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  #1  
Old 07-22-2013, 08:57 AM
TJHuxley TJHuxley is offline
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PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN  
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Default PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN

Please provide opinions or experiences with this ammo for use in a new 67-5 38 spl with a 4"+p rated barrel to 'break it in' and to develop familiarity with my new revolver. I ask this forum because older posts on other forums comment about heavy leading and general dirtiness. I also gather that power factor may be on the low side from a 4" barrel (based on PPU website data).
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Old 07-22-2013, 09:27 AM
Arik Arik is offline
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PPU makes good ammo however i cant comment on how dirty it is. Thats something different for everyone. I dont consider it dirty but then again i dont see a big problem with Wolf or Tula

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Old 07-22-2013, 04:20 PM
TJHuxley TJHuxley is offline
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PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN PPU 38spl, 158gr LRN  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arik View Post
PPU makes good ammo however i cant comment on how dirty it is. Thats something different for everyone. I dont consider it dirty but then again i dont see a big problem with Wolf or Tula

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I take 'dirty ammo' remarks somewhat lightly too. Guns clean-up well, particularly stainless steel revolvers. Using lead first or only during break-in of a revolver is more my request for feedback. After 200 or so rounds, and routine care, I plan on turning over the Model 67 to a gunsmith for action and reliability work to make it an ICORE and IDPA revolver.
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Old 07-23-2013, 05:11 PM
Steve C Steve C is offline
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A revolver really doesn't need a break in to ensure reliability but you need to gain familiarity and practice with it. A standard velocity lead round nose or semi wad cutter is as good a choice as any.

Make sure you clean and lightly oil your gun first before hitting the range. New firearms are usually placed in their packaging and treated with a rust inhibitor (even stainless guns like your 67) that may be oil like but often is a poor lubricator.

There is really no way to tell if you will have a leading problem before trying out the ammo. Good idea to buy a box or two to try than to buy a case and find out its problematic. Try a few different brands and types of ammo in the same price category to see if one shoots better from your pistol.

A new bore may be a bit rough with tooling marks that can accumulate lead from lead bullets so having to clean lead from the barrel may be an issue. With cleaning using wire brush or for heavy leading a Lewis Lead Remover or Chore Boy wrapped around the brush the bore will eventually smooth out though shooting jacketed bullets with the harder copper jacket will wear the bore smooth quicker for you without having to clean the lead out. You do have to remove copper jacket material that accumulates in the bore and the best way to do this is to use a bore cleaner that does it chemically. Read the label on your bore cleaner to see if its mainly for lead or for copper removal. The cleaners that are specialized do the best job for the particular metal that is deposited while bore cleaners that say they clean both lead and copper are generally less effective on heavy leading or copper deposits but adequate for removal of ordinary light deposits left after shooting a few hundred rounds. It is easier to clean after each shooting session than to allow the leading to gather as it will accumulate progressively faster as the bore gets dirtier.
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Old 07-23-2013, 11:32 PM
TJHuxley TJHuxley is offline
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Thanks Arik and Steve C. I do lack experience using lead so pointers on use and cleaning are appreciated. Likewise PPU is new to me too.

Today was my first range trip with my new 67-5. It handled the PPU LRN fine and the ammo performed well too. I also used some FMJ as +p 125 gr from PMC e-Range and 130 gr Rem UMC which performed well too. After about 80 rounds, 30 of which were the PPU LRN, the gun was dirty. However, no more than I anticipated from using lead and shooting about 100 rounds. Clean up was routine with Hoppe' 9. I'll keep inspecting the barrel during these early range visits and new to me lead ammo. I'll also clean after each trip to the range especially when lead is used.
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Old 07-24-2013, 12:51 PM
kaaskop49 kaaskop49 is offline
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Default Attn SteveC, TJHuxley

TJ: I posted on your thread on this issue in 1980-Present Guns and got beat up pretty badly when I endorsed 'breaking in' the gun. If you look back, I said perhaps 'starting to shoot the revolver' would be a better term than 'breaking in.' Am glad to see that you started to shoot the 67. I stand by my opinion.

