Terminal leading, saw it in person for the first time.

[SA Friday]

Recently, a Ruger P85 came into the shop for the gunsmith to get a case that was stuck in the chamber out. I went in the back to get something and stopped to help the gunsmith with the pistol. While rodding the barrel to see if we could get the action to pop open, a flake came off the inside of the barrel. I immediately poured it out of the barrel into my hand. It was a lead flake as thick as a business card edge. I immediately tested it to see if it was lead and it was. I then turned over the pistol and saw the frame was cracked in two places above the slide release pin that holds the barrel in place.

Kaboom gun.

The gun was toast. Turned out he was shooting a bunch of remanufactured ammo with lead rounds he bought from a gunshow. Ammo is hard to find right now, but if you are buying iffy stuff to shoot, watch yourself and pay attention to what it's doing in the gun. Check cases for overpressure. Check the barrel for leading.

[Great-Kazoo]

Unfortunately a lot of shooters STILL have no clue about leading. AND what bbls / guns it is safe to shoot lead through.

[Trout Hunter]

I shoot a lot of lead through both my pistols and revolvers. Key to doing it is I also have some good jacketed loads to put through it to. Switching it up about every 3 to 4 four magazines or cylinders to the jacketed loads almost always cleans the slight leading right out. Only gun that I have that doesn't like straight lead loads is my built up 10/22 that thing goes from 10 shot sub half inch groups at 75 yards to 2 in groups with anything not jacketed.

[roberth]

A Lewis lead remover is our friend.

[Zombie Steve]

I shoot a lot of lead through both my pistols and revolvers. Key to doing it is I also have some good jacketed loads to put through it to. Switching it up about every 3 to 4 four magazines or cylinders to the jacketed loads almost always cleans the slight leading right out. Only gun that I have that doesn't like straight lead loads is my built up 10/22 that thing goes from 10 shot sub half inch groups at 75 yards to 2 in groups with anything not jacketed.

I've always found that shooting jacketed after lead tends to smear any leading into the bore making it harder to get out. If it works for you, more power to ya.

Generally, I just wrap a little pure copper chore boy (make sure it's not copper coated steel) around my bore brush and a few passes gets out any little amount I get in the throats. If the bullet is sized right and of appropriate hardness, I don't get any leading at all.

Sounds like that P85 just went through some really crappy ammo and total neglect.

[Hoser]

I shoot a lot of lead through both my pistols and revolvers. Key to doing it is I also have some good jacketed loads to put through it to. Switching it up about every 3 to 4 four magazines or cylinders to the jacketed loads almost always cleans the slight leading right out. Only gun that I have that doesn't like straight lead loads is my built up 10/22 that thing goes from 10 shot sub half inch groups at 75 yards to 2 in groups with anything not jacketed.

Bad plan. All that does is squish the lead into the nooks and crannies in the bore. The jacketed ammo does not scrape the lead out.

[spqrzilla]

Yep, Zombie Steve and Hoser are correct. Old myth.

I still have a lot of trouble believing that that much leading was present in a Ruger P85. That's astounding.

[SA Friday]

Yep, Zombie Steve and Hoser are correct. Old myth.

I still have a lot of trouble believing that that much leading was present in a Ruger P85. That's astounding.

Me too. I have never seen a pistol barrel so leaded that it kaboomed. I saw it with my own eyes. It chipped out of the barrel like a thick coating of chrome lining.

[Zombie Steve]

I saw old pictures of FBI testing with 38's. Leading so bad it looked like spaghetti was coming out of the barrel.

[spqrzilla]

Many years ago, I saw a kaboom with the classic polygon rifling with lead bullets. But a P85? Wow.