FMJ Hard On Barrel?

M14 · September 6, 2011, 07:41 AM

I've noticed many people use .22 caliber FMJ bullets for plinking, minimal pelt damage, etc. I always thought they were hard on barrels. Is that true?

Doyle · September 6, 2011, 07:47 AM

.22LR bullets aren't really FMJ. They are copper plated and are still really soft.

dahermit · September 6, 2011, 07:58 AM

.22 Hornet,.218 Bee, .223, .222, .22-250, .220 Swift...He did not say ".22 Long Rifle".

M14 · September 6, 2011, 08:23 AM

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm speaking of reloading .22 centerfires with FMJ bullets.

jmorris · September 6, 2011, 08:26 AM

FMJ's are more often than not better for the barrel than a lead bullet and whatever the owner shoves down the bore to remove the leading.

TMD · September 6, 2011, 08:29 AM

Why would it be any different then a FMJ in other calibers? Other then a few M60's and M2's when I was in the military, I've never seen a barrel ware out.

dahermit · September 6, 2011, 08:30 AM

Full-metal jackets will be no harder on the barrel than jacketed soft-points or jacketed hollow points. However, there are still some surplus factory loads and possibly pulled military bullets that have a steel core, around. There can be a case made for them being hard on the bore. But, commercial bullets for hand loading will have a lead core and it is more a function of high-intensity loads eroding the throat that causes the barrel to be "shot-out"...not the bullet itself.

AlaskaMike · September 6, 2011, 11:37 AM

I'm no authority on barrel wear, but my personal opinion is that far more barrels wear out at the throat from erosion from heat and gas pressure than from too many jacketed bullets being passed through them.

zippy13 · September 6, 2011, 11:41 AM

Aren't the jackets of FMJs and soft points about the same? Why would FMJs cause more wear?

**Mal H** · September 6, 2011, 11:54 AM

I think the answers to the original question can all be summed up as follows:
no.

243winxb · September 7, 2011, 11:23 AM

No. In general, Bullet Jackets are made from special gilding metal copper alloy composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

WANT A LCR 22LR · September 7, 2011, 07:41 PM

Something else to think of. Oil absorbed into the barrel after cleaning and oiling will provide some lubrication. Just like the cylinder wall in a piston engine, the oil does not readily burn off.

res45 · September 8, 2011, 10:39 PM

When it comes to barrel life heat is your enemy,you loose accuracy when the throat starts to erode and heat accelerated that erosion. Shooting any high velocity small caliber varmint style cartridge in rapid succession over many rds. without letting the barrel cool does more damage that the type bullet you use.

As far as J bullets being better for your bore than lead bullet,you will find it hard to ever wear out a good barrel shooting cast lead bullet through it,if you find that you getting leading in your rifles bore than you either have a rough bore or you have a bullet/lube problem. My cleaning procedure after shooting cast lead in my rifles come down to pushing a wet patch down the bore followed by a couple dry patches,wiping the lube ring of the muzzle and running a patch lightly coated with Ed's Red down the bore and I go home.

Rangefinder · September 9, 2011, 12:34 AM

Quote:

FMJ's are more often than not better for the barrel than a lead bullet and whatever the owner shoves down the bore to remove the leading.

And would you mind backing up that nonsense? I shoot a LOT of lead and don't remember having to use more than a patch or two--I'll betcha my bores are about as clean and shiny as any could be, too. Did I mention I fire cast lead almost exclusively through my AK? Shiny bore, clean gas port, and a little residue on the piston that gets wiped of about every 500 rds. or so if I remember.

To the op>> As stated, bullets don't cause wear--hot gas does. Copper is a lot softer than the steel in a barrel could ever be. Wear comes from either a: hot-loading excessively, b: foreign matter infiltrating (dust, dirt, moisture, excessive oil, etc), c: improper cleaning, d: continuous overheating, or e: a very long life. FMJ's aren't a factor in barrel wear by any real measurable means.

brickeyee · September 9, 2011, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Just like the cylinder wall in a piston engine, the oil does not readily burn off.

Cast iron and steel are not the same.

WANT A LCR 22LR · September 9, 2011, 04:46 PM

" Cast iron and steel are not the same. "

Makes no difference. Lube is used to fill in rough rubbing surfaces so the peaks don't rub against each other and shear off material. This is the basis of lubrication.

Some cylinders ( like liners in a industrial diesel ) are very hard to reduce wear and are more steel like than iron. Also roller and ball bearings are steel and they get lube.

jmorris · September 10, 2011, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Quote:

FMJ's are more often than not better for the barrel than a lead bullet and whatever the owner shoves down the bore to remove the leading.

And would you mind backing up that nonsense? I shoot a LOT of lead and don't remember having to use more than a patch or two--I'll betcha my bores are about as clean and shiny as any could be, too. Did I mention I fire cast lead almost exclusively through my AK? Shiny bore, clean gas port, and a little residue on the piston that gets wiped of about every 500 rds. or so if I remember.

If all you have to do is wipe off the piston every 500 rounds in an AK shooting lead I would say that your experience is quite different than many others. Even with pistol rounds most will have some amount of leading after that many rounds.

As for backing up the nonsense that owners do more damage to barrels than FMJ, look to all of the bore guides, jigs to drill recievers so you can rod from the chamber end and coated rods to prevent damage as evidence.

brickeyee · September 10, 2011, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Makes no difference. Lube is used to fill in rough rubbing surfaces so the peaks don't rub against each other and shear off material. This is the basis of lubrication.

Well, it actually does.

CI is easier to lubricate effectively than steel.

The larger grain structure in CI provides a lot of places oil can sit and not be actually at the friction points.

This allows it to migrate after the a moving pass back out on the surface.

wncchester · September 11, 2011, 03:27 PM

Goodness.

