Cast bullets and Glocks

[marshhawk]

Looking for some info on shooting cast in Glock barrels, I've heard you should not do it, what is your take on this.

Marshhawk

[farmerjim]

I know several that shoot powder coated without problems.

[scattershot]

I used to shoot cast boolits in my Glocks with no issues. I think those who had problems were the guys who never cleaned their guns at all. I cleaned mine every time I shot it, and never had a problem.

[sukivel]

That’s mostly all I shoot in mine with no problems.


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[Der Gebirgsjager]

If you do a "search" of this forum you'll find several past threads on the subject, some of which went on for several pages. Some think it's o.k., while some think it's not a good idea. If in doubt, but you want to do it, several companies make replacement barrels for Glocks that use conventional rifling and in which it's safe to shoot cast loads.

[zarrinvz24]

Their barrels tend to run fat, I feed my 9mm Glock cast boolits .357” sized. This is quite a bit larger than the commercially available .355 cast bullets many reloaders trying to save a few bucks will use. The same rules apply, slug your bore and size for +.001. IME, Glock factory barrels are pretty consistently running at .356” - I have 3 Gen 4’s and they all measure in at .356.

[downzero]

I used to shoot cast boolits in my Glocks with no issues. I think those who had problems were the guys who never cleaned their guns at all. I cleaned mine every time I shot it, and never had a problem.

I've never had a problem and I'm one of those guys who seldom ever cleans his guns at all, especially not handguns. Bullets follow more bullets down the bore and I make sure the moving parts are lubed.

[mdi]

Several prior discussions about Glocks (polygonal barrels); http://castboolits.gunloads.com/google.php?cx=partner-pub-6216953551359885%3A1942134700&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=cast+in+glock&sa.x=0&sa.y=0&siteurl=castboolits.gunloads.com%2F&ref=&ss=5179j2712847j13

I have a new 9mm, Masada, with a poly barrel and I have fired several loads with my Lee 125 RF sized to .357". Shoots fine, no excess leading, no weird accuracy. But I clean my guns after each session.

[marshhawk]

Thanks for your input, do you think bullet hardness is an issue!
Marshhawk

[Taterhead]

Hardness is not as important as fit. I shoot thousands of loads each year through Glocks and virtually all of them are coated cast bullets. They work great!

My alloy is 3% Sb and 1% Sn.

[Kylongrifle32]

I shoot hundreds of the Lee 356 -124 RN per month in my Glock 17 and other pistols. This is the standard lube groove version and all I do is clean my barrel with a good scrubbing when switching from jacketed to cast or vise versa.

I tried the Lee TL 356-124 R2 and experienced larger groups and keyhole shots. I think the difference in the two different style bullets is that the TL bullets have less bearing surface to contact the rifling.

I even shot lots of Lee 102 and 95 grain bullets thru my Glock 42 in 380 with no issued.

My alloy is a harder mix a near 5% Antimony and no tin.

[Pirate69]

If I remember correctly, there were some concerns with a portion of the case not being supported during firing. This concern was, with multiple reloads of a case, it could fail. No experience with a Glock; just what I remember.

[Cattleman406]

That problem was resolved some time ago.

[zarrinvz24]

If I remember correctly, there were some concerns with a portion of the case not being supported during firing. This concern was, with multiple reloads of a case, it could fail. No experience with a Glock; just what I remember.

That is a concern but not one unique to Glocks. Many 40SW handguns had unsupported chambers. Also that issue is not one related to the use of cast boolits, and is an issue with J bullets as well. While the OP hasn’t mentioned caliber, the issue of GLOCK smiles on 40 brass has mainly been addressed in Glocks of a Gen 3 or newer vintage. As I mentioned earlier, the rules of reloading need always be applied, thoroughly inspect each and every casing prior to and after each step of the reloading process.

[marshhawk]

Thanks to all for the info, I am going to slug my barrel and and start loading!
Marshhawk

[McFred]

I haven't tested extensively with a lot of alloys/moulds/powders, but I found a combination that works in my factory glock barrel:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?404702-LEE-358-125-RF-in-357-SIG

[bpatterson84]

Many thousands of powdercoated cast boolits through all my glocks, not a single issue whatsoever. It's just another example of how the boolit coating revolution has changed our world for the better.

