Cast Bullets and silencers

[Wm Cook]

I am not as proficient as many of you but I do enjoy casting bullets for accuracy. Last winter I spent an inordinate amount of time playing with a K Horner inside my shop developing a subsonic load. I have a 10 meter range inside the shop that gives me climate control comfort here in Missouri during the cold months. This winter I would like to spend my spare time with a Rem 700BDL doing the same. But I want to dive into silencers which is a side topic as I am fully aware. Point blank questions; is there any pitfalls ahead of me using a silencer, cast bullets and a bolt action .308 Rem bolt action?

[reddog81]

With traditional lubed bullets the interior of the silencer will catch a whole bunch of lube and will require frequent cleaning. With coated bullets you should be fine.

[GregLaROCHE]

I cast some for my friend to use and he hasn’t mentioned any problems. Might make a difference with type of lube used. He uses a 50% beeswax mix. PC is great in my opinion.

[Catshooter]

I've used cast in my can with the 9mm & .22 LR. The first inch and a half or so of most cans is called the blast chamber. In mine, that is where the lead and lube accumulates. The first time I pulled it apart the chamber was coated almost completely with lead.

Since my blast chamber is stainless steel, I use 'The Dip" and it literally eats the lead off. The dip is 1/2 and 1/2 white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. The lead turns into lead acetate (I think), which is quite toxic. So I don't drink it and am careful of how I dispose of it.

No aluminum in the dip though, it'll get eaten too. Titanium is ok.


Cat

[whisler]

Be careful with lead acetate. I believe it is absorbed through the skin.

[Landshark9025]

Have shot thousands of rounds of 9mm cast, powder coated through a can. Cleaned up with a soak in an ultrasonic cleaner. My can does not come apart.

Can't say for 308 pressures though.

[Catshooter]

I believe you are correct Whisler. And I believe it is quite toxic. So I'm careful, just like I am with other hazardous chemicals.


Cat

[FISH4BUGS]

I've shot suppressors for many years. I have a Bowers CAC9 that has been updated a number of times, and has the adapters on it. I shoot it in a S&W 76 9mm, Uzi 9mm, Mac 9mm and MAC 380 submachine guns.
My manufacturer (Tom Bowers of Bowers Mfg.) said emphatically "...NO LEAD THROUGH THE CAN!
The ONLY lead to use in a can is in .22 lr. Even then I coat the baffles with Frog Lube and clean it after every use.
The short answer is NO!

[Wm Cook]

That sounds like a prettty firm opinion about suppressors and cast bullets.

So......how does that song go......”to sub-sonic we will go, to sub-sonic we will go, hi ho the merry oh, to sub-sonic we will go”.

Thanks fish4bugs. Bill.

[FISH4BUGS]

that sounds like a prettty firm opinion about suppressors and cast bullets.
So......how does that song go......”to sub-sonic we will go, to sub-sonic we will go, hi ho the merry oh, to sub-sonic we will go”.
Thanks fish4bugs. Bill.
you are welcome.
I use berry's plated bullets for the subsonic rounds.
Check them out.
www.berrysmfg.com

[Catshooter]

Well, that's Tim Bowers answer. Not everyone has the same idea.


Cat

[Petander]

I have been shooting two 22LR:s with suppressors since the early 90's. Never cleaned the suppressors,they still work normally. Must be some crud in there from tens of thousands rounds.

On the other hand, Brugger&Thomet told me to NOT shoot cast through their (integrated) suppressor in a 9mm carbine.

And on the third hand, I've had a dedicated, compact suppressed 308 bolt gun for cast subsonic for 15 years. Still going strong,the suppressor can not be opened,neither "dipped".

So I have no definite answer - but I will try coated in 9mm when I get something with a removable suppressor.

[Larry Gibson]

"Point blank questions; is there any pitfalls ahead of me using a silencer, cast bullets and a bolt action .308 Rem bolt action?"

I've been shooting cast bullets through a Sionics suppressor out of the .308W since the early '80s. If you can regularly (like after every use) disassemble the suppressor and clean it then no problems (use of crimp on GCs only) with subsonic or sonic cast bullet loads. If you can't disassemble the suppressor then minimal use with subsonic loads only is my recommendation as lube and lead built up does occur.

I have no experience with PC'd cast through a suppressor so won't go there.

