Cast bullets in a glock
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Vodoun da Vinci
Member
Use plated - Glock does not recommend lead and many others as well because the Glock polygonal rifling tends to lead badly. That said, there are plenty of folks shooting lead in Glocks - it just takes a lot of care and details.
Others will have more information in a bit. I shoot plated lead in my G26 and soon (today) in our G42 and that works fine for me. If one is casting their own, it can/is being done but needs some special care.
Good luck!
VooDoo
Others will have more information in a bit. I shoot plated lead in my G26 and soon (today) in our G42 and that works fine for me. If one is casting their own, it can/is being done but needs some special care.
Good luck!
VooDoo
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Vodoun da Vinci
Member
Roger that...if yer new to hand loading, the THR Hand loading Forum is probably a very good place for you. I know it is for me. A tremendous resource of information form folks who know a lot and have tremendous experience that they share freely.
All you have to do is ask here. There is always someone to help it seems.
VooDoo
All you have to do is ask here. There is always someone to help it seems.
VooDoo
plmitch
Member
Its a myth. Nothing wrong with shooting cast in glock.
W.E.G.
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judgedelta
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I have read (on this very forum) that the older Glocks would lead up and the cartridge would sometimes fail to fully chamber. The pistol would fire out-of-battery (Ka-Boom!!). I understand that this has been rectified in the newer models, but I don't shoot lead in my Glocks anyway. Plated is not much more expensive (to buy) and a lot cleaner. Just my $.02
myFRAGisFUBAR
Member
I can tell you that it works just fine. I cast with a Lee 124-356 round nose mold. I shoot from a sig 2022 and my best friend uses a glock 19. 1000 rounds later, neither of us have had any issues at all. 
silicosys4
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I dunno what that is supposed to prove. I see a guy shooting a black handgun of some sort, that seems to have a malfunction.
Nowhere in that video do I see any sign of or reference to cast lead bullets, and I can't even tell if that gun is a glock or not. It is literally a 10 second vid of some sort of gun having some sort of a malfunction.
Cast lead is all I shoot out of my G19, so I guess I should be expecting something similar any time now.
Schwing
Member
To me, the fix for this supposed issue is to not own a Glock.... having said that, I know a lot of shooters who use lead in their Glocks. I have never noticed any different leading patterns than on non-polygonal barrels.
If you notice, probably every gun you have ever purchased has a manual that says very clearly NOT to use anything but factory ammunition and that doing otherwise could cause damage to the gun and voids the warranty. How many of use here follow that advice?
If you notice, probably every gun you have ever purchased has a manual that says very clearly NOT to use anything but factory ammunition and that doing otherwise could cause damage to the gun and voids the warranty. How many of use here follow that advice?
moonman16
Member
Many a competition shooter with a Glock, shoots cast lead coated with HI-TEK
polymer coatings from Australia.
Shooters with polygonal barrels report the HI-TEK coated projectiles shoot better than conventional rifled barrels.
polymer coatings from Australia.
Shooters with polygonal barrels report the HI-TEK coated projectiles shoot better than conventional rifled barrels.
Firing cast bullets in a polygonal rifled barrel like Glock uses is not a problem - allowing leading to build up and not removing it is the problem. If you keep the bore absolutely clean cast bullets work just fine. If you never clean the barrel every time you shoot the gun you could get into pretty serious trouble.
LiveLife
Member
Since this is THR, let's not spread false information that may not help the OP.Armory said:
Disclaimer: Like many other pistol manufacturers, Glock does not recommend shooting reloads (including lead reloads), so use reloads in your Glocks at your own risk.
Now that we got the disclaimer out of the way, can you shoot reloads in your Glocks, including lead reloads? I can't speak for other Glock shooters, but I have for about 20 years now (including lead reloads) with some consideration. BTW, what do countless Glock match shooters (including factory Glock team) use for match shooting week after week all around the world? You got it, reloads.
As to shooting jacketed/plated reloads, just like shooting reloads in other brand pistols, consideration should be made on basic safe reloading practices to maintain accurate and consistent powder charges, inspect range brass to cull damaged/questionable cases, maintain dimensions of finished rounds within spec and maintain sufficient neck tension to prevent bullet setback. You can obtain these information from a good reloading manual like Lyman #49, which I would recommend for someone new to reloading.
