Hello fellow S&W fans. I've now fired 5 boxes of LRN .38 through my new 686-3. This ammo doesn't seem to dirty the barrel much (at first I were nervous of this, always used FMJ before). I'm going to buy 5 boxes more LRN only a different brand to try that as well.

However I'm curious to hear what others think of LRN ammo? Are there any downsides to it? Should I be afraid of lead buildup in the barrel if I use LRN long term?

Great question, especially during these crazy market frenzied times.

R

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Rachel
Grande Torina

I shoot nothing but lead in my 686-6, 14-3 and 27-2 in both .38 & 357. All three exhibit very little leading with both LRN and LSWC boolits.

Shoot away!

You may find the RNL shoots to point of aim and is very accurate as well. Great for targets, not for self defense. I shoot a lot of lead and find the RNL an easy bullet to load with.

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The American dream is alive

Great target ammo at reasonable prices - enjoy!

My only advice is if you do A LOT of shooting - and I mean A LOT - and you shoot at an indoor range, make doubly sure the ventilation is good. LRN, like any lead bullet without a jacket, will give off a little bit of lead poweder when fired. Just make sure you're not standing in a cloud of lead powder an hour a day, three or four days a week! Goes with any bullet, though, but especially with lead.

It depends on the hardness of the bullets and the velocity, but fairly hard lead alloy and lower velocities (as with typical RNL .38 Special loads) shouldn't cause major barrel deposits.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Lead rnfp is just about all I shoot in .38, .357, .44 spl & mag, .45 acp & LC. Not a problem in the world after 40 plus years of loading and shooting it. I do always clean my guns upon return from range though.

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Bill
Dis B. Leaf

Exactly. Clean your barrel and there should be no problem. I clean mine military-style, first a bore brush soaked in Hoppes #9, then a bore patch soaked in Hoppes #9, then dry bore patches until they come out clean. Usually only takes 7-8 minutes or something like that.

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

Good stuff.
Seems to me that the older revolvers are especially partial to it.
Almost as if they were made for each other:

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

it's good for targets..self defense...not as good...

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

FIRE AWAY !!!

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John

Joining the crowd of great for targets and fun, not so good for self defense. I bought a case of Privi-Partisan 158 LRN last year because of price. Has been very accurate ammo.

When shooting Specials in the longer Magnum chambers, make sure you clean the chambers thoroughly. The .38 case is, I believe, 1/10" shorter than the .357 case. Brushing may be necessary to remove any accumulation or 'score-ing' after firing .38s in the longer chambers. The standard brass brush will usually suffice, but if the fouling builds up, Brownells makes steel brushes ONLY for chambers, NOT for barrels.
That being said, .38 RNL is a great load, but I've had problems with the CCI Blazer version of this load jamming cylinders. Other brands OK.

Thanks for all your comments. It seems I worry without reason. I shoot 50 rounds a weekend and always clean the gun afterwards so I guess I have nothing to worry about. I'm just used to FMJ so I'd rather ask than get a bad surprise later

Lead is easier on the barrel then copper and a properly sized lead bullet will do very little if any leading if you don't try to over drive them.

The PD used to get low bid practice ammo that was dirty & leaded badly... I would wipe down my M66 with BreakFree CLP before firing... inside & out. The Armorer was impressed, the dept was soon buying it in gallons & filling sprayers.

BINGO! That's the point precisely and before we pooh-pooh the venerable LRN, remember it tamed the streets of America during the gangster era, often from a 2" barrel. Also, steel plate shooting normally requires LRN.

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Ed45

Actually, hard lead bullets may lead worse than soft as they don't upset properly to fill the bore completely , resulting in hot gas blow-by, which will result in leading. Most of the factory 158gr LRN ammo uses very soft swaged lead bullets. Have fired cases of the stuff over the years (back when it was cheap) with very little fouling.

The commercial casters like to sell hard lead bullets as it's damaged less in shipping, so it looks better. It's also why they like beveled base projectiles.

Took me a long time to figure out that softer is usually better for medium velocity rounds. Made shooting an entire IHMSA field pistol match without scrubbing the bore possible. (Those 75yd 1/2 size turkeys are particularly unforgiving!)

If you get 'leading', the worst thing you'll have to do is get a "Lewis Lead Remover" kit caliber specific for .38/.357M (Brownells). You can quickly and safely remove lead buildup mechanically with the brass mesh included. I use it at the most every 5-10 gun cleanings in firearms/calibers that see 50%+ lead rounds.

I would plink away with abandon with LRN as plinkers. LSWC or lead full wadcutters make nicer holes in paper, however.

Stainz

It's great plinking/target shooting ammo. I buy 250 round handi-pak 158 grain LRN made by Magtech, usually under $70.00 before the madness. They load em to run 800-850 fps out of a 4 inch barrel.

I shoot them in everything from 2 inch to 6 inch guns with very good accuracy and minimal leading. I reccomend them if you can find them.

I haven't shot more than a few hundred jacketed bullets through my handguns since I started reloading over 20 years ago, virtually all I use is cast.

I've even started casting my own bullets over the past few years, it's added yet another dimension to my shooting hobby that I enjoy very much.

I have to take exception to those folks who have stated that cast bullets aren't good for self defense. If cast bullets are the "go to" bullet for handgun hunting then why would they not be good for self-defense? I'll stick with them. I think the ammo manufacturers do a good job of "glamorizing" their latest and greatest jacketed hollow point creations, which does a good job of selling expensive jacketed bullets! I don't doubt that they're good, but I challenge the notion that cast bullets aren't useful for self defense.

Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

Just check for visible lead build up; usually just in front of the forcing cone. I'm sure the Lewis Lead Removal system works fine. But using a few strands of an all copper Choreboy brush wrapped around a cleaning brush works great and is a LOT cheaper.

I actually just bought 5 boxes of this ammo. Good to hear that others like this type of ammo.

Also someone mentioned using breakfree on the gun before shooting. Good idea. I'm going to try that. But only a bit since I don't want the gun to become greasy during shooting.