Lazyvzboy Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 I've been reloading for a few months, mostly 9mm. Beretta PX4 Storm. I have noticed that when I shoot my reloads, I get quite a bit of smoke coming from the gun. also very dirty after shooting. I have used Power Pistol, WST and WSF for my 9mm. I am running WST 4.9grn with a 125grn lead cast bullet. Also ran Power Pistol 5.0grn same 125grn bullet. Both formulations are producing lots of smoke, and dirtying my gun quite a bit. I'm wondering if I am doing something wrong with my reloads that is causing the excess smoke, and dirt? I am aware that Winchester does not recommend WST for 9mm, and believe that may be causing the smoke. But the Power Pistol gives me the same smoke and dirt. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If these are stupid questions, please forgive me. "There are no such things as stupid questions, just stupid people that ask questions." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 I have noticed that when I shoot my reloads, I get quite a bit of smoke coming from the gun. also very dirty after shooting. I am running a 125grn lead cast bullet. There's your culprit! No matter what you run for powder those lead bullets with lube on them will smoke and foul up your gun in a hurry. Just test some Jacketed, plated or coated bullets and behold the difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdinga Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Try either a coated bullet like Bayou or SNS or switch to a jacketed bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyvzboy Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 sarge, rdinga, is it really that simple. I am dumbfounded. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.roberts Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 is it really that simple. Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD1 Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 +10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anachronism Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Many cast bullet lubes produce a lot of smoke. Also, lighter than optimal powder charges also produce smoke. Between the two of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justsomeguy Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 I recently ran a test in 9mm using SNS plain ol' cast bullets with the lube groove weighing 124grns and their new coated bullet weighing 125grns (no lube groove so it's slightly heavier) but they have the same ogive shape, that is they are round nosed bullets of the same shape. I used 3.8grns of e3 which does not seem to smoke as much as some powders like TiteGroup or Unique with lead. Side by side, the lead bullet using lube would leave a small cloud of smoke, the coated bullet left hardly any noticeable smoke. Both are accurate using that loading at 1.063 OAL or so. So... my conclusion is that SNS coated bullets are going to produce little if any smoke depending on the powder. The cooler the powder, the less smoke even with lubed lead, but coated seems like it will eliminate almost all smoke with a good powder choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasref Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 It's the lube on the bullet. I had the same problem, switched to coated bullets and the smoke went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyD Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) Like others have said it's just the lead. I wouldn't bother shooting cast lead especially in 9mm unless you cast your own (I do) the $10-15/k difference for coated or plated doesn't justify the cost difference. However less than $20/k for your own cast well....it makes great practice and plinking rounds I've only ever noticed the smoke when I've done some short range drills where I'm shooting at an extremely fast rate. The gun does get a lil dirtier than normal but I don't mind. Edited May 8, 2014 by JohnnyD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyvzboy Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Thank you all for the replies. I'm glad I asked. Sent from my GT-P5210 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I've been reloading for a few months, mostly 9mm. Beretta PX4 Storm. I have noticed that when I shoot my reloads, I get quite a bit of smoke coming from the gun. also very dirty after shooting. I have used Power Pistol, WST and WSF for my 9mm. I am running WST 4.9grn with a 125grn lead cast bullet. Also ran Power Pistol 5.0grn same 125grn bullet. Both formulations are producing lots of smoke, and dirtying my gun quite a bit. AFAIK, the smoke is most likely from your bullet lube burning. Also, 4.9gr WST for a 125gr lead bullet in 9mm seems kind of hot. The little bit of 124gr FMJ I've done with WST, I got what I wanted (minor PF) with 4.5gr. Lead should do with less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyvzboy Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Njl something for me to think about. Thanks Plinking and target shooting in Jersey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetdocone Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 It is the lead bullets. Much cheaper, but will smoke. You see from across the range who is shooting lead. It makes the targets hard to see in some parts of day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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