steviesterno Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hey all, I'm getting started into loading, and I'm overwhelmed by choices. I heard you could save money per round loading, but some of the FMJ and stuff I see is like 20c/round, which after primer/brass/poweder puts me right up to almost factory prices. The only real cheap stuff I see is lead, but I hear they are harder to load, foul the barrel, and you have to keep them slow. I'm wondering if there's any reason to not shoot lead SWC out of a 5" 1911 in minor loads for steel shoots and practice. I would do major stuff with FMJ or swagged (is that right) since it will be going faster. thanks for the noob help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 If you shoot good quality lead there is no reason not to. I have been shooting 200g SWC's for years at 172pf with no problems. Stay away from powders like Titegroup, it burns too hot. My load is 5.0g VN320 @ 1.245 oal with a 200g SWC. As always, this is in my guns, work it up for yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hey all, I heard you could save money per round loading, but some of the FMJ and stuff I see is like 20c/round, The only real cheap stuff I see is lead, but I hear they are harder to load, foul the barrel, and you have to keep them slow. If you buy fmj from Montana Gold, in quantity, the price should be a lot less than 20 c/round. But, lots of people shoot .45 lead to save money. Your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirpy Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Swaged lead is a lot softer than a good quality cast bullet. It might lead the barrel at major power factor whereas a good hard cast bullet probably will no or at least take longer. If you scrub the barrel between matches/practice sessions you should be OK with a hardcast bullet. FWIW Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 It's dirty to load and smokey. And I can't shoot it at the indoor matches I go to. I do like moly bullets though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewiston Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) Highly recommend it. I use bullets from SNS Casting. Super product and great guys to work with. Use Clays powder. Clean and soft shooting - very nice combination. Personally, I'd go major PF. Only a few grains separate the two. Edited April 3, 2011 by Lewiston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake32 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 i shoot lead 200gr swc 4.3gr clays at 1.250 getting 177pf. i use friendswood bullet co. bullets. never seen a leading issue with my gun running my major loads. they are $35.86 per 500. i pay $22.00 per k for cci primers. and a $20.00 pound of clays will load about 1600 rnds. major loads are pretty cheap with lead bullets and they work great to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryShoots Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I agree with the others lead is great stuff through a 1911. I shoot 230RN Hornadys on 5.2gr HP-38 @ around 780fps. I used to use Rainier plated bullets but I swapped to the lead last year and have yet to suffer for it. One note I would offer though is avoid sending lead through a comped gun. The gas that runs the comp tends to damage the rear of the lead bullet and cause it to not fly straight. It also sends burned lead into the air which may get you spit on. Also it isn't recommended to fire lead through a polygonal rifled barrel like a Glock or a Desert Eagle. The lead can leave deposits in the bore on these which can potentially shrink the diameter of the bore and cause dangerously high pressures inside the gun. A further reason not to send lead through the Desert Eagles(though not practical guns for competition) is that they are a gas operated weapon and like other "gas guns" lead can enter the gas system and over time literally weld the piston and damage the weapon. Probably too much info here but I'm not sure how new to shooting you are and I'd like you to never run into the problems that lead haters dwell upon. Run the lead it's great stuff and you will get substantial increases in trigger time for your ammo dollar. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Ryder Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Lead poisoning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryShoots Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 boo hiss lol . I get my levels checked yearly and they haven't changed since my switch to lead bullets. As long as your smart enough to wash the paws off before you unwrap that PB&J or smoke a cigarette you'll be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konkapot Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 If you are buying your components in anything like bulk quantities you can easily load .45 jacketed ammo for $200 per thousand. Montana Gold 185 gr $151 per thousand Primers $35-ish per thousand Powder $varies, but let's call it $18 per thou. Works out to just over $200 per thousand rounds of LOADED ammo. I disagree that this is more expensive than buying factory ammo; if you can find loaded .45 ammo for this price please let me know! I do believe that any savings over lead bullets would be minimal. If you aren't shooting a lot, and/or only shoot outdoors, then lead should be fine, health-wise. Agreed on SNS Casting; great company to deal with. FY42385 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirveyr Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Try loading with moly coated bullets instead of just plain 'ol lead. I use these with great success: Black Bullets International Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Primers $35-ish per thousand Works out to just over $200 per thousand rounds of LOADED ammo. FY42385 Primers were $35 - $40 two years ago, but seem to be way lower recently ($20 - $25/1,000 ) Thank