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View Full Version : Shooting lead through Glock/USP



Milltown353
04-27-2010, 01:58 PM
Now I've heard many people say that it is not advisable to shoot lead bullets through Glock factory barrels. I've have heard others say they have shot lead through their Glock barrels for year with absolutely no trouble with leading.

I was just curious as to what the knowledgeable people of the board had to say about it.

Thanks

geargnasher
04-27-2010, 02:02 PM
You'll here the same things here, let the debate begin!

Gear

felix
04-27-2010, 02:20 PM
It is all about pressure containment when and where in the barrel. Keeping the barrel clean of any kind of fouling is the key to keeping the whole gun safe. The barrel configuration is the culprit, but works OK with attention to detail. ... felix

prs
04-27-2010, 09:40 PM
Felix, that's a fine answer; as far as you went. Toss me some more bones, pardner. So I start with a very clean barrel and shoot a clip of rounds. Is the barrel fouled to an extent to require swabbing? Do I need to avoid certain "dirty powders" (gee, I guess ffg Goex is off the list). Do I need to favor certain clean powders. Do I need to seek a certain hardness of boolit. Is felix lube a likely candidate? I'm one lazy SOB and don't wanna do all this footwork research, if them wut knows will tell. ;-)

prs

felix
04-27-2010, 10:10 PM
Slim, the factory barrel has a groove configuration which makes the boolit distort more than necessary for complete rotation. This generates more pressure than would be required using a normal barrel. The powder in response to the added pressure burns quicker, and therefore hotter which causes premature leading. A cooler, and/or slower, powder would be of extreme benefit with any weird barrel configuration. The fact that the barrel has a breach opening a little too large adds ease to feeding, but allows a premature case ejection with possible failure because of the "wrong" powder. ... felix

Sorry about not offering any real suggestions for loading. That's because I do not have any hands on experience with the gun. I shot quite a few different versions and I really like the feel of the Glock gun. All were shot with factory rounds. ... felix

AZPaul
04-27-2010, 10:28 PM
I shoot lead through my stock G38 barrel no problem. I use Bear Creek bullets though.
I was shooting my own molded bullets through my stock G27 barrel until I realized my rifling was a most non-existent it was so full of lead.
Bear Creek work really great.

randyrat
04-27-2010, 10:33 PM
Hexagonal (other calibers) and Ocagonal (45 acp ) I 'd be more inclined to shoot lead out of the 45 but hesitate or proceed carefully with the other calibers. keep an eye on leading a little more than other regular rifling when shooting a Glock standard barrel.Barrel Manufacturer Links:
Bar-Sto http://barsto.com
KKM Precision http://www.kkmprecision.com/
Fire Dragon http://www.norecoil.com
Jarvis http://www.jarvis-custom.com
Olympic Arms http://www.olyarms.com
Storm Lake Barrels http://www.stormlakebarrel.com
There is sooooo many after market barrels out there. Also ones with much better WEB or case suport than the Glock barrel, why not buy one for lead and reloads.

You can pick out Glock shot brass a mile away- the famous Glock Bulge

felix
04-27-2010, 10:55 PM
Pertaining to Glock Pistol Barrels:
"I shot both Glocks for accuracy at 25 yards....The standard Glock shot groups measuring 3.3" to 4.6"....the one with the Jarvis barrel shot the best group of 1.3". If my results with these two pistols are anything to go by, a Jarvis barrel is worth considering if you want to get more accuracy out of your pistol or shoot lead bullets."
Handguns Magazine

Got this from Jarvis web page above. Looks good. ... felix

mooman76
04-27-2010, 10:55 PM
I shot lead out of my Glock22 with no problems. I mostly used Uniquie powder. Kept my loads away from top end, shot cast as dropped from the mould with LLA. I also watched close for leading and never shot more than 2 boxes at a time.

Milltown353
04-27-2010, 11:14 PM
I shot lead out of my Glock22 with no problems. I mostly used Uniquie powder. Kept my loads away from top end, shot cast as dropped from the mould with LLA. I also watched close for leading and never shot more than 2 boxes at a time.

This is pretty much what I planned to do, I love unique and will most likely end up buying a Lee tumble lube bullet. I never shoot more then a hundred rounds in a session.

