TargetTalk

I need to slug my .32 S&W long barrel. I was considering just ordering a box of .315" diameter muzzleloading lead balls from Natchez Shooters Supplies, but there must be a less wasteful way to get a small piece of soft lead to work with. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
Tom

Do you have lead bullets in your loaded ammo?
Pull one bullet.
Push it.

You want soft lead bullets. Hard cast bullets probably wont work well.

t's been about 30 years since I've done this. I was slugging a .30 caliber match rifle barrel. To get a good fit in the rifling, I used two brass rods to "upset" the bullet by tapping the bullet between the rods. You want to lubricate the bullet so it won't stick, and only tap it gently.

Use a lead HBWC.
Put HBWC in a vice lengthwise and squash it a little, this will make the diameter bulge (extra 0.003-0.005" oversize).
Tap the projectile down the barrel from the muzzle using either a brass rod or a timber dowel,
so as not to damage the bore.
Measure the slug diameter with a micrometer.

Pull a lead bullet from a loaded round, most of them are quite soft.
Tap it from both ends to squash it a bit if it falls through the barrel.
Tap it gently through the barrel with a brass rod.

Hope this helps.

They make crimp-on lead fishing weights. They are elongated, with a large slot down the middle. Just tap it down an oiled bore.

Thanks everyone.

Just hope that you have an even number of lands/grooves. Measuring the dia. of an odd number becomes a bit of a palava involving V-blocks and mathematics…

Bob