Shoot FMJ After Lead?

[poor_richard]

I’m just wondering what peoples opinion is of shooting a few rounds of FMJ through a barrel after shooting about 100-150 rounds of lead in an effort to “blow” some of the lead out of the barrel.

I usually shoot lead, and after about 100-150 rounds I like to shoot a few FMJ to clear the barrel.

 

[Hypnogator]

Not a good idea. Instead of "blowing out" the lead residue, it may well just compress it more tightly, making it more difficult to clean.

Also, if the bore is rough and you have serious lead residue in it, shooting FMJs could cause excessive pressure, damaging the gun.

 

[Sistema1927]

Old wife's tale.

 

[DragonFire]

I can't think of any valid ways it could help, but can think of several ways it could hurt (as others have already mentioned).

 

[Carl N. Brown]

My understanding is that you can end up with copper plating
over the lead and powder residue, making a bad situation
worse. A jacket with a sharp edge chanellure at groove-depth
bore diameter seems like it might scrap lead out, but I am not
going to count on it.

 

[Clipper]

I shot thousands of lead .38 wadcutters through my .357 Blackhawk over the course of 25 years or so, and ALWAYS ran a cylinder full of hot jacketed CCI lawman or Winchester silvertips through it before cleaning it. That pistol shot 1 1/4" 50 yard groups as long as I owned it. So yeah, as far as my own personal experience goes, it's a good practice...

 

[TEDDY]

lead removal

CLIPPER was there lead in the barrel? a good lead load should not lead the barrel.still not a good idea in a rifle

 

[eflatminor]

Bill Wilson strongly recommends against shooting lead after copper, but does not mention the other way around. Personally, I can't see how a FMJ bullet could "blow out" lead in the barrel. Besides, it's not exactly difficult to get lead out of the barrel. An old bore brush wrapped with a bit a pure copper mesh (from a copper pot cleaning bun) does the trick nicely.

 

[CountGlockula]

Why not just clean the barrel?

 

[Clipper]

Well, Teddy, since it was something I practiced always, I wasn't in the habit of looking at the barrel for lead before I did it, since I was going to do it anyway, ya know? However, in all those years, I never encountered much lead when I got home and cleaned them. Those WCs were cheap mixed brass reloads the local sporting goods store sold by the 50 round bag.

 

[Walkalong]

If you have a load that leads a lot, you need to fix it, and it can be fixed. It won't hurt a thing to shoot some jacketed after lead unless there is SEVERE leading, which, if there is, see point number one again.

 

[kellyj00]

I shoot a LOT of lead at a time, with no fouling whatsoever in my xd 9mm and 1911 45acp. We're talking about hundreds upon hundreds of rounds.

I've heard this FMJ "blows the lead out" from more than one very experienced shooter, and due to these testimonials I would try it if it ever became necessary. But, by the time I shoot enough lead to lead the barrel, I'd imagine that I'd need to clean the pistol anyhow, or my wrist would be so tired that I'd want to clean it and take a break.

 

[nwilliams]

Good question!

I've always wondered about this, can't vote because I don't know and have never tried it, but I'm curious how people will respond to this.!

 

[GRIZ22]

I shot thousands of lead .38 wadcutters through my .357 Blackhawk over the course of 25 years or so, and ALWAYS ran a cylinder full of hot jacketed CCI lawman or Winchester silvertips through it before cleaning it.

I'm sure it didn't give you any problems Clipper as:

1. The wadcutters were low velocity leaving little if any lead.

2. You were doing this in a Blackhawk, undoubtedly one of the strongest 357s ever made.

Taking it to another end of the spectrum shooting jacketed bullets through a K frame S&W after shooting a lot of lead is the common reason the forcing cone splits on those guns. The lead buildup in the forcing cone when hit by the jacketed magnum compresses the lead causing the forcing cone to split at the bottom on these guns.

