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lead bullets
Moe1
Member Posts: 73 ✭✭
I like to do a fair amount of target practice with my 45 and 357 but have been questioning my use of cheaper lead ammo with the 357. I have hear some say they wouldn't use the lead in their quality pistol.
Would you guys recommend paying a couple dollars more per box for the copper jacket rounds?
Thanks[^]
Moe1
Would you guys recommend paying a couple dollars more per box for the copper jacket rounds?
Thanks[^]
Moe1
Comments
It really depends on your budget. I shoot both lead and plated bullets from West Coast Bullets; however I am fortunate enough to have a buddy that gets me whole sale prices without shipping charges. Do most of my defensive firearm training with plated or FMJ but for punching paper I use lead.
Bear Creek Moly coated lead bullets have worked great for me. They go for about 50.00 for 1000 230gn RN or FP. I believe they are even cheaper in 357. Another thing I know Bear Creek will do is give you a pretty decent price break with bulk orders. (50,000 + bullets I believe.) If you can talk a few of you buddies into buying their supply of bullets for the year all at once you may save a lil cash there.
As for using lead in high dollar guns, I have buddies that shoot nothing but lead in their Les Baer Custom 1911s. Just can be a pain to clean after a lot of rounds.
More money saved = more rounds down range. [:D]
If the lead bullets are hard enough and properly lubed, they should function just fine in your .357. I've been shooting Lyman 358156 gas checked slugs in mine for the best part of 30 years, and fairly hot loads at that. I had some leading early on, but my alloy was a bit too soft.
If you are talking "remanufactured" or whatever, then some homework is in order - hardness, type of lube, bullet type, etc. Factory loads with lead bullets tend to be on the mild side - JMHO. I do load / shoot some jacketed loads in the .357, but largely because the bullets come to me in trades or as part of larger lots.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals." (me)
"Aim small...Miss small"
As long as you use a hard lead (I use straight wheelweights), keep your loads under supersonic (less than 1,000 fps) and clean your pistol/revolver chamber & barrel after each shooting session......no sweat.
Most of the lead loads I use are for target/plinking....around 750-850 fps, but I also use a cast bullet for my bowling pin shooting....45ACP, 255 gr. Keith-type bullet, around 900 fps. with no leading problems.
For hot/hunting/defensive loads, best to use jacketed bullets. For target/plinking, lead is fine.
Anyway, the gun showed appreciable wear in 10,000 rounds when jacketed bullets were used. An identical gun, using nothing but hard-cast bullets, showed little wear. As I recall, the author said he believed it could go for 100,000 rounds of lead ammo.
That's rather telling. Jacketed bullets, being much harder and creating greater friction than lead bullets, are hard on a handgun.
I don't often shoot jacketed bullets in my revolvers and pistols. They're more expensive and create greater wear.
For my Kimber Custom Classic Target 1911 .45 Auto I load a 230 gr. roundnose lead bullet over 6.0 grains of Unique. This duplicates the G.I. load and is great for practice.
For carry, that same Kimber is loaded with 230 gr. full metal jacketed or 230 gr. jacketed hollowpoint. It functions with either flawlessly.
In my Walther PPK in .380 caliber I shoot a lot of lead bullets. I buy them locally, hard cast at about 90 grains. I load them to nearly the factory level for a great plinking and practice load.
I have a cousin who put more than 8,000 lead and jacketed bullets through his .380 PPK in less than three years. A piece down around his trigger assembly broke after 8,000 rounds, which was replaced by a gunsmith (I'm still unclear as to what broke but it was apparently minor). He's still shooting that PPK. With jacketed bullets, the wear would undoubtedly be greater.
In my Ruger GP-100 .357 Magnum I shoot nothing but lead bullets. As long as they're sufficiently hard (BHN 15 or more) and carry a good lubricant, you can shoot a lead bullet as fast as a jacketed one.
Many people rail against the lead fouling left by lead bullets, ignoring the simple fact that it's often much harder to remove copper fouling than lead fouling.
Like Iconoclast, I use Lyman 358156 with a gas check in my .357 and .38 Special loads. It's cast hard, nearly as hard as Linotype, and usually registers about 8 on my Saeco Hardness Tester (10 is Linotype). I can shoot these bullets all day long without significant leading.
But start shooting factory swaged lead bullets at 1,300 feet per second and lead fouling builds rapidly. You simply have to match the bullet alloy to the velocity. Factory swaged lead bullets should not be used at velocities exceeding 900 fps or so. Beyond that, they lead terribly and accuracy drops off commensurately.
To answer your question:
No, I would not pay more for jacketed rounds. I'd look for some good, hard cast lead bullets or make them yourself. Lead bullets are cheaper (I pay $22 for 500 .45-caliber roundnose lead bullets locally) and not as hard on your handgun.
Save the jacketed bullets for special applications, if needed.
"A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44!"
I shoot lead bullets almost exclusively in my pistols .45 and .357 pitols.
I cast my bullets for the most part but I buy some too. The bullets are made mostly from wheel weights which make them hard to begin with, then I quench them which makes them even harder but more brittle. I have purchased lead bullets and some of them are marginally hard because even on low power target loads they will sometimes leave lead in the barrel. With the hard bullets in .45 and .357 I have been able to attain very respectable (1200 fps)velocities with the .357 with no leading.
I would even venture to say that lead bullets are preferrable fodder for your barrel than jacketed bullets. The lead is softer and therefore reduces wear on the barrel. Some of the responders have already stated this but that message deserves repeating.
Shoot lead bullets and know that your pistol won't be mistreated or fed something it doesn't like.
Regards,
Heavyiron[8D]
"If I don't see you nomore on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late!" - Jimi Hendrix