lead vs jacketed

[jarozzy]

I am shooting a .40 single stack, loading with Montana Gold 180gr CMJ. Someone told me that single stack shooters tend to use lead bullets in their reloads and Limited jacketed. Is this true? If so why?

[iShootguns]

I haven't any clue why. I shoot lead in limited and have no problems with feeding or leading.

[pjb45]

No idea why.

Some people think lead shoots softer than jacketed bullets. There are weight limits in SS which may lead people to believe shooting lead will produce less recoil/muzzle flip, whereas in Limited extended dust covers, bull barrels and tungsten guide rods dampen the effects of recoil/muzzle.

I know a few shooters who use lead in both guns. Seems you can get 220 lead bullets.

Personally, I HATE CLEANING LEAD out of my barrels.

[d_striker]

I've noticed that most of the Single Stack shooters I've squadded with are shooting .45. And of course, most Limited shooters are shooting .40.

It could just be a cost issue with shooting .45. Lead is definitely cheaper than jacketed.

Edited June 23, 2011 by d_striker

[gng4life]

It probably has to do with cost more than anything. The bigger the bullet, the more expensive it gets. In the smaller calibers, there is much less disparity between the cost of the bullets. It rises exponentially as the bullet gets bigger.

[Warhammer4k]

I'm with the "cost savings" explanation. I shoot cast lead bullets whenever possible, because they're just so much cheaper than either jacketed or plated.

Plated bullets are a nice compromise. For some, paying the premium is worth it, as the plating does prevent barrel leading.

[Postal Bob]

Most single stack shooters are shooting 45acp and use lead. I do for cost reasons, and lead seems to shoot better. The 45 acp is also a lower pressure round than the 40s&w. The 40 being a high pressure round, is more affected pressure wise by lead buildup than the 45.And like also stated, when you get to smaller calibers, there is less difference in price between lead and jacketed bullets.

[dugout]

I am shooting a .40 single stack, loading with Montana Gold 180gr CMJ. Someone told me that single stack shooters tend to use lead bullets in their reloads and Limited jacketed. Is this true?

No

[Seth]

SMOKE.

I could elaborate, but that covers it.

[CocoBolo]

It could be regional, however, I see more Precison Moly, BBI, and Bayou bullets in Limited and SS than jacketed. I shoot mostly open but when shooting Limited or SS, I shoot either Moly or Bayou Bullets. I also run them in my CZ Shadow 9 mm production gun.

I takes 5.1gr of WST to make major with a Jacketed 180gr bullet and it only takes 4.5gr to make major with a Bayou 180gr Bullet, you can feel the difference, makes the gun a bit easier to shoot. Smoke well not with Bayou Bullets, and I've got video of my open gun smoking, with jacketed bullets so those also smoke.

Gosh I think where there is smoke there is fire, is that why they call it burning powder.

I really like the Bayou Bullets they fly fast, don't smoke, and the gun gets no build up of anything. Give Donnie a call and order a sample, you might just like them. http://www.bayoubullets.net

Edited June 24, 2011 by CocoBolo

[jarozzy]

It could be regional, however, I see more Precison Moly, BBI, and Bayou bullets in Limited and SS than jacketed. I shoot mostly open but when shooting Limited or SS, I shoot either Moly or Bayou Bullets. I also run them in my CZ Shadow 9 mm production gun.

I takes 5.1gr of WST to make major with a Jacketed 180gr bullet and it only takes 4.5gr to make major with a Bayou 180gr Bullet, you can feel the difference, makes the gun a bit easier to shoot. Smoke well not with Bayou Bullets, and I've got video of my open gun smoking, with jacketed bullets so those also smoke.

Gosh I think where there is smoke there is fire, is that why they call it burning powder.

