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Any benifit to Jacketed bullet vs coated vs plated?


champ198

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for you more experienced shooters/reloaders do you prefer jacketed, coated or plated bullets.

im just starting out with USPSA and starting  to get reloads ready and I notice a lot of people talking about shooting a lot of the Coated bullets.

is there any benefit to them over the others?

or is there benefits to the others over coated bullets?

for my first batch I just bought the cheapest thing I could find at Cabelas to burn up some gift cards I had and they were Rainer Plated bullets

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I have yet to see a serious experiment with the bullets.  But in speaking to those who shoot all types, here is the summary:

Jacketed bullets seem to be more accurate, Plated bullets quality varies-sometimes the plating comes off in the reload process, Coated bullets are accurate but not as accurate as jacketed and are cleaner.

The above comments are the opinions from some people I  know that spend a lot of time testing their loads.  As to the accuracy of their statements--it's their opinion. 

 

Personally, I am not trying to save a few pennies per bullet, it is not worth the hassle for me.  That said I did buy a 500 rounds of quality plated bullets.  I did not notice any strange accuracy problems--just the hassle of resetting  my competition seating die.

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my personal experiences and they don't necessarily match other's at all.

 

-jacketed. most consistent size and weight. need most powder to get similar fps as the others. most consistent in my press and reloading. if totally jacketed, say looking at the base of a montana gold versus a precision delta i feel i get less lead exposure. (realizing more comes from other sources) most expensive.

 

-plated. in the middle of all, but that doesn't make them a Golldilocks "just right" for some. fairly consistent. very sensitive to crimp. lots of profiles and weights to choose from. seems to vary from batch to batch. some of them aren't a cost savings.

 

-coated. the cheapest. no loss of accuracy when loaded properly. smoked for me no matter what. required more finesse and attention during reloading. greater variations in weights and measures pulling them randomly from boxes in a shipment. made my gun a little dirtier. pretty colors. different profiles than jacketed or plated.

 

It's up to you to balance what you want. I feel a person can make a valid argument for either of them. pick what's important to you and that will tell you what bullet you use. To me, there is no perfect projectile that takes the best from all of them. I currently am shooting plated bullets from RMR and accept what they are and work for me.

 

I get/buy/shoot probably at least 30k projectiles a year. i've loaded and shot and competed with blue, black, precision delta, zero, montana gold, extreme, berrys, rainier, rocky mountain reloading. all most all of this is in 9mm, a few 45 and 40, all on a 1050.

Edited by rowdyb
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I've shot several thousands (reloaded) of plated and coated.  

 

I've had good experiences with Xtreme. I found them easier to load than coated. Maybe it was me?  Anywyas, the cost of Xtreme has now reached the cost of jacketed. Once I'm out of my plated supply, I will be going to jacketed.  

 

I don't know that one is really more accurate by itself. I've always heard that coated or jacketed is supposed to be but I think it's more of a consistency and properly loaded round issue. If over crimped, plated bullets will have issues. 

 

 

So, if saving a couple bucks isn't the driving factor when choosing bullets, I'd suggest jacketed.  

 

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I haven't shot plated and jacketed reloads, however I have shot a quite a few coated ones.  

 

I find the coated bullets to be very acceptable from a accuracy perspective, provided you keep an eye on bullets that get scraped/scratched during the reloading process, as this could result in 'fliers'.  Also, this isn't a bullseye activity, so I'm not looking to get 1/2" groups when I test/practice.

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When I first started reloading I was using xtreme plated. They were cheap and easy to load. I never found them to be particularly accurate but made due since they were cheap. I then decided to try jacketed. The Montana golds were very accurate, easy to load, and expensive. Then tried coated. At 1st I hated them. They were trickier to load. I was shaving bullets when seating. I had bought a bunch of them so kept adjusting dies until I got it right. Once dies were set correctly I loved them. I find them to be incredibly accurate, cheap, and now my go ton bullet. I was still using xtreme as well up until recently when they raised their prices. Once my supply of xtreme is gone I won't be purchasing anymore. Their main advantage was they were cheap. Now that some jacketed brands are cheaper, I would be a fool to buy them over the jacketed. Also it's an added benefit to coated that they are faster than plated and jacketed. Takes less powder to make power factor

Edited by Bullets
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3 hours ago, champ198 said:

for you more experienced shooters/reloaders do you prefer jacketed, coated or plated bullets.

im just starting out with USPSA and starting  to get reloads ready and I notice a lot of people talking about shooting a lot of the Coated bullets.

is there any benefit to them over the others?

or is there benefits to the others over coated bullets?

for my first batch I just bought the cheapest thing I could find at Cabelas to burn up some gift cards I had and they were Rainer Plated bullets

Just for approximate cost examples using a 125 gr bullet, XTP's are about .19 cents per bullet, Rainier plated are .11 cents and Bayou coated are .06 cents.  I have never been able to get acceptable accuracy from plated bullets so I wouldn't buy them for that reason.  Bayou coated bullets are relatively inexpensive, clean and give acceptable accuracy for USPSA.  

