If you are reloading your own, and you use lead projectiles, you not only have to go slow and work up your load, but part of that process is also inspecting your barrel for over abundance of leading. This is true regardless of using a polygonal barrel or not. You could have traditional rifling in your bore and still have a leading problem due to hardness/softness of lead or improper sizing of the projectile when matched to your bore (gasses escaping, etc). There are reasons folks use lead projectiles and reasons they don't. Just using a specific rifling will not eliminate these considerations. Good luck, safe shooting!
Explain polygonal barrels & their lead issue?
- Thread starter Noltz
- Start date
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
Lone wolf barrels are traditional rifling, and the ones i've used worked very well.
If your rounds are keyholing out of a poly barrel, the bullet is undersize and is not being spun by the polygonal, or the bullet is being pushed to fast and is stripping in the rifling....either case will cause rapid leading. Don't use an over hard bullet, be careful not to taper crimp to the point that the bullet is being undersized by the crimp die, and use a fast powder. That will take care of 99% of issues.
If your rounds are keyholing out of a poly barrel, the bullet is undersize and is not being spun by the polygonal, or the bullet is being pushed to fast and is stripping in the rifling....either case will cause rapid leading. Don't use an over hard bullet, be careful not to taper crimp to the point that the bullet is being undersized by the crimp die, and use a fast powder. That will take care of 99% of issues.
I actually bought a Jericho (full steel) 941 which also has polygonal rifling. I used the Glock example as there's a much larger ownership base. Swapping barrels shouldn't be necessary. I am not reloading, although SFRC has Wolf commercial reloads for a good price, both lead and jacketed, which prompted the question. Pistols are new to me, and I'm learning about lead vs. jacketed, fmj vs tmj, and load specs. I just couldn't see how polygonal barrels would be more prone to fouling than conventional.
Thanks for the replies!
Thanks for the replies!
The powder, the type of bullet, the hardness of the bullet, the roughness of the barrel, and the velocity all are factors in wither or not the load will lead the barrel.
It is more a case of working up the right load for the pistol.
It is more a case of working up the right load for the pistol.
Don't know Glock; my experience is with a HK P30L. It's also polygonal and it does not like lead.
We went 9mm to save lead and hopefully cut down recoil for PP shooting at the club; unlike IPSC, they don't factor loads for PP. I have a Hi Power and "SWMBO" got a P30L because it fits her smaller hands very nicely, and we use almost exclusively cast reloads to save money; I'm shooting for ~7 cents a round, almost all of which is the primer. The Hi Power has its own issues (which I'm still sorting-out), and the P30L likes RNJ's and really likes S&B 115gr factory loads.
We loaded-up some cast and headed for the range, using different loads of 700X behind the Lee 120gr TC. The 120gr TC is a very nice bullet, and I walked the loads steadily downward looking for the P30L to start grouping. To make a long story short, it was wildly inaccurate with loads in the 3.5gr range - spat the bullets in the general direction of the target, and we could keep them on the paper but that was about it. I walked the powder loads down 0.2gr at a time, and everytime the P30L shot better.
Finally at 2.7gr 700X it shot a beautiful little group - I actually kept that target, the group was so nice - but with that little powder, the recoil would #### the hammer but that was it; I had to manually cycle the action after every shot.
I would be very interested to hear if anybody has managed an accurate cast lead load with polygonal rifling, preferably a load with enough oomph to feed.
We went 9mm to save lead and hopefully cut down recoil for PP shooting at the club; unlike IPSC, they don't factor loads for PP. I have a Hi Power and "SWMBO" got a P30L because it fits her smaller hands very nicely, and we use almost exclusively cast reloads to save money; I'm shooting for ~7 cents a round, almost all of which is the primer. The Hi Power has its own issues (which I'm still sorting-out), and the P30L likes RNJ's and really likes S&B 115gr factory loads.
We loaded-up some cast and headed for the range, using different loads of 700X behind the Lee 120gr TC. The 120gr TC is a very nice bullet, and I walked the loads steadily downward looking for the P30L to start grouping. To make a long story short, it was wildly inaccurate with loads in the 3.5gr range - spat the bullets in the general direction of the target, and we could keep them on the paper but that was about it. I walked the powder loads down 0.2gr at a time, and everytime the P30L shot better.
Finally at 2.7gr 700X it shot a beautiful little group - I actually kept that target, the group was so nice - but with that little powder, the recoil would #### the hammer but that was it; I had to manually cycle the action after every shot.
I would be very interested to hear if anybody has managed an accurate cast lead load with polygonal rifling, preferably a load with enough oomph to feed.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
wesson, two thoughts. 1 try a different bullet design or weight. It may make a huge difference. 2 try a lighter recoil spring or mainspring, it may allow your light loads to cycle..good luck, sounds like an interesting project.
I never had much luck with cast bullets in my Hi Power, (new production Practical) but each unit is a individual
I never had much luck with cast bullets in my Hi Power, (new production Practical) but each unit is a individual
All my pistols get a quick bronze brush out with some solvent as they get moved from the range bag to the safe. My Glocks shoot only lead bullets. Don't see any more lead in them than the other makes of guns. By cleaning each time, there is no lead build up in any of my guns.
