Lead before jacketed?

[sammy]

I am going shooting tomorrow and have some lead SWC and jacketed ammo. Is their any harm in shooting jacketed ammo after lead? I have heard it is not a good idea to shoot jacketed before lead because the lead builds up fast on the copper fowling in the bore. I am shooting a 1911 with a new barrel (600 rounds). Thanks, Sammy

 

[Starter52]

I've never paid any attention either way. Many shooters like to shoot jacketed after lead. They feel this makes cleanup easier.

 

[Car Knocker]

And others feel that the jacketed bullets just iron the lead into the grooves and barrel imperfections and then cover the lead with copper.

 

[MCgunner]

I've always fired a few rounds of jacketed to get the lead out, personally. I shoot mostly my own cast bullets. They don't really lead up much at all. I shoot gas checked bullets in .357.

 

[gunman42782]

I've been shooting jacketed bullets after lead for 30 years with no problems.

 

[bluetopper]

Internet gun myths of all kinds run rampant.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've been shooting jacketed bullets after lead for 30 years with no problems.

+1
48 years.

 

[rcmodel]

If your lead bullet .45 loads are any good, they won't lead the barrel anyway.

Shoot them in whatever order you want.

rcmodel

 

[putteral]

I agree with rcmodel.

 

[bannockburn]

sammy

I've always shot jacketed after lead; seems to make cleaning a little easier.

 

[loop]

I try to follow up my cast bullets with a few jacketed. It seems to make them easier to clean in terms of metal fouling.

I have nothing to base this on except personal cleaning experience. However, I've been going through 600 rounds of .45 acp a week for a while now. Very few of my barrels require more than three or four patches and bit of wire brushing. It really doesn't seem to make any difference if I shoot jacketed after cast in terms of cleaning.

But, my loads are pretty clean. After 100 rounds I don't even have very much powder fouling.

 

[Sport45]

It's a 1911. Load and shoot them in whatever order you want.

If it was a rifle I'd say to clean it before switching between jacketed and lead.

 

[RobertFBurnett]

rcmodel fan club

I agree with rcmodel.

Question: Has anyone ever disagreed with rcmodel?...and if they did, are they still here. Not that I would. Seriously rcm you have been great and helpful in assisting me in whatever stupid noob question rolls out of my brain at 3am from my first day here. Thanks

As for the topic, to me it depends on the lead. Recently I fired some Remington .38 LRN out of my 686...my gun was u-g-l-y. Front of the cylinder, cone, etc all had that pewterish smear caked on there. In that case I would give a little tlc to my gun before switching ammo.

Now I just bought some Double Tap Hard Cast 180gr .357s that I can't wait to boom! off at my local range. I'm guessing some good Hard Casts should be a tad cleaner than less expensive lrn?

RFB

 

[dfariswheel]

There IS a good reason why you shouldn't "shoot the lead out" of a firearm.

First, the pressures, even in a revolver can skyrocket to dangerous levels.

Second, you can allow the bore to pit.
When you fire a jacketed bullet in a lead-fouled bore, the bullet attempts to ride over the leading.
Some of the lead is "ironed" into into what for all intents and purposes is a thin "plating" of lead.
This thin coat is difficult to see and it's easy to miss it.
Moisture can infiltrate under the leading and can rust and pit the bore.
You may not notice this until a bit of the leading flakes off exposing a pit in the barrel.

However, the biggest danger is that you can blow a ring or bulge in the barrel.
When the jacketed bullet passes down the bore, it rides over some of the leading but tries to push most of it down the bore in front of it, much like a boat pushes a bow wave in front of it.
If the amount of leading is just a little too much, something has to give, and what usually gives is the barrel.
The high pressure blows a ring or bulge in the bore, ruining the barrel.

I've had people come in with ringed barrels after shooting lead out, who told me that they'd been shooting the lead out for many years with no problem.
Trouble is, all it takes is just a little TOO much lead.
The shooter fires a new load, or fires a little more than they usually do, and the bore bulges or rings.

While you can get away with this for a long time, all it takes to destroy a good barrel is that one time where there's just a LITTLE more leading than usual.
Over the years I saw a LOT of bulged and ringed gun barrels, and people usually ascribe it to a stuck bullet or otherwise blocked barrel.
In a great many cases, it was actually shooting jacketed bullets after lead.

One gun that will blow a ring with a LOT less leading is the 1911.
Fortunately the 1911 usually doesn't lead up that bad, but when it does, the much thinner 1911 barrel will bulge with a lot less lead then most other guns.

So, I recommend NOT "shooting the lead out". If you insist, you may well be seeing one of my colleagues for an expensive new barrel.
Fair warning.

 

[MCgunner]

Question: Has anyone ever disagreed with rcmodel?.

I probably have. I have disagreed with everyone here probably at least once. LOL! This time I agree with him, though.

 

[Fish828]

i've always been told to shoot a few jacketed rounds after shooting lead to clear some of the lead out of the barrel. i don't know if it's right or wrong, just my two cents.

 

[Moonclip]

I've done it but I'd also heed dfariswheels advise! I've heard of the excess pressures bit before too.