ORIGINAL: bigcountry
ORIGINAL: wyotimberghost
I've been looking at hard cast bullets for my heavy +P 45 Colt loads and noticed that some of the bullets have gas-checks and some don't. What are the advantages of gas-checks, and should I be looking for bullets with or without them for my heavy loads?
Only place you need GC is maybe in a 44mag marlin rifle or a 45-70, 444, or 450. And only if your going to push them to 1900-2200fps.
Most pistol calibers its a waste IMO if your velocity is under 1500fps. I need them in my 460smith. I get serious leading past 1800fps and 325gr bullet. I know if its me, I wouldn't bother for a 45colt even +P loads.
My experience indicates that Big Country is correct. To reduce/prevent leading, you need a combination of two things: Good lubrication for the bullet, and a bullet that is big enough in diameter that powder gases cannot blow by it as it travels down the bore.
If gas blows past the bullet base, it tends to melt the base and sides of the bullet, depositing moltenlead behind it on the surfaces of the bore. In addition, any damage to the bullet base has a serious detrimental effect on accuracy!
I have fired
PURE LEAD cast bullets (Lyman 457122HP) in my Ruger No. 1 .45/70 up to 1350 FPS usingboth smokeless powder and black powder,
with no leading. The bullets were .001" over groove diameter, and the
ONLY lube I used with them was a greased WonderWad (a muzzleloading component)
on top of the powder charge. These loads proved very accurate, and even the BP load left very little fouling in the bore. (65 grains of Swiss FFg; 43 grains of IMR 4064.)
In addition, I once loaded up some .375 H&H cases with 60 grains of H4831 and Lyman .375449 gascheck bullets lubed with NRA-formula ALOX lube. MV was right at 2000 FPS, and there was NO LEADING. Accuracy was good. These bullets were cast of straight unheat-treated wheelweight metal at Brinell 9.