UnklFungus

Is it bad to shoot lead bullets through a 45 ACP? A friend of mine loaded some rounds for me and I am a little nervous about even shooting them. He has decades of reloading experience, but I have only ever shot FMJ through mine.

I just don't want one to get stuck in the barrel or something. I have a Taurus PT145 circa 2000.

Thanks!

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rmccoll

If they are loaded correctly it will not be a problem. I have shot k's. Just be careful of using someone else's reloads.
If all you hear when you shoot is a "pop" then it did not have powder and the primer was the only propellant. Check the barrel the bullet may or may not have exited the barrel.

HotGuns

I have shot tens of- thousands of rounds though several .45's with no problem.

I have several lead bullet mods of various designs and cast for the .45.

It's a cheap way to shoot.

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Ram Rod

I have shot plenty of lead round nose and semi-wadcutters through the two previous 1911s I've owned. Granted, it's more difficult to clean barrels after lead as opposed to running the FMJs. Lead buildup on the lands of the rifling will also change the forensic ballistics of the firearm to a certain degree as well when going back to shooting copper jackets.

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medicineball

Lead works fine. The issues are (1) velocity, which really isn't an issue for handguns (the higher the velocity the more leading in your barrel), (2) the type of lead (the softer the lead the more will be left behind, although you don't have much control over that in this case), and (3) the type of rifling in the barrel (deep types of rifling like Ballard cut will grab the lead bullet and spin it, shallow types will just smear it). Most handgun barrels (and all stock Glock barrels) have shallow rifling, but at handgun ranges the reduction in accuracy is minimal. As noted above, the REAL issue is your confidence in the person who loaded these cases and whether they threw a consistent powder charge. Hope that helps!

automatic slim

The one time I shot lead bullets was through a S&W 659. The lead built up on the feed ramp and started causing FTF problems. There was alot of leading in the barrel and accuracy was so-so. Stuck with jacketed after that.

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Majorlk

Odds are the feed ramp wasn't polished smooth and the bullets were too soft. I've shot a lot of lead through my PT99 and P95 with minimal problems.

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Sergeant Mac

Never had a problem with lead bullets in a 1911.

One thing I do is to finish my range sessions with at least two jacketed rounds. I don't know if that really helps, but it can't hurt....

GunnyBunny

I've shot thousands of my own lead reloads through my Springfield 1911 over the years without a problem.

Just don't shoot lead through a Glock unless it has an aftermarket barrel that is lead friendly.

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UnklFungus

He actually loaded hollow point for me, but this is really great info for a SHTF situation.

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A verbis legis non est recedendum. From the words of the law there must be no departure.