Henry Rifle Forums

I've always been gun shy of shooting cast in my .357 BB steel. The thought of a badly leaded rifle barrel gives me chills. I had some issues with barrel leading in 9mm when I first started reloading, and once spent hours cleaning lead from a 3 1/2 barrel with very easy access.

I recently ran across a company selling cast at very attractive prices that would significantly lower my reloading costs. This got me to thinking about perhaps giving cast a shot.

I looked at Hodgdon's .357 rifle data and discovered that using a 158 grain cast bullet, only HP38 offers a MV below 1000 fps. I do have some HP38, so I was thinking about trying a small handful and see how things went. Thought I would ask here and see if someone else has trod this ground before me.

I have only shot cast and in mine. I have 2 loads that shoot really good for my rifle.
The Lee 125 RNFP with 5 grns. 700x for varmints.
And an NOE Molds 360 180 WFN GC with 12 grns. 2400 for deer.
The Lee is shot as cast. The NOE is sized to .357

yep........................Ideal 121 gr. roundnose!

I considered cast bullets a while back for my .44 mag rifle but found the overall cost difference was not worth the risk of leading my barrel. The cost of copper plated bullets from X-treme vs the cost of cast bullets from other suppliers was almost identical after shipping costs were applied. X-treme offers free shipping from time to time and that is when I order.
For the .357, I shoot X-treme 158 gr. plated RNFP or plated SWC or use the Hornady 158 gr XTP JHP (the Hornady's cost more but shoot very well).

I've been using the Xtreme 158 grain HPs. They are thick plated, so I don't have to worry about breaking the 1200 fps speed limit. They shoot well. I can get cast for about half the cost of the Xtremes. I did order a box of the RNFP cast. I ended up clicking on the wrong box and ended up with 130 grain instead of 158. I've loaded a handful, but have not shot them yet. I figure I can use them in my revolver, if I am not happy with the results in the Henry.

Here is a good read for you guys that are or might have a leading issue or problem. It's an online shooting article by Glen E. Fryxell and Robert L. Applegate .....From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners.

Leading
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_7_Leading.htm

First, if you try lead in the 357, you should buy at least .358 bullets to make sure you fill the bore and do not let hot gasses around to melt the lead. I have switched to the Hi-Tek coated lead from Missouri bullet in my .41's. I will do the same for the 357's as I need to resupply.
It is still a good idea to oversize the bullet for accuracy reasons.

.358 is the standard size I shoot with .38/.357 cast. I have loaded quite a few for the older model 10 I used to have.

I loaded up a handful of the cast in .357 for the Henry, but had some other things on my mind last range trip, and forgot to try them out.

I shoot hard cast bullets in my BB 45 Colt. They are 250 gr. shoot at 1020 fps .454 diameter blue lube and leave absolutely no lead.

I've always been gun shy of shooting cast in my .357 BB steel. The thought of a badly leaded rifle barrel gives me chills.

You got off to a bad start. Use QUALITY hardcast and keep your velocities reasonable - rule of thumb is 1200 +/- FPS and you will never have a leading problem. Plated will allow you a few more FPS but again stay realistic. Oregon Trail Laser Cast are some of the most consistent and accurate I have ever shot but there are a lot of good brands.

Mistered wrote:

I've always been gun shy of shooting cast in my .357 BB steel. The thought of a badly leaded rifle barrel gives me chills.

You got off to a bad start. Use QUALITY hard
cast and keep your velocities reasonable - rule of thumb is 1200 +/- FPS and you will never have a leading problem. Plated will allow you a few more FPS but again stay realistic. Oregon Trail Laser Cast are some of the most consistent and accurate I have ever shot but there are a lot of good brands.

Good advice, if you don't cast your own I highly recommend Oregon laser cast. I have used them in the hottest 357 and 44 loads without leading. If you cast your own, there is a lot of good information out there on the right alloy, adding tin, antimony, etc. Good luck, shooting cast is a cheap way to enjoy your rifle. I shoot in the winter a lot. I shoot in the hard snow banks and can pick my lead out in the spring and recast it!

