Hello, I'm new to the forum and new to handloading. I recently loaded some powder puff target loads for my .357 using Hornady swaged SWC. Here is the data: 38 special brass, s&W 627 .357, 3.4 grains of bullseye. Bore dia .357" and chamber throat dia between .357" and .3575"

Here is what the first 1.5" of the breech of the barrel looked like after 100 rounds:

I've never had problems with hardcast and leading. However, I have had leading with Remington lrn in 38 special

I kept velocity low. Could the throat diameter have anything to do with the leading, or is this just inherent with swaged bullets?

I'd slow it down some more. My "powder puff" load for a 357 is 2.5 grains oF Bullseye. It might break 750 fps on a good day.

RJ

I'd slow it down some more. My "powder puff" load for a 357 is 2.5 grains oF Bullseye. It might break 750 fps on a good day.

RJ

I'll give that a try.

Swaged bullets are not only darn-near pure lead, but they have only a very thin flash-coat of lube. Together, that spells lead in the bore at any load above a mousefart.

I use a good number of Hornady swaged 240s in my .44 Special with no problems. But I also re-lube mine with a dip in liquid Johnsons Paste Wax (a spritz of spray case lube also works) and load them to no more than 700 fps.

As RJ says, you're loading a little warm for a lead bullet. As he recommended, 2.5 to 2.7 gr of Bullseye will be plenty.

A Rocky suggests, extra lube will surely help. My suggestion is to buy a bottle of Lee's Liquid Alox and tumble your bullets with a bit of that in an old margerine or cottage cheese container and let them dry. Will work wonders on reducing the leading.

Get some Lee liquid Alox and tumble lube them. A few drops in the bottom of a cottage cheese container and swirl lube. Stand up and let dry overnight on a piece of tin foil. This will help a bunch with the leading from these nearly pure lead bullets.

If you get a chance, try some of the Bearcreek Bullets that are moly-coated. I have used them for 6+ years in my competition guns, both smokeless & blackpowder, and have had no leading. Did the Lewis lead remover thing and neither the revolvers or the rifle had any leading built up in the bores or forcing cones.

Granted, I am keeping the fps lower than 800, and the bullets are hardcast.

Looking at the Alliant site for Bullseye loads, I am not sure that you are loading those bullets that heavily at all. I shoot a lot of 148 HBWC and I get some leading, as you showed, but the bullets keep going in the 10 ring at 25 yards, and the leading doesn't get any worse.

I think 3.7 gr Bullseye is not all that warm either. I have loaded heavier in 38 Special +P loads. I used cast wheel weight bullets at that time. I did get some leading though but accuracy was not bad. There is something about the swaged Hornadys requiring more lube. Once a friend and I were firing a Ruger Redhawk in 44 Magnum at a steel target 8" diameter at 100 yards and doing quite well with our handloads. Another friend did not believe that handguns were accurate at that distance so we wanted to show him that they were. We had some loads (Heavy) made with this type of bullet and boy did we have egg on our face! We saw horrible accuracy! Well aimed shots were WAY off! Later we learned that the bullets required better lube and boy did the groups tighten. We were vindicated. I have fired handguns at ranges out to 500 yards so I know that a GOOD load will shoot well out of a GOOD gun. Nothing wrong with the bullet just needed lube.

If you get a chance, try some of the Bearcreek Bullets that are moly-coated......Granted, I am keeping the fps lower than 800, and the bullets are hardcast.

I've been shooting 125 gr Bearcreeks in my .38 Colt Officers Match, my S&W Model 66 and my Ruger Blackhawk as well as 250 gr .45 Colts in my Taurus Gaucho and my Cabela Millenium. I have run the .357s up pretty hot (14.5 gr of 2400) and usually push the 250 gr .45s with 5.5 to 6.3 gr of Titegroup. On rare occasions I'll get a little leading in the Blackhawk but the rest all stay clean.
The only problem I have recently run up against with Bearcreeks is that my dealer can't get them. He says his supplier has told him that the Chinese are offering top dollar for lead scrap and that the Bearcreek people are falling behind on meeting the demand. Anyone else heard this??