Zero 38 cal HBWC

I have been shooting my 52-2 using Hornady DEWC and Remington HBWC for about a year and a half 
and probaby have put more than a thousand rounds through the pistol with no issues other than 
some leading just into the rifling that I clean out after each 100 rounds or so.
I purchased 1000 HBWC from Zero a few months ago and found they shoot fine out of the 52 
and didn't seem to lead as much.
I only have been practicing with them and usually shoot 30-50 rounds at a time.
I went to our monthly 1800 and thought that I would use them.
I never got past Rapid fire stage and the pistol would not chamber a round completly.
When I got home and disassembled the pistol I found the chamber was coated with what looked like 
bullet lube and I tried to insert a loaded round into the barrel by hand. The round made it in about half way and 
thats it.
I cleaned the barrel out by Hoppies and brass brush followed by wet patches and after cleaning the rounds
Fell into the chamber completly on their own buy their own weight.
Has anyone seen this issue with the Zero 38Cal HBWC ?

G

That now not to unusual; just need to clean more.

Danny,
A centerfire match is 90 rounds.
There is not time between stages to strip the pistol and clean it.
A quick brush through the bore won't do the job.
I sent Zero an e-mail and will see what they have to say.

I run a bore snake through mine every target. Even with that I have a ~150 round limit before I lose functionality. It barely finishes the CF match without.

Just out of curiosity, I just checked my 52, as I've put just about 100 zero HBWC through it, and the barrel and chamber are clean. No leading and a round just falls in and out of the chamber.

Following this with interest.

Have you eliminated powder build up (vs lead)
and, variation in case length / diameter? Rim depth or some other extractor issues?

Maybe coincidentally something else else went south at the same time?

you may have to use something like this https://smile.amazon.com/Otis-Technology-Pistol-Cleaning-Kit/dp/B001DC94FG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=otis+cleaning+kit+pistol&qid=1639601713&sr=8-3

Or test to see why they are leading so much.   But the Zeros are a completely different beast from the other Two bullet's.

I get leading in my M52-2 using Zero 148 HBWC cartridges, but not enough in two matches (900s) to make a difference in performance. A Lewis Lead Remover works well. I prefer Magnus 148 HWC with White Label Lube 45-45-10 Deluxe Liquid Xlox , though instead of having lead in the barrel, I have lube gumming up my dies as I haven't figured out how to just get a thin film on the bullets.

INCREASE YOUR CRIMP

Sa-tevp wrote:I get leading in my M52-2 using Zero 148 HBWC cartridges, but not enough in two matches (900s) to make a difference in performance. A Lewis Lead Remover works well. I prefer Magnus 148 HWC with White Label Lube 45-45-10 Deluxe Liquid Xlox , though instead of having lead in the barrel, I have lube gumming up my dies as I haven't figured out how to just get a thin film on the bullets.

You may want to try a small batch thinned out with mineral spirits (10% maybe).
I had issues with Lee Liquid Alox until I started cutting it about 75/25.

STEVE SAMELAK wrote:You may want to try a small batch thinned out with mineral spirits (10% maybe).
I had issues with Lee Liquid Alox until I started cutting it about 75/25.

Thanks for the tip. I liked LLA and 45-45-10 even more, but hadn't sorted out my process. Since my M52 is just a toy pistol, I haven't done much with it since our indoor league shut down, concentrating on 22 and 45 more to get more points.

I'm gonna need a lot of mineral spirits as I have noticed the Alox lubes like to dry out as the mineral spirits evaporate from the container over time. Not a big deal if I remember the viscosity I need.

After getting bullet lubing, case sizing, case expansion and loading just right it's still a misfit pistol for Bullseye competition. Luckily Center Fire is the class for trying anything.

Greetings,

I swage my own bullets and here is my lube process.

10,000 grains of bullets get 1cc of Lee Liquid Alox and 1cc of Mineral Spirits.

This equates to about 1.5cc of Alox for 100 148 grain bullets.

I place the 100 148 grain bullets into a ZipLoc sandwich bag then with a cheap throwaway syringe I meter in the Alox and Mineral Spirits.

Close the bag and gently rotate the contents until all are covered and no Alox remains clumped on the sandwich bag.

Empty contents onto a wax paper covered tray.

Turn sandwich bag inside out and use as a glove to spread bullets around.

Air dry overnight. It also helps to move the bullets about to ensure even drying after an hour or so.

Why all this bother? I discovered that too much Alox gets blown back into the chamber during firing. This lead to failures to chamber because of the lube buildup.

Now, the reloaded bullets shoot accurately and clean. Minimal Lead fouling and easy cleanup. This is in both revolver and autoloaders after firing 100 rounds.

Cheers,

Dave

This issue sounds like it's not uncommon.
I think i'll get some alox just to use up the remaining Zero bullets i have and look for another brand.
I dif E-mail Zero with this issue and will post their reply.

G

This works very well

https://lsstuff.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=12&zenid=dbf8e9f1181198966913ce3589771f5d

Another small adjustment I've made is to throw my bottle of liquid lube into a pan of hot water for a short time before using.  Except for July thru September my loading area (garage) is on the cool side.

STEVE SAMELAK wrote:Another small adjustment I've made is to throw my bottle of liquid lube into a pan of hot water for a short time before using.  Except for July thru September my loading area (garage) is on the cool side.

I pop the lube in the microwave and warm it up. Works much better when warm due to the lower viscosity.

DA/SA wrote:

STEVE SAMELAK wrote:Another small adjustment I've made is to throw my bottle of liquid lube into a pan of hot water for a short time before using.  Except for July thru September my loading area (garage) is on the cool side.

I pop the lube in the microwave and warm it up. Works much better when warm due to the lower viscosity.

I'm closer to no tech than low tech

I want my Remington back...