Lead vs brass through my XD. Anything I should know?

Kwyjibo

Inactive
I went out to the range yesterday and they only had lead ammo.

I went through 100 rounds and then left. The lead residue on my fingers and dust in the air was making me nervous.

I'm fairly new to owning a gun, have put maybe 400 rounds through my xd and only cleaned it once.

Is there anything I need to know about lead and the effects it can have on my xd? Anything I need to know when cleaning it?

Any advice is appreciated :)

thanks all!
 
well first off edit your topic if you can because the argument is definitely not lead v brass. It is most likely lead v jacketed. From what i understand though, and admittedly Im no scientist, lead is safe as long as its used in a ventilated situation (read not an indoor range), and you wash your hands good before eating or picking your nose. I do think they generally make your gun dirtier but that just means you have to clean it more frequently and thoroughly than otherwise. So yea that's pretty much all I know. I personally buy jacketed because I am a beginning reloader and they are easier to work with. Plus the majority of my shooting is done at my dads with a big dirt pile as our backstop and he didn't like the idea of raw lead just sitting in the dirt, although all our FMJs still have lead inside...

take that for what its worth.
 
I went out to the range yesterday and they only had lead ammo.

Go to a different range.

I'm assuming that your XD is in 9mm or .40.

I can't think of a retail name-brand ammo maker that sells lead 9mm or .40S&W. I know that Ultramax sells some lead round nose .45acp.

That means you were shooting reloads if your XD is a 9 or 40.

I shoot reloads in my XD9, but I roll them myself. And I'm very meticulous.

I've run lead in my XD for quite a while now and I'm very happy with the results. Fouling is a little bit more than jacketed but nothing that doesn't disappear after a couple passes with a nylon or bronze bristle brush. The money savings are ginormous.

But I won't shoot someone else's reloads. That goes doubly-strong for gun show reloads or gun store/range reloads.
 
lead is safe as long as its used in a ventilated situation (read not an indoor range),

If the indoor range has a good positive pressure air system blowing from behind you, the risks are less. Lead in the air and on your hands IS something to be careful and concerned about - why they say to NOT smoke, eat or drink while reloading lead - so ou don't get your fingers near your mouth.
 
It's a good idea to wash up after any trip to the range regardless of what you shoot. Lead poisoning is real, but not something to stress out about IMO. I think it's like eating cheeseburgers - are they great for you? Probably not. But it would take a LOT for that alone to kill you.

And for the record, I got some .40 Ultramax that was awful, but for slightly different reasons. I posted about it here: http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/ammo-can/125647-ah-cheap-ammo-cheap-bad-not-cheap-good.html
 
Thanks for the info guys.

fwiw the range reloads are usually jacketed, I think this ammo shortage has them using lead.

And the xd is a 9mm sub-compact.
 
Almost every indoor range in the current climate of "sue 'em all!" has pretty good ventilation and air handling these days. The restrictions on lead bullets indoors tends to be more because it's harder on the air handling and filtration system than simply because it's hazardous to breathe. The systems they have in place are expensive and they are often told by their warranty not to allow lead bullets on their range.
I've (more than once!) had range officers tell me on the QT that "no, we don't allow any of that here until after the public hours are closed... then all the range officers shoot the hell out of their cast and swaged lead ammo!" Hey, at least they are honest about it.

Something you need to know about shooting lead in your XD: Clean that bore and scrub it well after your lead ammo and don't shoot the pistol again with jacketed ammo until you've done so. Lead bullets sometimes/often leave lead traces and particles and shooting up a dirty leaded barrel with jacketed ammo can often do one of two things, neither of which is good. First is that you can see quick pressure spikes from shooting the jacketed stuff as it's forced down a bore made a tiny bit tighter by the presence of lead. The other issue is that it can make the lead traces in your bore all that much harder to remove.

If lead bullet ammo is properly made and of decent size and load for your application, it can not only be cheaper than jacketed, it can also be more accurate and it's almost ALWAYS going to be less wear and tear on the bore itself. (not that wearing out a bore is something that almost anyone ever actually does in a handgun... but it's still a point.)

So... if you have both lead ammo and jacketed ammo in your range bag, simply shoot up all the jacketed you like first. Then shoot as much lead as you want. Just don't go back to the jacketed until after you've put the elbow grease in.
 
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