Is there anything I could do to help improve the leading issues. such as water dropping or adding mono-type?

Lee
04-27-2010, 11:24 PM
Do all Glock barrels "glock bulge" the cases? Or are some calibers worse than others?
I've also read/heard the the Glock can fire slightly out of battery, causing the famous "Glock Kaboom!" That would mean being absolutely sure not to shoot a reloaded Glock case, unless it has been "de-glocked" and the bulge removed.
(I de-glock any .40S&W I find anymore. If it was glocked, I know it won't chamber in a couple of my .40ties) Is .45 as bad?

fatelk
04-27-2010, 11:58 PM
It's good to see some good info on this debate recently. I use Lee 175 TL boolits made from water dropped 50/50 WW/soft, sized to .401, tumble lubed with alox/jpw. Unique works great, but recently I've been using up an old can of Alcan 5.

I load them light to moderate, under 900 fps. I never get any leading, and the empty brass is never bulged. I feel I'm pretty safe with this load.

mpmarty
04-28-2010, 12:45 AM
I had a first gen Glock 21 for years and competed in USPSA with it. I used a 200gr HG68 clone and 5.0 grains of RedDot and made major with it. Never had a problem of any kind and the brass never bulged either. Finally traded off the Glock 21 along with the 23 and never looked back. I don't miss them either. I'd just as soon tape a barrel to a two by four and paint it black.

Nate1778
04-28-2010, 06:27 AM
I can just give you my experience. I tried and tried and tried through my G19. It leaded and leaded and leaded. I could never get the holy grail of loads. Switched to a Storm Lake barrel and leading went away. So, my answer is "No, I have not been able to shoot lead out of my Glock."

randyrat
04-28-2010, 07:25 AM
Do all Glock barrels "glock bulge" the cases? Or are some calibers worse than others?
I've also read/heard the the Glock can fire slightly out of battery, causing the famous "Glock Kaboom!" That would mean being absolutely sure not to shoot a reloaded Glock case, unless it has been "de-glocked" and the bulge removed.
(I de-glock any .40S&W I find anymore. If it was glocked, I know it won't chamber in a couple of my .40ties) Is .45 as bad?
There is so many ideas on this subject i'm not even going to comment other than you can use Glock shot used brass, but you need to size them with the right sizer die.

whisler
04-28-2010, 08:33 PM
A very recent article in a local small town paper reported a police officer blowing up a Glock .45. The officer in question received a broken index finger and burns to both hands but was otherwise OK. The chief reported that all their guns were well maintained (whatever that means). He said that he was unaware of any problems with Glocks before the incident but has since found out about other incidents. He did state that he did not know if the incident was the fault of the gun or ammo but said that his department was trading all their Glocks for Sigs.

KYCaster
04-28-2010, 09:47 PM
Do all Glock barrels "glock bulge" the cases? Or are some calibers worse than others?
I've also read/heard the the Glock can fire slightly out of battery, causing the famous "Glock Kaboom!" That would mean being absolutely sure not to shoot a reloaded Glock case, unless it has been "de-glocked" and the bulge removed.
(I de-glock any .40S&W I find anymore. If it was glocked, I know it won't chamber in a couple of my .40ties) Is .45 as bad?


It appears that most of the Glock problems are due to the "out-of-battery" condition combined with "very generous" chamber and feed ramp dimensions. Problems are more common with 9mm and 40S&W due to higher operating pressure vs. 45ACP.

The famous "Glock Kaboom" is by no means limited to cast boolit reloads. There are many cases of blown guns using factory jacketed ammo; however, poorly assembled lead boolit loads can deposit lots of crud in the chamber which can lead to the out of battery condition.

Jerry

mooman76
04-28-2010, 11:54 PM
This is pretty much what I planned to do, I love unique and will most likely end up buying a Lee tumble lube bullet. I never shoot more then a hundred rounds in a session.

Is there anything I could do to help improve the leading issues. such as water dropping or adding mono-type?

A proper size bullet is your best bet to prevent leading. I used straight WWs. The 40's seem to be the worst culprit. I tried water dropped after I had some feeding issues with swc bullets but later forgot and used the air cooled but the problem seemed to have gone away. I atributed it to a new gun not broken in yet.