98sr20ve Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 On another forum someone warned me about trying Solo 1000 with lead bullets. Basically his point is that the fast nature of Solo vs Unique (for instance) makes it not that suitable for lead bullets. I know a lot of people here have used Solo 1000 for Moly Coated lead but what about just regular cast bullets? I just started casting and I am having leading issues but I am deep in the process of figuring out the sizing of my bullets and also the hardness of the lead. I am wondering if perhaps Solo isn't my best bet. I have read a couple post from people on this forum saying they use Solo with 124gr lead bullets with no leading. But those are few and far between becasue most people are using moly bullets. I don't know if for the time being I should just try and work up some Power Pistol loads if it's less prone to leading then Solo. Then switch back to Solo to see if I get leading with it and not Power Pistol. This is mostly for 9mm minor and .40 people doing Major loads. I would think .45ACP would be different being such a low pressure round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Bullcrap. Solo 1000 is a cotton single base powder. It works incredibly well with straight lead bullets. It smokes less since it does not get as hot as ...say..Titegroup. Lots of happy customers around here using Solo 1000. My .02 centavos.... DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I don't use lead or cast it but from what I have read leading can come from the lead being too hard to expand into the grooves therefore allowing hot gases to get by and melt the lead into the rifling? I agree that solo1000 is a "cool" powder regardless of its speed and works well with lead. Seems to me that bare lead will take some experimentation to keep the leading to a minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shibby Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Solo 1000 is great for lead bullets. But if your unsure go ahead and buy a pound and try it out. If you get leading and don't like it plenty of people will be willing to take the powder off your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 (edited) I should say I have 16lbs of Solo 1000 already as I have been using it for years now. I am worried more about wasting my time, trying to get a powder that is too "hot/fast" to work. My bullets are casting @ 130gr and shoot really nice wtih 3.8 grs of Solo 1000 @ 1.100 OAL. Sights tracks great. Best ever honestly. I was stunned. Better then the 124gr, better then my old 147 gr. It's leading pretty good but that could be a bunch of different things. I also need to shorten the OAL as it's barely touching the rifling. Edited March 6, 2010 by 98sr20ve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongo Boy Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 (edited) I should say I have 16lbs of Solo 1000 already..Don't you think that constitutes 'hoarding'? Would you like to sell a pound or two? I called Specialty Sports here in Colorado Springs asking if they had any on hand and the guy said he'd never heard of it. I said it was made by Alliant or Accurate (at the time I couldn't remember which one was still in businss) and he said he knew he didn't have any Alliant powders. Sometimes communication just isn't what it should be. Edited March 6, 2010 by Bongo Boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 I should say I have 16lbs of Solo 1000 already..Don't you think that constitutes 'hoarding'? Would you like to sell a pound or two? I called Specialty Sports here in Colorado Springs asking if they had any on hand and the guy said he'd never heard of it. I said it was made by Alliant or Accurate (at the time I couldn't remember which one was still in businss) and he said he knew he didn't have any Alliant powders. Sometimes communication just isn't what it should be. Got any Unique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmetalweld57 Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I've not seen anything at minor power factor that Solo 1000 doesn't do very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bofe954 Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I've used it for 230gr 45ACP LRN, no leading. 170pf or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atbarr Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Solo 1000 is like a kid, ya can't beat it. A.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyfighter25 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I've also had minimal leading with solo and cast lead bullets (125gr RN cast from wheel weights and water droped). Something easy to try is to drop the bullets out of the mold into water, this will bring the hardness up a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindzee Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 +1 I use Solo 1000 under 124 grain cast lead bullets, pushing around 1060 fps. Very little leading, very little smoke. The residue left in the barrel is mainly the bullet lube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmw5142 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 It matters how hard the lead bullets are too. I have used Solo with 18 brinell bullets with no issues. I have also tried it with 12-14 brinell bullets and spent a miserable hour that night scrubbing barrels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Leading is primarily caused by issues other than the powder being used. As mentioned, the