mscott Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I use lead bullets exclusively because they are $39/k for .40s which gives me a lot more shooting for the money. It seems like most people at matches are shooting jacketed bullets. I've tried plated and found no real advantage. It seems like the lead bullets are accurate enough and feed perfectly fine. Is the smoke an issue for some of you or what? It doesn't seem too bad at all with WST powder. Should I just buy a thousand jacketed bullets and see what I've been missing? If I would go the jacketed route I would definately need to limit my practice and make the most of it. I also tried Masterblasters and still seemed to get a little smoke, so I wasn't overly excited about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeMartens Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I shoot lead also because of the price and I really like the nice 200gr semi wadcutter holes. It is smokey, but it doesn't bother me, might bother the RO!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I shot cast lead bullets out of my .45s for years without complaint. Then...... I started shooting .40 and used a lot of plated bullets. When I tried cast bullets I discovered I'm now a wuss about smoke. Doesn't help that the sun is in my face during practice, so the smoke seems worse. Of course I haven't tried more than Titegroup (NOT for cast bullets) and Universal Clays, so there might be a better combo out there for cast bullets in the .40. However I'm also sick of casting bullets and especially lubing them, so the timing is right for a change. I'm more than happy to give my money to Precision Delta these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD45 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I shoot cast bullets in the .45 also. Mainly because they are cheap( $30 per 1000). An added benefit is you can use less powder to make power factor with cast bullets. Every great once in a while I'll get clouded up in smoke on a tough partial, and it sucks. But I'm not in any danger of winning anything, so I live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 It makes a diff. to me= so much so that if I could get 'plain lead ' bullets for free , I wiould still use the jacketed. -But- I shoot a comped gun in 38 supper. I want to have some parts of my brain remaining in ten years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm3gnr Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I use lead bullets for practice in my .40. In the dry climate here I do not see much smoke at all. I do use jacketed in major matches. Good Luck ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonub Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 reloading lead is risky if you dont wash up thoroughly after. shooting lead will do the same thing. Also smoke is an issue. A few bucks more will greatly reduce the risk of high lead blood levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I shoot Precision coated bullets. With the price for jacket reaching $90, I get coated for half the price!!!!! Just can't say no to that. They smoke a little more and make the gun dirty, but I'll deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azone41 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Back in 87 I shot home cast lead in my 45. I got the lead for free so bullets were cheap ( 3 bucks a 1000). When I switched to 38 super open I used 160 gn lead bullets and they worked well in my open gun. Since then I have switched to jacketed and don't cast anymore. I still have all the stuff and a free source of lead but my time and health are a big concern now. If bullets keep going up I may have to start casting again ( NOT). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Ellis Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I still shoot lead for practice in a .45. But for any match I switch to Precisions. One stage a while back swore me off lead for competition. Simple stage. Standing. Gun on table. At the buzz engage the three full papers standing from above table. Then go under the table and engage 4 partials with lots of no-shoot and hard cover. You couldn't just hose it. There was some aiming involved. Oh, and there were no-shoots at either side of the table to restrict light which also restricted the breeze. Anyone that shot lead was hosed on this stage as the smoke obscured the targets in short order. Lesson learned. Lead has its place but can be a liability in competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 With plated bullets at $58/k delivered, there is very little that could motivate me to return to lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eager Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I'm just getting into re-loading. What is this "smoke" that's associated with lead bullets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruger Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I'm just getting into re-loading. What is this "smoke" that's associated with lead bullets? It is mostly the result of the lubricant used on lead bullets melting and burning. I use lead bullets for practice only. Smoke is one problem. I also find that lead bullets are dirtier than their plated or jacketed counterparts. Respectfully, Mark Kruger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eager Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I'm just getting into re-loading. What is this "smoke" that's associated with lead bullets? It is mostly the result of the lubricant used on lead bullets melting and burning. Ah, OK. Lube to seat the bullet in the cartridge case? Sorry for the side-track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitz Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 (edited) I've settled with 180gr plated Berry's in .40S&W. Both in practise