I may be getting super cheap

[insulinboy]

So I shoot at a lot of steel mostly (more fun, targets don't go bad, you know you hit them without having to go look when your shooting at 50 yards) and I notice I have nice lead piles starting to form up at my targets where the lead is crushing and just dropping right at the target.. Im starting to think I should go ahead and get a lead smelting kit and start casting my own bullets to make some super cheap loads because I can re-use the brass, AND the lead... Most of my shooting now though is will my hi-point carbine and I'm just wondering if the velocities out of that are such that I really should keep using the jacketed projectiles or if plinking with SP lead ammo will be okay.

It makes me a little sad though too, because after about 700 rounds I've finally found THE recipie that I really like.. 6 grains of Ramshot Silhouette with a 124 grain Rainer jacketed projectile with an OAL of 1.160. I'm getting really good groups out of the carbine and my 226 and can get my 5" plate every shot at 15 yards, and the 100lb propane cylinder (its been open and empty for at least 15 years that I know of and already has several holes in it) I have set up at 50 yards as well as some 15" plow disks every time I pull the trigger (I'm talking with the pistol of course, since I got the sights dialed in I haven't missed once with the carbine at anything between 30 and 75 yards that I shoot at)

Anyway advice is appreciated.. when I go down to my range I can run through as much as 200-400 rounds of ammunition (its an all day affair) and just want to make sure my carbine isn't going to get lead fouled halfway through and stop shooting correctly or worse I risk blowing something up because a round gets lodged in the barrel from all the fouling. But with going through that much ammunition it would be nice to be able to use the lead bullets, and recast them and be able to get the 9mm down to about the cost of inexpensive .22 ammo

 

[fattboyzz]

I believe using gas checked cast may be a good solution to keep from leading.

I just bumped an old thread too ,that may be of use to ya

 

[SteelRinger]

The lead used in most plated/jacketed bullets is very soft, so if you are wanting to use it to cast, you will need to add some wheel weights or commercial Lyman #2 alloy to it to make up for that.

Also, a properly sized and lubed bullet will not lead very much at all. If you are keeping the velocities down in the "pistol" range, then you shouldn't have a problem. If you are pushing them pretty fast, then a gas check will help, but there aren't many moulds for GC 9mm bullets. You could get away with using a GC .357 mould and then just sizing it down to .355 for use in the 9mm.

 

[biker_bill]

If deciding to use the wheel weights, remember to remove the steel (easy to spot) and zinc (not as easy) before melting.
If you miss one of the zinc's you'll notice it will float to the top, get it out of there.

Be damned careful working with that lead and read all you can before doing it.
I had one drop of sweat come off my forehead into a pot and you would have thought someone threw a fire cracker in there.
Fortunately I was correctly dressed for the occasion.

If you're considering it, do it, I found it very rewarding to make my own fine lead cast bullets.

 

[97 winchester]

I say go for it , I have shot thousands (the majority of all pistol/revolver rounds fired)
of cast and swaged bullets. You can work up a load that will cause minimal to almost no leading. You will save money and enjoy more range time.

 

[insulinboy]

If deciding to use the wheel weights, remember to remove the steel (easy to spot) and zinc (not as easy) before melting.
If you miss one of the zinc's you'll notice it will float to the top, get it out of there.

Be damned careful working with that lead and read all you can before doing it.
I had one drop of sweat come off my forehead into a pot and you would have thought someone threw a fire cracker in there.
Fortunately I was correctly dressed for the occasion.

If you're considering it, do it, I found it very rewarding to make my own fine lead cast bullets.

I am firmiliar with the dangers of casting with lead. A friend and myself in NY used to do a lot of scrapping and there were still a lot of places in our area with old lead pipe, it was right after lead was banned as a sinker in NY so we started casting our own with the old lead pipe But I know there are more and different dangers when you start talking about sending it down the barrel of a gun with 30K + PSI behind it.

In comparison other than the actual handling of the hot lead there isn't much danger in making and using sinkers

 

[biker_bill]

I am firmiliar with the dangers of casting with lead. A friend and myself in NY used to do a lot of scrapping and there were still a lot of places in our area with old lead pipe, it was right after lead was banned as a sinker in NY so we started casting our own with the old lead pipe But I know there are more and different dangers when you start talking about sending it down the barrel of a gun with 30K + PSI behind it.

In comparison other than the actual handling of the hot lead there isn't much danger in making and using sinkers

I've been shooting cast lead for years out of handguns and have never had any lead fouling, that's because I keep them at about 850fps. A nice soft 9mm load, so I can get back on target quickly when shooting competition.

I read somewhere that you should keep them under 1000fps and you'll be ok.
I just gave than number a comfortable margin.
Glock says, don't shoot it out of their handguns, my friends and I have been doing so for many years without any problems.

 

[insulinboy]

Okay, so I guess I will be getting into it eventually then.. Some other things I suppose I will need to invest in first like a shooting chronograph so I know how fast the lead is going. Thanks for the replies guys, I feel a little more confident about it now

 

[rbstern]

Sometimes, you get a certain combination of barrel and load that simply wants to lead up, and it seems to happen more often in 9mm than any other pistol cartridge, so shooting cast 9mm without leading can be a bit of trial and error. Things I do that solved the 9mm leading problems I initially encountered:

1) Bullet neither too hard nor too soft. Wheel weights make good 9mm bullets.

2) Oversize bullets. I use the same .358, 125 grain Lee LRNFP grain bullet for 9mm that I use in 38 special. Have found it works better in more 9mm than smaller diameter bullets I've tried.

3) Quality lube that will stand up to higher pressures and velocities. I use White Label Carnauba Red (lsstuff.com). Works great on 9mm cast loads. Also use it for a lot of rifle loads. It's better than any other lube I've used.