Bullet type ?

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I'm using a short bbl revolver (two) for ccw, for practice I would like no lead left in the bore. Which bullet types should I be using ?
FMJ , hollow points sure but what else is out there ? Thanks.
John:confused:
 
FMJs or other jacketed is one choice. Another good one is the Federal "Nyclad", which is a plain lead dipped in a sort of plastic. Very clean shooting. The 125grain .38Spl Nyclad hollowpoint is one we tend to recommend as a decent defense load at standard non +P) pressure.

There's also some Nyclads made without hollowpoints, just for clean practice, and the hottest is the .38Spl 158grain +P Nyclad hollowpoint. They don't make 'em in .357 I don't think...move 'em too fast, and I suspect the plastic coat would melt :D.

A Nyclad, particularly the non +P 125grain, would be my top choice as a super-clean, stress-free plinker.

Nyclads are sorta hard to find retail, figure you're gonna hafta check the big online guys like cheaperthandirt, ammoman and the like.
 
Ya, UMC makes a nice, accurate and cheap 130grain .38Spl FMJ. At standard pressure velocities, copper fouling is minimal bordering on non-existent. So does CCI/Blazer, many others.

The Nyclads are even cleaner. But being hard to find, FMJ roundnose is a nice second choice.

What else...oh ya, don't shoot the Nyclads until your barrel is clean :). If the leading ain't too bad, use a box of FMJs to blast most of the leading out, then clean what's left over real well. And *then*, starting from a clean barrel, the Nyclads will leave it just as shiny, except for some powder residue that'll wipe right off.

Shoot Nyclads in a barrel that has lead chunks all over the inside, and you might end up plastic-plating the chunks :D.

(That UMC ammo was what I used to do 50yd shooting at a small metal garbage can, about small torso size. Damned if I know what the groups were, but I hit it with three complete cylinders in a row from my early Charter Arms 2" snubbie. Somebody else tried to do the same with a full-size Glock .40S&W and batted about .600 :D. Lotta fun.)
 
Leading-
Personally, I feel that concerns of leading are way over blown. I use cast and swaged lead (much softer than cast) for 99% of my shooting. If done properly, leading is a non issue. The advantages of lead bullets far outweigh any leading concerns. Using Ballistol on blued and/or nickled finished guns, and lead away on stainless guns, removes any leading that I've experienced. To be honest, I have far more trouble removing the ring of residue left in a .357 mag chamber when using .38 specials. (hint- for those that don't know, I have very little problem with that ring. Pushing a fired .357 case into the chamber cuts the ring and leaves nary a trace of fouling). The extra time required to remove lead deposits is hardly worth mentioning in the vast majority of times. This isn't to say that it doesn't happen at times, just that it isn't nearly the boogy man most people think it is.

I don't want to insult anyone here , but gun cleaning 101 is called for in most instances. What I'm saying is, if you have trouble removing lead deposits, you're not cleaning the gun well enough to remove copper fouling either. Both types can casue major damage if left in the bore. It's been my experience that copper fouling is much tougher to remove than lead, since it tends to *show clean* on cleaning patches, while lead *shows black or gray* on patches.
 
I don't know about .38 specials but there are bullets made from non-lead alloys such as BallistiClean, which can be had from www.ammoman.com. But I think it's more for prevention breathing lead fumes.

By the way, there is a difference between Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) and Total Metal Jacket (TMJ).

FMJ is just a cap that covers the top of the bullet, the bottom is still exposed lead , which can cause lead streaking in the barrel.

TMJ encapsulates the entire lead bullet.
 
The FMJ loads are great to practice with - much less cleaning. Locally, several folks use the Atlanta Arms ammo or Georgia Arms with good results. May have someone like this in your area.

My cleaning time was made much shorter when I switched to either Flitz or (cheaper) the Gunbrite stuff that Wal-Mart sells. Both work well and remove the carbon stains off the front of the cylinder.

Jim - I have several boxes of Nyclad .357 158 SWCHP loads in my ammo storage area. Part number is P357E. No problems in the five or so boxes I've shot... :0

Giz
 
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