pros are obvious, price.
Cons: depending on your gun it's best to buy an aftermarket barrel. small learning curve to re-adjust your dies as far as belling and crimp to seat the larger bullets. And that's.... that's about it.

Most people who shoot lead out of 1911s opt for SWC or semi-wad cutters.

I am making the transition over to lead myself so welcome aboard!

 

It's been my experience, that lead bullets, when properly sized are very accurate. The 45acp uses .451dia. jacketed bullets. If you go to lead, make sure they are sized to at least .452dia. And contrary to popular belief, harder bullets aren't always better, especially in low pressure rounds like the 45acp. If the bullets are too hard, they wount obturate/ bump up to fill the grooves of the barrel and will cause leading.
I'm speaking of course of casting bullets, when you buy lead bullets you're pretty much stuck with whatever alloy they used.
I've tried Laser Cast brand and found them to be too hard and leaded the barrel. I've had pretty good luck with Dardas brand .452 200gr swc bullets. You can check around for other brands, there are many different companies to choose from.
Happy shooting!!!!

Tmygun:wavey:

 

It is often forgotten that shortly after the Chinese invented gun powder for use in festive fireworks someone came up with the idea of using it as a weapon of war. The first projectiles used were rocks, (apparently there was no Obama induced shortage of natural resources back then). It didn't take long to realize that the lack of uniformity, density and scarcity of different caliber rocks in inventory at Walmart meant that a more suitable material for projectiles had to be found. After lots of experimentation over many years that included materials; wood, iron, bronze, copper, etc., it was determined that lead possessed all of the properties needed for an effective gun powder propelled projectile.

Fast forward to modern times, (although Fred, bob2223, Cobra64 and Dudel still remember the days of rock projectiles), and we still recognize lead as being the 'almost perfect' material for projectiles, within certain limitations. It is an abundant natural resource, takes no elaborate equipment to either mine it or mould it and if found after use it can be reused over and over again. (I can think of something else that fits in that category but that discussion is best left for a different kind of forum.)

As technology advanced over the years lead projectiles were faced with certain limitations that necessitated alteration to it's basic configurations... most of those coming about after the evolution of smokeless powders with resulting higher velocities and pressures and the advent of fully automatic firearms.

It should be noted that although 'jackets' of different materials were used to decrease 'lead fouling' and increase accuracy at higher velocities the projectiles still retained their 'lead' core and with only limited exceptions still do to this day.

For the average shooter, especially pistol shooters, lead offers many, many benefits with only a few downsides.

Cost is obviously high on the list... a cast or swaged bullet being less expensive to produce than it's jacketed counterpart. Should a loader decide to cast his own bullets the cost per bullet can be brought down to statistical insignificance after the initial equipment cost is amortized.

Contrary to some assertions lead bullets are every bit as accurate as jacketed bullets when used within their physical limitations, i.e. velocities, bullet configuration, alloy, etc.

The potential effectiveness of lead bullets is demonstrated in the fact they they were used exclusively in warfare until the turn of the last century and have taken down every manner of game on the planet, from the smallest to the largest and most dangerous. It should also be noted that until a witnessed and recorded sniper shot during the Vietnam war the longest sniper shot prior to that occurred during the Civil War, (or as some prefer, the War of Northern Aggression) with a lead Minnie ball, (conical bullet).

For modern day pistol shooting, be it paper, steel or some hunting applications jacketed bullets offer no real advantages over lead in velocities up to around 1200 fps. (this assumes that a given lead bullet configuration and weight will function reliably in a given firearm.)

The one caveat involves the ongoing debate concerning lead bullets out of an OEM Glock barrel. There are many on this forum who will argue both sides of that debate and I shall leave it to those who are more knowledgeable on the subject than I.

So, the choice is your... shoot jacketed bullets and only have to worry about the added cost and some copper barrel fouling or shoot lead bullets at lower cost and spend a minute or two longer cleaning your guns and experience a bit more smoke while shooting from the lube on the bullet.

What ever you choose, be safe and happy shooting.

