Learned the truth about cast bullets

[3leggedturtle]

And any type of lead ones. Gunshop counter kid, was telling a guy you cant shoot lead bullets in most guns and especially Glocks . He said that they just skid straight the rifling without spinning, and once they leave the muzzle, start to tumble right away. He goes on and says its great for self defense as the knock down power at close ranges like 5-10 feet is unbelievable!!! Then after 50 rounds or so you'll have get a new barrel cause there will be so much lead in it you cant ever get them clean. The lead welds itself to the steel and cant be removed w/out damaging the rifling. I left without saying a word. No it wasn't a Gander Mtn. either.

[Mescalero]

[COSteve]

Done

[piller]

OH NO! I have shot several hundred rounds of lead out of my .30-30, and I must be due for a new barrel for it. Funny, but the lead bullets it shoots seem to behave strangely and forget to tumble. They even make small holes in paper, and seem to like to try to make the holes very close together. What is wrong with the lead bullets in my .30-30?????

[92&94]

Sounds like the counter kid has been reading up on the internet! It must be true... he read it on some SWAT forum or another

[TedH]

Unbelievable. I wouldn't have been able to just walk away without at least attempting to set the kid straight.

[mikld]

Unfortunately someone could believe him! Being behind the counter at a gun store makes him a "Who Said", or one who speaks with authority and knowledge, and to a complete newby an expert. Also, because of his "position" he has to know...

[Pisgah]

The tip off was the "Gunshop counter kid..." Most young folks these days don't bother to actually learn anything about what they run their mouths off on but rather just spout what they've heard from a friend or worse, the internet.

Not necessarily so. I know t least one 60 year old who owns a gun shop and styles himself a gunsmith whom I have heard make statements even more outrageous than that. In his case, I believe it's not ignorance, more a case of "Tell 'em anything to make a sale."

Some are just ignorant; others are lowlife scum.

[Nobody]

.....

[C. Cash]

Sounds like he is knowledgable enough to write for a largely circulated outdoor magazine.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have a bunch of guns ruined that way. On mine those lead bullets just make the bores shine even more. I better sell all my lead and molds quick before everybody learns this how bad lead bullets are.

[jh45gun]

You hear more false BS about guns in gun shops then any place else.

[centershot]

Somebody needs to slap that kid.....................even if it's only to wake him up!

[6pt-sika]

Somebody needs to slap that kid.....................even if it's only to wake him up!

Don't need to worry about smacking him . If he keeps up the DS long enough the person that owns the place will most certainly fire his backside !

[jh45gun]

Somebody needs to slap that kid.....................even if it's only to wake him up!

Don't need to worry about smacking him . If he keeps up the DS long enough the person that owns the place will most certainly fire his backside !

Maybe maybe not some gun shop owners are just as stupid when it comes to what they should know but don't. I could see some gun shops if they only sell factory ammo spread BS about reloading and cast bullets. Especially if it may be a customer that sounds and acts like a gun newbie.

[PaperPatch]

That young fella has a promising future in Congress!!!

[Sixgun]

Ha! I logged exactly 8,000 rds last year (not counting .22 rimfire) and about 7,999 of them were cast...............................................But..............I have heard that Glocks are a no-no with cast. Never having one of these guns, I just don't know. I do know you can buy replacement barrels that are cast bullet friendly.---------------------------6

[piller]

86er would be a good one to tell us about the Glocks since he is Glock Armorer certified. Didn't Glock use a different rifling than the standard land and groove? I seem to remember that they used rifling that was just flats in a polygon form. Marlin Microgroove did give less effective accuracy with lead from everything I have seen. Perhaps it was just not deep enough to catch the lead properly. That is a question better answered by those who know more about it than I do.

I have seen a barrel that had a lot of lead in the rifling that was cleaned by some generous elbow grease and a bronze brush with plenty of Hoppes number 9. I am sure that there are some folks on here who have seen the same thing, and maybe even have better methods to remove the lead. I would sure like to know what lube would be used to work as a flux to "weld" the lead to the steel at the temperatures and for the short time the lead is in contact with the steel. I could make a fortune on it if I sold it as a flux for solder.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Many lead problems stem from using too small of a diameter cast bullet made of too hard of lead.
Have three micro grooves and all three shoot cast just fine. But they only get fead cast that is .002 over groove. A good tight fit and no problem.
My Glock model 22 has digested well over 2000 rounds of 180 grain cast bulets. Again a good tight fitted bullet not made of super hard lead. I use 50-50 mix and happily shoot along. Not sure how many rounds the 45 acp Glock has digested but should be near 500.
I recommend to everyone who wants to learn something about lead boolits to visit Castboolits/Reloads. Great info awaiting anyone who can read.
Mike in Peru

[BAGTIC]

One should also consider that facts are sometimes less important that perception. What people believe is more important than what is. If people believe one style rifling won't shoot one style bullet accurately and another will and it causes potential customers to shy away from the product then why not give them what they want. What they want not necessarily what is needed. That is why placebos are so effective.

