So what about lead round nose bullets? - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

Ezra Smack · 06-21-2008, 09:39 PM

It has been well established that the traditional lead semi-wadcutter bullet is not reliable in most XD's. But what about other lead bullets like traditional round nose and flat nose shapes? They should feed just fine but what about all the wax lube and crap that builds up inside the pistol? Will it run dirty long enough to finish a match? My 1911 gets pretty gumed up but wil still go for 200 rounds or more using wax lubed bullets over a charge of Unique. (Unique is some nasty burning stuff) I would like to be able to afford thousands of nice factory jacketed bullets for practice but I can't. Also, I have a couple of tons of Linotype, (hardened printers lead) that costs me nothing but spare time to cast so it looks like I am stuck with using lead most of the time. What style/shape mold should I get?

Spawnz · 06-21-2008, 11:43 PM

I would go with a round nose mold. I used linotype lead for years when I first reloaded about 25 years ago. A friend made the bullets for me and I reloaded them. Shot mostly round nose in a 1911 45 and a Browning Hi-Power 9mm. Used the wad cutter and semi-wadcutter in my wheel guns. I still have hundreds of loaded bullets still to this day from 20-25 years ago (sealed them in a seal-a-meal pouch and put them in the surplus ammo cans. Keep them cool and dry.) They still fire with no problems to this day and I also used Unique for the powder.

I really don't fire them too much because it is a pain to clean the barrel. Haven't reloaded in years and just use the WWB 45's and 9mm now. When I do shoot them I usually don't shoot more than a box of 50 so I really don't know if you could finish a match firing 200 rounds between cleanings. I am sure you could fire that many, just don't really know if you would lose accuracy the more you fire.

So anyways..............I would stick with the round nose. I know the XD will handle jacketed hollow points and such but I think you would be better off with cast bullets in round nose rather than the flat nose shaped bullets. Just my opinion.

evisr8 · 06-22-2008, 06:40 AM

i use the lee round flat nose 6 bullet mould without problems. the bullet has to be seated below the crimping groove, but it works 100%

as far as leading, slug the bore of your pistol and size the bullet .001" bigger. don't use linotype (BHN of 21), it's too hard. being too hard, the pressures of the .45 acp will not obturate the bore and you will get massive amounts of leading due to gas cutting of the bullet. a bullet with the BHN of approx 12-14, depending on your pressures, will obturate the bore and you will not see any leading. the formula for determining the correct hardness is

BHN = PSI / 1,422

so a .45 acp with a PSI of 16,000 to 19,000 should shoot cast bullets with a BHN of 11.25 to 13.36

if you have leading the best way to clean the lead out is to soak the barrel in a mixture of 50% hydogen peroxide and white vinegar for 15 minutes at a time. scrub the bore with a nylon brush between soakings.

IMR · 06-22-2008, 07:06 AM

Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL452-230-2R 45 ACP, 45 Auto Rim, 45 Colt (Long Colt) (452 Diameter) 230 Grain Tumble Lube 2 Ogive Radius
Product #: 517501
This is the mold i've been using that will not feed in my XD 45c, but works great in my 1911.

I'm going to get this mold. I am sure it will work well in the XD.

Lyman 2-Cavity Bullet Mold #452374 45 Caliber (452 Diameter) 225 Grain Round Nose

2 Tons of linotype?.... dang Ezra, that's like gold to us boolit casters!

All i can do is scrounge around for WW's.

USMC 0802 · 06-22-2008, 07:55 AM

I've shot lots of 230gr LRN out of my XD45 no major issues like with SWCs (is that a 'Sticky' yet?). My 1911s all eat lead no problem, but the XD seems to be more sensitive to crimp with the lead bullets I get FTRB sometimes. Not the gun's fault, but bullet lube and crimp make a mess.

I will likely switch to all jacketed for that gun.

evisr8 · 06-22-2008, 08:35 AM

what is FTRB???

USMC 0802 · 06-22-2008, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evisr8

what is FTRB???

Failure To Return To Battery

When the slide won't close all the way. Can be caused by many things, in this case, the extral lead/lube built up on the "shoulder" of the round.

The .45 ACP in a semi auto configuration headspaces off the mouth of the case.

**Bellevue_Dude** · 06-22-2008, 08:57 AM

Out of curiosity, why do you guys opt for lead? I thought lead rounds left the barrel 'dirtier' and that it was generally harder to clean. Is it true or just a misconception?

Disclaimers: I use factory FMJ or JHP for practice, I don't know how to reload ammo and I assume (possibly out of ignorance) that lead rounds aren't as good for barrels.

USMC 0802 · 06-22-2008, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellevue_Dude

Out of curiosity, why do you guys opt for lead? I thought lead rounds left the barrel 'dirtier' and that it was generally harder to clean. Is it true or just a misconception?

Disclaimers: I use factory FMJ or JHP for practice, I don't know how to reload ammo and I assume (possibly out of ignorance) that lead rounds aren't as good for barrels.

I use lead 'cause I shoot 300-400rds a week and it's just too flippin' expensive.

FYI lead is actually easier on barrels as it is softer than FMJ ammo.

It does require a little more cleaning, but certainly not to the point of being a deal breaker for me.

Ezra Smack · 06-22-2008, 06:15 PM

Answered my own question...Again.

I reloaded about 90 rounds of 250 grain round nose flat point bullets that are designed for .45 Colt. I have read that some competitive shooters have been experimenting with using heavier slower bullets to make power factor rather than going the lighter faster route. Anyway, I went out to the range and fired them all up without incident. I even fired one or two then topped off the magazine a bunch of times so that they would have to feed under maximun spring compression. That did not matter, it gobbled them up with aplomb. This is BTW, after puting 130 rounds of various 230 grain hollowpoints through it yesterday without a problem so...YES, The XD .45 will shoot lead bullets and run when it is reasonably dirty provided that the lead bullets are NOT of a semi wad-cutter design.

