lead bullets..good? bad?
- Thread starter scyman
- Start date
My gunsmith swears by lead bullets. I'm not real knowlegeable about the subject, but I'll pass on his opinion. He states that each time you fire the gun, you lapp the barrel just a little more with lead. On the other hand Beretta USA advises against the use of lead bullets, so make your decision based on what YOUR gunsmith advises.
Shooting very soft (= pure lead) at high velocities can (most likely will) lead your barrel. Compensators/ported bbls present their own special problems.
Shooting hard cast/properly lubed bullets in any firearm worth the name will never harm your gun & have several benefits (= low cost, recoil for reduced loads = on & on).
For targets, they are supreme (for many applications); for game, they perform as well as any jacketed bullet at handgun velocities and just as well for many rifle applications as well.
Lead bullets have been dissed by many who don't have a clue. Ask the Civil War folks, the buffalo & Indians what they think about lead bullets.
Jacketeds work very well indeed for what they do & are (in many instances) far superior to hard cast lead, BUT, lead can be used for far more than most folks know.
In any handgun application, I would never hestitate to use hard cast lead bullets (yes & that includes self defense) & for 90% of any rifle shooting that I would ever do.
Actually, lead is much easier on your barrel (much softer than any jacket material) & leaves less residue than does copper fouling.
Shooting hard cast/properly lubed bullets in any firearm worth the name will never harm your gun & have several benefits (= low cost, recoil for reduced loads = on & on).
For targets, they are supreme (for many applications); for game, they perform as well as any jacketed bullet at handgun velocities and just as well for many rifle applications as well.
Lead bullets have been dissed by many who don't have a clue. Ask the Civil War folks, the buffalo & Indians what they think about lead bullets.
Jacketeds work very well indeed for what they do & are (in many instances) far superior to hard cast lead, BUT, lead can be used for far more than most folks know.
In any handgun application, I would never hestitate to use hard cast lead bullets (yes & that includes self defense) & for 90% of any rifle shooting that I would ever do.
Actually, lead is much easier on your barrel (much softer than any jacket material) & leaves less residue than does copper fouling.
I've been using home cast lead bullets (mostly pure wheel weights) almost exclusively in my handguns for as long as I've been shooting, over 20 years. They work great, never had much leading problems, usually shoot a couple of jacketed rounds at the end of each session, supposed to clear the lead out and it does.
I also cast rifle bullets in 30 cal, 7mm, 8mm
and 45-70, and have good results. A Jack rabbit hit with a 200 grain lead bullet at about 1400 fps goes down just as fast as with a 55gr. .223 at 3000fps.
I also cast rifle bullets in 30 cal, 7mm, 8mm
and 45-70, and have good results. A Jack rabbit hit with a 200 grain lead bullet at about 1400 fps goes down just as fast as with a 55gr. .223 at 3000fps.
I would agree on with Labgrade. A couple of exceptions might be a gas operated semiautomatic or an exceeding rough bore. The rough bore would also give you problems with fouling with jacketed rounds.
I've had no direct experience, but I have heard that the polyagonal rifling (rounded as opposed to square cut) is troublesome with lead loads.
If the manufacturer says use of lead bullets will void your warranty, Then I'd pay attention - at least until you've shot the gun enough to have discovered any other problems that might require warranty work.
I've fired 10s if not 100s of thousands of rounds of lead loads over the years in a variety of handguns and some rifles with no problems other than occassional leading from trying to push the bullet too fast or from too soft an alloy. But then I don't have anything new and exotic.
As to health hazzard - You shouldn't shoot or cast in any area that lacks excellent ventilation. Wash your hands well after handling lead bullets (or fishing sinkers either for that matter). While lead can accumulate in the body from frequent prolonged exposure I doubt that the ordinary handloader could absorb enough through the skin on the hand to ever present a problem. (Though I wouldn't recommend a habit of eating grapes while handling lead bullets.)
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Jim Fox
I've had no direct experience, but I have heard that the polyagonal rifling (rounded as opposed to square cut) is troublesome with lead loads.
If the manufacturer says use of lead bullets will void your warranty, Then I'd pay attention - at least until you've shot the gun enough to have discovered any other problems that might require warranty work.
I've fired 10s if not 100s of thousands of rounds of lead loads over the years in a variety of handguns and some rifles with no problems other than occassional leading from trying to push the bullet too fast or from too soft an alloy. But then I don't have anything new and exotic.
As to health hazzard - You shouldn't shoot or cast in any area that lacks excellent ventilation. Wash your hands well after handling lead bullets (or fishing sinkers either for that matter). While lead can accumulate in the body from frequent prolonged exposure I doubt that the ordinary handloader could absorb enough through the skin on the hand to ever present a problem. (Though I wouldn't recommend a habit of eating grapes while handling lead bullets.)
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Jim Fox
As stated previously, if your gun employs polygonal rifling (Glock, HK P7), jacketed bullets are a must. Lead does not work well with this type of rifling, i.e. excessive leading. A few shots and your accuracy will degrade dramatically and it MAY contribute to the infamous kB, though I doubt this point.
