Standard Glock barrels with lead

[scaatylobo]

I have read and heard that shooting lead through a factory Glock barrel is a no no.

I have a gun smith friend that states he does it with impunity.

I shoot 8 Glocks and would love to hear input .

 

[Drail]

Shooting lead in a factory polygonal Glock (or any brand) barrel doesn't hurt it. The problem is people who shoot a bunch of lead and don't clean it out and let it build up. Get a Lewis Lead Removal Tool or a copper Chore Boy patch on an old brush and keep the lead cleaned out and you can shoot all the lead you want. This should be done with any gun using lead bullets. Glock just says it's a no-no because they KNOW some idiots are going to plug up the barrel with lead and pressures may get out of hand. I have shot thousands of lead rounds through polygonal bores and never had a problem. You just have to stay on top of it.

 

[LiveLife]

Disclaimer: Like many other pistol manufacturers, Glock does not recommend shooting reloads (including lead reloads), so use reloads in your Glocks at your own risk.

As to shooting lead reloads in Glock barrels, there are several factors to consider - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-7#post-9979745

Commercial lead bullets come in different hardness ranging from softer 10 BHN to harder 24 BHN and proper hardness and bullet-to-barrel fit need to be used with sufficient powder charge to properly deform the bullet base to seal the high pressure gas as gas leakage/gas cutting will increase fouling and leading.

Glock barrel / rifling

Sig 1911 barrel on the left with almost no leade and sharp start of rifling, Lone Wolf barrel in the middle with longer leade and less sharp start of rifling, Glock barrel on the right with longer leade and very smooth/rounded start of rifling

As you can see from comparison pictures above, Glock barrels have longer leade and very smooth start of rifling with rounded rifling which allow the lead bullet to slide deeper into the barrel before pressure starts to build which allow more high pressure gas to escape around the bullet.

As Glen Fryxell details in his ebook Chap 7 , high pressure gas leakage around the bullet blows liquefied lube from the bullet and down the barrel which will leave the bullet with less/no lube and this will increase fouling/leading build up, especially near the chamber end of the barrel.

If high enough powder charge is not used, powder burn may be inefficient and insufficient/inconsistent chamber pressures may not deform the bullet base enough which will allow the bullet to "skid" down the barrel along Glock's smooth rounded rifling and increase fouling/leading build up.

It's been my experience that Glock barrels experience more fouling build up near the chamber and along the rifling than barrels with conventional square land/groove rifling. Depending on the lube used on the bullet, fouling build up may be light/crusty build up to harder build up that's more difficult to remove. Once enough fouling builds up, accuracy will start to decrease. Using 14-18 BHN lead bullets, I have not seen leading in my Glock barrels with different powders and charges but some report leading in Glock barrels.

Regardless of bullet hardness/lube/powder used, I recommend inspecting the barrel around 200-300 rounds for build up (do it more often if you detect more fouling) and clean as necessary as if fouling is allowed to build up, you'll essentially end up with a smooth bore barrel with reduced bore which will increase chamber pressure.

 

[Robert101]

I can not dispute LM's post. My experience in my 40 S&W is that no significant lead is present after 300 rounds. I shoot mostly copper plated bullets (although I do shoot lead as well) in my Glock 27 barrel and have not seen any problems. I would not hesitate to double to 600 rounds in a range session. I simply don't shoot 600 rounds at a single session so I don't worry about it. Yes I do clean my firearms after every range visit. If it is shot it is cleaned. I have no need to purchase another barrel or change my shooting habits regardless of the standard claim of don't shoot lead in a Glock barrel. I inspect and proceed as the conditions appear safe. I have not found an unsafe condition due to lead that ever hampered my shooting lead. Now on the other hand, my 44 Mag will show moderate signs of lead at 150 rounds.

 

[LiveLife]

I am bds. Linux Mint is the operating system I run on my computers.

Maybe I should change my avatar to something like a puppy?

 

[rskent]

Puppies are always cute.

In my mind, there are guns that prefer lead bullets and guns that prefer plated or jacketed.

I try to give them what they want. That said, I prefer to shoot as little lead as possible.

