Cast bullets ok for HK USP Compact

**Yoder** · October 25th, 2009, 02:47 PM

I have a HK USP compact .40 cal. Are there any problems shooting cast lead bullets out of this gun? I'm thinking about getting dies for this and cast are pretty cheap.

**synergy** · October 25th, 2009, 03:00 PM

Yes. It has the same barrel type as a Glock has. You need to shoot FMJ through them.

**Steve_NEPhila** · October 25th, 2009, 03:05 PM

The HK uses polygonal rifling. Using lead bullets in a polygonal rifled barrel is not recommended. Here is an informative article that mentions a catastrophic failure of an HK attributed to lead bullets use in polygonal rifled barrel. However, that may or may not have been the critical factor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonal_rifling

I am not saying that it will make your pistol explode. It will cause severe fouling though.

**max384** · October 25th, 2009, 05:31 PM

As a rule, I only use cast lead in my .38 SPL revolvers. I know many semis can take it, but I just got fed up with the fouling and higher rates of feeding problems.... and they're often a pain to reload. I ended up giving 500 .45 ACP bullets to my buddy because I was sick of the fouling in my 1911s.

**Ronin** · October 25th, 2009, 06:04 PM

H&K does not recommend against using lead bullets but they do note that there is a greater chance for lead fouling in the barrel. That being said, I've shot thousands of lead bullets through my USPc in .40 and have had zero problems. It has never failed to fire or go completely into battery.

If you do shoot lead bullets, just make sure you keep it clean.

**brian** · October 25th, 2009, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Ronin

If you do shoot lead bullets, just make sure you keep it clean.

or adjust the load to your gun.
leading is the result of one or more things being out of whack. get things inline and there is very little to no leading to clean up.

**Yoder** · October 26th, 2009, 07:29 AM

Thanks for all the info. I think I'll just suck it up and stick with jacketed ammo.

**Pizza Bob** · October 26th, 2009, 08:43 AM

People keep tending to lump all cast lead bullets together when they talk about shooting them in guns such as the Glock or the H&K's. If someone just handed you a box of cartridges that were reloaded with cast bullets, then you would be correct in being wary and declining the use of them. If on the other hand, you are reloading and you were the one that obtained the lead bullets, then you have control over the process (providing you purchase from a reputable bullet caster).

The critical element in shooting cast bullets from polygonal bores or at magnum velocities from any gun, is the hardness of the bullet (again, providing that they are sized correctly). Most reputable casters will be able to tell you the hardness of their bullets based on dynamic testing of the alloy they use. Hardness is expressed as a Brinnell number (Br) - the higher the number, the harder the alloy. The harder the bullet the less it will lead the barrel. You may reach a point of diminishing returns where if it is too hard, it doesn't upset into the rifling and accuracy suffers.

As for the manufacturer's statement, I don't believe that I have ever read an owners manual that said it was OK to shoot reloads through their gun, so what type of bullet is used is kind of moot. They are simply protecting themselves against liability by limiting the variables under which their product will be used.

Adios,

Pizza Bob