Thoughts on shooting jacketed bullets after shooting cast

[Bucks Owin]

I'm in the crowd of folks who thinks that using jacketed bullets to "clean out leading" isn't a good idea. First,, if you have a severe leading issue,, it could POSSIBILY lead to higher pressures. Next,, a hotter jacketed bullet can "iron on" a layer of lead to the point of trying to clean it out later is a bi#*h. I just prefer to shoot lead,, and clean it before I shoot jacketed & vis-a-versa.
JMO!

I'm with you pal, it's a no no. And in cases of extreme leading, I've heard that this "technique" can actually bulge the barrel! I like to drop the cyl and peer through the barrel after shooting cast lead bullets. If I see a lot of leading, I won't fire a jacketed bullet and make the lead HARDER to remove. I'll clean the barrel before switching to shooting jacketed. (Actually, once I discover a fine shooting cast load or two for a particular sixgun, I try to avoid those bullets with the "full length gas check"... :lol FWIW, Dennis

 

[Skalkaho Slim]

I have used jacketed bullets to remove lead from revolver barrels. I had zero problems doing so.

However since I've learned to avoid hard cast bevel based bullets my leading problems have reduced to the level of not worth mentioning.

Joe

Hey Joe......You wanna see some BEVELS?...just look over some of these babies....
http://www.missouribullet.com/details.p ... &keywords=
YIKES :shock: !

DGW

Did you notice the "You may also be interested in this product:" at the bottom of that page? Lewis Lead Remover kits. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I have used jacketed bullets to remove lead from revolver barrels. I had zero problems doing so.

However since I've learned to avoid hard cast bevel based bullets my leading problems have reduced to the level of not worth mentioning.

Joe

Holy crap! From hundreds of other posts I've read on this forum, I was begining to think I was the only cast bullet shooter in the whole world who doesn't believe those harder than h*&& bevel-based bullets from Laser Cast are the best things since sliced bread. :lol:

 

[pps]

I'm in the crowd of folks who thinks that using jacketed bullets to "clean out leading" isn't a good idea. First,, if you have a severe leading issue,, it could POSSIBILY lead to higher pressures. Next,, a hotter jacketed bullet can "iron on" a layer of lead to the point of trying to clean it out later is a bi#*h. I just prefer to shoot lead,, and clean it before I shoot jacketed & vis-a-versa.
JMO!

I'm with you 100%.

I also avoid any beveled base lead bullets. I've found that the proper sizing and trying to match bullet hardness to the pressures involved also helps in minimizing leading.

 

[edlmann]

I've learned to avoid hard cast bevel based bullets my leading problems have reduced to the level of not worth mentioning.

Did you notice the "You may also be interested in this product:" at the bottom of that page? Lewis Lead Remover kits.

I think the real purpose of bevel-based bullets is to make progressive reloaders work better - certainly not to improve the performance of the bullet.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I've learned to avoid hard cast bevel based bullets my leading problems have reduced to the level of not worth mentioning.

Did you notice the "You may also be interested in this product:" at the bottom of that page? Lewis Lead Remover kits.

I think the real purpose of bevel-based bullets is to make progressive reloaders work better - certainly not to improve the performance of the bullet.

That's not the way I've heard it. I've heard the "real" purpose of bevel-based cast bullets is for ease of mass production. And I heard that from a well known gun writer who gets paid to promote a certain brand of bevel-based cast bullets.

 

[J.Solo]

I've heard both arguments for the last 36 years and there are still two different groups of thinking with no scientific proof, that I know of, to back up either.

What keeps me in between both groups of thinking is the question of "What happens to a Handgun barrel when shooting Half Copper Jacketed lead Nose Bullets extensively.

Exposed Lead is deposited in the barrel immediately followed by the Copper Half Jacket. And vice-versa, Copper under Lead on the next shot.

Maybe that's why I don't see Half Jacketed Bullets around very often. But again no scientific proof, that I know of, to back up either thought.

Still ................ I will shoot lead over copper but I will clean out lead before shooting copper over the lead deposits. Don't know why I do it that way but I somehow it makes sense to me. - J.Solo

 

[J Miller]

I have used jacketed bullets to remove lead from revolver barrels. I had zero problems doing so.

However since I've learned to avoid hard cast bevel based bullets my leading problems have reduced to the level of not worth mentioning.

Joe

Hey Joe......You wanna see some BEVELS?...just look over some of these babies....
http://www.missouribullet.com/details.p ... &keywords=
YIKES :shock: !

