Factory Lead .45 ACP

spclark

Does any "factory" still make .45 ACP ammunition available loaded with non-jacketed (plain old lead) bullets, in any profile or weight?

leeblackman

I believe 3D brand ammo does. But why would you want to shoot factory lead instead of jacketed?

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spclark

Not so much "want to" as curious.

Which nearly lost me a finger, or worse.

Had a KaBOOM! a few days ago shooting jacketed Hornady HP/XTP's in my HK USP Expert, after shooting 10
or 15 Speer lead SWC's I'd loaded for my Kimber. All loads were well within published limits (blown case was
7.8 grains AA 5, 230 grain XTP, 1.230" once-fired Starline case), each load was carefully weighed & each
bullet seated one-at-a-time after inspecting case for proper load level.

Heard afterwards that octagonal (HK's, Desert Eagle, others?) rifling causes rapid fouling when lead bullets
are used but there's no mention of this circumstance in HK's manual, only an admonition that "warranty void
if non-factory ammuntion is used." I'd never heard of the fouling risk, but can understand how the case could
fail if the barrel was lead-fouled when I started using jacketed bullets again. Gas system fouling was only
reason I'd understood lead bullets shouldn't be used in Desert Eagles, which I can understand as I shoot one
in .44 Magnum.

Estimate from HK to repair my USP is about $120, shipping & a new magazine not included.

Glad to still have all my fingers & other useful body parts intact.

leeblackman

Ouch.... Thats why I don't shoot lead bullets in my glocks or hk's, or anything that I don't know for a fact was made for shooting lead.

Yea, I know one guy, if you asked him, he'd tell you "Lead, why do you want to shoot lead, it obsolete..." but this is the same guy who buys a new computer every time they have something faster than his.

I like lead because its cheap to load in handloads, but I only really use it in my 1911's and my old revolvers. I usually try to buy in bulk, jacketed bullets, from www.weideners.com (I think I spelled that right). I like IMI's myself, but they have great choices. And the more stuff you buy at a time, the better the shipping is distributed betweent he cost of the stuff.

A really good way to see if your barrel is going to not be compatible with lead bullets is to look at the lands of the rifling right where they start at the end of the chamber. If the corners of the are squared sharp then you ok, but if they are rounded then you not. If you've ever dug out a bullet fired from a glock, have you ever noticed that it doesn't really cut any rifling in it. Its like it just grabs the bullet and spins it, where as a regular barrel is like an inverted drill bit and cuts into the bullet to spin it.

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Nighthawk

You dont want to shoot lead in a Glock, they preach this at the glock academy and your glock owners manual tells you not to. they say if you do you will almost certainly be buying a new barrel. As for wanting lead bullets, try lasercast bullets if you reload. I hear they shoot well.


Good Luck.

Rugster