Lead bullets

[Centenniel]

I love to shoot and actually don't mind the cleaning chore. It is all part of the experience. In most handguns, un-jacketed lead bullets make a lot of sense.

 

[kennyb]

+1..........

 

[brokenprism]

I hate paying for jacketed bullets. Every time the gun goes bang, there goes a quarter.

You must reload. Every time my gun goes bang with factory ammo, there goes a dollar and a quarter. : )

 

[Dogguy]

Does anyone here feel as I do about lead bullets? I do not like the effects lead has on a gun. Cleaning a gun after shooting lead bullets is a real pain when done right.

Granted, I may be a purist when it comes to guns but the full metal jacket may cost more but to me it is worth it.

I agree.

I used commercially available swaged lead and hard cast lead bullets back in the days when I handloaded my ammo. I loaded up my .357 Magnums and .45 Long Colts pretty hot (I was reading Elmer Keith at the time). My handloaded .45 ACPs were milder loads with hard cast round nose bullets. But all of them leaded the barrels badly and required gallons of Hoppe's and lots of elbow grease with bristle brushes. I hated the cleaning but I was poor back then and the lead bullets were cheap and it was the only way I could afford to go shooting. Today, I no longer reload due to the time involved and, while I'm retired and poor again, I always buy jacketed commercial ammunition.

 

[chief38]

OLDMAN45,
I shoot 99% lead. In my revolvers, I switched to 158 grain RNL (getting hard to find nowdays) about 5 years ago. I used to shoot wad cutters that leaded the heck out of he forcing cones and cylinder charge holes. I find that the RNL under 800 fps (perfect for punching holes in paper) will not lead my guns at all. I HATE using copper solvents to clean out the often unseen copper fowling in barrels. The good effective ones stink to high heaven and I can't stand using them. Copper jacketed stuff also takes more powder to drive an equal weight bullet he same speed (more friction) and the are just too expensive for informal target work. I reload, so I can custom make loads to what I want, and find that clean up with the RNL bullets is a piece of cake.

regards,
chief38

 

[LouisianaMan]

Certainly, to each his own. If you like jacketed, go for it!

As for me, I enjoy casting, reloading & shooting. When working up a load, I try to match velocity & bullet size, plus I lube well--the usual stuff. I've only experienced leading with a few attempted loads that were particularly badly matched to the gun, so I just adjusted the loads. I don't experience leading problems. Although I doubt I'll ever shoot enough of anything to "shoot out" a barrel, I'm happy to know lead bullets are easy on the rifling. I also enjoy the price

 

[BSkerj]

If you use the correct size bullet and load them to the proper velocity with a good lube, you should not have a leading problem.

+1...I gather, smelt and cast my on lead boolits. The whole key is taking the time to slug your barrel and choosing the right lube. I literally have close to one and a half tons of lead wheel wieghts and the accuracy speaks for itself.

 

[fredj338]

All my revolvers only get lead bullets. Most of my pistols get lead bullets for practice ammo. PRoper bullets & loading techniques means little leading. There is more carbon, due to the lube, but it cleans up pretty easily. I can actually spend more time cleaning copper fouling out of my rifle bbls than lead out of my pistol bbls.

 

[cjw3]

+1 on the Chore Boy copper scrubbing pad. Who would have known?

 

[Trooper224]

If you're getting so much leading in your barrel that it's any more of a cleaning chore, you're doing something wrong: your load is too hot, the bullet is too soft, etc.

The only things I use jacketed bullets for are full power magnum rounds and the 9mm, as the pressures generated by the nine don't work well with cast bullets. Everything else has been fed strictly cast lead for over twenty years with little cleaning effort involved.

 

[robocop10mm]

I cast bullets for .380, 9mm, .38/.357, .40/10mm, .41 Mag, 44-40, .44 Spl/Mag, .45 ACP and Colt, .223, 7mm, .30, 8mm and 45-70 as well as 0 buckshot and 12 ga slugs. I choose my blends according to the expected velocity. The blends range from 20-1 lead/tin for the slugs to pure Linotype in the rifles (most w/gas checks)

 

[noshow]

Why is leading a Problem?

OK, I'm coming out of the closet. I don't clean my guns after every shooting session. An old timer told me many years ago that a little fouling in the bore sweetens it closer to it's accurracy potential. He also said more bores are ruined by overly aggressive cleaning than by shooting them out. I've followed that advice for about 40 years now with no regrets. I never use a bronze brush, but I have used nylon on rare occasion. I rely on patches on a bore sized jag and wool mops. I only shoot lead bullits. I used to cast all of them, 380 auto, 38spl, 357mag and 45acp. Now I buy swaged lead 38 hbwc and 45 swc and save the casting for Lyman 380 92gr RN and Lyman 357 158gr SWC/GC. I used to make my own lube using the NRA formula of natural beeswax(with wings & stingers) and alox, but that's alot of work at age 67. I probably have lead tracings in all my guns rite now, but they shoot better than I can and will definately outlast me. They are all shooters with no safe queens amoung them. Most of them are 30+ years old and have survived well with seasonal thorough cleanings and an occasional oily patch and wipedown. I have a few friends who get anal about the sterility of their guns and spend much time to that end. I would rather spend the time shooting them and yes, reloading for them