9mm FMJ

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St. Andrews, Mb.
Why is most commercial 9mm luger ammo avail. only as FMJ. I have been told that this is harder on the barrel than straight lead. I am having a hard time finding straight lead 9mm. Is this a problem or nothing to worry about for punching holes in paper indoors. By FMJ I mean the copper jacket stuff in 115/124/147gr.Win., Amer. Eagle, Etc., and since I have not fired any yet through my CZ85 I have no idea what their going to be like.
 
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Don't sweat the FMJ issue. By the time you wear out a barrel in a 9mm, you well and truly deserve a new one.

Barrels wear from heat, friction, and neglect/abuse. The 9mm pistols are rarely fired at a rate that would heat them to a point of accelerated erosion. The added friction of the copper jackets vs lead isn't so great and is offset by decreased fouling. Poor cleaning technique probably kills more barrels than over-use.
 
You can get unjacketed 9mm from Wolf Ammo, but after trying a box of that vs a box of Winclean jacketed ammo, I'll buy the Winclean again.

Nothing against Wolf's products, I just prefer how nicely the Winclean burns. The inside of the brass looked cleaner than the outside.
 
9mm lead

Jacketed is harder on a barrel than lead but keeps it cleaner, and is often more accurate. A 9mm barrel should not wear out unless you shoot 30,000 FMJ rounds through it. Since you are buying ammo it looks like you don't reload. Check with your local gun clubs and there will likely be someone who reloads and could load for you in lead (better still get your own press). Lead should be cheaper than jacketed but also is more toxic indoors than fully encapsulated jacketed. There are pros and cons for both - your decision.
 
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