Question on LRN bullets

M

misnomerga

New member
I have questions on the LRN or Lead Round Nose bullet. It is known to cause buildups in the barrel.

- If you clean your gun after each use is it okay to use LRNs
- When would someone use LRNs
- Is there any actual damage to the gun other than deposit buildups

The reason I ask is a friend of mine gave me about 500 rounds of LRNs because he was told not to shoot them through his Glock. I have a S&W 5900 series, a Keltec sub 2000, and a Sig 226 and wanted to know if it was okay to use those rounds up in those guns at the range. Just wanted to know before I head out to the range. Thanks for any info.
 
I would worry more about the source and quality of the ammunition than the bullet type. Lead bullets work in most guns although we are warned against shooting them in Glocks and others with that "polygonal" rifling plan.

A GOOD lead bullet does not automatically leave "deposits" and if it does, the lead fouling can be scrubbed out with a bore brush, or if heavy one of the products made for the purpose.

Now, where did you say HE got that lead bullet ammunition from?
 
Source of LRNs

There is an online place called Sportsmans Guide. They were running a reload special and he ordered the 500 rounds from them.
 
Don't know about Glocks, dont have one.

Ref: Lead RN bullets in the guns I do have, I been casting and shooting lead (SWCs in others, LRNs in my 45 & 9s) since the early 70s. I haven't seen any lead build up or nothing tha would indicate lead would hurt my pistols or revolvers.

I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of rounds in nearly 40 years.

But, then I've been known to clean them every now and then.
 
I shot ~4000 rounds of LSWC, RNL and Conical FP ammo through my .38/.357s, .45 and .40 pistols last year w/o any problem. My keltec sub2K is SUPER accurate w/ lead FP's.
 
Softer lead is obviously more prone to cause leading. Most of the problems occur when pushing lead bullets at magnum velocities. The added heat can soften the lead further. Some manufacturers make these with gas checks which help seal the base of the bullet and prevents leading. I normally use lead bullets at the range in my .38 revolvers with no ill effect.
 
Most of the problems occur when pushing lead bullets at magnum velocities.
Click to expand...

I agree, the LSWC's I use in my .357 are light (~1050fps for a 158gr bullet). If they were pushed faster they would lead ALOT more!
 
flawed premises

1) Lead bullets may cause build-up; it is not mandated behavior.

2) I have fired literal thousands of lead bullets in 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, 41 AE, 44 Magnum, 45 ACP, and others, most notably the 9x19 (and 9x21), without cleaning, or build-up.

3) Cleaning lead-bullet-firing barrels is called for if build-up is noted, or accuracy deteriorates.
Or because you want to.

4) I use lead round nose bullets when I want to shoot, or reload, or have unused ammo laying about, stuffed into magazines, and ammo boxes, and just lying about.

5) Lead bullets of proper alloy will not wear out handgun barrels, perhaps never-ever.
And, if one was shot out from using lead bullets (or any bullets), one could obviously afford a new fitted barrel.


Fire away in peace, now knowing that using lead bullets is fine fine fine (even in poly-Glocks; just adhere to a strict regulated rd-ct schedule of shooting before cleaning).
 
ive shot a few hundred fpwc out of my XD40 sub, they are alot slower than the jacketed rounds i fire.

i always clean my bbl really good after shooting lead/before shooting jacket ammo.
i was told that a jacketed bullet can snag on a lead deposit and go boom.
 
Are these factory or reload lead rounds?
I reload myself but I will not shoot any one else’s reloads. I would ask what the bullet weight, powder type and amount before I would do anything with them. If he can’t answer that and they are reloads don’t shoot them. If you can send me an E mail with the data I will check my reloading book for you and let you know if it’s a good/bad load.
Another thing I would do before you shoot them is to inspect each one for the primer being inserted correctly, the case neck has no cracks, and the weight of each one is within a couple of grains.
As far as shooting lead, if the bullet is of a good quality and a hard alloy they can be easily shot up to 1000 Feet per second. I purchase thousand of lead bullets from a company called Penn bullets and he has some very hard lead that can be pushed to 1400 or more.
I agree with every one on not shooting lead through a glock

"i was told that a jacketed bullet can snag on a lead deposit and go boom."
This will not happen unless its a complete bullet is left in the barrel.
 
Last edited:
Sportman Gouge

The 'reloads' are commercial.
They can work fine (or not).

That said, Penn Bullets is a superb source of lead bullets (and I think there's still a 'development' testimonial post on the site, when I worked up some Penn Bullets 45 Colt "Thunderhead" lead bullet data :D).


Good advice to thoroughly clean a bore prior to using different bullets.
 
- If you clean your gun after each use is it okay to use LRNs
Yup, sounds about right. Inspection, very close inspection is just as important as diligent cleaning.

- When would someone use LRNs
LRN in 9mm & .45 are common because they are inexpensive and they feed well. Most folks shooting lead in .45 use LSWC. In 9mm, it's often LTC. If you have feeding issues, you try the LRN's instead. They feed like hardball.

In a revolver caliber, LRN is simply a relic from days gone by. LRN's in revolver rounds are cowboy or 50s cop loads. There's no advantage to using LRNs in a revolver where feeding is not a priority. (unless you consider use of a speedloader for competition, speed or trick-shooting)

- Is there any actual damage to the gun other than deposit buildups
The deposit build-ups can lead to damage. Deposit build-ups often ruin accuracy first. Large deposits can raise chamber pressure which can then lead to a blown-up pistol. But you are talking about a heavy lead build-up.

For your specific situation, here's what I would do. Start with a clean pistol, pull the barrel out of it and inspect it CLOSELY, so you know what you are looking at.

Then, load and shoot say 50 rounds of these LRN rounds. Then field strip and pull the barrel and inspect again, see if you notice the streaks of lead in the lands of the barrel. If you don't, you should be in fine shape.

If you do notice the leading, take it home and clean it. The lead has to come out. Then, go shoot 50 more.

One thing you really, really don't want to do is to shoot ANY jacketed rounds through your barrel after shooting a bunch of lead and before cleaning that lead out. Those jacketed rounds try to weld the lead deposits to the barrel and it makes them hellish to remove.
 
I very rarely shoot anything jacketed. For one thing, for the sorts of shooting I do, I don't need jacketed, and lead is cheap.

Anyhow, leading (the deposits you mentioned) is a function of mismatching the hardness of the alloy to the speed at which it is pushed. Hard cast lead will lead at low velocities. Soft cast stuff will lead when pushed fast. The other way around is good medicine, however. Soft stuff for slow speeds, and hardcast for high. "High," in this case referring to about 1600 fps. Beyond that, you'll get leading with any lead alloy, unless you advance to steps like paper patching and gas checks. But that's really rifle stuff, and irrelevant to your case.

Barrels generally have a finite service life with jacketed ammo, but with lead, it's nearly unlimited.

~~~Mat
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top