Well, I finally remembered to pull out the bag of 130 grain cast at the end of the range session today. I ran five of them through. Accuracy was OK. Not as good as the heavy plated. Then again, I only ran some the start load ones. I started with a barrel that had shot a bunch of copper plated. When I cleaned it, I got a little bit of lead out. Not much. I may try running them on a clean barrel and maybe run 15 or 20.

I think I need to load up some with HP38. Lower muzzle velocity. I used Universal. It is a slower burning powder than HP38, but runs higher MVs. The pistol data showed MV of around 1000. Of course, the longer barrel will bump that up a couple hundred. I may even back down to .38 and see what happens. I should probably take my cleaning equipment with me to the range. For instant feedback.

I shot some 40 rounds of 158 grain cone nose (NVM N38316PB mold) in 18 Brinell hardness in the .357 Big Boy Steel yesterday, and they performed well without leading. When cleaning the barrel afterwards using my favourite lead remover only some very small specks came out, and the barrel was squeaky clean afterwards.

Having said that the loads were light for a rifle; 6 and 7 grains of HS-6, as per Hodgdon reloading data available online.



http://www.nvballistics.com/bullets/bul ... 0158gr.pdf

Well, I don't think I will be doing that again. I loaded up 20 130 grain RNFPs, .358 diameter over a start load of HP38. They shot well, accurate. Brought the Henry home and cleaned it. Lots and lots of lead. I know I could probably get around the issues, but it looks like an uphill battle to me at this point. I fought leading in 9mm and got it down to a manageable level, but finally gave up on it and went to plated. I may save myself the hassle and just stick with plated.

clovishound wrote:Well, I don't think I will be doing that again. I loaded up 20 130 grain RNFPs, .358 diameter over a start load of HP38. They shot well, accurate. Brought the Henry home and cleaned it. Lots and lots of lead. I know I could probably get around the issues, but it looks like an uphill battle to me at this point. I fought leading in 9mm and got it down to a manageable level, but finally gave up on it and went to plated. I may save myself the hassle and just stick with plated.

Got some questions for you if you don't mind me asking.
1) Who is the manufacture of this 130gr cast lead bullet?
2) What is the hardness of this 130gr?
3) What was your powder charge of HP38?
4) What was the velocity of the Henry rifle when shooting this 130gr bullet?
5) How is this 130gr bullet lubed?
6) Would you provide a link for this 130gr bullet so that I could read more about it?
Thanks

Summers, brinnell 18, 4.3, Hogdgon's site shows 946 for a 4.1 start load for a 135 grain RNFP, blue crayon lube

http://www.summersenterprisesllc.com/38 ... gr-900.htm

The 946 fps is rated from a revolver barrel length.

I had the opportunity to go to the shooting range again yesterday with the BBS .357, and tried out some new loads. Shot some 30 rounds with the same 158 cast lead bullets I have used previously (18 brinell hardness, calibrated to .358"), but now with stouter loads of HS-6. Measured velocity at the muzzle was between 1300 and 1550 fps for the different loads. Cleaning afterwards showed only some small lead specks.

Just wonder; those of you that have problems with leading, what lube do you use on the bullets?

I don't think there should be any problem with shooting quality lead bullets in your Henry. As long as you keep your velocities reasonable, you should be just fine.

Shooting lead projectiles successfully requires some work
First you really need to slug the barrel find out what the ACTUAL Groove dia is for YOUR barrel Then add .002 to .003
so a bore that slugs .357 would need a bullet sized 359 to 360 for max effectiveness... Some will get away with 358 most will not

Lubes are a whole game unto themselves. some work at certain velocities and temps and will not at others .

I did away with all that issue by powdercoating my projectiles
out of at least 16 firearms from lowey 9MM up to 3 45-70's and a 458 socom I have no leading
have a 358 Winchester going 2379 FPS sub MOA and ZERO leading but it takes work ..
rarely will an off the shelf commercial cast lead bullet be what you need