Glock pistols and lead bullets

[Sid]

Today I was in a gun shop checking out a Glock 17. The owner of the shop is a Glock armorer and is well respected locally. I asked about the prohibition against using lead bullets in a Glock and he said this was nonsense. He told me that he has shot tens of thousands of handloads with lead bullets through his Glocks and never had any problems. A couple of his employees were there and said they had the same experience. I inquired about barrel leading and he said this was also not a problem. He said you just had to clean the barrel as you would any other pistol and no special procedures were involved. I shoot bowling pins and my club only allows use of lead bullets, no FMJ's. That is the reason for my hesitation before buying one. I would appreciate reader's comments.

[Major Tom]

I have had no problems shooting lead bullets. If I think there might be a trace of lead fouling in the bore, I just use JB bore paste on an old bore brush to clean it up.

[limazulu]

The type of rifling in a Glock barrel causes increased leading and that can cause increased pressure which, in a barrel that doesn't fully support the case can increase the risk of a rupture. Glock doesn't recommend shooting lead bullets or reloads unless you get an after market barrel. If you know the problem you can probably deal with it by cleaning frequently. Or you can get a different barrel.