Do you shoot lead on your revolvers?

[TnBama]

If you shoot lead, do you do anything special to clean your barrel? If you don't shoot lead can you recommend a good source for loaded 38 special that makes minor power factor?

[Bubber]

TnBama, I shoot lead out of my Revo's. First of all cause I am a chep B@@$$^@%$, Do I do anything special to clean my barrel? I will let you know as soon as I clean it. I use a hard cast bullet, (Billy Bullets 160 grain) Moly coated. Every two or three months I may put a patch down the barrel and little else. I use a 686 38 super, and a 686 38 special. I also have an 8 shot 627 in 38 super. I do have to remove the front aluminium shroud like a comp and clean the lead that accumulates there but not in my barrel. I do however shoot soley minor and my velocities are around 820 to 850. Which revo are you using? Later rdd

[vrmn1]

I shoot lead in all of my revolvers.

Lead bullets that I cast myself because I am even cheaper than Bubber.

And no I do not do anything special to clean my guns.

And like Bubber I will tell you when I clean them.

Really I don't get lead in my barrels that don't brush out.

I size my bullets over size they seal the bore. I use a good lube White Label BAC.

I don't have any leading.

[Carmoney]

Lead bullets will lead the barrel. No big deal--you can shoot the leading right out of the barrel with a cylinder full of jacketed ammo at the end of each shooting session.

Yes, you may have seen internet folklore about this being bad for the gun, etc., etc. Forget all that hand-wringing from the little old ladies, it's all a load of crap. Jacketed ammo cleans the lead right out. I've been doing it for 20 years, and I know tons of other experienced shooters who do the same.

[TnBama]

Thanks guys!

I have a 586 no dash that I got off GunBroker- I had a local smith work on the trigger, chamfer etc. for me. I am playing with the idea of shooting it in IDPA and USPSA this winter when weather permits. I was just going to get some 333's (for the USPSA) and comp III's and shoot SSR . Georgia Arms has some .38 lead reloads- so that was why I was asking.

Thanks for the replies!

[20nickels]

A few years back I told myself that I was not going to reload my own ammo, but instead just buy the ammo. The costs of factory ammo is crushing if you shoot in any sort of volume. I am now reloading and love it! It is really not that big of a deal if you just sit down and get it over with. Also will be casting soon.

[coog]

I shoot lead out my 625 and 25. No problems. Just follow Carmoney's advice. Shoot some jacketed bullets after practice session.

[Carmoney]

'zactly!

Except the part about "practice session." Practicing is unethical.

[revchuck]

Lead is fine for .38 Special and .357 Mag. The only factory .38 Special round nose lead (RNL) that makes minor from a 4" barrel that I know of is S&B, and I've been told that some lots don't.

You really need to load your own if you're going to shoot IDPA and USPSA. Not only is it way cheaper, but also you can dial in the load for your gun.

Check the cylinder opening in your 586-0. S&W had a factory recall on those way back then due to problems with the primers flowing back into the hole in the firing pin bushing when firing hot .357s. If yours has been back for the fix, there should be an "M" stamped next to the 586. If there's no "M", you can call S&W and they'll send you a label so you can send it in and they'll fix it and return it to you on their dime. The bad news is that they'll return the trigger job to factory standards. If you're only going to shoot minor ammo through it, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Service Desk]

If you shoot lead, do you do anything special to clean your barrel? If you don't shoot lead can you recommend a good source for loaded 38 special that makes minor power factor?

Only about 30,000 a year..... mostly at 125 to 128 pf... in "K" Frame Smiths. My best friend is a Brownells Double-Tuff .38cal Bore brush and his best friend is a Hoppes Bore Snake.... together we co-exist in perfect harmony.

[DougCarden]

Brownells also carries the Lewis lead remover for those stubborn lead deposits that wont go with conventional brushes too.....

DougC

[RePete]

I used to shoot lead but have got away from it because of the smoke.

Lead will not do any damage (except at the target end). I cleaned my gun every 5000rds but I did rod out the barrel after each session mostly.

[TnBama]

Yep I have the M on my 586-

So the smoke is from the lead? I thought it was from the powder. Is that dangerous if you inhale it?

[RePete]

Yep I have the M on my 586-

So the smoke is from the lead? I thought it was from the powder. Is that dangerous if you inhale it?

It's mostly from the lube but also from the base of the bullet - normal. Some powders are smokey but that depends on the loads.

Yes it is dangerous if you inhale it - can we say lead poisoning - I've had it. If the indoor range ventilation is good, no need to worry and outdoors usually not a problem.

The main reason I got away from lead was because of the IDPA Nationals in '07 on the indoor range - yes the ventilation was adequate, but I would shoot 1 and blow through the smoke - it seemed that way.

I'm not trying to scare anyone or dissuade them from using lead, just giving my reasons.

[Bones]

I see a lot of folks shooting lead bullets at IDPA matches "because they are more accurate and less expensive" .

The irony is that lead bullets produce so much smoke when fired at cadences typical in these sports, shooters cannot reacquire their sights in a reasonable period of time and end up missing and/or shooting more than they need to. This is exacerbated in indoor, low and no-light conditions.

Lead bullets make sense to me in bullseye shooting and other sports where a similar firing rate is not required to be competitive.

The obvious health issues of exposing yourself and match staff to vaporized lead fumes aside, my observations as an SO and competitor are that lead bullets are a detriment to hitting lots of things fast.

If you chose to shoot start shooting lead bullets, I urge you to have your baseline blood lead level determined now and then rechecked after 5K rounds. Use that data and your match experiences to decide for yourself.

Craig

Edited October 27, 2008 by Bones

[BlackSabbath]

Precision Bullets and Billy Bullets cut down on the smoke because they don't use the traditional parafin based wax lube. I use them in my S&W 627 and my G-17.