This effect is further encouraged by those who say "I only knock the big chunks off the gun and run a few patches down the bore after shooting".

Shooting jacketed after some lead bullets (depending on the hardness of the lead and velocity) probably isn't going to hurt anything but is not a good practice.

 

[Werewolf]

I’m just wondering what peoples opinion is of shooting a few rounds of FMJ through a barrel after shooting about 100-150 rounds of lead in an effort to “blow” some of the lead out of the barrel.

The gunsmith in OKC that I use, Al French Custom Gunsmithing, (you can google his site if interested) recommends the practice with no reservations. I've never been convinced though that it should be done. My gut tells me that the FMJ's would just compress the lead down to a thin coating in the barrel and make it harder to get out. Thus I don't shoot FMJ's after shooting lead.

To clean a barrel of any leading I just use those doohickeys (i forget what they're called even though I've got one for .45 and one for .44 cal) that are like a rubber stopper which you wrap a fine brass screen around and then pull thru the barrel. Works great, fast, no chemicals and gets all the lead out.

 

[Walkalong]

It does work. So does shooting gas checked bullets afterwards. I have blown leading out of a .38 S&W with loads using wax gas checks before as well.

Bottom line is, when I had loads that gave leading, I fixed the load so it would not lead. See my previous post.

 

[harmonic]

I've been doing it for about 30 years, about the time I started reloading. I have yet to see any negative impact, and some of my guns are about 30 years old.

I also would take the opportunity to ask every gunsmith I encountered if such a practice is detrimental to the gun. Without exception, every gunsmith I asked said it was perfectly acceptable.

Now, if you're talking about a gun where the leading is so severe that the actual bore is plugged, that would be different. But I can't imagine anybody who actually cared about shooting, who would allow their gun to get that bad.

 

[wally]

+1

My experiences, although a few years fewer than harmonic's matches exactly.

When leading gets bad enough to affect accuracy its a bear to clean out, but this has only happened to me with .22lr where jacketed bullets are not available, but accuracy returned after a good cleaning.

--wally.

 

[crebralfix]

I once heard from a friend of a friend of my cousin's....

Just clean the gun after every range trip.

 

[p85]

I shoot 180 grain rnl in my 10mm. After a range trip of 200 rounds, I find the barrel to have a fair amount of lead in the grooves. If I follow up with half a dozen tmj rounds, I find that the leading is reduced. Not eliminated, but reduced to where the cleaning is not such a chore.

 

[harmonic]

this has only happened to me with .22lr where jacketed bullets are not available

LOL! This happened to me while shooting Remington (Green Box) 22s out of a Model 41 Smith and Wesson. When I got back to the house I tried to clean the bore but couldn't even get the cleaning rod down the barrel.

I worked to get as much of the lead out as possible, but ultimately had to go back to the range and run a box of CCI plated bullets through the barrel before I could get it sufficiently clean.

I don't use Remington anymore.

 

[wally]

Remington Thunderbolts started doing this after they changed from the "waxy" lube to some new polymer coating. Recently had Golden Bullet bulk pak do it and these looked to have changed coatings too now

Never had the problem with Federal, CCI or Winchester .22lr ammo.

--wally.

 

[LHB1]

"Shoot FMJ After Lead? "

Not me!! I prefer to clean the barrel thoroughly before switching from lead to jacketed OR vice versa. Have been doing so since I stated shooting seriously in 1964 with no problems. Will continue to do so as long as I shoot both bullet types in same gun. Sometimes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. YMMV

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Always. My Colt Mark IV and my Ruger Redhawk were always leaded up and a pain to clean, when using lead reloads. I started firing just a couple jacketed rounds at the ends of their respective range sessions, and my cleaning of lead from their bores was significantly reduced. Anybody that says it doesn't work doesn't know what they're talking about, or simply hasn't tried it.

Been doing it successfully for over 20 years.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Of course. It makes no nevermind. Don't expect it to 'clean' the barrel, though. It won't.