Lead or jacketed ammo?
- Thread starter KDX
- Start date
peckerwood
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- PalePony, Yukon
From what I have heard, the lead tends to foul up the polygonal rifling and thusly reduces the barrel diameter thereby increasing pressures for the next round leading up to a kB.
Buy a standard rifled replacement barrel if you want to shoot lead bullets...otherwise use copper jacketed bullets only.
I am sure that the Glock owners will chime in on this one.
Buy a standard rifled replacement barrel if you want to shoot lead bullets...otherwise use copper jacketed bullets only.
I am sure that the Glock owners will chime in on this one.
True, Im not sure of the exact reasons, it has something to do with the polygonal rifling. Something about the tighter "grip" it has on the bullets and it eats the lead. Its basically safe to shoot lead, but it requires lots of cleaning.
I would not shoot raw lead through a Glock. It has polygonal rifling that does create a tighter seal on the bullet and causes more lead deposits than with standard rifling. Technically it could lead to a KBOOM, but IMHO this is more true for the 40S&W and 45ACP models and has more to do with the combination of Glock's unsupported chamber and weak brass / overcharged reloads.
Your best bet is to buy plated lead bullets. These are cheap, are technicaly lead and will not lead up your barrel. More significantly, you will be exposed to less airborne lead. Frontier bullets (from Marstar) are fantastic and have the same 'on target' effect as lead, and Westcastings (from the US) are very popular with IPSC shooters. I use both through Glock's and USP's and they are great.
Your best bet is to buy plated lead bullets. These are cheap, are technicaly lead and will not lead up your barrel. More significantly, you will be exposed to less airborne lead. Frontier bullets (from Marstar) are fantastic and have the same 'on target' effect as lead, and Westcastings (from the US) are very popular with IPSC shooters. I use both through Glock's and USP's and they are great.
Safety aspects aside, lead bullets in polygonal rifling tend to undergo more significant deformation than jacketed bullets and (depending on bullet profile) may be less accurate as well. Practical considerations also include cleaning time. It takes me forever to remove the lead in a polygonal barrel, as it is literally smeared on the rifling. Different lead alloys and hardnesses affect cleaning time in this respect. That's why I quit hitting myself in the head with a hammer; it felt so good when I stopped.
The suggestion to use plated bullets is a good compromise. As noted, they are inexpensive and expose the shooter to less airborne lead. I confess that I am puzzled as to why a range in the 21st century would require lead bullets unless the range is so short that ricochet is a problem. Many ranges in the U.S. are banning lead bullets due to environmental and health concerns. Sounds like that range needs better backstops.
Several years ago I started reloading plated bullets in all my old WW1 and WW2 pistols. Many of these old guns had worn or pitted barrels and the leading was fairly intense after a shooting session. The plated bullets stopped the leading, and were easier than jacketed bullets on the old bores as well.
I decided to do a little testinig and chronographed comparable reloads using the same cases, primers, and powder charges, but using lead, plated, and jacketed bullets of the same weight. I was surprised to learn that there is enough additional friction in the plated bullet that velocities were closer to the jacketed bullet loads than the lead bullet loads (which were almost always higher). I suspect that much of this is due to the absence of bullet lube as is common on lead bullets. I also imagine that pressures are therefore closer to those in jacketed bullet loads as well.
It's just my opinion, but I think the reloader is well advised to use loading data for jacketed bullets when reloading with plated bullets. The last thing you want in a Glock with an unsupported barrel is a pressure spike.
If one doesn't reload then several companies offer factory ammunition with plated bullets. I believe CCI Blazer and MagTech both carry plated bullet ammunition in their inventory and I'm sure there are others as well. You can usually tell because they refer to their cartridges as having "Total Metal Jacket" or "Fully Enclosed Metal Jacket" bullets, not FMJ. I guess I would want to have a discussion with the rangemaster to see what is and isn't allowed before I proceeded though.
-Bob
The suggestion to use plated bullets is a good compromise. As noted, they are inexpensive and expose the shooter to less airborne lead. I confess that I am puzzled as to why a range in the 21st century would require lead bullets unless the range is so short that ricochet is a problem. Many ranges in the U.S. are banning lead bullets due to environmental and health concerns. Sounds like that range needs better backstops.
Several years ago I started reloading plated bullets in all my old WW1 and WW2 pistols. Many of these old guns had worn or pitted barrels and the leading was fairly intense after a shooting session. The plated bullets stopped the leading, and were easier than jacketed bullets on the old bores as well.
I decided to do a little testinig and chronographed comparable reloads using the same cases, primers, and powder charges, but using lead, plated, and jacketed bullets of the same weight. I was surprised to learn that there is enough additional friction in the plated bullet that velocities were closer to the jacketed bullet loads than the lead bullet loads (which were almost always higher). I suspect that much of this is due to the absence of bullet lube as is common on lead bullets. I also imagine that pressures are therefore closer to those in jacketed bullet loads as well.
It's just my opinion, but I think the reloader is well advised to use loading data for jacketed bullets when reloading with plated bullets. The last thing you want in a Glock with an unsupported barrel is a pressure spike.
If one doesn't reload then several companies offer factory ammunition with plated bullets. I believe CCI Blazer and MagTech both carry plated bullet ammunition in their inventory and I'm sure there are others as well. You can usually tell because they refer to their cartridges as having "Total Metal Jacket" or "Fully Enclosed Metal Jacket" bullets, not FMJ. I guess I would want to have a discussion with the rangemaster to see what is and isn't allowed before I proceeded though.
-Bob
