Bullet Points Tips from our instructors.

Larry Church on Bullet Choice for Reloading Bullets, now there is a subject that could, and does, fill hundreds of volumes. I'm mostly going to talk about bullets for reloading .45 ACP, because that is, by far, the majority of my reloading. I like lead bullets because they are inexpensive. Therefore, you can shoot more. There are several problems with lead bullets. Lead bullets can leave lead deposits on the inside of your barrel. Barrel leading is a function of the lead alloy of the bullet, the velocity of the bullet in the barrel, the smoothness of your barrel, the bullet lube, and the type of powder in your load. By the way, Polygonal rifling (i.e., Glock) doesn't shoot lead bullets well. Casting lead bullets is a whole other art and science. I shoot a 200 grain Hard Cast SWC over 5.mumble grains of Winchester 231 sparked by Winchester WLP primers. This load gives me about 900 feet per second muzzle velocity. In a well broken in barrel, I see very little barrel leading. I love the Laser-Cast bullets, but they are on the expensive side -- LC claim they have silver in their bullets that keep leading in check. Most "Hard Cast" are plenty good enough to keep leading down. I use Lewis Lead Remover when I do get leading. If you really don't want to be bothered by the whole leading thing, for a few more cents each, you can go with plated bullets. I have used plated bullets for my 10 MM since the velocity is much higher (1100 to 1200 f.p.s.) and lead bullets would not work well. I've had no problems with plated bullets. The most popular bullet for .45 ACP is the 230 grain jacketed Round Nose (a.k.a., Ball). That is the "standard" load which gives you about 850 f.p.s. muzzle velocity. As far as jacketed bullets goes, there is a huge selection of bullets out there from many reputable bullet makers. I'm a big fan of Sierra, Nosler, Hornadity, and Speer jacketed bullets. Since I currently carry Speer Gold Dot ammunition for defense, I can purchase Speer Gold Dot bullets and load practice ammunition at a fraction of the cost. You can buy bullets for any and every purpose and weight. You can also swage your own jacketed bullets -- yet another hobby to enjoy. Many of the small "boutique" bullet makers started off as hobby bullet makers and Bench Rest shooters and "discovered" a really good design! I reload most pistol cartridges, following are some of my favorite loads: .357 Magnum: 140 grain Jacketed Soft Point and "lots" of H110. A very hot load! .44 Magnum: 180 grain JHP and "lots" of H110. 1600 fps! WOW. .44 Magnum: 320 grain lead Flat Point and H110. My Bear load. .45 Colt: 230 grain Lead Round Nose and a wee bit of Unique. 650 fps. My SASS low power cowboy load.