lead bullets in glock 22

[220 shooter]

I was at the range this weekend got to talking w/ the ro about guns and reloading, he asked if i knew that i should'nt be shooting lead bullets in my glock sooooooooooooooo, what is the real deal? so far i've shot several hundred 180gr ltc w/5.0 of w-231 seems accurate with no issues. should i stop

 

[cottonmouth]

Some say it's ok but most say not to because it causes pressure to build up due to leading in the Glock rifeling. And sooner or later it could blow the gun up, so they say. That is why I got an aftermarket LWD barrel for my 22RTF they use standard rifiling. A friend of mine had a 21 "come from together" one time and always blamed it on a double charge but I suspect it was from a build up of lead. I mentioned it to him but I think it went in one ear and out the other. We hear about Glocks blowing up sometime, I wonder how many of these blow up with aftermarket barrels?

J.B.

 

[Steve C]

Take a good look at your barrel, not just straight down the bore at a light but a good angle at he muzzle where you can see the side of the barrel and you will undoubtedly see lots of gray lead deposited in the barrel. If you still can't see it run a good tight patch from a lead whipe away cloth or brush with bronze brush and lead removing solvent then take a look at your patch.

Polygonal barrels and lead don't work too well as the lead bullet is squeezed down the barrel it smeares onto it. Best to buy a conventional land and groove barrel for shooting lead bullets out of our Glock.

If you shoot lead in the poly barrel you should clean it well after every range session. The best way to remove leading from a poly barrel is chemically with a "foul out" or white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide mix but if you use this make sure not to keep the solution in the barrel after it quits foaming because it will start working on the steel after it gets finished with the lead.

The main issue with reloads is with the Glock .40 S&W and .45 ACP. The Glock barrel doesn't fully support the case at the 6 o'clock position and you will see cases bulged when fired from Glocks in these calibers. Reloads with cases that have been stretched once or more times are often weaker in the case wall and a case rupture and the resulting pistol distruction is fairly common.

It can and has happened with new factory ammo too.

Google "Glock KB" and read some of the resulting FAQ's and look at the pictures of Glocks mostlyl destroyed by reloaded ammo.

 

[Maj Dad]

Plated Bullets

I shoot plated bullets in my M21 & they do great. I think I got the last batch from Rocky Mountain Reloading - 230g HP, 500 for $73 shipped. There are several sellers of plated bullets and all are about the same price. I used RMR because he advertises his plating to be thicker; I don't know if that is true, but they do shoot well, are a lot less than FMJs and don't lead.

http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/

 

[fatelk]

I shot many hundreds of cast bullets through my Glock model 22 before I ever heard about this. When I was told, I checked my barrel and did not have excessive leading.

I read an extensive article a while back about it (forget where) and IIRC the discussion was about making sure you had a good bullet with the right diameter and hardness to not lead, and to make sure to clean all copper fouling out of the bore before shooting lead, and vice versa.

This is just my experience, so don't rely on my word for your safety. I continue to use lead bullets in both my Glock and CZ82, though I do clean the bores between bullet types real well, and watch closely for leading.

 

[Maj Dad]

Lewis Lead Remover

I think if I were going to shoot lead in my Glock I would do incantations every session with the LLR. Missouri Bullet Company lists them on their site (http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=7 ), among a bunch of others. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean it ain't gonna blow.

 

[John Wayne]

Glock states not to use reloads at all in their pistols.

Glock states not to use lead bullets either because of polygonal rifling.

Glocks have blown up shooting factory ammo.

Most load data for .40 S&W specifically states not to use it in guns that leave the case head unsuppored.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

 

[Riss]

Major factor I know of is leading. From what I have seen polygonal rifled barrels lead faster. This would lend itself to possible overpressure issues. Which, in an unsupported case gun, like the Glock, will make matters worse as the fairly high pressure, weak cased 40 S&W has a tendency to blow out the back of the case. Had it happen twice. Got a KKM rifled barrel. Have not had a problem in the last 6 or 8000 rounds. AND I rarely ever clean the KKM, even though it too shows signs of severe leading. In my opinion if you want to shoot lead in a Glock then get a barrel that is rifled. If not then use copper clad or plated bullets.

 

[220 shooter]

maybe I'll get rid of my glock (it shoots great) I feel like I give all my guns a good cleaning after even a short seession at the range I have paid particular attention to the barrel ,looking for any signs of leading.Dont really know what velocity im at with this load but it seems to cycle and shoot acurate.if there are faults w/ the glocks maybe it's time for a 226 in .40? Ive still got over 1000 180 gr ltc bullets w/ 500 already loaded

 

[Dave T]

Double post, sorry.

 

[Dave T]

By all means, dump the $400-$500 gun so you can save the cost of 1000 lead bullets. Sounds like a plan to me...or not.

And what does this have to do with revolvers?

Dave

 

[MrBorland]

I read an extensive article a while back about it (forget where) and IIRC the discussion was about making sure you had a good bullet with the right diameter and hardness to not lead, and to make sure to clean all copper fouling out of the bore before shooting lead, and vice versa.

Here are 2 good reads. They pretty much make the same point:

http://www.missouribullet.com/technical.php

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/15e296c61415e831fecfe8fddcc1dc92-414.html

 

[rcmodel]

Bore leading with proper hardness bullets is not the issue, so much as the ability of early Glocks to fire out of battery.
The 1st Gen guns were designed in such a way that they would still fire while being pushed out of battery by as much as 3/16"!

Lead build-up at the end of the headspace shoulder in the chamber would progressivly hold the slide further & further out of battery while still allowing them to fire.

That exposed more & more of the unsupported case at the feed ramp cut until the case finally blew out.

Further compounding the problem was the wide-spread belief that Glocks never need to be cleaned!

If you reload using hard bullets of the proper size, seated to an OAL that will fully chamber without hitting the rifling leade, and clean the chamber with a bronze bore brush & solvent once every blue moon, there is no reason you can't use lead bullets.

I have been doing it for 15 years now with a 1st. Gen Model 23.

rc

 

[KBintheSLC]

Why is this in the "revolver" forum?

 

[Maj Dad]

Good Point KBintheSLC

Maybe it's a revolving question...

Speaking of Glock (and every other mfr) warning against using reloads, DPMS even proscribes non-USA mfd ammo as well. I guess lawyers and paranoiacs are ever vigilant... Too bad they fall prey to the nanny-ness.

 

[220 shooter]

didnt realize posted inrevolver forum soooooooo sorrry also just looking for an excuse to buy another sig

 

[cottonmouth]

Ever heard of a Glock with an aftermarket barrel blowing up?

J.B.

 

[sheephearder]

My experience is the same as rcmodel's, soft lead will lead quickly and not grip the rifling but hard cast works OK. The other thing (that I think happens) is the lead bullets may be more likely to be set back when feeding. I have run a lot of hard cast lead (5K +) through 9mms, 40 and 45 glocks (cleaned often) with no problems. Good luck JMHO based on personal experience.