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I've used cast lead/Unique loads in 38spl,44spl and 45ACP for many years w/o any load related problems. Simply because I'm cheap and can shoot a lot more for a lot less. Will continue to do so for as many more years as I am given.

Unique is dirty burning, after 100rds or so it looks like you've been shoveling coal. So when you're done you clean up. The advantage certainly out weighs the disadvantage.

O

Hello Dick
Perhaps my problem with lead Bullets is I may have had ones that were too soft and that may have been the problem, or perhaps so many years of Loading copper jacketed led me to load the lead on the hot side to cause this spatter, I really don't know, But I had my K-32 masterpiece almost Locked up from it, so that changed my mind on loading any more for it. The face of the cylinder was covered with lead and you could see where it was dragging on the forcing cone from it. I do have some Rainer Plated lead bullets coming so I will get back to shooting it with those soon. I have several Magnums and like to load them warm so lead is not an Option at these Pressure levels.One thing that has crossed my mind is, has your Competition handguns been set up to shoot by increasing the forcing cone space ? I ask this because my K-32 is very tight being only .004" when I checked it and it does not like lead at all being that it binds up easily from it as soon as some get's on the face of the cylinder, yet I can fire Hundreds of copper Jacketed bullets without a Glitch or issue out of it. Here are the big brothers to my Model 27 above. The first one is a model 57 in .41 magnum and the Lower one is my model 29 in .44 Magnum. Either of these have been fired with lead bullets but they both have fired Thousands of rounds of copper Jacketed bullets in their Life time without Incident..Below those is my Model 25-5 in .45 Colt Caliber along with my 25-2 in .45 ACP Wearing a set of Roper Custom Grips. Thegeneral.









[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/SW25-2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/SW25-2Leftside.jpg[/img]

General,

Those Ropers are hideous; I'll take them off your hands for $20.00:)

Have you seen that Keith Brown make marvelous reproductions?
http://www.classiccarvedgrips.com/photogallery4.html

Hello General, those are some great looking old S&W's, something about the deep blue on these old guns that makes everybody like them.
Most people, not all start out buying cast slugs that are too hard, the rule of thumb is, don't shoot a soft bullet fast or a hard bullet slow, you will get gas cutting/leading right from the start. Bullet fit is the #1 thing when using cast. Everyone needs to measure their cylinder throats/bore to see what they actually measure, there are many surprises! A easy thing to try is drop a cast slug down each cylinder, it needs to be snug but be able to push it through each one.
I'm sure you've used plated bullets before but one precaution is, don't get carried away with the crimp, you don't want to break the thin plating by over doing it. Also they usually can't be run up too high velocity wise, normally there is a velocity chart available from the dealer.
Running cast bullets fast is easy & you should never get leading if the bullet hardness matches the velocity. I'm running the 250 Keith slug right at 1600 fps in my 10" Ruger 44, its had lots & lots of them down the bore, I haven't cleaned the bore once! I would if it needed it. My slugs are sized .431" & your 44's probaly need to be + or - one thousandths of that to be correct. Most jacketed slugs are .429" or .4295", thats too small for good fit with cast.
Of the 50 or so head of big game I've taken with revolvers in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska & Africa, all were taken with cast. Actually I did take one of my elk & a couple of deer with jacketed but not for a long time, if I thought they were better I'd use them & do think it might be better on deer for close up tree stand type hunting.
Almost forgot & sorry this is a little long. I've made my own cast slugs since 1966, mostly using just wheelweights, the good thing about them is you can make them harder quite easy. You can water quench them, this is the most common way, or you can heat treat them & take the hardness up into the 30+ BHN range. There is nothing out there that will compare to a good cast slug for big game, especially for odd angle shots. Shoot an animal with a cast slug & you can usually eat the bullet hole, that is, it won't be all blood shot normally like a jacketed, expanding slug. That big flat nose just works, always, from any angle.
The cylinder gap at .004" is about normal for S&W guns, we don't change this on my competition guns.
This is a nice cased model 57 in 41 magnum.

Early model 29 S&W 44 magnum nickel, also has the walnut case.

Took this buck last fall at 106 yds, Ruger 357 Maximum & the Keith 173 gr cast.

Freedom Arms 475 using a 370 gr cast.

Lion taken with an 8 3/8ths nickel 357 & the 173 gr Keith cast, shot at 5'


Dick

H-110 or win 296 are excellent for full power loads in the 357 IME

Dick,

Very good post and nice photos. You're spot on about cast bullet hardness. I've been casting my own for years and I'm a big fan of the classic Keith 429421; my favorite go anywhere, do anything bullet.

I agree nothing beats a proper hard cast IMHO

Blue Dot oughtta work very well for those 125 grainers.

In fact, Blue Dot is one of the best powders out there for full house .357 loads.

I've just started messing around with 158 grain Hornady XTPs and L'il Gun. Anyone had any experience with that combination?

I still have a keg of old UNIQUE.

Try 5 or 5.5 in magnum cases for a neat midrange load.

I use it in the field behind a 173 Lyman Keith bullet at about 1000FPS.

It does well at short & long range and does not kick & bellow like stouter loads.

Bob

Hodgdon Universal is good to go. The slow powders will have more flash in my experience. Hodgdon HS-6 is in the middle of the velocity stats and is a ball powder that works good in a powder measure.

I do fine with 2 powders in the 357, Hodgdon Universal for lighter/plinking loads & Win 296(H 110) for max loads. Universal is clean.