This is my Shield 45 barrel and I'm trying to figure out if this is lead. Also, does the rifling seem chipped in the first photo, toward the right of the barrel?
Not the greatest photos, but what are your initial thoughts? The gun is new and I put 170 rounds through it. If need be, I can try to get better photos.





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Looks like my S&W after shooting lead bullets. I don't think its chipped just lead splash.

What ammo are you using something with a open to the lead jacketed bullet?

First there does appear to me a minuscule chip at the very end but knowing how tiny this is if it is there would in my opinion be no concern unless it grows.

170 rounds can contribute to a lot of buildup and especially if it were a mix of ammo and just how hot the barrel got. Did you mix different types of ammo, copper and lead and jacketed or was it all one particular bullet and if so what ammo was it?

There does appear to be a buildup in the barrel of some type, if you simply run a dry cloth through it does it wipe out? That is a lot of ammo and there will most certainly be residue present. Was the barrel dry and clean to start with, or was there a coating of oil left in it?

I ran 80 reloaded plated bullets with 4 different types of powder and 20 factory rounds with no issues through my 45 Shield other than normal residue.
Karl

Chore boy pure copperpad. make sure it is pure copper. wrap around and old bore brush for the bore and put some around your fingertip and scrub off the muzzle. Done.

Get a chore boy pure copper pad. make sure it is pure copper. wrap a few strands around an old bore brush for the leading i see in your bore. scrub. then take a bit of the pad and put on your thumb tip and scrube the muzzle. done.

This was the first time out with the gun and I shot 150 rounds of Federal American Eagle FMJ 230gr. While the barrel was still somewhat warm, I finished by testing my carry ammo with 20 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 230gr. It's possibly this that caused the lead build up at the end of the barrel.

What's more concerning to me, is the chip in the barrel rifling...

Clean it with a genuine ChoreBoy as suggested. If the chip is still there, call S&W customer service for a call tag. Damaged rifling is never acceptable.

There does seem to be a bit of damage to one of the LANDS in the first photo (at about 12:30 o'clock.)

If it's NOT actual damage, there's no concern. If the LAND is actually chipped(?) it could affect performance, but is so small that it probably won't.

The whole idea of a clean crown on the barrel is to assure that the gases are evenly distributed as the bullet leaves the barrel.

A local gunsmith could examine the barrel and if it is damaged, he could recrown the barrel pretty cheaply -- and you'd remove all doubt about it's possible effect. (That isn't something that is likely to be covered under warranty -- unless S&W thinks it's a factory defect in the barrel material. You might send the images to S&W customer service and see what they think.)

(I don't think I've ever seen lead buildup at THAT end of the barrel, so any stuff in the grooves or lands there is likely something else. Lead is most often seen at the other end.)

It looks like a barrel that needs to be cleaned. It does look like leading in the rifling. If it's not leading it does look like it could be a problem.

If you only shot jacketed ammo through the barrel it would be odd to have leading in the barrel. Maybe it's some kind of carbon build up... Did you clean the barrel before the pictures?

I should have asked: what ammo were you shooting?

My first thought would be to use the ChoreBoy. I has worked for me on leaded barrels form cheep ammo in my 22s.

Post #6


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Post #6. (Sorry. I should have just looked back up through the prior messages. DUH.)
The Federal and Gold Dot ammos are both jacketed. None of that ammo was the kind of LEAD ammo (lead wrapped in copper) that causes lead build-up in barrels.

I'd use a solvent soaked cloth patch wrapped round a brass brush and clean the barrel. If there's still something unusual there, you might want to talk with S&W. You didn't really shoot THAT MUCH!

You could also have someone (like a local gunsmith, or an experienced shooter whose judgement you trust) look at the crown of your barrel and see if that really is a CHIP or NICK in the land of the barrel in your first photo. In looking at the photo again, I can't tell if that's a chip or just some junk present (like some of the other little bits in the photo.)