cast vs. fmj

[mekender]

The first question that MUST be asked, what weapon are we talking about?

Then the information may be useful, maybe not.

ruger 9mm

[Whirlibird]

Crud did it again.

Lost what I was writing.

Anyway, you are good to go with lead bullets, the Ruger rifling is fully compatible with lead.

The best source of lead I've found right now is :
Missouri Bullet Company
His prices are substantially cheaper than plated or jacketed and flat rate shipping is the same for 500 to 3000 bullets.
$104.00 for 2000 bullets, 9mm .356" Brinnell of 18.
THey match the hardness of their bullets to the intended purpose unlike most companies.

I'm very impressed with what I've tried so far. And that takes a bit.

In powders I'm old fashioned and would probably stick with what's served me well for almost 20 years, AA (Accurate Arms) #2 and AA#5, Unique and Bullseye.
Herco is long reputed to be one of the most accurate powders for 9mm but it's a flake powder and doesn't meter as well in progressive loaders.
Universal Clays has a following as does Power Pistol.

I use mostly AA#5 because that's what I'm set up for in most of my other handgun choices. But I do use an offensive amount of AA#7 when I load jacketed, it was developed for the 9mm cartridge and works extremely well.

[evan price]

I've been loading 125-grain hardcast lead roundnose bullets for my 9mms lately at around 1000 fps or so. No leading problems but I use a hard alloy 18bhn or better & mike out at .3565". I pay four cents each for my bullets from a commercial caster in bulk lots. Typical load is 4.0 grains of Titegroup. Accurate for target loads. I shoot them in a variety of pistols and a carbine or two. My finished cost is $66/thousand.

The problem with lead bullets (and it's not a problem per se) is that leading is not a simple set thing. There is no formula for barrel + powder + bullet= how much leading you get.

A harder bullet will lead less. However too hard a bullet will not obturate (swell into the rifling) as well and you will get gas cutting from the blow-by and create lead deposits.

A larger diameter bullet will obturate better since it is already a tighter fit into the barrel however too big and you get lead shaving at the leade and leading at the chamber.

A softer bullet will obturate better but too soft an alloy will either burn the base of the bullet (leaving lead to deposit, which is why gas checks are around) or will push out ahead of the rifling, leaving the lead embedded in the grooves.

Lubricated lead bullets work by the first bullet fired leaves a trail of lube in the barrel. Each subsequent bullet refreshes the lube coating. Various lubes smoke more or less. The cheaper hard candle-wax lubes smoke more. The sticky, soft lubes make a mess when you handle them.

Since we are in general talking about target/blasting ammo, the fact that it may be subsonic really means nothing since a paper target doesn't care how fast the bullet is going that punches the hole. We're talking pistol distances here (under 50 feet) and while bullet drop will matter, it's just not so much as it would in rifle at 200 yards.

So lead bullets are not as simple to work with as FMJ- basically you have a big chunk of copper protecting the lead and that makes velocity more of a nonissue.

I personally use plated or jacketed to duplicate expen$ive self-defense ammo (like Gold Dots, fifty-cents a shot) and shoot them for SD practice, for basic plinking and blasting and general practice I load up the lead.

Heck, I own guns that have never had anything shot in them besides my own lead reloads, ever. All my .38 revolvers, for example.