 

[Hangingrock]

The Glock In Competition A Shooters How to Guide 2nd Ed - Chapter 1-3 Handloading For the Glock & Chapter 1-4 The Exploding Glock, Fact or Fiction by Mark Passamaneck P.E. TY40422 (I believe this to be reference material of merit that covers the subject of your question)

 

[ArchAngelCD]

While I have shot lead bullets in the Glock I get better accuracy from coated lead bullets.

Just a note, there us no reason why you should be getting lead in any barrel and if you are, you are using the wrong bullets. Accuracy is the concern with the shallow rifling in Glock barrels when shooting Cast bullets.

 

[scaatylobo]

I thank all who have responded so far.
The information is worth the read.
I have shot a very few lead factory rounds in 2 of my Glocks ,with no leading.
I also bought a few boxes of coated lead that I do believe will work better in a indoor range [ that is the ONLY reason I ever shoot lead ].
9MM,.40S&W,and .45ACP are the rounds that I use.

 

[Deanimator]

I have a Glock 19 and a Glock 22. I've shot quite a few lead bullet handloads through the OEM barrel in the Glock 22.

If I didn't shoot my own lead bullet handloads, I couldn't afford to shoot. After a VERY bad experience with plated lead bullets from National Bullet in the '90s, I'll NEVER use plated bullets again. For me, it's nothing but hard cast or swaged (for .38 Special in my Giles M1911) for practice and competition, and JHPs for self-defense.

Hearing of the potential problems with lead bullets in the OEM barrels, I eventually got Storm Lake cut rifling barrels for both guns. They were drop ins, and I'm very satisfied with the accuracy, with jacketed and lead.

 

[Drail]

Storm Lake's barrels are very underrated. Every gun I have fit them in ended up being tack drivers. Even their "drop in" barrels.

 

[DaisyCutter]

In addition to what is already said, I think higher velocity calibers are more susceptible to leading (absent a gas check).

 

[gojuice101]

I have also shot thousands of cast boolits through a Glock with no problems. When I first got into casting and was experimenting with different alloys and lubes, I definitely got leading. However, it was no worse than any other gun. Once I got it all figured out, leading disappeared. Now I shoot powder coated through everything so it isn't even a concern anymore.

Factory barrels can handle lead just fine. You have to watch for leading as you would any gun, so nothing different there. In my experience, you'll notice the terrible accuracy long before you come to the point of excess chamber pressure.

 

[GLOOB]

For cleanest shooting I recommend custom expander and straight WW alloy. IME, commercial bullets will most certainly leave antimony streaks in barrel which eventually need cleaning. Softer bullets don't foul, as long as they are big enough. (This is same thing with airguns, BTW. The pure lead pellets never fouled barrels; antimony is what fouls modern PCP air rifles).

You can't get the bullet big enough if the case swages them down. To open up 9 and 40 cases, you need custom size dies or a custom expander. The custom expander is a better solution, IMO. It also happens to be cheaper. 45 cases are thin enough they don't usually screw up the bullet.

If you don't cast your own, you can still shoot commercial cast. There will be some cleaning needed, now and then. But no major problem.

If you try to load cast without a custom expander, you will most likely get pretty bad fouling in a 9mm or 40SW Glock, IME. Really bad. One shot, open gun, and there will be a royal mess. Can you still shoot like this? Well, yeah, if it's not TOO bad. I shot lots of cast bullets that left streaks of lead down the bore, every shot, by using two plated bullets in every mag to clean the pipes. This isn't a recommended, for obvious reasons. There's no need to do it so ghetto if you open up those cases.

The proper expander improved all my guns, but Glocks are night and day. I think BDS is on the right track. I think it's cuz the leade is so smooth in a glock that an undersize bullet doesn't have much incentive to bump up. If it starts out too small, there's no helping it. Gas will melt the bullet and you will get fouling, galore. But I think cast still works fine as long as the bullet starts out big enough to completely fill the bore. With proper expander, I can shoot MBC with occasional cleaning every few hundred rounds, and the fouling really isn't bad even after hundreds. It's just a light haze that is mostly towards the muzzle... people call it an antimony wash (same MBC bullets that left full bore streaks of thick lead with each shot, without the expander). And shooting my own bullets, there's no fouling, at all. I've gone over 1k home cast bullets with no fouling, whatsoever... no cleaning the bore, at all. Just an occasional wipe with a patch to verify barrel still shiny like new.

I've run the gamut with Glock and cast. I've essentially plugged my 40 with one shot. I've shot 1k bullets that left full bore streaks in my 9. I've shot great in the 45 from the start. And now I shoot cast in them all with essentially no fouling. (I think maybe BDS explanation of lube burning off is why they get this minimal antimony wash with hard commercial bullets.) With the right knowledge, Glocks are my favorite guns to shoot unchecked cast bullets. Less fouling and cleaning of the bore of any of my guns. And my 40, in particular, shoots more accurately with cast bullets than anything else. I always thought something was wrong with that gun, or that I just couldn't shoot a short sight radius that well (it's a 27). But now it's a laser.

90% of my cast bullet problems with glock were solved with larger and deeper expander. For 356 bullets, I use a 356 expander. For 401 bullets, I use a 401 expander. Plug is same diameter as the bullet, and it goes just as deep as the bullet seats. Neck tension is excellent. Good enough even with "undersized" jacketed bullets.

 

[LiveLife]

Just FYI. PSA Christmas sale is listing Glock 17 black finish threaded barrel for $59 - http://palmettostatearmory.com/medi...f78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/5/0/503599.jpg

 

[boricua9mm]

I've shot several thousand plated lead reloads through my Glock 19 suppressor host in the past 2 years without any lead related issues. This pistol has a factory Glock threaded barrel, with polygonal rifling and all. No custom expander, no ultra-picky powder selections, nada. More specifically, I began reloading plated lead 147gr 9mm bullets because I wanted to shoot various 9mm suppressed guns (1 can, multiple hosts) without spending 30 cents+ per round. I also wanted to shoot round nose bullet profiles, instead of the typical flat points found in the majority of commercial loads.

I use RMR plated 147gr round nose bullets and I learned that you need to really watch the crimp and take the time getting it right. Too much will cut into the bullet past the plating and/or significantly deform the base of the bullet, and too little has its own obvious problems.

I have not had any issues with leading, in fact I don't think it's even possible given the hardness of the bullets combined with subsonic velocities. I clean the pistol after every outing, which is typically 200 rounds suppressed. I've only really needed to use CLP to clean up the bore, but after every couple trips I've used Hoppes #9 just to be sure. Nonetheless, I've not run into any leading of the bore. The gun is pretty filthy after 200 rounds of suppressed shooting, but that's another matter entirely and not at all related to lead projectiles.

 

[JDR]

If you are shooting handloaded pure lead bullets cast from wheel weights or linotype that's one thing, I wouldn't shoot that out of my Glocks on a dare, But if you are handloading hard cast alloy bullets sized and lubed with Brinell Hardness 21, you shouldn't have any problems (famous last words).

 

[Dog Soldier]

Kaboom!!! Plastic and Gun Powder?

 

[Olympus]

Disclaimer: Like many other pistol manufacturers, Glock does not recommend shooting reloads (including lead reloads), so use reloads in your Glocks at your own risk.

As to shooting lead reloads in Glock barrels, there are several factors to consider - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-7#post-9979745

Commercial lead bullets come in different hardness ranging from softer 10 BHN to harder 24 BHN and proper hardness and bullet-to-barrel fit need to be used with sufficient powder charge to properly deform the bullet base to seal the high pressure gas as gas leakage/gas cutting will increase fouling and leading.

Glock barrel / rifling

Sig 1911 barrel on the left with almost no leade and sharp start of rifling, Lone Wolf barrel in the middle with longer leade and less sharp start of rifling, Glock barrel on the right with longer leade and very smooth/rounded start of rifling

As you can see from comparison pictures above, Glock barrels have longer leade and very smooth start of rifling with rounded rifling which allow the lead bullet to slide deeper into the barrel before pressure starts to build which allow more high pressure gas to escape around the bullet.

As Glen Fryxell details in his ebook Chap 7 , high pressure gas leakage around the bullet blows liquefied lube from the bullet and down the barrel which will leave the bullet with less/no lube and this will increase fouling/leading build up, especially near the chamber end of the barrel.

If high enough powder charge is not used, powder burn may be inefficient and insufficient/inconsistent chamber pressures may not deform the bullet base enough which will allow the bullet to "skid" down the barrel along Glock's smooth rounded rifling and increase fouling/leading build up.

It's been my experience that Glock barrels experience more fouling build up near the chamber and along the rifling than barrels with conventional square land/groove rifling. Depending on the lube used on the bullet, fouling build up may be light/crusty build up to harder build up that's more difficult to remove. Once enough fouling builds up, accuracy will start to decrease. Using 14-18 BHN lead bullets, I have not seen leading in my Glock barrels with different powders and charges but some report leading in Glock barrels.

Regardless of bullet hardness/lube/powder used, I recommend inspecting the barrel around 200-300 rounds for build up (do it more often if you detect more fouling) and clean as necessary as if fouling is allowed to build up, you'll essentially end up with a smooth bore barrel with reduced bore which will increase chamber pressure.

Great post with great information and great visual aides! I would recommend saving this entire post because this question gets asked numerous times.

 

[LiveLife]

Great post with great information and great visual aides! I would recommend saving this entire post because this question gets asked numerous times.

Thank you.

It's permanently saved on this Handloading and Reloading thread along with other Glock/lead discussions (working with mods to fix picture links on thread) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-7#post-9979745

I will be cleaning up the thread and sorting posts by same categories with Walkalong's help in time with index page with links and updated posts with better pictures.

 

[vsteel]

Might be a little late but I thought I would throw in my two cents. I remember doing a lot of research when Glocks were having a few issues with lead in the early 90s. The bottom line is pretty much what Linux Mint said.

1. People that had problems were shooing really soft lead, use the hard end of the scale for glocks.
2. The bullets were sized large, use .355 sized bullets.
3. High rate of fire with the lead. IE. loading up several mags and then going through 100+ rounds as fast as they could pull the trigger.

The barrels that did blow, up which I saw analysis for, had huge amounts of lead in the barrel. So much that you could peal it off with a screwdriver. Pretty much they blew up because they had the equivalent of a squib load in them from the huge amount of lead buildup. Really soft oversized bullets going through an extremely hot barrel caused excessive leading.

I have shot a lot of lead through my Glock and never had an issue by following the above rules. My rate of fire doesn't change but I am also not a spray and pray guy or a tacti-cool ninja.

On a side note I run Kubuntu in my house, not a windows machine to be found.

 

[Thompsoncustom]

Ive shot over a 1000rds of lead bullets through my g17 without cleaning it and not had any issues. As long as the bullet fit is correct and your using a good lube/coating and hardness it shouldnt be any different than shooting a plated bullet.

 

[GLOOB]

1. People that had problems were shooing really soft lead, use the hard end of the scale for glocks.
2. The bullets were sized large, use .355 sized bullets.
3. High rate of fire with the lead. IE. loading up several mags and then going through 100+ rounds as fast as they could pull the trigger.

1. I understand where a lot of knowledgeable people came to conclusion 1. It's cuz harder bullets are more forgiving. In other words, the fouling is MUCH LESS when you don't pay attention to the details. But IMO if you are thorough and patient, you can achieve the BEST results with soft alloy.
2. I don't get it, but hey, I guess whatever works.
3. Not sure this matters much. I have done plenty of blasting with my Glocks. I have like 20 mags and at one point I enjoyed the reloading more than the shooting. So I tried to get thru them all even when it became a chore, lol. Rapidfire is allowed at my indoor range (no smoke with my cast out of my Glocks!), and I also do most shooting outdoors, anyway. I also have comparison of which my my pistols get uncomfortably hot when fired rapidly, lol. (I can most efficiently cook a hotdog on my FNX slide!)

With softer alloy, I don't need to clean my Glock barrels. Like ever. But you can't expect that result without a little leg work. Harder alloy are more forgiving but (IME) antimony wash builds up in the bore towards the muzzle.

I haven't used a choreboy in over 4 years.