06-21-2008, 09:39 PM	#1
Ezra Smack XDTalk Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 79	So what about lead round nose bullets? It has been well established that the traditional lead semi-wadcutter bullet is not reliable in most XD's. But what about other lead bullets like traditional round nose and flat nose shapes? They should feed just fine but what about all the wax lube and crap that builds up inside the pistol? Will it run dirty long enough to finish a match? My 1911 gets pretty gumed up but wil still go for 200 rounds or more using wax lubed bullets over a charge of Unique. (Unique is some nasty burning stuff) I would like to be able to afford thousands of nice factory jacketed bullets for practice but I can't. Also, I have a couple of tons of Linotype, (hardened printers lead) that costs me nothing but spare time to cast so it looks like I am stuck with using lead most of the time. What style/shape mold should I get?

06-22-2008, 06:40 AM	#3
evisr8 XDTalk Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 36	i use the lee round flat nose 6 bullet mould without problems. the bullet has to be seated below the crimping groove, but it works 100% as far as leading, slug the bore of your pistol and size the bullet .001" bigger. don't use linotype (BHN of 21), it's too hard. being too hard, the pressures of the .45 acp will not obturate the bore and you will get massive amounts of leading due to gas cutting of the bullet. a bullet with the BHN of approx 12-14, depending on your pressures, will obturate the bore and you will not see any leading. the formula for determining the correct hardness is BHN = PSI / 1,422 so a .45 acp with a PSI of 16,000 to 19,000 should shoot cast bullets with a BHN of 11.25 to 13.36 if you have leading the best way to clean the lead out is to soak the barrel in a mixture of 50% hydogen peroxide and white vinegar for 15 minutes at a time. scrub the bore with a nylon brush between soakings. Last edited by evisr8; 06-22-2008 at 06:57 AM.

06-22-2008, 07:55 AM	#5
USMC 0802 XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stationed in El Paso, TX (North Mexico) Posts: 109	I've shot lots of 230gr LRN out of my XD45 no major issues like with SWCs (is that a 'Sticky' yet?). My 1911s all eat lead no problem, but the XD seems to be more sensitive to crimp with the lead bullets I get FTRB sometimes. Not the gun's fault, but bullet lube and crimp make a mess. I will likely switch to all jacketed for that gun. __________________ Semper Fi, Matt Last edited by USMC 0802; 06-22-2008 at 07:58 AM.

06-22-2008, 08:57 AM	#8
Bellevue_Dude XDTalk Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 82	Why use lead? Out of curiosity, why do you guys opt for lead? I thought lead rounds left the barrel 'dirtier' and that it was generally harder to clean. Is it true or just a misconception? Disclaimers: I use factory FMJ or JHP for practice, I don't know how to reload ammo and I assume (possibly out of ignorance) that lead rounds aren't as good for barrels. __________________ Cheers, Dan

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06-21-2008, 11:43 PM	#2
Spawnz XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 367	I would go with a round nose mold. I used linotype lead for years when I first reloaded about 25 years ago. A friend made the bullets for me and I reloaded them. Shot mostly round nose in a 1911 45 and a Browning Hi-Power 9mm. Used the wad cutter and semi-wadcutter in my wheel guns. I still have hundreds of loaded bullets still to this day from 20-25 years ago (sealed them in a seal-a-meal pouch and put them in the surplus ammo cans. Keep them cool and dry.) They still fire with no problems to this day and I also used Unique for the powder. I really don't fire them too much because it is a pain to clean the barrel. Haven't reloaded in years and just use the WWB 45's and 9mm now. When I do shoot them I usually don't shoot more than a box of 50 so I really don't know if you could finish a match firing 200 rounds between cleanings. I am sure you could fire that many, just don't really know if you would lose accuracy the more you fire. So anyways..............I would stick with the round nose. I know the XD will handle jacketed hollow points and such but I think you would be better off with cast bullets in round nose rather than the flat nose shaped bullets. Just my opinion.

06-22-2008, 07:06 AM	#4
IMR XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 116	Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL452-230-2R 45 ACP, 45 Auto Rim, 45 Colt (Long Colt) (452 Diameter) 230 Grain Tumble Lube 2 Ogive Radius Product #: 517501 This is the mold i've been using that will not feed in my XD 45c, but works great in my 1911. I'm going to get this mold. I am sure it will work well in the XD. Lyman 2-Cavity Bullet Mold #452374 45 Caliber (452 Diameter) 225 Grain Round Nose 2 Tons of linotype?.... dang Ezra, that's like gold to us boolit casters! All i can do is scrounge around for WW's.

06-22-2008, 08:35 AM	#6
evisr8 XDTalk Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 36	what is FTRB???

06-22-2008, 06:15 PM	#10
Ezra Smack XDTalk Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 79	Answered my own question...Again. I reloaded about 90 rounds of 250 grain round nose flat point bullets that are designed for .45 Colt. I have read that some competitive shooters have been experimenting with using heavier slower bullets to make power factor rather than going the lighter faster route. Anyway, I went out to the range and fired them all up without incident. I even fired one or two then topped off the magazine a bunch of times so that they would have to feed under maximun spring compression. That did not matter, it gobbled them up with aplomb. This is BTW, after puting 130 rounds of various 230 grain hollowpoints through it yesterday without a problem so...YES, The XD .45 will shoot lead bullets and run when it is reasonably dirty provided that the lead bullets are NOT of a semi wad-cutter design.