Edited October 27, 2008 by BlackSabbath

[Carmoney]

I have found lead bullets to work pretty well for outdoor matches, but I also live out here in the midwestern plains where we almost always have at least a light breeze blowing. I even shot the USPSA Nationals with cast bullets one year, and it went fine, although I specifically remember one stage where the combination of lighting and humidity made the smoke very bothersome. Currently, I'm shooting mostly lead at local matches and mostly jacketed at big matches.

[vrmn1]

I see a lot of folks shooting lead bullets at IDPA matches "because they are more accurate and less expensive" .

The irony is that lead bullets produce so much smoke when fired at cadences typical in these sports, shooters cannot reacquire their sights in a reasonable period of time and end up missing and/or shooting more than they need to. This is exacerbated in indoor, low and no-light conditions.

Lead bullets make sense to me in bullseye shooting and other sports where a similar firing rate is not required to be competitive.

The obvious health issues of exposing yourself and match staff to vaporized lead fumes aside, my observations as an SO and competitor are that lead bullets are a detriment to hitting lots of things fast.

If you chose to shoot start shooting lead bullets, I urge you to have your baseline blood lead level determined now and then rechecked after 5K rounds. Use that data and your match experiences to decide for yourself.

Craig

Do you worry about exposing yourself to the lead in primers?

I shoot lead all the time. I cast my own lead bullets. And I have had my lead checked many times.

My lead level is fine.

With a good qaulity lube, not the stuff they use on cheap cast bullets smoke is a very minor problem.

[Carmoney]

Yes, the real hazard of lead exposure comes not from the bullets, but from inhaling the vaporized lead syphnate that is generated from the primers.

Regular shooting on an indoor range is not a terribly healthy thing to do. All that black crap you blow out of your nose after an indoor match should be telling you something.....

[Bones]

Do you worry about exposing yourself to the lead in primers?

I shoot lead all the time. I cast my own lead bullets. And I have had my lead checked many times.

My lead level is fine.

With a good qaulity lube, not the stuff they use on cheap cast bullets smoke is a very minor problem.

Yes, I do worry about that vrmn1 and I have taken steps to mitigate it.

I am glad you found a system that works for you.

As evidenced by the fact that each of us arrived at a different point regarding lead bullets it is clear that each individual's situation, materials, expectations and practices are different.

I am simply encouraging others to do as you and I have, and collect data for themselves as part of the decision making process.

Best Regards,

Craig

[oldtrooper]

+1 with what Carmoney and the others have said. It is awfully hard to wear out a barrel shooting lead. I shot PPC for years from the 1960's thru the early 1990's and must have shot several tons of lead bullets, many of them that I cast. Wheel weights were a freebie at service stations back then. They all did wheel alignments and they were glad to have someone haul them off for them. I had a regular trap line of 5gal. buckets. All you had to do was pick one up when it was about half full, really heavy when full, and drop off an empty one in it's place.

Those old PPC revolver barrels still look as good on the inside as they did when new.

[jasond]

My experience is that not all lead bullets are created equal. There are some cast locally that filled the rifling after 50, shooting light loads. A few magnum jhp's fixed that! They can be smoky indoors, and on my v-comp, they fill up the muzzle cap with lead. I wouldn't use lead on a gun that had any porting or a comp.

I've had good luck with Hornady, and also with some a friend cast for me. I'm sure there's plenty of other good ones out there.

[S&WIowegan]

I shoot quite a lot of lead loads in .38/.357 but you need to be aware of the potential drawbacks of smoke during a match. It sounds silly until it hapens to you. A combination of no breeze and high humidity does the trick. I remember shooting IPSC targets at 50 yds. while prone. My load was 158 gr. LRN and Unigue.......the smoke hung right on the gun and target disappeared.

More recently, at an evening steel match with high humidity, no breeze and failing light a load of lead, lube and TiteGroup made the plates invisible.

Best plan is to play/practice with lead and use jacketed for matches. Leading of bores is not a problem if you use the right bullet powder combination.

Bob.

A16841

[coldchar]

TnBama, I shoot lead out of my Revo's. First of all cause I am a chep B@@$$^@%$, Do I do anything special to clean my barrel? I will let you know as soon as I clean it. I use a hard cast bullet, (Billy Bullets 160 grain) Moly coated. Every two or three months I may put a patch down the barrel and little else. I use a 686 38 super, and a 686 38 special. I also have an 8 shot 627 in 38 super. I do have to remove the front aluminium shroud like a comp and clean the lead that accumulates there but not in my barrel. I do however shoot soley minor and my velocities are around 820 to 850. Which revo are you using? Later rdd

What powder and charge have you used with the 686 38 super? I have one of those animals and use 160 Billy's in my 38 special.

[Bubber]

TnBama, I shoot lead out of my Revo's. First of all cause I am a chep B@@$$^@%$, Do I do anything special to clean my barrel? I will let you know as soon as I clean it. I use a hard cast bullet, (Billy Bullets 160 grain) Moly coated. Every two or three months I may put a patch down the barrel and little else. I use a 686 38 super, and a 686 38 special. I also have an 8 shot 627 in 38 super. I do have to remove the front aluminium shroud like a comp and clean the lead that accumulates there but not in my barrel. I do however shoot soley minor and my velocities are around 820 to 850. Which revo are you using? Later rdd

What powder and charge have you used with the 686 38 super? I have one of those animals and use 160 Billy's in my 38 special.

coldchar, I like WST in the 686 38 super. I am trying WST at about 3.7. On my 8 shot open gun I like Clays at 2.8 to get a 125 pf for ICORE. I think the velocities are slower in my 686 due to a little more barrel gap.