DGW

DGW,

Those look more like boat tail bullets than bevel based.
Before I learned about BB bullets I shot thousands of those bullets or others just like them from my Mdl 28 and other .357s. I still have several hundred loaded.
Sized to .357", harder than wood pecker lips and lubed with crayons these kind of bullets are leading fiends. Even the softer ones like in this add are horrible. I simply quit shooting them. I'd rather pay the freight for jacketed bullets than shoot a BB cast bullet.

I got a good laugh at the suggestion of the Lewis Lead Remover right under that bullet add. Soooo true.

J.Solo,

Speer used to make half jacketed .357 bullets in 160 and 147 gr weights. Hornady still makes them in 30 cal I think.

I used to shoot these little missiles over a max charge of 2400 and Win 630 and they did not lead. They did not deposit a large amount of copper either. What they did was produce some of the most accurate groups I've ever shot with a .357 Mag revolver.
Then the idiots at Speer discontinued them. Noodle brained nitwits.

Joe

 

[Bucks Owin]

Here's a quote from Allan Jones, Feb 2010 Shooting Times, "Going Ballistic" column: A BIG NO NO..."How many times have you thought it easier to shoot the lead out with a jacketed bullet? Well, don't even think about it. In extreme cases, this can cause irrepairable damage. I've seen revolver barrel throats deformed and thin walled barrels bulged. Either means a new barrel" :shock: Dennis

 

[Jimbo357mag]

What keeps me in between both groups of thinking is the question of "What happens to a Handgun barrel when shooting Half Copper Jacketed lead Nose Bullets extensively.

Exposed Lead is deposited in the barrel immediately followed by the Copper Half Jacket. And vice-versa, Copper under Lead on the next shot.

I think copper jacketed, half-jacketed or bullets with gas checks won't lead because the hot gases are not allowed to push past the lead bullets making the sides of the bullets soft. :shock:

...Jimbo

 

[Rick Courtright]

Still ................ I will shoot lead over copper but I will clean out lead before shooting copper over the lead deposits. Don't know why I do it that way but I somehow it makes sense to me. - J.Solo

Hi,

Like J. Solo, I've seen enough thoughts on both sides of this question over the years to make a pretty good tug of war...

Though I HAVE shot copper to "remove" leading at times in the past, somewhere a few years back I read a warning from a seemingly credible source that "Lead over copper is ok, copper over lead is not." I've since taken to scrubbing a cruddy looking barrel before shooting copper. However, if there's no (or not much) visible leading, I still put copper thru it w/o worry.

As w/ all these replies, "In MY gun" is a good thing to consider and remember!

Rick C

 

[pps]

What keeps me in between both groups of thinking is the question of "What happens to a Handgun barrel when shooting Half Copper Jacketed lead Nose Bullets extensively.

Exposed Lead is deposited in the barrel immediately followed by the Copper Half Jacket. And vice-versa, Copper under Lead on the next shot.

I think copper jacketed, half-jacketed or bullets with gas checks won't lead because the hot gases are not allowed to push past the lead bullets making the sides of the bullets soft. :shock:

...Jimbo

That's exactly right.

However, each barrel is an entity on to itself. Take a look at this recovered gas checked bullet I put through a barrel that USED TO HAVE a stricture where the barrel was screwed into the frame. You will notice the lead smeared over the gas check...and ironed into the rifling of the barrel.

Leading was present mostly towards the muzzle end...everything from the choke point to the muzzle. Firelapping took care of the problem. Even bullets as soft as the one pictured here does not lead the barrel any more.

 

[Sonnytoo]

well I used to think it was a good idea until I bulged a barrel doing it oops

I think that Glock warns against this practice for the same reason. I believe they talk about raising pressures.
Sonnytoo

 

[bigboredad]

well it was a barrel from a xd not a glock and there was not excessive leading. Maybe the stock xd barrel is not very strong but it did bulge my barrel

 

[powder smoke]

Excellent topic in the past I've shot copper jacketed bullets after shooting a bunch of cast bullets. Now I'm not sure! I haven't had a large leading problem with my cast bullet loads so the points mentioned may or may not apply. To be on the safe side I think I'll Just clean my revolvers before going to jacketed bullets. I never seen any scientific data on the issue as mentioned by J.Solo oh well better safe than sorry. ps

 

[the fatman]

Excellent topic in the past I've shot copper jacketed bullets after shooting a bunch of cast bullets. Now I'm not sure! I haven't had a large leading problem with my cast bullet loads so the points mentioned may or may not apply. To be on the safe side I think I'll Just clean my revolvers before going to jacketed bullets. I never seen any scientific data on the issue as mentioned by J.Solo oh well better safe than sorry. ps

I agree I think I'll also do some cleaning before switching back and forth. Thanks for all the replies.