Recently bit by the revolver bug. Strange irony: when I take the revolver to the range alongside my semi-auto, the wheel gun has been more fun to shoot even though I don't shoot it as well.

Are there any particular issues between shooting LRN vs FMJ? Is one better/worse for the barrel than the other? Harder to clean?

Likewise for .357, if that introduces different considerations.

TIA.

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It depends on the load.

FMJ poses no issues, and some, indoor ranges require bullets with no exposed lead (it depends on both the type of backstop and their ventilation system).

Lead round nose bullets can be a bit smokier due to the bullet lubricant burning. If the range doesn’t have pretty substantial ventilation at the firing point that smoke can be noticeable.

At the target end, if the backstop is a big pile of ground rubber they probably won’t care, provided they have sufficient ventilation at both ends. If they have a bullet trap (usually two large angled plates that skip the bullet into a gap between them, were the bullet then enters a circular trap), they might have concerns about exposed lead - or not. Again it depends on ventilation keeping lead particles to non detectable levels.

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Load wise, lead bullets in .38 Special generally do not create any significant leading issues in a properly functioning revolver.

In a .357 Magnum lead bullets can be a much bigger problem. The bullet has to pass through the end of the cylinder and the forcing cone before it engages the rifling and seals the gas behind it. With .357 Magnum pressures, you can get some gas cutting before the bullet obturates in the bore, and that gas cutting removes lead and potentially deposits it in the bore.

Another potential lead bullet .357 Mag problem is the higher velocity the bullet has when it reaches the rifling. If the alloy is too soft, it can skid a bit in the bore before the bullet starts to rotate in the rifling and that will lead the bore up in a major hurry.

It’s a bit of a balancing act. You can’t have an alloy that is too soft at .357 Mag velocities and pressures or you’ll get leading. However you also can’t have an alloy that is too hard as then it won’t obturate in the bore and you’ll get gas cutting and leading.

Consequently it’s common for cast bullets at .357 Mag performance levels to have a gas check to prevent gas cutting.

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I used to cast bullets a lot for several different calibers, partly for economy, partly because it was the only way to get top quality bullets for long range shooting with my Sharps, and partly because I enjoyed the challenges involved.

But now I just buy commercial cast bullets for a couple .38 special loads and use plated bullets for pretty much everything else where I used to use a cast bullet. It solves the leading issues and eliminates the smoky lube issues, and they don’t cost much more than cast bullets.

I have a collection of .38 revolvers that are collecting dust because I cant any kind of .38 special ammunition anywhere. Have you been able to find any?

Try Target Sports. They had plain lead round nose 158 grain Federal advertised for at least several weeks recently. There was also a Remington jacketed 130 grain load.

RGallaher, hope I don't get gigged for this but if you want to go online for ammo go to ammoseek com. Lots of places selling 38 special there.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

I bought my first 38 in 1971. It came with a box of ammo. I bought a Lee Loader, a box of primers and powder and boolits and have NEVER bought another round since.

Right now I load a box of 50 for about a buck and a half. Those are pre-covid prices because I stocked up.

The reloading thing is not only a cost savings, but its fun besides, and I''ll never run out.

FMJ ammo puts a lot more wear on your bore than lead bullet ammo does.

Not really an issue for any post-WWII guns unless you plan to fire immense amounts of jacketed bullets.

There’s a grain of truth to this, but it’s important to point out the limited relevance.

The Victory model was ordered for use with .38 S&W (otherwise known as the .38/200 by the British WWII) and .38 S&W Special for the US, in both cases using FMJ bullets for compliance with the Hague Convention requirement for non-expanding bullet? Consequently result, in 1942 S&W changed from AISI 1025 steel in the barrels to AISI 1045 as it was more wear resistant.

After WWII the use of jacketed bullets became increasingly common. In that regard, the caution about jacketed bullets creating more wear may apply in some cases to 5 screw and *perhaps* early 4 screw S&Ws. But it’s just not a concern for later 4 screw revolvers or for subsequent 3 screw revolvers.

As DeWalt stated, you’d need immense amounts of jacketed bullets to wear out a revolver barrel, probably well north of 50,000 rounds in a mild caliber like .38 Special that doesn’t generate a lot of heat.