I really like the Bayou Bullets they fly fast, don't smoke, and the gun gets no build up of anything. Give Donnie a call and order a sample, you might just like them. http://www.bayoubullets.net

I have seen people talk about the Molly and bayou bullets, how do the differ from lead? There are two reasons I am shooting CMJ, first and the main reason is that is what my local gun shop had on hand when I started reloading two weeks ago, second is I want to minimize lead exposure. What gets me is the lead that builds up in the barrel, when you clean the barrel lead dust will be produced. I know that lead may be cheaper but I would rather pay a bit extra to have no lead build up.

[Seth]

It's not worth the effort of arguing. Try all 3. Buy a small package and learn for yourself. In the end, you can save .03 per round or shoot a cleaner load.

[Joe D]

I have shot lead for years. I can think of only once when smoke was an issue. Lead is just plain less expensive. I pay $40m for 160 gr 9mm, $42m for 180 gr .40 and $44m for 200 gr .45.

[GuyC]

I have shot lead for years. I can think of only once when smoke was an issue. Lead is just plain less expensive. I pay $40m for 160 gr 9mm, $42m for 180 gr .40 and $44m for 200 gr .45.

By "$42m" do you mean $42 a thousand, if so please point me in that direction.

[Joe D]

Valiant Bullets close to Anniston,AL. They don't UPS or USPS. They will deliver a large enough bullet order within a reasonable distance. I just pick mine up when I go to Atlanta. Been buying from them for 25+ years.

[Avezorak]

I use BBI coated in production, limited and single stack. They are clean, use less powder than jacketed and any smoke is negligible. I can barely see the smoke in my videos much less while Im shooting.

[Sean Gaines]

I like the heavy bullet small powder charge theroy, when it comes to lowering the recoil. If I can use 10%+ less powder with the same weight bullet as opposed to a jacketed bullet,I will do it. I shoot BBI's Molly coated, and have been satisfied with their performance. As far as smoke, It can't be any worse than an fmj, with a lead exposed base. If you are looking at the smoke and not your sights, than your attention is on the wrong thing anyways.

If you want ultimate clean, shoot a HP or a CMJ, but after a few hundred of those your gun will still get dirty. Its kinda like getting "Wet", once you are wet your wet, you can't really get wetter. Once your gun is dirty its dirty, you are still going to have to clean it. Now you may not clean it as frequently, but most of us have more time than money. LOL.

[dugout]

what seems to cause most of the smoke is bullet lube. When the lube is eliminated the smoke is reduced to almost none. Coated or jacketed both eliminate the lube. Moly coatings are naturally messy to handle. I feel the poly coating offers a nice balance and I favor the Bayou bullets.

[Warhammer4k]

what seems to cause most of the smoke is bullet lube. When the lube is eliminated the smoke is reduced to almost none. Coated or jacketed both eliminate the lube. Moly coatings are naturally messy to handle. I feel the poly coating offers a nice balance and I favor the Bayou bullets.

For this reason, I've been kicking around the idea of asking my local bullet caster to make my next batch with no lube. I would then apply moly coating myself, using a tumbler. Supposedly, that is one way to do it.

I don't like the waxy lube both because of the smoke when shooting, and because of the residue that builds up in the seating & crimping dies in my reloading equipment. The wax also leaves gunky residue inside my guns, sometimes to the point of affecting function. So I'm interested in switching to moly if reasonably practical.

Another lead-related note: On Friday I used a Kleenbore Lead-Away cloth to get the lead out of all my .40 caliber guns. I was skeptical, because there are plenty of other "lead removal" products that don't really work. The Lead-Away cloth actually worked surprisingly well, almost as well as my Lewis Lead Remover. The Lead-Away is a much cheaper solution, given that you don't have to shell out most of $20 to use it with different calibers. The cloth is also much more flexible, as it can be used to clean revolver faces and other surfaces that the Lewis Lead Remover can't touch. One caveat: because the Lead-Away is basically a cloth impregnated with a mild abrasive, it can and will remove bluing. My revolvers all have a plain steel finish, so that's not an issue for me, just keep it in mind if cleaning up a nice old S&W Model 29 or similar.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Warhammer4k