SteveC: In your above post, you taught me more about cleaning than I have read in decades of shooting. Question: Back East, we believed that shooting FMJ bullets would clean up leading in a bbl if it wasn't extreme and have always proceeded on this assumption. Your view?

Many thanks, Steve C.
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  #7  
Old 07-24-2013, 01:48 PM
Boge Boge is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve C View Post
...You do have to remove copper jacket material that accumulates in the bore and the best way to do this is to use a bore cleaner that does it chemically...
Copper does not fuse with steel until approx. 3,000 fps. I have never had copper fouling of significance in any handgun in all my decades of shooting. There is often a copper "wash" but it is insignificant and is easily removed with solvent. I do agree that it is best to fire the gun with FMJ bullets initially to "iron" out any rough spots. Far more important IMO is to chamfer the forcing cone. I have my own tool from Brownell's for this and it is essential in almost all new revolvers as companies (apart from Freedom Arms) do NOT usually do this at the factory, although Ruger usually does, albeit with a 9 degree cut for jacketed bullets and not the 11 degrees for lead bullets.

I have never seen a revolver shoot worse for chamfering the forcing cone and most shoot far better for doing it as well as preventing leading in the forcing cone for the most part. I once had a fixed sight revolver that at 5 yds. shot about 6" high and 6" left. It had a forcing cone rougher than Rosie O'Donnell's face and after doing a thorough "cone" job on it all shots were a ragged hole dead center. That's how important it can be on some revolvers.
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  #8  
Old 07-24-2013, 01:49 PM
CoMF CoMF is offline
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I've used this ammo for practice before and found it to be no "dirtier" or susceptible to leading than other garden variety plinking ammo. It was actually a pretty good value when I bought it last.

Now, you want to talk dirty... Federal American Eagle 158 gr. LRN has been really sooty in my experience.
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  #9  
Old 07-24-2013, 05:31 PM
TJHuxley TJHuxley is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaaskop49 View Post
TJ: I posted on your thread on this issue in 1980-Present Guns and got beat up pretty badly when I endorsed 'breaking in' the gun. If you look back, I said perhaps 'starting to shoot the revolver' would be a better term than 'breaking in.' Am glad to see that you started to shoot the 67. I stand by my opinion.

SteveC: In your above post, you taught me more about cleaning than I have read in decades of shooting. Question: Back East, we believed that shooting FMJ bullets would clean up leading in a bbl if it wasn't extreme and have always proceeded on this assumption. Your view?

Many thanks, Steve C.
I too felt Steve C's recommendations were useful. I noted the items mentioned and will likely shop for them to deal with lead.

Boge, great pointer re: forcing cone and FMJ to smooth high spot, tool marks, in rifling. These high, sharp spots are what others mention too may pick up the lead. Thanks. The balanced diet of a little lead and some FMJ is a good ticket I suppose. And keep it clean, of course.

I hear you kaaskop49 on terminology and do respect terminology's place but it also struck me that maybe I lead (no pun intended) readers to think I was asking about how to treat a new barrel which I may have been sort of doing. I learned much more than I knew about barrels, rifle and revolver, the thread. I can't help but wonder though if my initial post was: "I'm freakin' out to begin shooting my new revolver and I've got this lead stuff around so I wanna feed it to the gun so it goes bang and I get real live time in with the cool, shiny new Smith cuz I dig the beans out of that over dry firing. Big time confession though --- I gotta dry fire all my revolvers more, not just this one. All of them get better with each use and I get better with them with each use. Revolvers rock! Trigger time! Lead sound good?"

Last edited by TJHuxley; 07-24-2013 at 05:37 PM. Reason: Boge's piece
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  #10  
Old 07-24-2013, 11:06 PM
Boge Boge is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TJHuxley View Post
...I gotta dry fire all my revolvers more, not just this one...

Dry Reps can lead to Poor Performance.
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