In a .357 Magnum. .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, etc, it’s not the jacketed bullet that will wear the barrel out, it’s the higher heat and pressure from the magnum loads, particularly with slower burning colloidal bal powders that are very hard on the forcing cone. Forcing cone erosion will kill the barrel long before a jacketed bullet will wear out the bore.

Leading is the result of undersized bullets. Properly sized lead that isn't too hard or too soft as well as lube that isn't too hard or too soft all but mitigates barrel leading. Your barrel will tell you what it likes!

I cast .358, 135 grain LRNFP (NOE) bullets at around 10 BHN and use a fairly soft lube. These are sized .357 and I use them in 9mm, 38 SPL and 38 Super up to 1000 fps. I clean my barrel with a rolled-up paper towel.
It helps to start with a surgically clean barrel.

Accuracy exceeds the similar plated bullet beyond 25 yards.

As a high-volume shooter, I haven't shot very many jacketed bullets

What's not to love?

Smiles,

And I thought I was the only one who used paper towels for bore
cleaning.

Freedom Munitions had quite a few different choices in 38 Special ammo earlier today...

Cheers!

P.S. Let me know when you are ready to part with your collection!

In minutiae , lead has lower coefficient of friction . Theoretical better velocity / pressure ratio . And if you shoot 50 to 100k mild rounds lead will have less bore wear .

BUT in recent decades , the 130gr FMJ is the most commonly available " practice ammo " in commercial retail .

Not mentioned yet , traditionally fixed sight revolvers were sighted for 158 gr , and 130 gr will POI somewhat low . But OTOH , will be closer to defensive ammo of +/- 125 gr .

The reloading insights are very interesting. Reloading looks like a great hobby, but for the foreseeable future I'm a low volume shooter reliant on factory ammo.

Lately near me, the 158 LRN is more likely to be on the shelf than the 130 FMJ.

When I first started shooting about 4 years ago (semi-auto(s)), I was pretty meticulous about cleaning after every range trip, but not so much anymore. I assumed cleaning a revolver barrel is no different than cleaning a semi-auto barrel, but curious if the LRN ammo requires any special cleaning considerations. Sounds like not really, but opinions vary.

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I’m sorry but we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this subject. The difference in friction between lead bullets and copper jacketed bullets is real. So all things being equal, new or old barrels and materials, jacketed bullets wear barrels faster than lead bullets.

"Faster" doesn't mean "fast." Even if your theory is true, it has no practical meaning. Unless OP plans to put tens of thousands of rounds through it.

__________________
I've still got it made.

Shoot whatever you can find....

Randy

Very good answer, maybe the best.

Also, if possible nowadays, consider finding one box each of several ammos, try them all and go with what's most accurate. Don't worry about the composition of the bullet. I like 158 grs., but get what you can find.

Last 38 special I bought was through Norma ammo as well as Bas Pro / Cabelas. Cheaper through Norma but imported ammo from Europe.

If I am not mistaken S&W fixed sight revolvers are "calibrated" to shoot point of aim with 158 grain bullets. Lighter weight bullets with shoot a bit lower.

Ammo experts - please coreect me if I am wrong. Thanks!

try Norma shooting .com.....they did have .38's at a decent price...not sure if they still do

Yes , absolutely More Friction is More Friction ! But that's not necessarily a Limiting Factor .

For magnum , +P+ , and much +P ammo, the Gas Erosion will far exceed the friction wear .

For a medium frame or larger , all steel revolver , shooting nearly exclusively mild , low pressure lead bullets , it is indeed possible to rack up 50k to 100k round counts .

It used to happen back in the Revolver Era ,with LE/ Corrections/ Security outfits with dedicated " training guns " , or PPC Shooting Teams , where the job supplied unlimited practice ammo and in house range time .

A private individual , paying out of their pocket spending enough on ammo to wear out a bbl from friction wear ? Never say never , but 99.99% unlikely .

The OP did not say how many rounds he expected to fire or in what guns. He asked a simple question and as usual on here ends up getting a page full of opinions, bs and spouting of the responder’s vast knowledge. The simple answer to his simple question is that jacketed bullets wear a barrel more than lead bullets. Geeze folks

R. Gallagher try Freedom Munitions.I bought some 158 gr FJFPs.They have 4 different configurations of .38s as we speak.B Still congrats on finding the joy of shooting the beloved revolver and in particular the. 38 special.As is usual here great advice to consider from many knowledgeable people.I tend to use FMJs at the indoor range and shoot LRN when we go out to the desert to shoot steel.The lead doesn't tend to spill back as much as the metal jackets when shooting steel.For me at least it is tougher to clean my revolvers after shooting lead.One trick I learned when shooting lead was to throw a couple of jacketed rounds downrange after shooting lead all day it seemed to help clear some of the lead residue before taking my revolver home to clean.

