal tooling. If you do not feel confidant feel free to have a gunsmith do it. IT should not cost much and you'll have a much more accurate revolver to boot.

[Steve P]

I shoot bullets cast from wheel weights and dropped from mold into bucket of water.  I don't have leading with my loads shooting about 1000fps.  All of my cast loads going faster than that likely have the gas check applied.  Still cheaper than jacketed bullets by a whole lot!!

Steve

[Kurt L]

If your interested, the bullet lube recipe is: 1 pound of vasoline, one pound of canning wax, a table spoon of something like STP oil treatment, and some broken crayons for color. Other wise you will have trouble seeing it on the bullet.
Melt all this in something like a coffee can OUTSIDE, or in your shop. I then with a dull kitchen knife just cut out what I need and stuff it in the Lyman sizer. One can will last for thousands of rounds.

Hey Stimplylu32 That would be worth adding to a sticky great info
by dee.

[markp]

Lots of good information in your posts. Thanks Guys !

If I have a leading problem What I need to solve it is bound to be in here.

[Dee]

Lots of good information in your posts. Thanks Guys !

If I have a leading problem What I need to solve it is bound to be in here.

As I have said, I have been shooting cast bullets for quite a few years. My loading my own doesn't count the thousands I fired in a 20 year career on a police range as an instructor and demonstrations. Leading in a revolver usually means: a rough bore, too much velocity for the lead hardness, cylinder alignment, or a combination of any or all mentioned. There isn't much else to cause it.
I have fired over a thousand rounds thru one revolver in one day, and gotten almost no leading. Pick another one up just like it, and it would lead in 6 rounds. Like I said. Thousand of rounds isn't an exaggeration. They were most of the time free and available due to my job. I still like shoot'em.

[Catfish]

If your looking for someones elses bullets to shoot try Lead Head bullets. I have pushed their hard cast gas checked to 2,600 fps. without leading. They will cost you as much as jacketed bullets though, so if cost is your motive don`t bother.

[Dee]

If your wanting gas check bullets, and I think you said no, you can load cast wheel weight bullets that are gas checked beyond 2000fps easily. I have been loading the 170 grain 3030 molded from wheel weights, with a gas check since about 1971 to 2400fps with no leading at all.

[stimpylu32]

If your interested, the bullet lube recipe is: 1 pound of vasoline, one pound of canning wax, a table spoon of something like STP oil treatment, and some broken crayons for color. Other wise you will have trouble seeing it on the bullet.
Melt all this in something like a coffee can OUTSIDE, or in your shop. I then with a dull kitchen knife just cut out what I need and stuff it in the Lyman sizer. One can will last for thousands of rounds.

Hey Stimplylu32 That would be worth adding to a sticky great info
by dee.

Kurt L -- Ask and ye shall recieve  -- its up in the Tip and Tricks Stcky 

stimpy