Do we have anyone here using lead loads in their P210?How are things working?Will

Will,

I used to cast 9mm bullets and shoot them in a P210. I cast them hard, 15BNH or so. The loads were somewhat hot, 115gr bullets at 1200fps.

Never saw any leading. P210 barrels are very nicely polished on the inside, and are a snap to clean.

Had some issues with lead in my system, so no lead for me any longer.
LT

Thanks for the reply.The P210 has been a bit of a problem for lead shooters over the years.That is why-in the good old days that SIG made a barrel just for lead bullets.Will

I sold a SIG P210-5 lead barrel a little while ago. It was brand new and gorgeously made of course. It was very interesting to see the difference in twist rate between the lead and regular barrel. I have not shot lead through my P210 but I am sure it would be ok, just probably not as accurate or as clean as the factory lead barrel. What issues have you heard about when shooting lead through the standard barrel Will?

Will:

Back during the prior ammo shortages...The Klinton ones, I went on a reloading spree. I'd purchased about 1000 plated lead bullets. Its not really the question you asked, but I saw no problems with the one's I've fired. I didn't expect any leading, nor did I get any. Maybe the plating was thick enough to prevent any stripping in the rifling. That really is what we're discussing, isn't it?

A lead bullet that is too soft tends to smear or strip instead of allowing the rifling to grab and spin the bullet. When it takes place, the bullet doesn't get stabilized correctly and the barrel gets metal fouling. A lot might depend on the velocity, bullet weight, and the barrel you're using. At the time I was shooting a Beretta and it just wasn't an issue. I sold the gun but used the ammo, my normal approach to all problems.

Will,

With the current shortage of ammo, I've also started reloading more again. Penn has 115 grain SWC bullets that are shaped like the H&G #68 that .45 target shooters love. I'm loading that over 3.0 grains of Bullseye. So far, leading is very minimal, and it's pretty accurate. I'm also going to try their 120 grain truncated cone bullet. This looks very similar to the old USAF bullet that was supposed to be very accurate in 9mm's.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by MikeF:
I'm loading that over 3.0 grains of Bullseye.

3 grains will cycle your action?

Dick,

Yep, 3.0 grains works fine. I don't have a chrono, but near as I can tell from numerous reloading sources it looks like it puts the velocity somewhere between 850-900 fps.

Mike