lead reloads in glocks

I wouldn't recommend it, especially in .40 s&w. Glock recommends specifically against it. Some people still do it though, they claim that keeping it clean takes care of the problems. I don't, but I wouldn't be surprised to see myself try it one day, of course I don't have a .40 which seems to be the one that suffers the worst from the practice.
 
I remember looking down the barrel of a friend's nine after he had put about 90 rounds of lead through it, there was so much lead build up the bore looked like it was a 32 caliber. I am sure we were only one or two rounds away from a KB. He's since bought an after market barrel for it with regular rifling. Dump your stock barrel and buy a regular barrel and you'll be fine.
 
I did it with .45, shoot 40 rounds, clean barrel, shoot 40 rounds, clean, etc. Didn't blow up, but wasn't worth the effort. Never use soft lead, only hard cast, and only if you really know what you're doing.
 
interesting...
wiki said:
The manufacturer Glock advises against using lead bullets (meaning bullets not covered by a copper jacket) in their polygonally rifled barrels, which has led to a widespread belief that polygonal rifling is not compatible with lead bullets. Noted firearms expert and barrel maker, the late Gale McMillan, has also commented that lead bullets and polygonal rifling are not a good mix. However, since neither H&K nor Kahr recommend against lead bullets in their polygonal rifled barrels, it is probable that there is an additional factor involved in Glock's warning. One explanation is that Glock barrels have a fairly sharp transition between the chamber and the rifling, and this area is prone to lead buildup if lead bullets are used. This buildup may result in failures to fully return to battery, allowing the gun to fire with the case not fully supported by the chamber, leading to a potentially dangerous case failure.
Click to expand...
 
I've tried various loads with 170grn cast in my Glock G22 (.40 S&W) and have come to the conclusion that everyone is right .. it doesn't work ... unless of course you are after wild inaccuracy and getting picture perfect "keyholes". I have ordered a Storm Lake barrel from Questar and when it arrives and I do more testing, I'll let ya know how it went. I'm assuming it will be fine as other folks have been successfull with this after market barrel shooting cast bullets. And yes, it is indeed the polygonal rifling that is the problem with the factory Glock barrels. The barrel cost around $220, I was paying about $120/1000 for FMJ 180grn and only $60/1000 for the cast 170 grn. If I can shoot cast at half the price of the FMJ bullets, it won't take long to pay for the barrel.
 
Shoot all the lead you want!

Glock factory polygonal barrels are specifically designed to fire jacketed factory loads. Not reloads and not lead. If you want the whole story on Glocks and lead loads, obtain the book, The Glock in Competition. Its all there.
I shoot tons of lead through my G17 & G21. I replaced both barrels with conventional lands & grooves barrels.
The very nice people at Lone Wolf Distributing [LWD] make a top quality stainless steel replacement barrel for most Glocks. U$D105.00.
Obtain one and shoot all the lead you want.
 
Last edited:
Sigh. I have fired over 45,000 rounds of my lead reloads through one of my Glock 19's with no problems. Having said that, you need to do a lot of experimenting to do it.

I have found that bullet fit is at least as important as hardness, as is the lube. I run straight wheel weights sized at .357" and lube with Lars Carnauba Red lube. Using slower powders helps too. I like HS-6, and don't run nuclear loads either. I can go through 2-300 rounds before I even need to think about giving it a quick scrub. The condition of your brass is also important. The generous feed ramps are not kind to tired old brass. Most failures are ruptures at the case web.

In my model 23, I run the same materials and size the bullets at .4015" and keep the loads on the mild side. The condition of your brass is even more important in .40. I have experienced no leading to speak of with my load.

It can be done. It just takes a bit of time and experimenting. Try a combination. Fire a small quantity. Check for leading. Adjust. Repeat.

In the early 90's, before all the hype about using lead in Glocks, that's all you would ever see used. I have never personally witnessed one hand grenade. I saw a friends 1911 spontaniously remove the mag and shatter the grip panels however. Just use some caution and approach it slowly.

Auggie D.
 
Agreed, I shot thousands of lead bullets through my Glock back in the early 90's with no problems, I used heavy (145/150 gr lead Marino bullets) and the only key thing was to clean thouroughly before using jacketed bullets.
Now take this all with a grain of salt, this was actual live rounds fired through a Glock, not anecdotal rounds. :D
 
Auggie Doggie said:
Sigh. I have fired over 45,000 rounds of my lead reloads through one of my Glock 19's with no problems. Having said that, you need to do a lot of experimenting to do it.

I have found that bullet fit is at least as important as hardness, as is the lube. I run straight wheel weights sized at .357" and lube with Lars Carnauba Red lube. Using slower powders helps too. I like HS-6, and don't run nuclear loads either. I can go through 2-300 rounds before I even need to think about giving it a quick scrub. The condition of your brass is also important. The generous feed ramps are not kind to tired old brass. Most failures are ruptures at the case web.

In my model 23, I run the same materials and size the bullets at .4015" and keep the loads on the mild side. The condition of your brass is even more important in .40. I have experienced no leading to speak of with my load.

It can be done. It just takes a bit of time and experimenting. Try a combination. Fire a small quantity. Check for leading. Adjust. Repeat.

In the early 90's, before all the hype about using lead in Glocks, that's all you would ever see used. I have never personally witnessed one hand grenade. I saw a friends 1911 spontaniously remove the mag and shatter the grip panels however. Just use some caution and approach it slowly.

Auggie D.
Click to expand...

It can be done, but for $200 spent on a conventional barrel you can do away with the hassle and worry.
 
I have shot lead through a USP 40 and a roomate's G35. I would not recommend doing it unless you have the traditional land&groove rifling. There was massive amounts of deposits in the rifling and alot of keyholes/inaccuracy. I ended up giving away all of the lead ammo instead of shooting it.
 
I know a few guys who shot lead bullets through 9mm Glocks at the range I used to shoot at as jacketed bullets were not allowed in the range due to concerns about the life of the backstop. Most of them were regulars that I saw there shooting for a few years with no problems, lucky maybe?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom