Glocks & lead bullets

2918 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by miestro_jerry, Apr 23, 2010

mcg6637

Discussion Starter · Apr 21, 2010

I'm sure this subject has been talked to death but I didn't need to pay attention until now. I find myself with 3-400 rounds of 9mm LRN ammunition and 2 Glocks and a Smith 59 to shoot them in. What is the reason for not shooting lead in Glocks? If I do shoot, say, 400 rounds through them should I use lead remover to clean them every hundred rounds or so? What's the best procedure?

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MikeG

· #6 · Apr 22, 2010

I've shot them, well before the current warnings about the guns coming apart. The bullets were hard cast and there was no lead build-up, which is the key to success I think. Polyagonal rifling will do just fine with lead bullets that are the correct size and hardness, same as any other rifling.

However, it is up to you. A cautious person would test a few at a time (remove the mag between shots to leave powder gasses a place to vent if necessary) and see how much build-up there was. A more cautious person would get an aftermarket barrel, and the most cautious of people would not shoot lead bullets of any kind in any Glock.

Keep in mind Glocks are occasionally reported as coming apart with factory loads. Sometimes things happen.....

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MikeG

· #10 · Apr 22, 2010

I think that an aftermarket barrel oversimplifies the nature of the problem. A case head can let go in any firearm. The question is, when it does, what is the outcome? A steel-framed autoloader will survive. A plastic framed gun (whether Glock or otherwise) will likely not.

A Glock with an aftermarket barrel may be less likely to have the problem as described, but don't say it's impossible. If a case head lets go the outcome is probably the same.

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MikeG

· #15 · Apr 23, 2010

Stress on the frame from cycling is an entirely different event than a high-pressure gas release where you don't want it. No comparison between the two events at all.

As far as polyagonal rifling being more prone to leading.... I call hogwash. Why would it? Do the bullets fit? Do Glock shooters slug their barrels, and measure throat dimensions? We discuss leading issues all the time on this forum, nobody says, "Well, your brand X revolver leads, best have a smith unscrew the barrel and put in a different one." No, we check dimensions, see if there are constrictions or rough spots, lap or polish them, make sure our bullets fit the bore, etc., etc., etc.

I'd like to hear from some Glock owners who have slugged barrels as to what dimensions they have. I did not and for other reasons don't have a Glock right now. What about the chamber dimensions, up by the throat? Oversized? Sharp edges? We know those things contribute to leading.

What about firing out of battery? Easy test, prime 50 pieces of brass (no powder, no bullet). Head to the range. Gently clamp gun in a vise or fixture. Chamber a primed piece of brass. Take out an auto feeler gage set, and gently slip the feeler gage in between the barrel shroud and breechface (but not far enough to let the firing pin hit it). Will it fire? If so, go to the next larger. Find out how far out of battery it will fire. Before you say it won't, there must be some tolerance, or the least bit of crud would put it out of commission. OK, find the range where it will operate. Now, to be scientific, try the same experiment with your favorite other type of autoloader (ie 1911, sig, smith, taurus, ruger, HK, et al).

To blindly proclaim it's a rifling issue is to ignore a great many other factors that are relevant. Why we ignore these factors with a glock and not other makes of firearms is beyond me.

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