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Here is my take.  I can't comment on the accuracy or jacketed vs. good plated and good coated, because several shoot the same in my guns.  The only time i measured for accuracy was 50 yard bullseye shooting.  There the jacketed Nosler 185 JHP beat everything.

 

I'm not going to knock anyone's bullets, so i'll simply list the best of each type, per caliber.  In 45 ACP the Nosler 185gr JPH is the most accurate jacketed bullet I've shot.  The Dardas 200gr LSWC is the most accurate hard cast lead bullet (I have tried many).  The Zero swaged 185gr LSWC-HP is the most accurate swaged bullet.  Precision's 200gr RNFP is the most accurate poly coated bullet I've shot, by far.  It has an added advantage  in that it is not Hi-Tek coated, so it doesn't stink when you shoot it.  Rainier's 185gr plated HP and TC bullets and their 200gr SWC are the most accurate plated bullets.  The Dardas and Zero SWC are more accurate than the Rainier.  The Precision 200 is just as accurate as the Dardas.

 

In 40sw, the Precision 180 coated TC, the Rainier 155gr plated, 175gr LSWC and 180gr LTC all shoot into the same hole at 15 yards from my TS  CZ.  No other lead, poly coated or plated will.  Caveat:  I haven't tried the RMR plated yet.  If the Falcoated 180gr TC ever comes back on the market, buy some.  They are absolutely the equal of the Precision, and they are faster with the same powder charge.  The down side to the Falcoated and Precision coated is you cannot shoot them in a comp'd gun, unless you are willing to put up with a lot of leading.

 

In my 2011 40 Open gun.  Rainier 135 and 155 plated TC bullets shoot into the same hole at 15 yards.  I'm about to test a batch of Hornady HAP bullets to see if they are worth the additional price.

 

Can't help in 9mm, because i only shoot factory (for now).

 

My preference for competition ammo is plated bullets for two reasons.  First, some clubs have ammo restrictions.  One will not permit jacketed bullets on steel.  Another will not permit HP bullets.  Second, good quality plated bullets WILL feed through the auto bullet feeder on my Hornady LnL.  Since same hole accuracy at 15 yards is all I need for competition, I'd rather not have to worry about bringing the wrong ammo to a shoot.

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For semi-auto I use jacketed for match, plated for club events and coated for practice and skills development, for revolver coated is every bit as good as anything I have ever used.

It seems overly complicated at first, but I usually buy bulk bullets as opportunity dictates, and load several thousand at a time.

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On 2/27/2017 at 10:51 AM, champ198 said:

for you more experienced shooters/reloaders do you prefer jacketed, coated or plated bullets.

im just starting out with USPSA and starting  to get reloads ready and I notice a lot of people talking about shooting a lot of the Coated bullets.

is there any benefit to them over the others?

or is there benefits to the others over coated bullets?

for my first batch I just bought the cheapest thing I could find at Cabelas to burn up some gift cards I had and they were Rainer Plated bullets

Was shooting Xtremes, switched to Acme - awesome bullets at an awesome price!

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All of them are easily accurate enough for our sport in a good gun with proper load development.

 

Coated are by far the cheapest and load and shoot just as well as the more expensive options.

 

FMJ bullets were the first 10,000 that I shot. I haven't loaded any since I tried coated.

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Jacketed - probably the best overall depending on maker. Better bullet=more money.

 

Plated - I have only used berry's and have never had a problem. They are as acurate as I am.

 

Coated - not bad. some what inconsistant between batches and smokey compared to the others. I have been casting and coating my own and can keep quality in par with all the barands I have tried before.

 

Keep your bell and crimp set for the softest bullets and you should be fine.

Edited by rustybayonet
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Never could get any plated bullets to run out of either my OEM Glocks or the ones with fitted BarSto barrels. Montana Gold JHPs are the best and them most expensive. HiTek coated bullets are just a accurate at half the price. If you want a clean compensator, then stick with FMJs and not coated, they sploog up the comps pretty good.

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3 hours ago, 9x45 said:

 Montana Gold JHPs are the best 

Just out of curiosity, what qualifies them the "best"?

 

3 hours ago, 9x45 said:

 If you want a clean compensator, then stick with FMJs and not coated, they sploog up the comps pretty good.