The customer is always right even when they are wrong.

[AJMD429]

Unbelievable. I wouldn't have been able to just walk away without at least attempting to set the kid straight.

Me either, either politely to him after the customer left, or at least to make sure I let his boss know he needed some more education on the topic.

Unfortunately someone could believe him! Being behind the counter at a gun store makes him a "Who Said", or one who speaks with authority and knowledge, and to a complete newby an expert. Also, because of his "position" he has to know...

Yep - those are the SAME 'experts' the news media always cites as examples of "gun owners who realize the benefits of stricter gun control". . .

I recommend to everyone who wants to learn something about lead boolits to visit Castboolits/Reloads. Great info awaiting anyone who can read.
Mike in Peru

Also the Los Angeles Silhouette Club (http://www.lasc.us/) has some excellent information on the topic

• http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

Also some good Jim Taylor stories. . . http://www.lasc.us/ArticlesTaylorLeverguns.htm

[Griff]

And his girlfriend is a french model... he met her on the internet. "...Oui, je l'ai rencontrée sur internet!" What a tool!

What AJMD said.

Unbelievable. I wouldn't have been able to just walk away without at least attempting to set the kid straight.

Me either, either politely to him after the customer left, or at least to make sure I let his boss know he needed some more education on the topic.

Unfortunately someone could believe him! Being behind the counter at a gun store makes him a "Who Said", or one who speaks with authority and knowledge, and to a complete newby an expert. Also, because of his "position" he has to know...

Yep - those are the SAME 'experts' the news media always cites as examples of "gun owners who realize the benefits of stricter gun control". . .

I recommend to everyone who wants to learn something about lead boolits to visit Castboolits/Reloads. Great info awaiting anyone who can read.
Mike in Peru

Also the Los Angeles Silhouette Club (http://www.lasc.us/) has some excellent information on the topic

• http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

Also some good Jim Taylor stories. . . http://www.lasc.us/ArticlesTaylorLeverguns.htm

+1 to all!!!

[jorgy]

I do not believe the pile of BS for one minute. I have a Marlin 1893 38-55 2nd year production. I have shot hundreds of cast bullets thru that gun & the bore shines like a new dime. It cleans very easily with very
little leading. I do use bullets with gas checks.

[piller]

Sounds as if Mike in Peru understands how to use cast bullets. His answer to the Marlin Microgroove situation sounds reasonable, and he used it himself. I still want to know how to weld lead to steel that quickly and strongly. I could make a fortune in the solder industry. The kid behind the counter had obviously never tried to solder anything. It can be done, can be done quickly, but it is not welding!

[44-40 Willy]

My experience with microgroove and cast bullets matches Mike in Peru's. Size your bullets about .002 over groove diameter and there's nothing wrong with microgroove. The people who say cast won't work in a microgroove barrel are full of it.

I knew a gunshop owner who'd say anything to make a sale. He'd even take the extra mags out of the boxes of new pistols and sell them separate. He didn't get much of my business unless it was something I just couldn't get anywhere else locally. Mostly powder.

[Old Time Hunter]

Tell ya what, an original 1911 does not like LSWC's...jambs all the time.

After a few thousand rounds of 115gr LRN's out of an M1 carbine, it started cycling inconsistently. Took the whole thing down and had lead dust in the gas chamber, loaded up the port.

So there can be some issues with cast, in certain guns. That is why I just recently picked up a new Ruger SR45...supposedly they handle cast.

[John Y Cannuck]

I don't doubt the kid believed what he was saying. Guys gossip more than women sometimes, and are often just as gullible. Read it on the internet, so it must be true!

I think most issues with firing lead in most firearms can be resolved with some head scratching, and a bit (ok maybe a lot) of experimenting. That's all part of the fun, the reason we like to shoot.

[Chas.]

Glocks have polygonal rifle and tend to strip off lead. You can shoot lead in Glocks, but must be diligent about cleaning out the lead. My Desert Eagle, on the other hand, has 2 strikes against lead. It has polygonal rifling similar to Glocks, and being gas operated, it has a tiny gas port that can get clogged by lead shavings and/or lube deposits.

I went into Gander Mtn. the other day to see if they had LR primers. The young fellow asked me what caliber I was loading because if it's a magnum then I needed magnum primers. Being in a bit of a hurry, I didn't explain that the caliber didn't matter, but the powder did - or the data recipe being used. I just told him that I'd take whatever LR primers he had.