.38 LRN?

[BN]

I don't run lead bullets in my .38 revolvers unless it is unavoidable. Since I reload, I've been using jacketed, plated or coated bullets. Lead is such a mess to clean up. Many of the practice 130 grain jacketed bullet loads seem a better choice to me.

When I was shooting a lot of revolver in IDPA, I used a plated Berry bullet with Bullseye powder. I only cleaned just before a match and wouldn't clean after practice until the next match. Then I would only run a brush, then a patch through each chamber. Then a toothbrush under the ejector star. When I first started IDPA I was shooting lead and had to clean after each stage.

[TiroFijo]

I've shot zillions of lead cast reloads (my own) in 38 spl and 38 +p in several 38 and 357 revolvers, excellent accuracy, fast & easy to clean.

Commercial ammo ussually uses softer alloys and tends to produce more leading, depending on the revolver.

[Buckshot]

Just an FYI - I recently ran into trouble with a case of Magtech 38 Spl. It hass given me repeated clicks in a couple of revolvers that have otherwise been utterly Magnum reliable. I don't think these primers are hard but I think they're seated too deep in the primer pocket. Of course, I had to discover this ammo problem during the Revolver Round-up a few mos ago when I couldn't do anything about it.

[That Guy]

Huh. The girlfriends .357 has gone through quite a bit of Magtech ammunition without a single malfunction. (Mostly SJSP, both in .38 and .357.) I wonder if you got a bad batch or something? Any trigger work done to your revolver?

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[Wayne Dobbs]

Commercial ammo ussually uses softer alloys and tends to produce more leading, depending on the revolver.

Actually the commercial cast operations usually use a harder alloy and a harder lube (so it's not gooey), the bullets of which are often undersized in cylinder throats. This results in powder gasses leaking around bases and causing leading. Go over to the Cast Boolit Forum and lurk around. There are some great guys with a knowledge base that will blow your mind. The formula for success is a bullet that seals in the cylinder throat and a lube that performs as intended. Accuracy is astounding when the sweet spot is found.

[rsa-otc]

On lead bullets in general, properly sized bullets are excellent in terms of accuracy and minimal wear in the lands and groves of the barrel. Unfortunately it takes some searching for proper new manufactured ammo or work to get there with reloads.

On Purzi ammo specifically... Back during the great ammo shortage I came across some for a screaming deal for our company training ammo. It was super dirty both from a lead and dirty powder aspects.

[TiroFijo]

Actually the commercial cast operations usually use a harder alloy and a harder lube (so it's not gooey), the bullets of which are often undersized in cylinder throats. This results in powder gasses leaking around bases and causing leading. Go over to the Cast Boolit Forum and lurk around. There are some great guys with a knowledge base that will blow your mind. The formula for success is a bullet that seals in the cylinder throat and a lube that performs as intended. Accuracy is astounding when the sweet spot is found.

Who uses cast bullets, of the big brands of ammo? All I know use swaged bullets in their normal loadings.

You are right about commercial cast bullets, but I was talking about comercial ammo.

[Malamute]

Who uses cast bullets, of the big brands of ammo? All I know use swaged bullets in their normal loadings.

You are right about commercial cast bullets, but I was talking about comercial ammo.

I don't know where they get them now, or what they actually are now, but in the 90s Winchester used to use Bull-X cast bullets in their cowboy ammo. I had a tour of the facility they make the bullets at, they had a section of tarped over cast bullets on pallets waiting to ship to Winchester.

[TiroFijo]

Then again, things change over time... the large factories all had their large automatic swaging machines, it was much faster and cheaper that way.

Perhaps now that there are very affordable magma machines the relatively small operations can crank up cast bullet fast and cheap enough to feed even the big ammo manufacturers.

[Malamute]

I don't recall what the casting machines were that Bull-X used, but they made a LOT of cast bullets for general sale, and loaded a lot of reman ammo (that seemed to be pretty good).

I don't know why the decided to go cast instead of swaged for the cowboy ammo line, but that's what they did.