[scotner]

I shoot cast PC suppressed in my 300 Blackout with no problem. This is a 245 grain at about 900 fps. I haven't shot anything faster in the 300. I will try 45 and maybe 9mm PC with a suppressor when weather permits. I would not shoot any cast that is not PC'ed. I am sure that would cause a lot of buildup in the can. My only other concern would be proper ventilation for shooting inside your shop. Most people don't use "climate control comfort" and ventilation in the same sentence.

[FISH4BUGS]

Well, that's Tim Bowers answer. Not everyone has the same idea.
Cat
Tom is the designer and manufacturer of the suppressors. I think he knows what he is talking about.

[JimP]

I shoot cast PC suppressed in my 300 Blackout with no problem.
Same here. Just gave my TBAC 30P-1 a colonoscopy and it's clean as a whistle. Assume shooting supers through it now and then helps. That said, a little lead in a suppressor isn't the end of the world, and a dirty suppressor is quieter than a clean one. If it ever gets to be too much, it's easy to dissolve it out as Castshooter said.

[Catshooter]

Tom is the designer and manufacturer of the suppressors. I think he knows what he is talking about.

I bet Tom knows a metric ton about suppressors that I don't know.

What does he know about cast boolits? If he's like 95% of the shooters out there, he knows quite a bit, most of it wrong.

Or maybe not. Maybe the way he designs and builds suppressors you shouldn't use cast in 'em. I wouldn't know. I'm just pointing out a possibility for you.

Enjoy your suppressor, they're a lot of fun.


Cat

[robg]

no problem if you clean them

[mto7464]

mine got leaded up pretty bad using PC cast. No longer will do that, jacketed only now.

[MT Chambers]

Folks shoot thousands of lead pellets through barrels with cans in airguns with no trouble.

[Larry Gibson]

Folks shoot thousands of lead pellets through barrels with cans in airguns with no trouble.

Air rifles deal with neither the temperature or the pressure.

[alamogunr]

I've only got one air rifle and the blob on the end of the barrel is NOT a suppressor. Since it is a break barrel, it gives me something to hang on to while cocking. I'm not sure what other purpose it has.

[edctexas]

I certainly am not an expert but I shoot 9mm cast thru a TI-RANT can. The bullets are PC'd. I would be concerned if the PC was coming off. The can does disassemble and I have cleaned it numerous times. No PC dust, and no discernible lead. Plenty of ever loving carbon ****.

Ed C

[megasupermagnum]

I'm no powder coat expert, but how could you have leading if you have a powder coat jacket on the bullet?

[hlvabeach]

Rugged Obsidian was leaded up some using .3575 .358 sized 9mm powder coated bullets. Was a b to clean up, ended up using the dip and dental picks. Now I size the bullets .356 and seems the problem went away.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Landshark9025]

I'm no powder coat expert, but how could you have leading if you have a powder coat jacket on the bullet?

Hey Mega,

Contrary to what some may think, powder coat (or Hi-tek coating, for that matter) is not the same as a jacket. Fit is still king otherwise you can get blowby- which will definitely lead. All but one of my 9mm pistols have a groove diameter of .355 - .3555 so I size all of my PC bullets to .357. I picked up a Canik this year and it has a groove diameter of .357. I tried it one time- that was enough for me. It leaded the barrel pretty badly. Once I sized those to .358 it was all good.

Additionally, I had tried Hi-tek in my 9mm PCC, and while the barrel didn't lead, there was lead deposits on the muzzle device. As the bullet left the barrel, the gasses caused some lead "spray", I guess.

I can see it being totally possible that the coating was sufficient to prevent leading in the barrel, but was getting cut, and then as soon as it has an opportunity to blow by in the can, deposits can get left. Could be any manner of thing that caused it, but I'd also say it should be curable.

Again, I've easily shot thousands of rounds of powder coated bullets through my 9mm can in between cleaning and it has never seen anything more than an ultrasonic tank.

[megasupermagnum]

Powder coat obviously isn't as tough as copper, but all the pictures I've seen of recovered PC bullets showed a complete covering, even after going through an animal. I don't shoot powder coat, so I don't have first hand experience. I figured it must have some advantage besides just reduced smoke. Maybe not.

[6.5 CM]

Reduced smoke is a HUGE advantage on an indoor range. PC boolits are also much easier to load as they are a clean as Berrys.