If you were going to shoot a mix of 38s, FMJ and cast bullets what would you shoot first? I am thinking the FMJ first then the cast? Or is this a no no?

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Dom

I have heard that if you shoot the cast bullets first and then the FMJ, the FMJ cleans out a lot of the lead build up in the barrel.

That is what I have heard, but I only shoot jacketed bullets so I am not seen it first hand.

I shoot my cast lead bullets first followed by my jacketed bullets at all my handgun range sessions. Done this for about 35 years with no problems and have little to no lead to clean out of the chambers or barrels.

Many disagree with doing this since they believe pressures will build abnormally high if you shoot jacketed bullets into a bore fouled with leading.

My opinion is, and it is only an opinion, that this is a carryover from shooting high powered rifle calibers; shooting jacketed bullets in a lead fouled rifle barrel may boost pressures; but not in handgun calibers like .38 through .45.

I know of no official tests that were done to prove or disprove the thoughts or theorys about all this.

If anyone knows of tests, please, I'd sure like to hear about them.

Thanks guys, anyone else have an opinion?

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Dom

i agree with texas roots, i have done the same for about 40 years.

Ever solder any copper pipe?
Lead and copper stick together really well.

ALL the copper should be cleaned out of a barrel before shooting lead bullets, and ALL the lead should be cleaned out before shooting jacketed bullets. A bore that looks clean but a little dull still has copper fouling in it.

Using a jacketed bullet to "clean out" the lead raises the pressure (possibly to dangerous levels) and leaves a thin mess of lead and copper in the barrel that is harder to clean out than either alone.

A proper lead load shot from a barrel with no copper in it will leave little lead residue, if any. A model 14 I've used with 148gr lead wadcutters for bullseye shooting since 1970 still looks new.

Shoot what you want in the order you want. I've been shooting lead and jacketed interchangebly for....ugh....ok: 44 years. No leading, no fusing to the barrel. Have also used that old idea which doesn't work, you know, shooting jacketed at the end of a cast session. Recently bought a Lewis Lead Remover to check everything out. You guessed it, no leading.

I'd add that I use HARD(I mean HARD) cast Penn bullets They actually make a couple alloys: one for slower speeds and the other for speeds above 1000fps. Have shot everything from 357 to 44 with like results.

If you're a swaged bullet person or use a softer cast your results may be different.

OKFCO5 has the right idea: take care of your bore after you use the gun and it'll last a LONG time!

You could possibly get into trouble if you shoot a bunch of soft swagged bullets, then follow with some hot jacketed stuff. I've seen bores of both revolvers and semi-auto's caked with lead residue from soft bullets. I personally haven't seen a cracked forcing cone or blown barrel from the mentioned, but can see the possibility of it happening.

If the hard cast bullets are well lubed and sized to the particular gun's bore, then I'd think the likelihood of damage to be minimal because there will be little lead products buildup.