As to shooting lead reloads in Glock barrels, there are several more considerations. These are considerations for shooting lead bullets in any barrel:
- Commercial lead bullets come in different hardness ranging from softer 10 BHN to harder 24 BHN.
- Lead bullets come sized .001" larger than jacketed bullets and can be obtained sized .002"+ larger.
- Proper hardness/bullet to barrel fit/sufficient powder charge need to be used to properly deform the bullet base to seal the high pressure gas as gas leakage/gas cutting leads to increased leading.
There are issues specific to Glock barrels (see picture above):
- Glock barrels have longer leade (space the bullet jumps from the case neck/chamber to the start of rifling) which increases high pressure gas leakage.
- Glock barrels have very smooth start of rifling with rounded rifling which allow the lead bullet to slide deeper into the barrel before sufficient chamber pressure starts to develop which further increase high pressure gas leakage.
These Glock barrel features allow more high pressure gas leakage around the bullet which results in more of the following:
- High pressure gas leakage around the bullet blows liquefied lube from the bullet and down the barrel which may increase fouling/leading build up, especially near the chamber end of the barrel.
- If high enough powder charge is not used, powder burn may be inefficient and insufficient/inconsistent chamber pressures may not deform the bullet base to allow the bullet to "skid" down the barrel and increase fouling/leading build up.
Unless you use the proper hardness/sizing of lead bullet for the powder/charge used that produce sufficient chamber pressures to minimize fouling/leading build up, it is a good idea to inspect the Glock barrel more frequently for fouling/leading build up. So more careful load development/powder workup may be required. rcmodel usually recommends inspecting the Glock barrel around 200-300 lead rounds and I found this to be a good interval as loads that produce fouling will start to decrease accuracy above 300 round count. If your lead loads produce fouling/leading at lower round count, inspect the barrel more often and clean as necessary. If you develop lead loads that work well with Glock barrels to minimize/prevent fouling/leading, that's great.
TooManyToys
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bds, Great post!
Your information is direct to the point, answering the OP's question without a lot of side chatter that could confuse or otherwise sidetrack this thread.
Very informative post & pictures. Nice job.
Your information is direct to the point, answering the OP's question without a lot of side chatter that could confuse or otherwise sidetrack this thread.
Very informative post & pictures. Nice job.
Reefinmike
Member
Ill admit, I didnt read any but the first post. that being said, here's my story:
I bought a glock 41 a couple weeks back for a couple reasons. reason #1 being that I somehow became a crap shot with my 1911, the trigger was rough, I didnt like the grip nor recoil, sights were aweful, couldnt reach controls etc etc and #2 being I purchased a mech tech upper and a couple kriss 30rd mags for a fun little carbine to pair up with the pistol for cheap fun at the range. Im a cheap arse and I only shoot cast lead bullets from free range scrap so you bet I was sweating it a bit at the idea of only being able to shoot plated from the glock. I have a few thousand lead loads and only about 20fmj lol.
anyways the day after I bought it, i brought a hundred rounds of lead and my bore brush. To my amazement after the hundred rounds, the bore was still slick and shiny with zero traces of lead fouling... not something I could say about my 1911, it would catch a little lead no matter what. I was so stoked that my $2/box ammo was working that I went back the next day with a little over two hundred rounds. again, not a bit of lead in the bore!
It worked for me. just work up a few loads and be sure to check the bore after 5, 15, 25, 50 and 100 rounds. If you are seeing any leading within half of your normal range shooting, stop and revise your load. I always carry a few plated and a few fmj of each caliber with me to the range. At the end of the loading session, any minor leading can just be shot out first with the plated, fmj for any really really tiny stuff. saves a load of time with the bore brush whenever minor leading occurs.
