1911Forum banner

Leading - when does it become terminal?

1K views 9 replies 10 participants last post by  col132 
#1 ·
Was thinking of loading up a few hundred rounds of lead ammo for an upcoming class (reserves of factory ammo on standby though).

Those I tested, in 50 rounds it leaded up pretty bad (have mostly shot FMJ in the past and avoided problem).

I'm not concerned with sub-inch accuracy; but can anything REALLY bad occur from this sort of lead buildup? 50 rounds got bad, would 500 be a lot worse? Could the gun blow up from this? Or would it reach an equilibrium at some point with the new rounds blowing out small amounts of old fouling as the gun keeps running?

Would an FMJ round every now and then clean the lead out, or is that just a myth?


any info appreciated,

Battler.
 
#2 ·
It really depends on how bad the leading is.I shot hardcast in mine for a few years,and was nothing to go 4-500 rounds before cleaning (but it was real grubby).My Berreta on the other hand looked like a smoothbore after 50.I actually had to use 2 guns to qualify for the auto transition course in LE.

The 2 big things are use good hardcast bullets and get the right size. .452 have usually worked well for me.I have switched to Reinier plated for quite some time,so I'm not much help.

I'm kind of mixed on running jackets behind lead.It does seem to help,but it makes me nervous with heavy fouling.I also think that a roundnose will take some out,but force the rest harder into the grooves.I gave up on the whole thing.The plated practically don't foul the barrel at all,but they do cost more.Sorry for no help whatsoever.
 
#3 ·
I average 500 rounds of 180 gr SWC thru my Kimber SM each week and leading seems to peak at 100 rounds. No matter how much I shoot, it never seems to get worse. I cut a strip of copper Chore Boy and wrap it around a brush to the point it can be pulled through the barrel with difficulty and the barrel is clean with three passes...no solvents. I would never shoot jacketed rounds in an attempt to clean the lead. You run the risk of very high pressure and now you have both lead fouling and copper fouling to deal with. I'm sure others may disagree with the latter statement, but that's my personnal view.

Best regards


[This message has been edited by chazecon (edited 11-18-2001).]
 
#5 ·
After shooting lead, I always finish my shooting session by firing at least 2 magazines full of jacketed ammo.

The jacketed bullets blow much of the lead out of the bore, making the cleaning job a lot easier.

I don't often fire more than 200 rounds in a session, so I don't get excessive leading.

If I were going to fire 500 rounds without cleaning, I would shoot a magazine full of jacketed ammo approximately every 100 rounds or so.

Do follow your owners' manual.
Some manufacturers recommend against shooting lead - Glock, HK?
Some manufacturers recommend not shooting jacketed ammo after lead - Beretta?

I have not seen warnings like this in the Colt or the S&W owners' manuals.

-Mk.IV
 
#6 ·
I shoot almost exclusively 200LSCW or home grown 215WFN. Before leading becomes a problem for me, the crud builds up so bad I start having feeding problems. Depending on the gun anywhere from 150 (CD EMS) to 400 (Norinco)rounds. A couple of quick passes with a brush, or as someone else suggested part of a copper kitchen pad and you can go back to having fun.
If your barrel leads very badly I would expect the copper fouling to be bad too from a very rough bore. My wheel guns I used to fire lap, with a 45 I would hand lap a bit to take some of the edge off a rough bore if needed. Something in the neighborhood of 440 grit should work. Run a tight patch through a dry bore and you can feel the problem spots.
I don't run max power, that might aggrivate the leading.
 
#7 ·
I load and shoot a lot of lead bullets and have found a lube that stops leading.
I bought some sticks of moly lube from Midway and I melt them down with 2 sticks of regular alox bullet lube, then pour the warm mix into the luber sizer and let it cool. This mix has completly eliminated leading for me in ALL of my cast bullet shooting.

------------------
I won't be lied to, be insulted, or have hands laid on me, I don't do these things to others, and I expect the same from them.

Stupidity should be painful.
 
#8 ·
I have never seen or heard of a gun blowing up because of barrel leading. I know of cases of Glocks poping because of leading causing out-of-battery firing.

The biggest problem with leading isn't safety, but accuracy. Too much leading and your bullet won't spin, start to keyhole, etc.

Low pressure rounds like the .45acp seem to keep shooting OK even when severly leaded (OK is a relative term). High pressure rounds like the 44mag will keyhole after leading is bad enough.

I've heard this story about guns blowing up from putting jacketed rounds through a heavily-leaded barrel, but I never seen it.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I don't read the right articles.

5 or 6 jacketed rounds followed by a dozen strokes of a bronze brush, followed by a few passes with a patch - while still hot, makes my bores nice.

------------------
Have a great day!
 
#9 ·
My Combat Elite gets the most use. I fire lapped the barrel when new and have shot nothing but cast since. After 500 rounds I'll have slight traces of lead just ahead of the chamber. A good soak in minerals spirits and it brushes out with just a few strokes.

Eddie
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top