hardness of the lead bullets is important. The diameter is important too. If the bullet isn't sealing in the boar, I don't care what powder you use, you are going to get a sheering effect along the side of the bullet and depositing of lead all over in the rifling. Also, what gun and barrel are you using? Last I remember, you were shooting a Glock 34. Getting lead or moly bullets to work in polygonal rifling is a hit or miss deal at best. Some get it to work, some don't no matter what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 How are you sizing and lubing your bullets? What are you sizing to and what does your bore measure? Your bullet needs to be at least 0.001" larger than your bore and you need to use a good lube to help reduce gas blow by. I'm using a soft lube in my .40 and I have zero leading and I'm using e3 powder which is faster burning than Solo. PM me if you'd like and I may be able to help. Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 Also, what gun and barrel are you using? Last I remember, you were shooting a Glock 34. Getting lead or moly bullets to work in polygonal rifling is a hit or miss deal at best. Some get it to work, some don't no matter what they do. G34 with KKM barrel. I was using Tumble Lube. I have had all kinds of issues with my bullet molds (two Lee one Lyman). To keep things short I will simply say the Lee Molds "I" got were not very good. Even the bullets that were over .356 had some areas @ .3555 or smaller. The Lyman was just bad luck. I am getting a new Lyman mold and also a real lube sizer. My bullets are about 18BHN on a Lee tester. I think they are leading because some bullets are undersized. Those sneak in and start the process and after that it's all over. The Lyman mold had great bullets. The entire bearing surface of the bullet was getting sized evenly (unlike both Lee's). I do understand that leading is a complicated thing. I was more just curious if others are having issues because someone said to not even bother with that powder and lead bullets. Too fast he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 (edited) That's interesting as I'm using the 125 RN Lee 6 cav mold and it's throwing them at .3570" - .3575". Mind you, these are pure lead.. I have not tried the mold with Wheel weight lead yet and it may throw them smaller.. Something I should probably look into. As for Solo 1000, I used it for lead and moly coated lead in 38 spl, 3.8 gr with a 158 RN and also about 3.9 gr with a 185 gr 40 cal RN in my 610.. Nice and manageable. I make major pushing those same 185's with 4.5 gr.. Right about 172 PF in my 6.5" gun. Lead used is Quenched Wheel weights tumble lubed with Johnson paste wax. No leading and accurate enough for me. Edited March 9, 2010 by sargenv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I was more just curious if others are having issues because someone said to not even bother with that powder and lead bullets. Too fast he said. Not that it's a direct comparison, but a lot of bullseye shooters use Clays in .45acp and a lot of them are shooting lead...Clays is faster than Solo 1000 by a fair amount. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDBraddy Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Yes, I have a pound of Unique as well, but in case you haven't guessed from the picture, I like Solo-1000, and use quite a lot of it. I reload 9mm, 40s&w, .45ACP, and 12ga with it. I buy it in 25lb kegs, and use them to refill my 8lb jugs. I shoot a lot of cast lead, in a variety of loads and calibres, and haven't had a problem with this powder, The few times I have had problems with leading, it was poor quality cast lead bullets, or scratches in the bore, not because of using SOLO-1000. I should say I have 16lbs of Solo 1000 already..Don't you think that constitutes 'hoarding'? Would you like to sell a pound or two? I called Specialty Sports here in Colorado Springs asking if they had any on hand and the guy said he'd never heard of it. I said it was made by Alliant or Accurate (at the time I couldn't remember which one was still in businss) and he said he knew he didn't have any Alliant powders. Sometimes communication just isn't what it should be. Got any Unique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Leading is not so much caused by the speed of the powder, but the size of the bullet in relation to the bore, the hardness of the bullet, and the velocity of the bullet when fired. You can have a perfect seal in your bore, the hardest cast lead bullet you can make or find, but shoot it at a high enough velocity, and you're still gonna get leading. That's one of the reasons behind the "Bigger bullet moving slower vs smaller bullet moving faster for power factor when shooting lead (not all of the reasons,though!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerp89ipsc Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 jesus, where can you get 25lb kegs? I thought I hit the jackpot getting a 8lb jug from powder valley last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4045 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I always knew you were holding out James! I recently started using Solo 1000. So far it is working well in 9mm, 40 and 45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy Soto Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 jesus, where can you get 25lb kegs? I'd like to know too... :Tagged: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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