Jack

 

Jack gave you a very good history lesson, then again, he was around when lead bullet were invented.:rofl: The biggest advantage of lead bullets in a semiauto is price. Plated are almost as expensive as cheaper jacketed , like those from Precision Delta. Lead bullets will cause you more issues cleaning as the gunk from oils, bullet lube & carbon form a pretty good sludge after a few hundred rounds. Lead bullets can also cause leading if they don't fit the groove dia well (read at least 0.452" in 45acp) or the lube is is wrong for the pressure/vel. No such worries w/ plated or jacketed. I prefer plated or jacketed for indoor shooting, less smoke & fumes. Outdoors, I shoot lead almost exclusively. Then there is the no lead in poly bores like the Glock issue. It can be done, just requires more frequent cleaning. Ultimately, you have to decide if the cost break is worth the slight negs of shooting lead bullets.

 

Have to learn if hard cast is needed for your firearm. Some like softer and some require hard.
Speeds are usually quite slower for lead and some leading may occur.
Dirtier to handle and exposed lead may have health issues.
Lead can be cheap and fun if done correctly.

 

Have to learn if hard cast is needed for your firearm. Some like softer and some require hard.
Speeds are usually quite slower for lead and some leading may occur.
Dirtier to handle and exposed lead may have health issues.
Lead can be cheap and fun if done correctly.

exactly. I know glock factory bbl's handle the hardest lead and that the soft stuff gets them real dirty. If it's real hard then you shouldnt have a problem. 3rd party bbl's might be the way to go if you're loading standard lead

 

would you recommend lead for somebody just getting started with reloading or should I start out with plated or jacketed?

Thanks for the good replies btw.

 

Either will be fine. Only added issue is for lead you sometimes have some powders that will smoke more and give you more leading as well. It's not a big deal but it might add just a smidge more complication to the process. Another issue is lead bullets are sized .001 larger so some pistols have more "chambering issues" with lead. Starting with lead is not a "problem" but it's a little more complicated. If your worried about it get 1K plated or jacketed to start. Then get some Lead half way through that order and try both. I had nothing but problems with Lead and this one barrel I had. So I sold the barrel and gave up. Only to retry it all again over this last week.

 

would you recommend lead for somebody just getting started with reloading or should I start out with plated or jacketed?

Thanks for the good replies btw.

Plain lead bullets tend to smoke a bit because of the lube. No big deal. Get some 200grn. LSWCs and load away. They're accurate, cheap, cut clean holes in a target and generally available in most parts of the country.

I load mine w/5.0grns. WST for approximately 900fps dependant on barrel length. You can go as low as 4.0grns. in a 1911 platform. Either load is superbly accurate, clean burning, and low recoiling enough to ensure good double taps.

 

would you recommend lead for somebody just getting started with reloading or should I start out with plated or jacketed?

Thanks for the good replies btw.

I recommend you get your feet wet w/ jacketed bullets. There are fewer issues getting accurate loads w/ jacketed bullets. Crimp, bullet size even powders affect lead bullets a bit more & there is just more data for jacketed. JMO, but when starting out, you need to make it as easy as possible on yourself. After 1000 jacketed, get some lead bullets & start over. Your loads will be diff & they will smoke some, but accuracy can be just as good as any plated or jacketed bullet.

 

Pro: Cheaper and you can make your own boolits

Cons: Dirtier, less choice (ie commercial ballistic tip lead, HP, frangible, tracer, etc), and some indoor ranges don't allow them.

I find plated a good compromise. A good variety of plated projectiles are available. Plated is priced between lead and FMJ. Not an issue in stock barrels. I find they shoot quite well.

For someone starting out, FMJ is the best place to start IMHO. No need to worry about shaving lead on the case, missing lube, leading (if you end up loading too fast or too slow), and possibly chambering issues since lead rounds are normally sized a thou or two larger than the equivalen jacketed projectile.

 

It is often forgotten that shortly after the Chinese invented gun powder for use in festive fireworks someone came up with the idea of using it as a weapon of war...

Fast forward to modern times, (although Fred, bob2223, Cobra64 and Dudel still remember the days of rock projectiles), ...

The one caveat...
What ever you choose, be safe and happy shooting.

Jack

If there is a Hall of Fame for posts, this should be in it! :number1:

 

I have loaded thousands of rounds of Lead boolits. It is limited to .45 Colt, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .45-70 in smokeless, Black Powder and BP substitutes, but the same principals apply to other cartridges. I started with a Dillon 550. I have shot several different brands of lead, and in my cowboy loads found that a simple soft lead well lubed slug fired cleaner and more accurately than any major "hard cast" bullet. I would shoot several hundred rounds between cleaning, and then only cleaned because I felt like I should.

