Copper Jacketed bullet better than lead?

[41 Colt]

I shot about 330 rounds of Winchester Wildcat .22lr through my Ruger single action revolver at a trip to the range and it was incredibly dirty when I went to clean it. There were heavy lead deposits around the area where a cylinder chamber meets the bore of the reciever/frame and in the cylinder fluting. Would switching to a copper jacketed round solve this issue?

 

[muh-muh-muh-mauser]

.22lr rounds don't really have a copper "jacket" (well some expensive brands do), it is more of a "plating". But yes, it does cut down on fouling.

 

[Garand]

Another benefit of using plated bullets is the fact that you greatly reduce the possibility of elevated blood lead levels. Yes it can happen even with .22 lead bullets.

 

[41 Colt]

Thanks. I'm gonna try a brick of CCI Mini Mags HV & Federal Game Shock copper plated round nose.

 

[ben hunchak]

Matt; you will note however, that all the top Match ammo in the .22LR is made with pure lead bullets...ELEY, LAPUA, WOLF, FED. Gold M.,etc.

 

[stocker]

Matt: If you are getting lead back onto the cylinder fluting it sounds like you are shaving lead from either improper cylinder/barrel alignment or a very tight barrel throat. Try cutting the top and bottom out of a cardboard box (not too big) and shoot several times with the revolver in the center of the box. Check the inside of the box for any traces of lead splatter on the walls of the box. Most 22's shoot pretty clean if there are no other mechanical problems.

 

[JimV]

Lately I've been using Winchester Wildcat in my MKIII - mostly because it is cheap, fairly accurate, has relatively few misfires and cycles the gun perfectly. The cartridges also have a hard finish compared to some of the stickier loads, such as CCI Standard Velocity.

That said, it's the dirtiest ammo I've tried so far. But I haven't noticed any unusual lead deposits. Just a lot of powder residue at the muzzle.

 

[41 Colt]

has relatively few misfires

I've had three so far in a brick, and three or four bullets whose shape was deformed or marred and they wouldn't go into the chamber.

 

[redleg]

I used Wildcat in the range guns for a while. Some guns for whatever reason developed very, very bad lead deposits in the barrels. So bad in fact that subsequent bullets would tumble. It took alot of effort to remove the lead. Switching to Power Point (copper plated) ammo solved the problem.