PLASTIC SIG
New member
Not that i would, But if i had to, would shooting lead in my sigpro .40 be ok?
I dont think it has "reallylongwordhere" rifling like the HK, but then again im not sure. Thanks in advance !
Tim
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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones:::
I dont think it has "reallylongwordhere" rifling like the HK, but then again im not sure. Thanks in advance !
Tim
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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones:::
Scyman,
For self defense lead beats fmj. If you hit bone the bullet will expand very nicely! Even if you only hit internal organs there is a better chance of expansion than fmj!
If you have leading problems in your bore then have it lapped. Heed the warnings given by our fellows and happy shooting!
Peace
IZZY
For self defense lead beats fmj. If you hit bone the bullet will expand very nicely! Even if you only hit internal organs there is a better chance of expansion than fmj!
If you have leading problems in your bore then have it lapped. Heed the warnings given by our fellows and happy shooting!
Peace
IZZY
Mike Irwin
Staff
Lead bullets are GREAT!
they're cheap, meaning you can shoot a lot more. They're easy on the bore.
The only real health problems with lead bullets (for an adult) is if you are casting your own. Vaporized lead in the fumes are a lot more dangerous than handling bullets.
Also, bullet lead is elemental lead, which makes it a LOT harder for the human body to absorb.
Organic lead, however, is another matter. Where do you find organic lead? Primers, which contain Lead Styphenate. That is why it is SO important to wash your hands and face thoroughly after shooting.
Lead in children is an entirely different matter. Even very small amounts of lead can interfere with regular braincell growth, and can have devatstating long-term consequences.
they're cheap, meaning you can shoot a lot more. They're easy on the bore.
The only real health problems with lead bullets (for an adult) is if you are casting your own. Vaporized lead in the fumes are a lot more dangerous than handling bullets.
Also, bullet lead is elemental lead, which makes it a LOT harder for the human body to absorb.
Organic lead, however, is another matter. Where do you find organic lead? Primers, which contain Lead Styphenate. That is why it is SO important to wash your hands and face thoroughly after shooting.
Lead in children is an entirely different matter. Even very small amounts of lead can interfere with regular braincell growth, and can have devatstating long-term consequences.
First off, I do not mean to denigrate any comment made of the hazards of casting lead bullets, or breathing fumes from melted lead, or anything else in that realm. I am only posting my experiences with bullet casting over a period of 46 years, with only a 4 year hiatus while in the military.
I started casting at age 16 in an unventilated garage. Did so for years. During that period, I worked for an outfit casting bullets on a commercial basis. There were no bullet casting machines back then, and I used a battery of four 4 cavity molds, one after the other as fast as I could. The area where we worked was very small and unventilated. There were usually five of us working and we each had three pots going. one ready to cast, one in the process of melting lead and the third just starting out with a new load of lead. I did that for about four years when I entered military service. When I got out, I resumed casting, and have done so until now. Although my present shop is well ventilated, I'm a slow (?) learner, I have only been using it the last 20 years.
The point of all this is, when I had my last physical, I asked the doctor to unclude a test for possible lead poisoning. I figured that with all my earlier practices, there surely must be some. I was surprised to fine out that there was no measurable trace of lead in my system.
As all my shooting has been done outdoors, I was not too worried about lead from primers.
Seeing that I literally broke all the rules for a long period of time, I'm either very lucky, or the hazards are overly exagerated (sp). Me? I'll follow the rules now, because now I know better. Back when I started, the issues of lead contamination were not given a lot of thought.
Just thought I'd pass this on. Go ahead and cast, or use lead bullets and take the appropriate precautions and you should have no problems.
Paul B.
I started casting at age 16 in an unventilated garage. Did so for years. During that period, I worked for an outfit casting bullets on a commercial basis. There were no bullet casting machines back then, and I used a battery of four 4 cavity molds, one after the other as fast as I could. The area where we worked was very small and unventilated. There were usually five of us working and we each had three pots going. one ready to cast, one in the process of melting lead and the third just starting out with a new load of lead. I did that for about four years when I entered military service. When I got out, I resumed casting, and have done so until now. Although my present shop is well ventilated, I'm a slow (?) learner, I have only been using it the last 20 years.
The point of all this is, when I had my last physical, I asked the doctor to unclude a test for possible lead poisoning. I figured that with all my earlier practices, there surely must be some. I was surprised to fine out that there was no measurable trace of lead in my system.
As all my shooting has been done outdoors, I was not too worried about lead from primers.
Seeing that I literally broke all the rules for a long period of time, I'm either very lucky, or the hazards are overly exagerated (sp). Me? I'll follow the rules now, because now I know better. Back when I started, the issues of lead contamination were not given a lot of thought.
Just thought I'd pass this on. Go ahead and cast, or use lead bullets and take the appropriate precautions and you should have no problems.
Paul B.