M14, you were clear enough, most of us knew you weren't reloading a .22 RF.

Civilian FMJ bullets have the same jacket as other nose types so being full jackted has no unsual effect. Even military copper clad steel FMJ jackets produce little - if any - serious barrel wear; most of their wear is due to the heat of rapid firing. The solid steel cores in armor piercing military bullets are covered by enough copper to totally prevent any potential bore damage.

No one has yet "worn out" a barrel with lead bullets.

A reloader who knows what he's doing will not have a heavily leaded bore to be damaged by improper cleaning. If two or three passes with a brass bore brush and solvent doesn't remove all traces of lead, the load, bullet or bullet lube needs to be changed.

No one has a cast iron barrel so that's irrelivant to the issue.

Oil burns quickly in a barrel, one shot and it's gone either by pushing out or burning and leaving a carbon deposit on the bore. Deliberately shooting through an oily bore and the hard carbon deposit it leaves is NOT condusive to accuracy.

September 6, 2011, 07:41 AM	#1
M14 Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2006 Location: Southwest Michigan Posts: 110	FMJ Hard On Barrel? I've noticed many people use .22 caliber FMJ bullets for plinking, minimal pelt damage, etc. I always thought they were hard on barrels. Is that true? __________________ Strangers in the night exchanging tracers.

September 6, 2011, 08:23 AM	#4
M14 Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2006 Location: Southwest Michigan Posts: 110	Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm speaking of reloading .22 centerfires with FMJ bullets. __________________ Strangers in the night exchanging tracers.

September 6, 2011, 07:47 AM	#2
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	.22LR bullets aren't really FMJ. They are copper plated and are still really soft.

September 6, 2011, 07:58 AM	#3
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	.22 Hornet,.218 Bee, .223, .222, .22-250, .220 Swift...He did not say ".22 Long Rifle".

September 6, 2011, 08:26 AM	#5
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	FMJ's are more often than not better for the barrel than a lead bullet and whatever the owner shoves down the bore to remove the leading.

September 6, 2011, 08:29 AM	#6
TMD Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,293	Why would it be any different then a FMJ in other calibers? Other then a few M60's and M2's when I was in the military, I've never seen a barrel ware out.

September 6, 2011, 08:30 AM	#7
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	Full-metal jackets will be no harder on the barrel than jacketed soft-points or jacketed hollow points. However, there are still some surplus factory loads and possibly pulled military bullets that have a steel core, around. There can be a case made for them being hard on the bore. But, commercial bullets for hand loading will have a lead core and it is more a function of high-intensity loads eroding the throat that causes the barrel to be "shot-out"...not the bullet itself.

September 6, 2011, 11:37 AM	#8
AlaskaMike Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 943	I'm no authority on barrel wear, but my personal opinion is that far more barrels wear out at the throat from erosion from heat and gas pressure than from too many jacketed bullets being passed through them.

September 6, 2011, 11:41 AM	#9
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Aren't the jackets of FMJs and soft points about the same? Why would FMJs cause more wear?

September 6, 2011, 11:54 AM	#10
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,955	I think the answers to the original question can all be summed up as follows: no.

September 7, 2011, 11:23 AM	#11
243winxb Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2011 Location: USA Posts: 1,730	No. In general, Bullet Jackets are made from special gilding metal copper alloy composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

September 7, 2011, 07:41 PM	#12
WANT A LCR 22LR Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Posts: 389	Something else to think of. Oil absorbed into the barrel after cleaning and oiling will provide some lubrication. Just like the cylinder wall in a piston engine, the oil does not readily burn off.

September 8, 2011, 10:39 PM	#13
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	When it comes to barrel life heat is your enemy,you loose accuracy when the throat starts to erode and heat accelerated that erosion. Shooting any high velocity small caliber varmint style cartridge in rapid succession over many rds. without letting the barrel cool does more damage that the type bullet you use. As far as J bullets being better for your bore than lead bullet,you will find it hard to ever wear out a good barrel shooting cast lead bullet through it,if you find that you getting leading in your rifles bore than you either have a rough bore or you have a bullet/lube problem. My cleaning procedure after shooting cast lead in my rifles come down to pushing a wet patch down the bore followed by a couple dry patches,wiping the lube ring of the muzzle and running a patch lightly coated with Ed's Red down the bore and I go home.

September 9, 2011, 04:46 PM	#16
WANT A LCR 22LR Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Posts: 389	" Cast iron and steel are not the same. " Makes no difference. Lube is used to fill in rough rubbing surfaces so the peaks don't rub against each other and shear off material. This is the basis of lubrication. Some cylinders ( like liners in a industrial diesel ) are very hard to reduce wear and are more steel like than iron. Also roller and ball bearings are steel and they get lube.

September 11, 2011, 03:27 PM	#19
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	Goodness. M14, you were clear enough, most of us knew you weren't reloading a .22 RF. Civilian FMJ bullets have the same jacket as other nose types so being full jackted has no unsual effect. Even military copper clad steel FMJ jackets produce little - if any - serious barrel wear; most of their wear is due to the heat of rapid firing. The solid steel cores in armor piercing military bullets are covered by enough copper to totally prevent any potential bore damage. No one has yet "worn out" a barrel with lead bullets. A reloader who knows what he's doing will not have a heavily leaded bore to be damaged by improper cleaning. If two or three passes with a brass bore brush and solvent doesn't remove all traces of lead, the load, bullet or bullet lube needs to be changed. No one has a cast iron barrel so that's irrelivant to the issue. Oil burns quickly in a barrel, one shot and it's gone either by pushing out or burning and leaving a carbon deposit on the bore. Deliberately shooting through an oily bore and the hard carbon deposit it leaves is NOT condusive to accuracy.