[marshhawk]

Thanks Again for all your comments, and advise!
Marshhawk

[W.R.Buchanan]

Go here and make sure you read all the pages so you fully understand.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?33855-The-Truth-about-Glocks-and-Cast

This has been a sticky in the Pistol Forum for 13 years. We are all still alive!

Randy

[Hanzy4200]

I have done a LOT of cast shooting in Glocks. I currently own a G43, G30S, and a Gen 2 G17. They have all been fed 98% cast since owning them. Glock barrels lead no more than any other barrel given you size correctly. Why this myth persists I will never know. You will find that anyone screaming that it's a terrible idea, has never tried it.

[44Blam]

I've got a 35 and I've shot a bit of lead through the stock barreln and I found that I got leading some leading. What would happen with it is that it would be accurate for 30 maybe 40 rounds and then the accuracy would just drop off a cliff. It was probably a boolit fit or alloy issue.
I ended up buying a 357 sig kkm drop in barrel and it shot so well that I got the 40 cal drop in barrel too. I just run those and it is very accurate and I get zero leading.

[jsizemore]

I have done a LOT of cast shooting in Glocks. I currently own a G43, G30S, and a Gen 2 G17. They have all been fed 98% cast since owning them. Glock barrels lead no more than any other barrel given you size correctly. Why this myth persists I will never know. You will find that anyone screaming that it's a terrible idea, has never tried it.

Probably more a case of once it's on the internet it never goes away.

[mdi]

Didn't read both pages but from what I can see so far is no one has made a distinction between "normal" Ballard rifled barrels and polygonal rifled barrels. A Glock with a standard Ballard rifled barrel shoots cast just like any rifled barrel. The big deal is when Glocks started being popular and some tried, unsuccessfully, to shoot lead in the Glocks with polygonal barrels...

[Hanzy4200]

Didn't read both pages but from what I can see so far is no one has made a distinction between "normal" Ballard rifled barrels and polygonal rifled barrels. A Glock with a standard Ballard rifled barrel shoots cast just like any rifled barrel. The big deal is when Glocks started being popular and some tried, unsuccessfully, to shoot lead in the Glocks with polygonal barrels...

Virtually all stock Glock barrels are polygonal rifled. They handle lead just fine.

[mdi]

Virtually all stock Glock barrels are polygonal rifled. They handle lead just fine.

Last I heard, (or cared to remember) the Glocks in 45 AC, M21 and M30 have Ballard type rifling. I have a new IMI Masada with a polygonal barrel and I have had no excess leading with my 125 gr. RF, mystery metal alloy of 13 BHN, so far...

[kevin c]

I have probably 70K+ rounds through various Gen 3 Glock factory barrels in 9mm and 40 S&W (all polygonally rifled), all commercial and home cast HiTek coated, with none of the leading that was the reported cause of concern for use of cast bullets. That works for me. Can't speak from experience for traditionally lubed or PC coated cast.

[fredj338]

I used to shoot lubed lead on my glocks, just clean the bbl more often. With coated though, especially PC, I get better accuracy & cleaning is almost nothing. In 9mm I run 0.356" without accuracy issues with PC. I think the harder PC shell is giving a good grip in the poly bbl.

[1hole]

Probably more a case of once it's on the internet it never goes away.

Yeah. Such is life.

I'm an ol' dude now and have been reading web posts on guns and reloading for 20 or 25 years. I've read more posts about how someone's factory deer rifle and deer scopes shooting common hunting bullets that go into a half MOA or so "all day" than I can remember. Impressed at first, I quickly came to realize that many more MOA groups are fired from a keyboard than from any rifle range!

Unfortunately, we also have a lot of hopeful wannabe gurus on keyboards gurgitating and regurgitating their store of half understood web based handloading information. Experienced loaders can spot it but, sadly, those who most need advice have no way to tell the difference between wisdom's gold apples and horse pasture apples.

[mdi]

Yeah. Such is life.

I'm an ol' dude now and have been reading web posts on guns and reloading for 20 or 25 years. I've read more posts about how someone's factory deer rifle and deer scopes shooting common hunting bullets that go into a half MOA or so "all day" than I can remember. Impressed at first, I quickly came to realize that many more MOA groups are fired from a keyboard than from any rifle range!