I bought a glock 41 a couple weeks back for a couple reasons. reason #1 being that I somehow became a crap shot with my 1911, the trigger was rough, I didnt like the grip nor recoil, sights were aweful, couldnt reach controls etc etc and #2 being I purchased a mech tech upper and a couple kriss 30rd mags for a fun little carbine to pair up with the pistol for cheap fun at the range. Im a cheap arse and I only shoot cast lead bullets from free range scrap so you bet I was sweating it a bit at the idea of only being able to shoot plated from the glock. I have a few thousand lead loads and only about 20fmj lol.
anyways the day after I bought it, i brought a hundred rounds of lead and my bore brush. To my amazement after the hundred rounds, the bore was still slick and shiny with zero traces of lead fouling... not something I could say about my 1911, it would catch a little lead no matter what. I was so stoked that my $2/box ammo was working that I went back the next day with a little over two hundred rounds. again, not a bit of lead in the bore!
It worked for me. just work up a few loads and be sure to check the bore after 5, 15, 25, 50 and 100 rounds. If you are seeing any leading within half of your normal range shooting, stop and revise your load. I always carry a few plated and a few fmj of each caliber with me to the range. At the end of the loading session, any minor leading can just be shot out first with the plated, fmj for any really really tiny stuff. saves a load of time with the bore brush whenever minor leading occurs.
Everything here has been covered but I want to emphasize the loads you use. Since lead is softer and gas goes around the bullet, all barrels can lead up. My 1911's lead up more than my glocks do but I load for lead.
Since you are new to this perhaps you should post your powder and bullets and ask for some load suggestions.
I have shot well over 50k of lead bullets in the higher pressure rounds of 9mm and 40 which are usually blamed for leading up glock barrels. Use starting loads and lots of testing and you will figure it out.
Since you are new to this perhaps you should post your powder and bullets and ask for some load suggestions.
I have shot well over 50k of lead bullets in the higher pressure rounds of 9mm and 40 which are usually blamed for leading up glock barrels. Use starting loads and lots of testing and you will figure it out.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
If you are worried about shooting lead bullets through a stock Glock barrel you can always replace the barrel with a Lone Wolf barrel with conventional rifling.
http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Default.aspx
http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Default.aspx
TooManyToys
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Sexybeast,
Do you have a favorite Glock 9mm load for say, 125 RNL using Bullseye or unique?
Do you have a favorite Glock 9mm load for say, 125 RNL using Bullseye or unique?
LiveLife
Member
For anyone new to reloading lead bullets (regardless of barrel rifling type used), Chapter 7 of Glen Fryxell's free ebook is a great reference for the definition/location/cause/removal of leading - http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
tcoz
Member
That's what I did before I started shooting my plated reloads in a G19, just to be sure since there are so many differing opinions. $86 was a small price to pay plus it was more accurate than the stock barrel.
From Glock's website FAQ:
Q) Can I use lead bullets?
A) No, we recommend the use of jacketed ammunition only.
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From Wikipedia:
One suggestion of what the "additional factor involved in Glock's warning" might be is that Glock barrels have a fairly sharp transition between the chamber and the rifling, and this area is prone to lead buildup if lead bullets are used. This buildup may result in failures to fully return to battery, allowing the gun to fire with the case not fully supported by the chamber, leading to a potentially dangerous case failure. However, since this sharp transition is found on most autopistols this speculation is of limited value. The sharp transition or "lip" at the front of the chamber is required to "headspace" the cartridge in most autopistols.
Q) Can I use lead bullets?
A) No, we recommend the use of jacketed ammunition only.
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From Wikipedia:
One suggestion of what the "additional factor involved in Glock's warning" might be is that Glock barrels have a fairly sharp transition between the chamber and the rifling, and this area is prone to lead buildup if lead bullets are used. This buildup may result in failures to fully return to battery, allowing the gun to fire with the case not fully supported by the chamber, leading to a potentially dangerous case failure. However, since this sharp transition is found on most autopistols this speculation is of limited value. The sharp transition or "lip" at the front of the chamber is required to "headspace" the cartridge in most autopistols.
Peter M. Eick
Member
I have shot lead in my 10mm glock but I watched it very carefully and only shot super hard (lasercast) bullets. Same in my 10mm witness hunter. I am still working up loads for lead in Glocks, so I am not an authority on it.
Super hard lead, Watch for leading. Work carefully, go slow is how I am approaching the problem.
Super hard lead, Watch for leading. Work carefully, go slow is how I am approaching the problem.
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