Powder coated lead fired through a suppressor, yes or no?

[corbinace]

Is it wise to fire PCed boolits through a non-disassemblable suppressor?

I would like to suppress a 30.06 bolt gun and the seller indicates that lead is not the best plan. He recommends only jacketed.

Are the coated bolits an acceptable substitute for jacketed? Or still too much fouling for this can that cannot be taken apart to clean.

Thank you for your guidance.

[DDriller]

If you haven't already bought the can I personally would buy one that can be taken apart and cleaned. I run lead and Hi-Tek through mine with no problem, all are modular to take apart. With a sealed can I do not have experience.

[corbinace]

I do not have any suppressors at the moment.

A small dealer in the area got himself overstocked just before the pandemic and has not been able to move a bunch of older product. He is willing to make me a deal that will allow my entry into the suppressed world. But, these are older units that are not user serviceable. My recollection is that they were mostly Yankee Hill.

I do not have the model numbers, as I thought they were still out of my budget. But, the more I think about it, the weaker my resistance to opening my wallet becomes.

[geslayton]

For what it’s worth, I shoot a lot of subsonic coated 300 blackout out of a sealed can. I haven’t had any noticeable issues yet. Not to say it’s a great idea, but, I do a magdump of 223 thru it every 6 months or so to heat it up and burn any loose gunk out of it. I don’t know how well it would do with a lot of supersonic coated shooting. Worst case scenario, you could always run it through a sonic cleaner to clean the internals. It will likely eat some of the coating off the outside though.


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[Leadmad]

I run a non serviceable suppressor on my 308 tikka and have shot well over a thousand cast lead bullets a mix of grease groove and powder coated probably 40/60 respectively and a approx the same copper jacketed and it still is fine on my ears in the field hunting no appreciable extra noise just the sound barrier crack of the rifle, on the range always wear ear protection so cant say there is a real difference and for the future will keep doing the same.

Cheers

[Dragonheart]

A properly coated and cured PC bullet is a jacketed bullet. For rifles I do a partial cure double coat to increase the polymer jacket thickness. I can see no reason why a PC bullet would not work as well if not better.

[Greg S]

Someone here knows the proportions of peroxide and vinegar(?) Which will foam and boil out the residue without harming the sealed can itself.

[Dragonheart]

Someone here knows the proportions of peroxide and vinegar(?) Which will foam and boil out the residue without harming the sealed can itself.

Yes Greg, it is a 50/50 mix of standard white vinegar and standard over the counter 3% hydrogen peroxide. Wear rubber gloves and eve protection, flush mix from your skin if exposed. The mix will slowly dissolve lead off molds, gun barrels or other surfaces. A brushing with a brass or copper brush will accelerate the build up removal. I would suggest allowing the surfaces to soak in the mix then brush, soak, brush until clean.

Be advised this mix is a super oxidizer and can cause rust on steel and even barrel pitting if left unattended for a period of time. Once the surface is free of lead clean and lubricate if necessary to prevent rust.

This mix will also patina the surface of a brass mold with a single application. This chemically aged surface is highly desirable for keeping alloy from bonding to the brass.

[Sig556r]

The "DIP" is highly toxic & can seep thru your skin, so be really careful in handling & disposal.

[Dragonheart]

The "DIP" is highly toxic & can seep thru your skin, so be really careful in handling & disposal.

Actually, it is not the mix. It is the dissolved lead in the mix after it is used.

However, anyone handling Lead in any form, especially melting and casting, should be well aware of the dangers of direct lead exposure through physical contact, airborne molecules and the resulting lead contamination to the surrounding area where it is used.

Possibly more important is the safety protocols followed to prevent the transfer of lead particles to other areas, especially where children are involved.

BTW: I am and have been a Federal & Texas State Certified Lead Inspector/Risk Assessor for many years.

[Meatpuppet]

+1 on Dragonheart... "A properly coated and cured PC bullet is a jacketed bullet."

Been shooting PC Bullets for years through suppressors. It is not an issue. 22 Suppressors are way more of a problem.

[popper]

50/50 peroxide and vinegar is very hard on STEEL. IIRC 10 min soak is max. Supposedly won't hurt SS, don't know about other metals. Makes lead acetate which is toxic.

[Willbird]

50/50 peroxide and vinegar is very hard on STEEL. IIRC 10 min soak is max. Supposedly won't hurt SS, don't know about other metals. Makes lead acetate which is toxic.

There are a lot of alloys that get tagged "stainless steel" and they will still rust. 416 which is heavily used in firearms is one of those alloys that will still rust. Just a FYI in a general not @popper.