Why soft lead

I hope to get the final definitive answer to this most perplexing of questions. When shooting BPCR why use soft lead verses a harder alloy if the bullet is cast and sized 1-2 thousandths over grove diameter. It would seem that there would be no need for bumping up the diameter to fit and it would avoid nose slump. I could understand for hunting a softer bullet may deform better but at .457 or .512 does it need to. I know the knowledgeable people on this forum will have the answer.

PS I also have 500 pounds of #2 alloy.and only 50 pounds of 20-1.
Thank you
Nick

Having to shoot soft lead with bpcr is just some of that nonsense that has become an internet fact, but in actual truth is a bunch of hooey. When you look at what was really used in the days before smokeless powder and jacketed bullets, it'll send some internet experts into a severe case of the vapors.
Use your alloys without worry, they'll be fine.

Softer alloys are more traditional. Most of the original loads were softer, from about 1-10 on up to 1-40. In days gone by more than 100 years ago, bore diameters could very quite a bit even in the same model from the same factory. A soft lead slug was the only way to be certain that the rifling could be properly engaged.

Most modern shooters load the alloy that works best in their rifles. Back when I worried about winning matches, more than 100 years ago now, I shot a rather hard alloy, as that was my rifle's preference.

There is also a cost factor, as 1-20 costs a bit less that #2, and if you are shooting enough to be competitive, you are going to throw a lot of cash downrange.

If you look at Rotometals , it's cheaper to buy #2 alloy than 20-1. Must be the antimony in the #2?
Yes it does get expensive buying alloy enough to shoot competitively thru the season. Especially when loading for 2 shooters.. 50 lbs of alloy don't last long.

I am guessing the reason for shooting soft lead in rifles is the same as for shotguns. Back in the 1800's the lead shot used was just that 100% pure lead. So the shotguns were designed to shoot pure lead shot. Then they came out with chilled shot (2% antimony) around 1900 and latter around 1940's magnum shot (5-6% antimony). The point being that the older shotguns where not built to handle the harder shot whether or not shooting the harder lead shot damages the barrel or choke is a personal choice.

I have shot a couple thousand pounds of WW's out of buffalo rifles, worked just fine.

Soft lead in the rifles tho, is pretty much contradicted by the records left behind by the shooters themselves and things like the Winchester catalogs. They used alloys as hard as 11-1, and that's with paper patched bullets, talk about flying in the face of today's "common knowledge"..

Blackpowder generates less peak pressure than smokeless powder, so a softer alloy is needed to help bullet swell and seal to barrel (obturate)....i think...not sure?

When I first started shooting black powder rifles I used very hard bullets ( in the 22+ bnh range ). In one of my rifles they shot quite well, better than most soft bullets. This was mostly due to the fact that the rifle has a bit of a sloppy chamber. After talking with Dan Theodore about my chamber he recommended some changes to my bullet. I now use a custom Steve Brooks mould with 20:1 alloy and the rifle does shoot a little better.

Try the harder bullets, just make sure that they are oversized to prevent gas cutting. Running them into the lands should help that too. I never did have any leading issues despite "common Internet knowledge" that it was sure to happen.

With that said, I only shoot soft alloys between 1:25 to 1:15 these days.

Chris.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by detox

Blackpowder generates less peak pressure than smokeless powder, so a softer alloy is needed to help bullet swell and seal to barrel (obturate)....i think...not sure?

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Soft alloy will obdurate more easily than a hard one. And, there was probably more variation in the bores of the old guns, so a soft bullet could be reliable even if it was a bit undersized.
But black powder will bump up any of the normal alloys ... and do it faster than smokeless will.

That's why smokeless loads require that cast bullets be oversized before firing.

I think modern minds are convinced that soft alloys are best for black powder cartridges because they are 'transferring' knowledge about muzzleloaders to the cartridge guns.

Soft is required for muzzloaders because they are loaded from the muzzle ... not because they shoot black powder.

CM

Wow thank you for your input. It verified my suspicions
, now I can shoot the 300 pounds with out worry.