Lead Boolits in Glocks and Desert Eagles .

I've read varying stories regarding the use of lead boolits in Glocks. I have a Glock 34 and I load my 9mm with a 120gr TC (Lee), wheelweights 9.5BHN, for the powder I use 4.9 grains of Bullseye and lubed it with Jake's Purple Ceresin. I've shot perhaps thousands of rounds through the barrel. I've noticed that the Ceresin billows out more smoke. More likely lube that continues to burn which in my thinking there is an ample amount of lube through the entire length of the barrel and I see no leading. On my primers, I see no pressure signs, no cracked cases, no unusually hard THUMP when the slide moves back, etc.

My concern is the Glock manufacturer does not recommend lead boolits and if one does, a chance of the firearm blowing up because of the octogonal rifling.

I'm just asking for feedbacks from the Cast Boolit Community on thoughts about this.

Also, if anyone in the Cast Boolit Community have any thoughts on cast boolits in Desert Eagles. I am considering on purchasing the 50AE.

Thanks in advance.

Cast bullets are only a problem in .40 and 10mm Glocks, which can be negated by the use of properly sized bullets cast of a very hard alloy. Or, you can go with an aftermarket barrel with cut or button rifling. The polygonal rifling will lead up very quickly with soft cast (or undersized) bullets and push pressures well past red zone. More than one shooter I know has very good luck using linotype alloy in them with factory barrels.

An issue of far more concern to me is the unsupported chamber in older .40/10mm Glocks and the pitifully short brass life if you want to load for them. Supposedly it is better now than it used to be. I switched from a G23 to a G21 and get dozens of loading from my .45ACP cases.

BTW, using ANY handloaded ammo in a Glock voids the warranty, not that it is an issue for me.

I feed my G21 nothing but soft cast 220RN's with no leading problems, and I know several that shoot cast in their 9mm Glocks with no problems.

Someone else can answer about DE's. I have shot several, but have never owned one.

I had a shooting pal with a .44 Desert Eagle who mostly shot lead ammo for the couple of years I saw him.
Of course you are not supposed to do so.
If you have seen a DE cutaway view, you know the gun has a long and tortuous gas canal; if it gets clogged, you're in trouble.
The drawings I saw showed a little screw at the end of the long straight (from boring/ for cleaning?), but it doesn't seem to be functional on actual guns.
So maybe he didn't have a problem because his ammo didn't lead.

I spoke with a Glock armorer about the barrel on the Glock 23, he stated that the barrel has not been changed according to the specs he has. I know that almost all of the brass I pick up has a bulge in it and my Glock is a third generation model. I wish they made a .45 in a 23/19 size. I love my Glock 23 but, I don't like having a gun I can't reload for.

I didn't like it either. Mine was a Gen 1. I was about to buy an aftermarket barrel for it when a really good deal on a NIB G21 landed in my lap. It took my local gunshop two weeks to find a new home for my G23, and I made enough profit on it to buy a 6cav mould to feed the .45 with. While not quite as accurate on paper as the G23, the G21 is much more controlable, and still more than accurate enough for moA (minute of a$$hole) out to 50yds, and I'm very happy with it.

I shoot lead bullets in my G23 all the time, with both the OEM barrel and an aftermarket Storm Lake. The lead bullets are BHN 15 - 22 depending on which brand I have at the time, usually 165 gr - 170 gr.

I do not find unusual build up of lead even in the Glock barrel. Perhaps if the lead was softer it would lead up faster, but at BHN 15 or greater it does not seem to be a problem. I regularly shoot 100-200 rounds of lead through the Glock barrel, and it shows little more lead than the Storm Lake barrel with the same number of rounds. Clean it out after each range session and it is good to go.

I think the key is to monitor what happens in your own gun and ammo combination and make adjustments from there. If you shoot a lot of lead then just get an aftermarket barrel (Storm Lake, Lone Wolf, KKM, Bar-Sto, etc. for $100 - $200) and don't worry about lead hardness. If you use the Glock barrel then consider alloying the lead to get 15 BHN at least, and keep an eye on the lead build up every 10 rounds or so until you get a sense of how it will handle it.