Bullet lube on .45 ACP - should it burn away?

[ZeSpectre]

Fine, fine, you guys win. I'll keep the PSA to myself and you all do what you want.

Back on topic though, I agree that it is an interesting bullet and I would have expected it to show a lot more damage.

[brickeyee]

Very interesting. I thought that the lube did burn up in each bullet. So where does all the smoke come from if the lube doesn't burn?? (I understand that some smoke will come from the powder, but lubed bullets always smoke more than FMJ).

The smoke is coming from the powder gases burning off the lube deposited on the barrel behind the bullet as it move.

To the gun for fun The vapor pressure required for lead is 1100 degrees PLUS and you aint gonna get no lead vapor from shooting

And the temperature of the powder gases is well over 2500F and approaches 5000F for some powders.
This is the’ flame temperature’ of the powder.
Higher pressures act to further increase the temperature.

A small amount of lead from the base of a bullet with exposed lead is vaporized.
The length of time and surface area is small however.
The lead styphanate in the priming compound is a larger source of lead.

The lead vapor produced is very chemically active and can react with oxygen, and other product in the powder gases.
Some of the compounds produced can be absorbed more easily than others.


Even soft lube will remain in the grooves after firing.

[Sturmgewehre]

Back on topic though, I agree that it is an interesting bullet and I would have expected it to show a lot more damage.

I agree. At almost 800fps and coming to an abrupt stop within inches, you would think the nose of the SWC would have deformed at least.

It's crazy, bullets do some of the wildest things.

[HisSoldier]

My brother in law told me a story. He was shooting in a gravel pit way the heck out in the mountains with his boys. A guy camping 1/2 miles away drove up and started giving him grief about it. "Don't you know a .22 can fly two miles!" he said. Well, he heard the shooting and grabbed his girlfriend or wife and just had to make a big chest thumping issue about it in front of his lady friend.
I would automatically assume that someone shooting in a gravel pit had a good backstop, and, in this case, that Sturm would know that he wasn't endangering anyone by his shooting.
What's amazing to me in this tale is that the front of the bullet seems to show no sign of an impact with the ice!