and competition. Love them! No lead allowed anymore on in-and outdoor ranges overhere.. Edited July 27, 2006 by schmitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38superman Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I'm just getting into re-loading. What is this "smoke" that's associated with lead bullets? It is mostly the result of the lubricant used on lead bullets melting and burning. Ah, OK. Lube to seat the bullet in the cartridge case? Sorry for the side-track. Most cast bullets have one or more grooves (lube rings) around the diameter of the bullet that is filled with a wax lubricant. I don't think it has anything to do with seating the bullet. It is more for preventing the lead from stripping out and fouling the bore of the gun (which it has a tendency to do) under intense heat and pressure. This is part of the reason that lead isn't typically used in high velocity loads. Under high pressure you start to get lead fouling, deformed bullet bases, gas blow-by, etc. This can be compensated somewhat by a jacketed base called a "gas check". Tls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruger Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I'm just getting into re-loading. What is this "smoke" that's associated with lead bullets? It is mostly the result of the lubricant used on lead bullets melting and burning. Ah, OK. Lube to seat the bullet in the cartridge case? Sorry for the side-track. The lube is used when the bullet goes down the barrel. It flows into the gaps between the bullet and the barrel, reducing leading among other things. http://www.lasc.us/FryxellLubeCastBullets.htm OBTopic: The lead rounds I use are for my .45's. Slow bullets typically don't lead the barrel as much. My 38 super major rounds are all plated or jacketed. Respectfully, Mark Kruger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No.343 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I've shot lead in my .45 for many years. It was mostly in Bullseye and those loads were pretty mild. I never had any problems with leading, and the smoke was only an issue during late afternoon practices. I shot three times a week and shot my .22 a lot of the time. However, since I came over to the dark side and started shooting IPSC I've noticed some of the symptoms discussed in some of the threads on this forum that discuss lead poisoning. I intend to greatly reduce, if not eliminate my use of lead bullets. I encourage you to search for those lead poisoning threads and see if any of that information applies to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 I used to shoot hard cast lead but didn't like the smoke it made. I now shoot Bear Creeks (as said in many other posts). I have a friend who casts his own in a magna caster, uses straight Linotype, and makes bullets for his 38 super. I can always tell when he is shooting because his gun smokes like those old steam powered locomotives.. You can always tell when he is shooting even if he is 2 bays away.. you can see it over the bay walls... However, for bigger matches he uses Jacketed too.. There was this crazy stage where he had to shoot a lot through a barrel.. apparently it filled up with so much smoke, he had to step away from it, let the smoke clear and then continue shooting when it had cleared.. Vince Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 I think primer residue poses a larger risk to shooters than the cloud of smoke from lead bullets..which is mostly wax smoke. FMJs smoke too, and that smoke is almost guaranteed to contain lead and you cannot see it as well ad the plume of white smoke from cast lead bullets. bottom line, was up good and not be too worried about lead poisoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capizzo Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 I've shot the Precision (thats not the same as Precision Delta) coated lead bullets in .40 for years and have no complaints. They are definitely cleaner and less smokey than regular cast lead bullets. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srt-4 Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I use lead bullets exclusively because they are $39/k for .40s which gives me a lot more shooting for the money. It seems like most people at matches are shooting jacketed bullets. I've tried plated and found no real advantage. It seems like the lead bullets are accurate enough and feed perfectly fine. Is the smoke an issue for some of you or what? It doesn't seem too bad at all with WST powder. Should I just buy a thousand jacketed bullets and see what I've been missing? If I would go the jacketed route I would definately need to limit my practice and make the most of it. I also tried Masterblasters and still seemed to get a little smoke, so I wasn't overly excited about them. I used to shoot lead but I hate the smoke. I'm now shooting the Precision Bullets. They cost less than jacketed. I have also herd of some people getting high lead counts from just the smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 (edited) Smoke is the issue. PS Lead poisoning is more of a problem than you think. More of it is hygiene than shooting lead though Edited September 12, 2006 by BSeevers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Shooting lead certainly increases your risk of dangerous lead levels. I have seen more than a handful of excellent shooters forced to take a break as a result of lead poisoning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 It was a blast the last match watching .45 shooters with lead & Bullseye shooting through a barrel with the sun in their face. I use MasterBlasters & American Select & smoke was very noticeable so I will be changing bullets & powder for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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