lead or copper?

ifishbaja

A friend and I are going to start shooting mass quantities of 45 ACP. We have bought 1000 cases and primers but only 500 bullets, all 230 grn fmj. The reason we only bought 500 is that I said it was less harmfull on a 1911 type pistol to shoot lead than copper. He disagreed so we only bought half of the order for now, at least until we hear from the experts. So what is the answer? Lead or copper?

v35

I believe I read somewhere that 5,000 rounds of fmj will do in a 45acp barrel. Lead or copper plated lead probably would give you very much more barrel life.

modoc

It stands to reason that lead being softer would show less wear than a harder copper bullet.I VOTE LEAD.

robsguns

Shooting lead bullets there is one major problem right off, its soft and at higher velocities can lead the barrel a lot. At lower velocities it will not do it as badly, it may not make a diff. in your 45s. You may have feeding problems depending on the bullet type, and your gun. If youre shooting indoors I dont recommend shooting lead bullets for health reasons, unless you have very good ventilation. Lead, as I said is softer, a gun shooting lead bullets will last longer as far as the rifling goes, though you may have to clean it better. On the flip side, copper presents its own difficulties in cleaning, but isnt a problem when using quality cleaning methods and cleaners. If youre just shooting targets I'd say bullet material isnt really a factor so I wouldnt recommend one over the other for bullet performance. I can tell you that cheap lead bullets are readily available, but then so are quality copper plated bullets. Its really entirely up to the both of you. I'd say the loads you conjure up will make more difference than the lead vs. copper debate, for the life of the gun.

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SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

jonk

Lead. You can cast your own of hard alloy, install a gas check, lube, and push 2000fps without any major leading. I use cast bullets in rifles with no trouble, so in pistols it should be ideal.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

cpermd

LeadCheaper5000 rounds of FMJ at 830 FPS will barely break in a barrel.cpermd

b0400879

mass quantities ?1000 empty's & 500 fmj's ?most reloaders on this board have that many laying on the floor under their benches - har !!seriously, guys - y'all seem a bit hung up on details there. why not just shoot the thing & have some fun ? sweat the clean-up & longevity issues after a few 1000 rounds when yer both knee-deep in empty brass.best,joeyp.s: i suppose y'all are sharing the same pistol too ?

ifishbaja

bo4, I apppologize for not jumping in and buying , oh what would be an acceptable amount, 10,000 hulls, but some folks like to start slowly. You know, 1,000 cases this week, 1,000 more next payday, ah, I guess you wouldn't know about that. Altough we each have and use our own pistols, I wouldn't see a problem if we had to switch off. Guess you wouldn't understand that either. Thanks to all the ones that were a help.