Making the switch to Lead Cast bullets ***slugged a barrel today***
- Thread starter Ricky Bobby
- Start date
Brad Phillips
Active member
Some good info here, castboolits is real good as well as the Lyman books. Can you save money? yes and no.... you get more bang for your buck so you just end up shooting more!
Ricky Bobby
New member
Finally got around to slugging the barrel on my XDsc 40 today!
Just tinkering more than anything, but really needed to do it & I always wanted to try it. I melted some lead sinker weights (4 to be exact) inside an old 30-06 case that I sawed the shoulder and neck off of. Dumped the lead out of it after it cooled and had a nice cylindrical lead slug slightly larger than the bore diameter of my XDsc 40. From there I just basically drove the lead slug through the barrel using a hammer and wooden dowel. I wound up with a neat little lead slug that had a perfect indentation of the riflings inside the barrel. I measured it in several locations just to be sure that my readings from the caliper were consistent and I come up with .401 for my bore diameter of the barrel.
So now the question is:
What size lead bullets do I start with out of this particular gun?
I have read where some folks prefer a lead bullet that is .001 or even .002 larger than their bore diameter. Looking for recommendations or what has worked best for some of you folks. I will be slugging the barrel on my 1894c next. Anxious to see if it ends up at .358 or not.
Just tinkering more than anything, but really needed to do it & I always wanted to try it. I melted some lead sinker weights (4 to be exact) inside an old 30-06 case that I sawed the shoulder and neck off of. Dumped the lead out of it after it cooled and had a nice cylindrical lead slug slightly larger than the bore diameter of my XDsc 40. From there I just basically drove the lead slug through the barrel using a hammer and wooden dowel. I wound up with a neat little lead slug that had a perfect indentation of the riflings inside the barrel. I measured it in several locations just to be sure that my readings from the caliper were consistent and I come up with .401 for my bore diameter of the barrel.
So now the question is:
What size lead bullets do I start with out of this particular gun?
I have read where some folks prefer a lead bullet that is .001 or even .002 larger than their bore diameter. Looking for recommendations or what has worked best for some of you folks. I will be slugging the barrel on my 1894c next. Anxious to see if it ends up at .358 or not.
Jack Roberts
Moderator - Deceased
Sized .001" over has worked best for me.
Jack
Jack
BubbaChicken
New member
Agreed, .401 in the barrel means .402 is what you want, and is what will likely be the best diameter for your bore. .403 will work, but will increase pressures, especially on heavier charges. .404 is too big.
BubbaChicken
New member
Your 1894 could even be .360! It depends on who made it and how well it has been treated. Bore condition means a LOT in cast bullets. Pitting is heck on em...
Ricky Bobby
New member
Thanks a bunch fellas! Good to have knowledgeable people steering me in the right direction.
