Grooveless bullets

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Blind Hawg
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Grooveless bullets

Post by Blind Hawg »

Trying to decide on .434 or .435" moly coated grooveless bullets from Bear Creek. My R92 bore slugs .433". Most recommend groove diameter +.001 or .002" cast bullet diameter. Since this bullet has no bearing bands or grooves, I'm concerned about overpressure with the larger diameter bullet. Should i be? I hope to order 1000 bullets since they're made to order.
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Re: Grooveless bullets

Post by Ranch Dog »

I think you are overthinking a cast bullet. With a bullet that large, I would only go .001" over and be more worried about actually being able to close the bolt.
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Re: Grooveless bullets

Post by donhuff »

RD is right about this.
A few years ago when I started powder coating my bullets, I did the same thing that your thinking about. I was powder coating to stop the leading, but I was still over sizing , to stop the leading. This made closing the lever on my 45-70 Rossi very aggravating all the time, and almost impossible with a round that was a little "off" with thick sided brass or a slightly odd bullet. Apparently the Rio Grande has a good dimensioned chamber.

But I would also have trouble sometimes getting rounds to chamber in some of my revolvers, the ones with tight throats, and especially with my 9mms.

Then one day it occurred to me that I was trying to fix a problem that did not exist. I had already proved to myself that the powder coating "STOPPED" leading completely by firing a little over 600, 357 rounds without cleaning and no leading, but yet I was still over sizing too. So I sized a hundred bullets at .357, and tried them out to see what might go wrong with performance.... Nothing different at all. No leading and same accuracy, but every single one of them chambered as well as if I were using factory jacketed ammo! The 9mm is actually fun and reliable now with bullets sized at .356 like they should be.
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Blind Hawg
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Re: Grooveless bullets

Post by Blind Hawg »

I have had no issues closing the bolt with PC bullets measuring up to .435”.
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Re: Grooveless bullets

Post by runfiverun »

oversized powder coated bullets can cause leading and/or accuracy issues.
generally .001 big is more than bigger enough.
kind of counterintuitive to everything ever said about cast bullets, but the coat is a whole new ball game.

as far as slick sides.
where does the excess alloy displaced by the rifling go?
it goes a lot better when the bullet isn't squeezed longer and alloy is being forced to the base of the bullet.
that's where the some smaller comes in as a help.
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