Does anyone shoot .45 ACP Lead?

[MiddleKingdom]

My father-in-law gave me a .50 cal can full of .45 ACP RN lead and about 1,000 rounds of .45 ACP semi-wadcutters. I'm thinking the ammo is from the 70's, maybe early 80's. I know I can't fire it through my G21. Does anybody still shoot lead and if so is fouling an issue?

Thanks!

[Bill Steele]

My father-in-law gave me a .50 cal can full of .45 ACP RN lead and about 1,000 rounds of .45 ACP semi-wadcutters. I'm thinking the ammo is from the 70's, maybe early 80's. I know I can't fire it through my G21. Does anybody still shoot lead and if so is fouling an issue?

Thanks!

I shoot lead through my G21 quite frequently. I always shoot lead through my 1911's.

I rarely get zero leading when shooting lead. I have only gotten a lot of leading a few times and that was with higher pressure loads (i.e. 44RM).

If you get some leading, just clean it out of the barrel with some copper Chore Boy wrapped around a bore brush, works great.

[skosh69]

If you get some leading, just clean it out of the barrel with some copper Chore Boy wrapped around a bore brush, works great.

What he said!

[bohoki]

i shoot lead i cast my own too i fired someone elses reloads and got a few squibs

i am real careful using others reloads i generally pull a couple and check the powder

some people are more meticulous than me but i sure don't want to shoot any from people who are less

[CalTeacher]

Pretty much all I shoot is lead...especially through my 1911. .45 and lead bullets were made for each other.

Glocks shoot lead just fine. Happy shooting!

[ChrisToad]

some people are more meticulous than me

Are we referring to use of punctuation? [rimshot]

I shoot SWC lead all the time. No complaints!

Sorry, carry on...

[meaty-btz]

I shoot lead. Lead is great. Served for hundreds of years before jacketed ever was dreamed of.

[Paper Boy]

Yes

[Cowboy T]

This is a common myth that "you can't shoot cast bullets in a Glock". I know several people who have done just that for years without any problems. The people who do have that problem also tend to be the same people who don't clean their guns after using them. "Oh, it doesn't need cleaning, it's a Glock!" Ummm...okay.

Since you have a Glock 21, the rifling is octagonal vs. hexagonal in the Glock 17. That means a yet shallower angle and even less chance of lead-fouling in the rifling. Again, just clean your gun after shooting like we're all supposed to be doing anyway.

As for leading with hot rounds, (e. g. .44M), I do this all the time as well. My loads are typically around 30,000 PSI, and I have no leading problems. The keys are as follows:

1.) proper sizing of the bullet for that gun's chamber and bore,
2.) proper lube on the bullet, and
3.) proper hardness of the lead alloy for that application.

Numbers 1 and 2 are the most important and are equally important. Number 3 matters, but it's not quite as critical as 1 and 2 are. Ideal alloy for .45 ACP is BHN 8 to 10.

Ideally, your gun will have a chamber maybe 0.0005" to 0.001" larger than the bore's lands. If the chamber is smaller than that, it ought to be opened just a little to meet that spec. If the chamber's as much as 0.003" bigger than the lands, you should still be OK. Bigger than that, and I'd have a gunsmith take a look. This chamber/bore potential issue tends to be more prevalent with certain revolvers than semi-auto pistols, but still, it's good to bear in mind.

[CSACANNONEER]

I prefer to shoot my own hardcast bullets through my 1911s and my G21.

[9mmrevolver]

I resize and loob my cast. My lead is really soft. I get tons of fouling especially after 500 rounds. For me shooting for 5-6 cents per round is worth me cleaning for a longer period of time. Before I started shooting lead I didn't clean very often. Now that I do I clean every time.

[CSACANNONEER]

I resize and loob my cast. My lead is really soft. I get tons of fouling especially after 500 rounds. For me shooting for 5-6 cents per round is worth me cleaning for a longer period of time. Before I started shooting lead I didn't clean very often. Now that I do I clean every time.

Try a different lube. I cast whatever I can find and never check for hardness. Once I changed to Jake's Red, my guns just don't get lead fouling anymore. I've run 2500 rounds of .45acp through one of my 1911s and ended with just a few specks of lead in my barrel.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

How heavy are they?

I use lead all the time in 45 ACP. I usually load a 200gr projectile over 6.0gr Unique. One of my favorite loads of all time...

[MiddleKingdom]

How heavy are they?

I use lead all the time in 45 ACP. I usually load a 200gr projectile over 6.0gr Unique. One of my favorite loads of all time...

First, thanks everyone for your input! The RN looks to be 230gr, but I have no proof of that. The SWC would be an even great guess for me. My father-in-law isn't a shooter even though he has a nice collection of firearms. He doesn't even remember when he bought the ammo or from whom.

So firing it is somewhat of a gamble for me. He does have a couple of 1911s so I may fire the ammo through them.

[meaty-btz]

Don't go over hard, over hard bullets will not obdurate and properly seal the barrel. You get more leading than with an over soft bullet. Everyone likes the way Linotype looks and casts but IMO it is too hard except for high pressure weapons.. aka Rifles, high velocity lead.