The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I have never used any thing except cast boolits in 38/357 in all the time I have been shooting. I have never had a problem with leading. I have all ways used edds red to clean my 38/357 jobbies. But if you have thousands of full metal jacket jobbies it would be a crime not to shoot them.

Alpha1 wrote:I have never used any thing except cast boolits in 38/357 in all the time I have been shooting. I have never had a problem with leading. I have all ways used edds red to clean my 38/357 jobbies. But if you have thousands of full metal jacket jobbies it would be a crime not to shoot them.

I still have loads of Norma FMJ Semi Wadcutter from when I had an S&W 686. Interestingly in an old Norma reloading pamphlet from that time they list the bullet but no loading data - can anyone help on that? The bullet has a cannelure and a small undersized truncated cone extending to the sharp edges of the wadcutter, but from the cannelure back considerably more of the bullet sits inside the case than would a normal 158grain FMJ. These bullets shot exceedingly well out of a 6" barrel with a magnum load, but I've not the faintest idea where to start with powder and load for a Marlin.

From my days working in a laboratory I tried all sorts of chemicals to remove lead from the barell of my S&W 696. I found that nitro-benzene was very efficient at removing lead from gun barrels. Unfortunately it also removes brain cells. I don't use the name bewildered for nothing!!

Only a problem I ever came across with revolvers (due to throat size).

Easiest method I ever found was to wrap an old bronze brush in bronze wool (NEVER USE ordinary steel wire wool). A few strokes with that will remove most leading. Then run a patch through and you're done.