So after competing in and watching a couple of IDPA/IPSC tournaments I noticed something. I noticed some people were using non jacketed ammo. I was under the impression that shooting lead ammo in modern semi auto weapons was a bad idea due to lead build up in the barrel. Can anyone clarify this for me?
I think Glock and HK are the 2 that use the polygonal rifling, that "grabs" lead and leads to leading. Others use standard rifling that does not effect it as much. There are a few tips such as dont shoot lead without cleaning the copper residue that is left over after shooting jacketed bullets, and vice versa. Most people reloading, know their lead hardness and and how far you can "push" the speed. J/K can tell you how hard their bullets are, and how much you can push them. Lead can be more accurate, and is sure cheaper than jacketed bullets.
It's fine and if the bullet is hard cast enough, some even use them in factory Glock barrels (I won't). It's one way to reduce ammo costs enough to practice and compete more. I've used them for practice for years, but use plated for local matches and jacketed for sanctioned matches due to the smoke issue. There's nothing worse than shooting an early morning stage on a dead calm day with the sun at your front with lead loads. The smoke just hangs in the air and obscures the remaining targets. 
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