Context and parameters matter. You are implying that a simple “yes” or “no” answer is not only sufficient but best.

The purpose of the responses in this thread is to allow the OP (and any future readers with similar questions) to make an informed decision that beat suits his (their) needs so neither of your implications are valid.

The discussion in the thread, the context it provides and the qualifiers it gives to the “yes” may not meet with your pleasure or approval, but that’s not what’s important in this thread.

Traditionally, the consensus has been to size bullets .001” over bore diameter.

In most cases I agree with you, and with the above wisdom that it will minimize leading.

I also agree with you that bullet leading is caused by undersized bullets. The “where” however is the key.

In some firearms the throat or cylinder’s free bore dimensions are sufficiently larger than bore diameter that a bullet properly sized to the bore will suffer substantial gas cutting.

In that case, the bullet needs to be sized as close as possible to the throat or free bore diameter, provided the cartridge has sufficient space in the chamber to both drop into the chamber and then release the bullet without creating excessive pressure.

A bullet soft enough to obturate a soon as possible is also important to minimize gas cutting. As you know harder isn’t always better as the bullet needs to be soft enough to obturate quickly as the pressures involved, while still being hard enough not to skid as it enters the rifling.

What’s obviously important in this thread is it provides an opportunity for those so inclined to expound on their vast knowledge at length and presume to “educate” the rest of us as to the “real truth” and not what we “thought” we knew.

Dont switch back and forth between lead and jacketed. Copper fouling will strip lead from your bullets and make the bore really fouled quick. I would stick to lead in a 38 and use jacketed in the speedier 357. If you can find some 38 loaded with 148gr DEWC bullets, they are what made the 38spl an accurate target pistol.

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One of the many reasons I like this forum is that individuals with more experience than I have can expound on their vast knowledge and educate me on things I thought I knew but didn't.

If they expound on things they think they know but don't, I'm free to ignore them.

Lately 38 Ammo has been hard to find in these parts.
So B Still and the rest of us who don’t reload are dependent on the ammo they have - I have several thousand rounds of 38 - and the ammo they can find.
This is a case of if I needed 38 I would order online.
FMJ vs. Cast? Have shot thousands of rounds of both in a number of guns.
Don’t recall a serious leading problem.
Have had leading with Hot 357 Handloads, cast bullets.
But I was casting my bullets and following the Gospel of Elmer.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

From the OP!:

"Are there any particular issues between shooting LRN vs FMJ? Is one better/worse for the barrel than the other? Harder to clean?"

Now reread post #10!

Thank you,

Welcome to the Rotator Club. It's indeed fun and addicting.

I rarely shoot jacketed bullets as cast bullets (mine or commercial) shoot very well and are accurate way out yonder past a hundred yards if they are of good quality. Barrels will last long enough for your grandkids to enjoy the revolver in their senior years if you pass it down. When cast well, sized properly and lubed well, I experience no leading.

Many factory 38 loads use a swaged lead bullet. For the swaging process, the lead has to be very soft and these will often lead up a revolver. On the other hand they can be the most accurate of lead bullets in a revolver, especially the 148 grain hollow base wadcutter bullet for match shooting. With this load your barrel life will be almost indefinite if you clean it properly.

Revolvers beg to be reloaded for. It's a great supporting hobby, is relatively easy with good equipment and there is a plethora of components for it. Cast bullets, swaged bullets; plated bullets, jacketed bullets; and coated bullets are all available (current supply chain issues may hinder this) for your revolver. Cases last a long time and a pound of powder with 38 or 357 loads goes a long way.

__________________
Keep your powder dry.

B Still, first of all....Semper Fi!
Secondly, it has been my experience that shooting lead always requires a bit more labor than jacketed. Being where we have been, we all know the importance of a clean weapon.
Lastly, shoot whatever makes YOU happy and what works best for both you and your firearm and ENJOY it all. Cleaning and maintaining your firearm is ALWAYS more fun than a trip to the sand pits!
Keep shooting and enjoy.....safely