Lead exposure is a concern. Lead bullets tend to be more smoky when shooting, too. And you can’t load them as hot as FMJs without leading the bore.
I’ve been shooting lead bullets in my semi-auto pistols for a long time (thousands of rounds) with no problems. I wear medical gloves while reloading, I shoot in well ventilated areas, and I’m just loading soft “plinking” loads.
All that said, once I’m done with the current lot of lead bullets I’m going to switch to FMJ…
I load Bear Creek 135g moly 9mm round nose for my conventional rifled pistols. Cost from my local distributer is $58 a K a savings of about $20. Shooting 2-2.5K a month it adds up quick.
Using the right powder, I prefer WST smoke is minimal, actually none with my load.
Bimmer
Well I see you’ve drank the KoolAid! I’ve been a lead bullet shooter, hunter, caster for over 20 years - lead levels are lower then most folks that have never even touched lead! Why do you propigate the BS science! I bet your bottled water has more lead !!:rolleyes: So hows that leadfree bullet prices working for you out there in Komifornia!:lol:
Did they ever find that Condor that suposedly died from lead poison?:suicide2:
To the op if you want shoot lead it’s normal cheaper to load and gives you about the same or better performance ! General rule is .002" over bore for best accuracy.
I use lead bullets extensively in my handguns. I also cast my own.
Lead bullets are an acceptable, less expensive alternative to plated or jacketed, and the accuracy is just as good.
With lead bullets, the bullet to barrel fit is of more importance than the bullet hardness (typically measured as BHN: Brinell Hardness Number). The only issue you might run into with lead bullets in a 9mm is that the bullets might be too small. 9mm barrels can vary enough that a standard .356" cast bullet might not be big enough.
I’d order 100 or so bullets in the weights you’d like to try, and see how it turns out. And lead bullets can be pushed just as fast as jacketed bullets. I shoot 160gr SWC out of my 357 Magnums at 1300 fps without any leading.
Lead bullets to do have a reputation of being dirtier than jacketed, but it really isn’t the lead, it is the bullet lube. Some lubes are smokier than others (Alox makes a lot of smoke, in my experience, whereas lubes that have more carnauba wax aren’t as smoky.
If you have any questions, I’d be glad to help. A good website to check out if you’re interested in lead bullets and/or casting is Cast Boolits: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
The guys there know their stuff about cast bullets, although they turn into fudds/gun shop nitwits when it comes to AR-related stuff. Still, it is a good site, with friendly people.
Thanks guys. I’m actually not too concerned about the health aspect. I’m already pretty old anyway and people I know that use lead or work in lead environments don’t ever seem to have any issues. I’m not going to be that heavily exposed.
I have shot LSWC in .45 for a while with BullsEye and it is really smokey. I would like to cut that down a bit. Those were STAR bullets and almost waxy feeling.
I also shoot .38 Special WC in a Model 52.
I either don’t know what what a leaded bore looks like or I haven’t had the problem. My barrels all look normal to me and clean up fairly easily.
They do have a sample pack, which I didn’t check. That might be a good idea. I was just going to order 2000 and go to it.
I’ve been to two ranges lately that only allowed jhp or fmj ammo. No all lead bullets. They were indoor and said something about epa regs. Not sure how much truth there is to that but something you might want to consider. I thought it definitely sucked for people shooting 22lr pistols.
I don’t know if it’s KoolAid, but it seems simple to me that if my gloves are smeared with lead residue after reloading, and my pistols visibly smoke more shooting lead bullets, then there’s certainly some increased exposure to lead.
Maybe it’s not a lot, but I don’t have so much smarts that I can spare to give up any to lead exposure…
And maybe it’s just the powder I’m using (light loads of Unique), but like brzusa I have a small child who’s going to come shooting with me soon, so I’m looking for something cleaner.
As for what Grizzly said, I virtually always shoot outside, but my understanding is that many indoor ranges won’t allow lead bullets because the smoke wreaks havoc with their air filtration systems.
Bimmer
No the indoor range don’t allow lead because they will be shut done by the EPA cause they believe in the same BS science! Do the research all this crap about lead is propigated by the Eco terrorists and anti-hunting /gun crowd! Guess as to why? They don’t want you to own guns ,shoot nor hunt! :rolleyes: Research who supported the bans in Komifornia- all the anti-hunting /gun crowd! :rolleyes:
You know what’s ironic… all of the people trying to get lead outlawed probably had parents that grew up in homes with lead water service pipes.
The old buildings and homes in Richmond had lead service and it would not surprise me to find that some might still be in use. In fact, and even more ironic I suppose. some of our nicest homes, a medical college and two universities are all located in a section of town with these homes.
Now I wouldn’t want a child breathing lead/powder smoke but I think the EPA has gone nuts over this stuff. They’ve passed laws/fines for people doing painting restoration for this mess too. Fishing sinkers too.
precision delta FMJ… like 74/1000 bullets
the walther may be polygonal rifled (not sure offhand) which would necessitate FMJ or at least plated (depending who you ask… some peopel shoot hard lead bullets in poly’d barrels… your mileage may vary…
those do look like good prices though… i’m probably gonna order some up in 38 special…
Im with GunnutAF on this one.Lead is on the enviro-wackos and anti-gunners radar.By using the junk science method(big lie) they want to scare the populace into thinking that lead is like anthrax and bubonic plague.
Yes,MANY homes in the USA have solid lead water pipes supplying water from the main.You may have upgraded to copper or PVC,but the main to the home is good ol PB.
I have my blood checked annually during my physical and my lead levels are far below normal.Wash your hands.Keep a tidy casting area.
Now,back to bullet casting.I cast alot of bullets,always have.With ammo prices like they are,I would go broke using jacketed or even plated.Most of my pistol training ammo is lead.I shoot lead bullets with gas checks in some of my rifles for lower cost and to run reduced power loads in older guns.Muzzle-loaders and black powder guns,all lead bullets.
In todays high priced ammo environment,casting makes alot of sense.
I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from this site and I usually search here first for answers…
However, its these types of threads that make me think this site is surprisingly detached from the rest of the shooting world (sometimes good, sometimes bad).
The overwhelming majority of pistol reloaders use lead bullets and have for years without issues. They are cheaper and most of the time way more accurate. If you shoot a lot they with also extend the life of your barrel. Some competition shooters (Bullseye) report almost 2x the barrel life.
I belong to 2 clubs. One is REALLY big into Bullseye and the other is REALLY big into IDPA. Both host shoots where people from all over come. 100% of Bullseye shooters and about 80% of IDPA shooters reload. Most of these guys shoot thousands of round per year. I know some must load jacketed bullets but I have never seen it. Its is more common among IPSC shooters.
If you shoot indoors make sure they have a ventilation system and its on. When handling lead bullets, don’t lick your fingers, pick your nose, or fondle your eyeballs.
However, its these types of threads that make me think this site is surprisingly detached from the rest of the shooting world (sometimes good, sometimes bad).
I was simply concerned about lead bullets in this small gun -and- with so much 9mm available does lead make sense for this specific gun. I was also concerned about the two bullet profiles I listed. I don’t even know if the SWC will feed properly. I would expect the FP will.
It’s not a matter of being afraid to shoot lead. I was simply concerned that it may not be a good combination for this specific gun.
