Shooting Lead From Semi-auto?

[sigbear]

I went shooting today and did some IDPA style shooting with my Ruger Sp101 revolver (.38 lead/SWC) and had a blast, I would like to try this with my semi-auto's, however, I am reluctant to run a couple hundred rounds of lead only through my Semi-autos (Walther P99/Sig 226, both 9mm).

We can only shoot lead, no jacketed ammo at my gun club.

anyone shoot a lot of lead through their auto's?, besides being nasty to clean are there any other ramifications?

Sigbear

 

[PotatoJudge]

Most people that shoot their 1911s a lot use lead extensively. There's no reason to avoid it in any semi (glocks and marlin microgroove barrels being exceptions) and leading shouldn't be an issue with a good load. With ammo and components getting so expensive, lead bullets in bulk are what keep most of us shooting. There tend to be a wider variety of bullet shapes in lead, so just make sure to find one that works in your gun.

 

[lee n. field]

anyone shoot a lot of lead through their auto's?, besides being nasty to clean are there any other ramifications?

All the time. All my handloads, .40, .45 and 9x18, at the moment, are lead, much of it hand cast by me.

Lead is said to be a potential problem shot through guns with polygonal rifling. The most common of these is the Glock. Google on it, read up, and make your own judgment.

 

[zxcvbob]

I have a BHP and have shot about 2000 or so 135 grain lead bullets in it without any problems (and a few hundred of other bullet weights.) I load to the upper end of the load data. Leading is not that bad; I don't even clean it very often, and it's not hard to do (few strokes with a bronze brush and some transmission fluid, then a dry patch or two)

I just bought a 120 grain bullet mold to start casting my own.

I occasionally shoot WWB jacketed ammo, but very seldom. The rest is all cast lead bullets.

 

[HisSoldier]

Long ago I bought a couple of bullet molds and cast many 230 RN bullets for my 1911, but found leading was a problem and was difficult to remove.
I'd like to hear more about loads (Unique is all I have, I just started reloading again) and bullet alloys that will NOT lead the bore. My old alloy was lead with 15% tin. Perhaps I was using too hot a load? What about gas checks, are they used for pistol bullets? Do they work to stop leading? Thanks,
Parts

 

[VegasOPM]

Carter's Compensator Spray will help immensely with leading in the barrel. When it comes to IDPA or USPSA, shooting lead is actually beneficial. Lead bullets see higher velocity per powder charge than jacketed bullets. That means that it takes less powder and recoil to make major or minor in any given caliber. Semi wadcutters are also primarily only available in cast bullets- they make a nice round, caliber sized hole that is easy to score. The down side is the increased smoke that can bcome a factor for vision in certain conditions.

 

[pistolero6869]

lead bullets

I shoot a lot of cast lead slugs fro, 32ACP to 45acp I buy my hard cast bullets from a local guy that makes them right in my area. If you get a good hard cast lubed bullet you can push it pretty good but why if you just punching paper targets. most load books lict loads for cast bullets lyman has a good many lead load in there manual and a special all lead manual I even shoot lead in my Glocks but no more than about 200 rds then time for a good cleaning and bore brushing. Tetra gun lube claim that treating your barrel with there tetra will fill in the micrscopic voids in the metal of your barrel I tryed it it it semed not to lead.

 

[tlen]

Long ago I bought a couple of bullet molds and cast many 230 RN bullets for my 1911, but found leading was a problem and was difficult to remove.
I'd like to hear more about loads (Unique is all I have, I just started reloading again) and bullet alloys that will NOT lead the bore. My old alloy was lead with 15% tin. Perhaps I was using too hot a load? What about gas checks, are they used for pistol bullets? Do they work to stop leading? Thanks,
Parts

.45 ACP velocities, even hot loads [<1000 FPS], shouldn't cause a leading problem with the proper alloy. I suspect your lead alloy was too soft. As a minimum you should use the traditional Lyman #2 alloy. I use 9# wheel weights and add a 1# 50/50 bar solder to make a 10# batch.
Gas checks work fine for me in high velocity .357 & .44 Magnum loads with no noticeable leading. I seldom shoot jacketed bullets due to the cost and use them only for hunting loads.
Here's a link on casting alloys you might find very interesting:
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm#WW

 

[loop]

I shoot about 1,000 rounds a month of .45 ACP and rarely shoot anything but lead. It's cheaper and more accurate than jacketed bullets for the most part.

The load most of my 1911s seem to prefer is 3.8 grains of Bullseye with a 230-grain RN bullet. It clocks around 810 fps out of most of my five-inch barrel .45s. That's just a tad slower than the 830 fps mil spec hardball is supposed to run.

Never had a problem with leading.

I do have a peculiar cleaning habit. I use Flitz to clean the barrel after I think it is cleaned. A couple patches of Flitz and a couple clean patches and the inside of the barrel darn near glows. I finish with a patch of Slide Glide and then a clean patch. I don't know, but the cleaning may have something to do with why I never have a leading issue.

 

[possum]

i shoot more lead than anything else. i use ultra max 180gr cnl in my xd's, and reloads as well sometimes. i have never had any issues to date.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Shooting Lead From Semi-auto?

Since 1962 I hardly shoot anything but lead bullets through my pistols.
I would guess that I shoot at least 200-300 lead bullets for every jacketed bullet.


As a general rule my lead bullet reloads are more accurate than most jacketed bullets.

 

[putteral]

Nice Supply!!

 

[burningsquirrels]

nothing wrong with lead. lots of people use them.

when you start shooting them, check the barrel frequently to get a feel for when it's time to clean them and if there's any excessive leading.

if jacketed ammo isn't allowed at your club, then i'd say your club will be your best resource for lead through autoloaders.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I use lead bullets tumble-lubed with Lee Alox for all of my auto-loaders - except, of course, the Glock and the Tokarevs.
The Toks are the only ones that showed any noticeable leading.

 

[rbernie]

I shoot about 1000 rounds of cast lead (9mm mostly, with some 40S&W and 45ACP) thru my pistols each month. The usual mix of platforms I take to the range includes P226s, M&Ps, and HiPowers.

No worries, and (with proper load development) no leading. I handload, and keep the bullet velocities down under 900fps. That allows most any cast bullet from a number of vendors to be used without fear of leading.