FMJs are not easy on comps.  You'll get pretty good leading.  JHPs are the answer. 

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Jacketed - I feel like driving a Ferrari

 

Plated - I feel like driving a Toyota

 

Coated - I feel like driving a Hyundai

 

Nothing wrong with any of those 3 types. 

 

You can push Jacketed bullets super fast. Not with plated or coated (talking about 1500+ fps)

 

The price, you can guess it right?

 

Most of the bullets, regardless of the type, can give you good accuracy as long as they are loaded properly. 

 

Last year, for all the majors I went to, I used Xtreme RN and HP which produced around or under 2" at 25 yards. I get tighter group with JHP and Coated by less or more than 1/2 inch. but I don't really care what bullet I use as long as it's under 2.5" at 25 yards.

 

BTW, My first car was Hyundai and I still drive my wife's Hyundai and I like driving it :D

Edited by hwansikcjswo
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7 minutes ago, 57K said:

 

LOL! Except that I'd say  if Plated = Toyota, Coated = Honda. Polycoated bullets are every bit as good and cost less. I've been using several different styles and calibers from SNS casting and these bullets are as good as it gets. With 158 gr. .357" SWCs, I've never loaded anything that were better. OACLs can be more uniform than many JHP loads. JHPs in all flavors are all I shoot except coated.

 

IMO, Toyota is about the same price as Honda.

 

Hyundai is cheaper than Toyota.

 

:) 

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1 minute ago, 57K said:

 

Yep, Hyundai is cheaper, but is it as good as a Toyota?

 

I drove both Toyada (Camry) and Hyundai (Sonata and Elantra) 

 

I didn't see so much difference. Both were good.

 

I shot both Plated and Coated.

 

I see some differences. :D ( in terms of loading, variance, surface toughness and smoke) 

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sanders, I see all the local Open gun guys around here run them over plated and coated. If they didn't cost twice as much as coated, I would run them also. What do you use? Are you sponsored by a bullet maker?

Edited by 9x45
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46 minutes ago, 9x45 said:

sanders, I see all the local Open gun guys around here run them over plated and coated. If they didn't cost twice as much as coated, I would run them also. What do you use? Are you sponsored by a bullet maker?

 

I work for a bullet manufacturer. 

Dealing with open gun velocities and pressures, not to mention comp cleaning... makes JHPs the way to go. FMJs will have an exposed lead base that will lead the comp, and CMJs or TMJs can have issues with the two part jacket.  JHPs are the simple answer. 

I'm not saying people don't get plated or coated bullets to work.... but its not the norm.  I watch Open shooters swear by plated/coated all the time, and then tape oblong holes in their targets. 

 

As far as jacket being twice as expensive, definitely not the case, yes true jacketed bullets cost more (although plated has started to creep higher than jacketed) , but the difference isn't as much as you'd think. 

Lets take 9mm 115s just as an example. These combinations are the most cost effective:

Xtreme PLATED - $93/1000 shipped.

Precision Delta FMJs - $83/1000 shipped when you order 2000.

Blue Bullets - $64/1000 shipped when you order 2600..

BBI - $63.68/1000 shipped when you order 3800.

 

Also, PD 115 JHPs only go up to $85/1000 when you order 2000.... so you can see where it makes sense in Open. 

 

Everyone has to shoot what is right for them, cost wise and performance wise, but at some point in a competitive sport, or at a certain level, the cost difference starts to take a back seat to performance.  

 

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sanders, when I said FMJs I meant the ones without the exposed lead butt(completely jacketed), of course that would make a mess in a comp, Plus the JHP has a higher ballistic co-efficient, therefore making it more accurate. I get my coated bullets from a local source, delivered to the match, for $57 per thousand versus $135 per thousand for MGs. I have tried Deltas, they are, in my experience, as good as MGs, at a much better price point.

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7 minutes ago, 9x45 said:

sanders, when I said FMJs I meant the ones without the exposed lead butt(completely jacketed), of course that would make a mess in a comp, Plus the JHP has a higher ballistic co-efficient, therefore making it more accurate. I get my coated bullets from a local source, delivered to the match, for $57 per thousand versus $135 per thousand for MGs. I have tried Deltas, they are, in my experience, as good as MGs, at a much better price point.

 

Gotcha.

CMJs or "complete metal jackets" use a two part jacket.  It is a good solution for some things, but I've seen many instances of tumbled CMJ bullets in open guns, most likely due to the partial separation of the jacket(s). 

 

As a side note, ballistic co-efficient does not = accuracy.  There are some relationships, but saying higher BC=more accuracy isn't necessarily true.

:cheers:

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