I shoot these http://www.cowboybullets.com/Products.html I would be very interested to see how their .452, 170gr. bullet performed in the .45 ACP. In my cowboy guns, these were VERY accurate.

They have a very good FAQ page about lead bullets.

 

The pro for me is I cast my own and they are just about free.

 

The pro for me is I cast my own and they are just about free.

:thumbsup:

Bob

 

If there is a Hall of Fame for posts, this should be in it! :number1:

Hey, guys, look at that, ^, at least someone appreciates me... well, him and my dog. I'm gonna go eat worms. :faint:

Jack

 

Hard cast lead bullets is the way to go in handgun reloading. If you use a proper fitted good hard cast bullets such as the ones I get you will get no leading even in full house 357 and 44 Magnum loads.
Check out twoalphabullets.com

 

I have just started reloading compared to some of these old farts :whistling: But I have a stock barrel 27 and have no problem with plated bullets out of it. About $115 for 1K.

 

I have just started reloading compared to some of these old farts :whistling: But I have a stock barrel 27 and have no problem with plated bullets out of it. About $115 for 1K.

I shoot a lot of plated in certain guns but PD jacketed are actually cheaper than most palted prices.

 

...with plated bullets out of it. About $115 for 1K.

Well, that's about $60 to $70 too much for me. Copper has become way too hyper-inflated for me to bow down to these "market prices". I still do have a significant stash of plated and genuine jacketed stuff, - but I choose not to use it. I cringe when I peruse the retail web-sites and continue to just say no-way! Haven't shot ANYTHING but lead in my pistols for over 2 years.

Casters and lead scroungers like myself and plenty of others here on this board have done VERY well for ourselves. I just laugh when I walk by a locked up ammo display which displays a 50 rnd box of WW 9mm for ~$20.00.... when my cost is about $2.75...

When manufacturers like Montana Gold can offer me 1000 plated for about $65-70, that's when I'll return an begin placing orders again. But,....I'm not holding my breath anytime soon.



:rant:

 

Lead pro = price ($40-$50/1000)
Lead con = smokes more, leads more, more dirty, more finiky

FMJ pro = everything better than lead
FMJ con = price ($70-$80/1000 bulk)

 

The coefficient of friction in lead is much higher than copper so lead tends to have more feeding problems than plated.
A lot of people buy after market barrels to shoot lead. After market barrels are advertised as competition barrels. They tend to be chambered several thousand on an inch tighter. Which makes the feeding problems even worst. So a lot of people pay more to avoid the feeding issues.

The other side is lead drops the price per round down a lot. With the 40 and buying the lead bullets the price per cartridge goes from 15 cents to 10 cents each. With free bullets that I cast would drop the cost to 4.5 cents a round.

Crap Crap Crap you guys are going to make me go get casting equipment,

 

Crap Crap Crap you guys are going to make me go get casting equipment,

Ha! Better start collecting lead ww now. They are banning them in Washington state in 2011 I think.:crying:

 

Ha! Better start collecting lead ww now. They are banning them in Washington state in 2011 I think.:crying:

I have lead coming out of my ears. I used to dive an live on an island. Heck a quick walk around a boat yard will yield as much lead as you can carry. Mostly its about time with me. But I am starting to see the advantages and I don't trust that bullets will always be available.

My pot and burner are set up for poring 5 or 10 pound pours so I would have to re=gear.

So what is the disadvantage of a six bullet mold instead of a two?

 

I have lead coming out of my ears. I used to dive an live on an island. Heck a quick walk around a boat yard will yield as much lead as you can carry. Mostly its about time with me. But I am starting to see the advantages and I don't trust that bullets will always be available.

My pot and burner are set up for poring 5 or 10 pound pours so I would have to re=gear.

So what is the disadvantage of a six bullet mold instead of a two?

In aluminum, none really. If you ever work w/ even a 4cav iron mold, it wears you out pretty quick. The only issue w/ Lee molds is quality & limited bullet shapes, but find one you like & give it a try. You can cast 800+ an hour & most will be keepers once the mold comes to temp. Then the qhole lubing/sizing issue.
Some guys have luck shooting as cast w/ Alox. I am not a fan so have used a lub/sizer for decades. I just like the choice of lubes & having all the bullets the same size limits surprises when loading & I think they shoot better.:dunno:
Good thought on the dock. I have a cousin inlaw that owns a commercial fishing boat. I should put a bug in his ear.