The lead bullet will start to create leading problems when the muzzle velocity gets high. Leading starts to show up with the pistol cartridges like the .367 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum, and will be especially bad with the 9mm if you try to obtain high muzzle velocities. The best solution is to go with light powder charges coupled with heavier bullets. Fortunately, Lee Precision and other companies offering bullet molds sell at least a few that will create larger, heavier bullets. With rifle bullets, things get tricky. Usually the best route is to load cartridges with a minimal charge and a heavy bullet. This works best with manually operated actions, though some semi-auto rifles may function with such a combination. Check the normal jacketed-bullet weight of cartridges loaded in the chambering you want to make lead bullets for and then check a reloading manual that lists charges for lead bullets. This done, pick out the mold that will permit casting the heaviest bullets that can be reloaded in that chambering. If you boost the power of a cartridge to make a semi-auto or selective-fire gun operate, then be prepared to spend a lot of time cleaning leading out of the bore — and don't do a lot of firing without cleaning the barrel thoroughly or you may create dangerous pressures when the barrel gets leaded up. A steel bore brush, solvent, and lots of elbow grease will remove the lead. Because round-nosed bullets are notoriously poor when it comes to combat, you should consider using a drill press to add a hollow point to lead bullets you cast. Although expansion won't increase a lot with such a hole, it will at least make the bullet wound a bit more serious — and every little bit counts when it comes to handguns. Of course, the best performance in rifles will result from lead cores with copper jackets. These can be produced if [ 10 . jpg] Swaging dies make it possible for the reloader to create jacketed bullet with his reloading press. Shown here are a pair of .38 bullet-making dies from C-H (left) and a pair from Corbin for making .224-caliber bullets (right) . you buy a swaging die kit, available from Corbin, C-H, and other companies. Swaging dies are a bit tedious to make and carry price tags that start at around $40 and climb to several hundred dollars. Many also require a single-die reloading press to handle the high pressures needed to reform the jacket to the proper size. If you're reloading .223 cartridges, Corbin's .22 jacket-making die kit is a good buy because it permits transforming spent .22 LR cases into .223 bullet jackets — with the addition of a lead core. (For a more detailed look at this process, see my Combat Ammunition of the 21st Century . ) Since jacketed bullets work well, many amateur ammunition makers toy with the idea of adding a coat of another metal to lead-cast bullets. This idea looks better on paper than in practice, and a few such coats can be dangerous. Tin or other metal washes should never be used because they can weld chemically to the brass cartridge over time and create excessive pressures when fired. One possibility that might work would be to add a copper coat through electroplating; a few commercial companies have tried this with .22 LR bullets and have had moderate success. Many bullets are interchangeable with cartridges other than those for which they were designed. Weight can often be removed, with a little judicious file, drill, or knife work, to create a lighter bullet for smaller cartridges using the same bullet diameter. Lightweight bullets in heavier loadings usually are problem free, except for lead bullets, which may create leading problems if propelled too fast. The .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .380 ACP, .32 ACP, and 9mm Luger (or other 9mm cartridges) can all use the same bullet if the weight is reduced for the smaller cartridges. Though the .357/. 38 bullet is .002 of an inch larger in diameter than that of the 9mm and .380 ACP, the barrel will swage the bullet down to a good fit with only a slight gain in chamber pressures. Provided "hot" loads are avoided, this is a fairly safe practice. As with other possibilities in this book, bullet substitution can be dangerous, so think carefully before deciding to exchange bullets between cartridges. The .308 Winchester, .30-06, .30-30, .30-caliber carbine, and .300 Magnums can all fire the same-diameter bullets ( .308 inch), with the principal difference being weight; this bullet diameter will also work in the 7.62x39mm cartridge (which is usually seen with a .3 1 1 -inch bullet), though some guns firing the round will have bore width a bit different from that of U.S. cartridges . The .224-diameter bullet works in a huge range of .22 centerfire cartridges such as the .223 Remington, .222 Remington, .222 Remington Magnum, or .42 Hornet (or .22 LR, etc., if you're