God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny7 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Check out Missouri Bullets. You can get a 1000 shipped for somewhere arounf $85.00. If I was going to shoot minor I would shoot a 185 gr and even save more money. And you can probably get away with about a 10lb recoil spring. I shoot 200 gr with 4.6 of WST. A little dirty but I can live with it for the savings. John McKenzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredr Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 i'm a huge fan of lead bullets in .45 ACP. 5.4 gr WW231 and a 200 gr LSWC gives me 850 fps out of the kart barrel in my SA 1911, and I've probably fired 30,000 rounds through that gun and never had any leading problems. That said, i'm lucky enough to have an outdoor range nearby (and decent weather much of the year). Shooting indoors, the smoke from the bullet lube would probably make me use jacketed bullets, but if you're shooting outdoors I would definitely use lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuzinvinny Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Another vote for BBI bullets. I have to watch my shooting costs, so lead is the only way I can afford to shoot a 45, unless I decide to only shoot half as much. By the way I just sent you an e-mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 To the OP, I just started reloading this week and had many of the same concerns you did. I finally figured it would be best to just try it myself and I went with moly coated lead from Bear Creek. I can pick them up locally from a "dealer" for 55/1000 in 9mm without having to worry about tax or shipping. I bought the proper size for the bore of my gun. Because they aren't lubed, there is virtually no smoke. I am using them with w231. I stopped after a couple hundred and my bore was still as clean as whistle. This is a factory glock (gasp!) barrel with polygonal rifling as well. I shot more today and they are still working good. Be sure to make sure you have the correct powder and you have a powder charge that doesn't yield an either too slow or too fast FPS measurement. Speed, powder selection, and proper sizing for your bore will most likely do away with all of the myths. Knock on wood, but so far I like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whistlepig Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Lead is great. Dirty and smokey, but very accurate, and much mo cheaper. Shoot lots and lots in .45 using WW231. A little extra effort required in cleaning, but all in all a good trade for more rounds to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Holy crap that is cheap. Have you shot any of the other moly brands? How does Bear Creek compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Standby! Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Try loading with moly coated bullets instead of just plain 'ol lead. I use these with great success: Black Bullets International The guy I buy mine from uses Black Bullets...147 gr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 My 45acp pistols get a steady diet of 200gn lead, tried Clays 4.3gns, like it, tried Winchester 231 5.4gns, like it also use 4.6gns Red Dot, like it. Lead bullets and 1911's, I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matzka Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I started out with lead back in the early '90's, then switched to jacketed to avoid the smoke. Recently switched back to lead to avoid the high cost of jacketed. Currently shooting lead 250 gr. RNFP from Missouri Bullets over VV320. Very accurate, easy recoil, doesn't lead the barrel horribly either. A little bit of leading, but not terribly so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Kirk Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 http://www.bayoubullets.net/products.html I'm using these Bayou Bullets w/ no smoke and no lead on my fingers or barrel. Those Miculek folks just might know what they are doing. You can't buy from the website and have to call, but they take cards and ship fast. I wouldn't buy a pistol if I thought it couldn't run on lead. Missiouri bullet company (probably others too) offer several different hardness to ensure that you keep the leading to a minimum at higher velocities. They run just a little cheaper than the coated ones last time I looked. Missouri ships super fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Hey all, I'm getting started into loading, and I'm overwhelmed by choices. I heard you could save money per round loading, but some of the FMJ and stuff I see is like 20c/round, which after primer/brass/poweder puts me right up to almost factory prices. The only real cheap stuff I see is lead, but I hear they are harder to load, foul the barrel, and you have to keep them slow. I'm wondering if there's any reason to not shoot lead SWC out of a 5" 1911 in minor loads for steel shoots and practice. I would do major stuff with FMJ or swagged (is that right) since it will be going faster. thanks for the noob help! I shot a lot of 185 gr. LSWC at bulseye pistol matches out of my SA Trophy Match and S&W 945PC. I loaded using 3.8 gr. HS-700X for ca 720 fps (very accurate and mild load out to 25 yards) and 3.8 gr. VV N-310 for ca 790 fps which was accurate at 50 yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFarnham Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 What is the big deal about lead in a Glock? I hear some say definitely not and others swear by it. I spoke to a guy at a match today that said he has been loading lead for his Glock 35 for years. He said he started off checking the barrel every 50-150 rounds for build up, but never saw any problems as the rounds and years have added up. Does this glock lead "problem" just vary depending on the specific gun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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