Reloading BP cartridges (help needed)

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The reason I ask about Teflon is that I had an interesting demonstration of its properties as a bullet lube some time back.

The difference was that the bullets in question were .357 wadcutters that had been completely coated with Teflon by the maker.

I was running a Smith and Wesson Model 52, which for the non-pistol shooters is a semi-auto, built from the ground up, to shoot .38 Special, (complete with RIMMED cases), loaded with 148gn, hollow-based wadcutters. Colt also did a similar thing on a 1911 frame for a time.

The gun was spectacularly accurate off a Ransom rest; in my paws, it was "OK".

For years I had used standard, "wax-lubed" wadcutters. Then I loaded up a bunch of same weight, but Teflon-lubed jobs.

A quick test-shoot was a little high, but grouped well. Off to a "championship" shoot that involved 90 rounds "to score"; "Service Match" in Australia.

I started getting "odd things" happening after about the third string of six: the slide was not returning as " positively" as it should.

By the end of about thirty rounds, I had to retire from the match because of constant "stoppages" ( Most service match strings are timed).

When I slinked off to the "fumble zone" to strip the beast, I discovered that my pistol was full of unburnt powder flakes. This was a worry because I was using a fairly fast propellant.

Then, one of the other (more successful) competitors came over to commiserate.

He asked me what I had loaded into the ammo and as soon as I mentioned "teflon-coated", he informed me that he had similar problems in a REVOLVER! It just took more rounds to misbehave.

It turns out that the Teflon is SO slippery, that it allows the bullets to jump a substantial distance from the flash of the primer alone. Thus, the space in which the propellant proper can burn, is significantly enlarged and, thus, the burn-rate and pressure curve go out the window and cycling gets very "interesting". Subsequent tests with the fastest propellant available, Bullseye, improved things a little, but it was still not reliable enough, so I sold it and bought a 1911 Gold Cup in .45ACP instead. Chalk and Cheese! Or is that "Lemonade and Champagne". Those were the days!!!

There are "Teflon coating kits" around, but they can involve playing with very messy stuff and perhaps some "unfriendly" chemicals; most are also designed for jacketed bullets and involve rumbling standard bullets around in a "bath" of the stuff in a BIG, vibratory case tumbler.

Stick with the tape, or "traditional" lubes, on rifle bullets.....or if you shoot a S&W 52, "traditional" lube, or these...http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14...___1000ct.aspx, which, of course, were not around in my time of trouble!!!

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[jmoore]

I was running a Smith and Wesson Model 52

Was just doing some comparative testing of wadcutter loads last weekend. The 52-2 liked the "old style" lube the best. The K38s liked the graphited(?) Speer bullets. Berry's plated things were not in the same league with either platform for me.

A while back I got a good deal on a bunch of SPG lube sticks which is popular with the BPCR crowd. Need to try it out in the .43 Spanish Remington Lee rifle. Just have to make time to fabricate some wads.