Unfortunately, we also have a lot of hopeful wannabe gurus on keyboards gurgitating and regurgitating their store of half understood web based handloading information. Experienced loaders can spot it but, sadly, those who most need advice have no way to tell the difference between wisdom's gold apples and horse pasture apples.
Unfortunately true. This is one reason that for every "Lee Hater" post I read I'll try to give my side of the story so newer reloaders don't get skewed reviews of innovative, new materials and designed tools (life long machinist/mechanic well versed in hand tools of all kinds and can read instructions and being well mechanically inclined I can usually see how a tool is designed and how it's supposed to work).

I try to only post things I know about and have often included the disclaimer "Internet Wisdom??" with something I read on line, but I've seen some stuff that's so far out in left field as to be so unbelievable that I don't comment. Unfortunately it's easy to be an "ACE Reloading Expert" to a new reloader/caster anonymously and for those of us that have been reloading a long time, it's easy to spot, but a newer feller that doesn't have his "BS Filter" developed and seeing something in print from a guy with a bunch of posts under his screen name, it may be believed...

[W.R.Buchanan]

My biggest peeve is with the term "Polygonal Rifling." Glock barrels have lands that are rounded instead of square. They are NOT Polygonal.

Proper Polygonal Rifling is a Pentagon with Rounded Corners that is Twisted .

I first saw True Polygonal Rifling in a HK P9S in 1976 and remarked to the shop owner that "this was new?" Where upon he retrieved a H&H Double Rifle in .500 NE from the back room made in 1912 that had Polygonal Rifling. So it wasn't new. It was produced to cope with Black Powder and Cordite fouling.

I have 2 CZ82 pistols,,, they have true Polygonal Rifling also.

Glock Rifling bares no resemblance to real Polygonal Rifling. It is simply Lands that are radiused instead of square.

I feel better now.

Randy

[zarrinvz24]

My biggest peeve is with the term "Polygonal Rifling." Glock barrels have lands that are rounded instead of square. They are NOT Polygonal.

Proper Polygonal Rifling is a Pentagon with Rounded Corners that is Twisted .

I first saw True Polygonal Rifling in a HK P9S in 1976 and remarked to the shop owner that "this was new?" Where upon he retrieved a H&H Double Rifle in .500 NE from the back room made in 1912 that had Polygonal Rifling. So it wasn't new. It was produced to cope with Black Powder and Cordite fouling.

I have 2 CZ82 pistols,,, they have true Polygonal Rifling also.

Glock Rifling bares no resemblance to real Polygonal Rifling. It is simply Lands that are radiused instead of square.

I feel better now.

Randy

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I guess that should settle it right there, Hard cast lead and polygonal rifling should be no problem.

I appreciate your distinction of Glock barrels and the rifling - someday there will be enough of these posts to dispel the myths that are continually repeated throughout the internet.

[Lloyd Smale]

Probably more a case of once it's on the internet it never goes away.

thats the problem. Its passed on by keyboard commandos not guys who actually shoot thousands of rounds through a gun

[John Boy]

Looking for some info on shooting cast in Glock barrels, I've heard you should not do it, what is your take on this.
I shoot 9mm, 380 and 45ACP cast bullets in my semi handgun and have never had an issue with chambering, obturation or fouling.

[Shiloh]

No issues in the 9mm. I did however get an aftermarket barrel. Slightly better accuracy with cast in the aftermarket barrel. Size issues helped some. With J-word bullets, both original and aftermarket shoot equally fine. I can seat further out in the aftermarket.

Shiloh

[mike4045]

I just started powder coating my cast bullets for the glock, it made it so much easier, no hassle.

[kevin c]

My biggest peeve is with the term "Polygonal Rifling." Glock barrels have lands that are rounded instead of square. They are NOT Polygonal.

Proper Polygonal Rifling is a Pentagon with Rounded Corners that is Twisted .

I first saw True Polygonal Rifling in a HK P9S in 1976 and remarked to the shop owner that "this was new?" Where upon he retrieved a H&H Double Rifle in .500 NE from the back room made in 1912 that had Polygonal Rifling. So it wasn't new. It was produced to cope with Black Powder and Cordite fouling.

I have 2 CZ82 pistols,,, they have true Polygonal Rifling also.

Glock Rifling bares no resemblance to real Polygonal Rifling. It is simply Lands that are radiused instead of square.

I feel better now.

Randy

Come to think of it, the pattern does look a bit rounded to me.

I guess somebody ought to tell Gaston Glock; "polygonal barrel rifling" is how it's described on the US website.