The blue bullets-New bullet company

[JohnnyD]

Think I might try these out in 9mm. I started casting my own bullets recently and have gotten pretty good accuracy but they are a tad smokey. Haven't tried them in a match just stationary plinking so not sure if it's going to mess me up or not.

If they do, I will probably use cast for practice only and coated if they work for me for matches. Currently reloading Xtreme/RMR plated for matches.

[RammerJammer]

Another review: Ordered a pack of 850, shipped instantly and arrived in two small boxes. These aren't blue in the way Bayou's are green they are BLUE. I ordered 180s and they weighed from 181.2 to 181.9. I started loading them up over 4.4 grains of titegroup and they would not sit in the case mouth with the expansion set for Xtreme 180s so I had to adjust a little bit. Loaded up a couple hundred and marvelled at how cool they look in nickel.

At the range: zero smoke. Taking all day I can guarantee a headshot A box at 25 which is my max accuracy with anything. The barrel was no dirtier than with bayou or xtreme after 200. I will be ordering more based on price, novelty, and customer service.

[JLeeCZ]

Going to get samples myself.

[SPRSkip]

Sounds like I am going to have to take a look at these as they are local-ish

[bowenbuilt]

So far I have shot about 1000 rounds of them in 9 and .40. I cannot find the down side. They are super clean shooting, consistent and dead nuts accurate. I am constantly testing different combinations but I think I am finally satisfied with these bullets, they are priced right with lightening fast shipping. I give them 5 stars!

[Babaganoosh]

Titegroup and no smoke? That's a winning combination for me. That's what's been holding me back from trying coated bullets.

[dave33]

I finally got a chance to shoot the new Blue Bullets in 9mm today and also did some further testing with a new batch of 180 grn .40's. I can tell you that Blue Bullets has a new customer. Accuracy was great, no smoke and all the gun barrels were cleaner after shooting than when I started. They are outstanding!

Did you shoot the 9mm blue bullets over E3? I just received my sample order from blue bullets in .45 and 9mm and have loaded up some of the .45's over some E3 and 231, just for comparison and plan to shoot them tomorrow. I wanted to load up some of the 9mm over E3 also, if that is what you used would mind sharing your load data. Im would be shooting them out of a XDM 5.25. Thanks.

[bajadudes]

So I got a sample pack of these in my never ending quest to ake an affordable, accurate, quality round for target and competition. I loaded up 180 of them

90 - 125 grain bullets with 4.0grains of WC231and an OAL of 1.120 +/- .004

90 of the same with 4.2 grains of WC 231.

Tomorrow, using a just cleaned XD

20 each will go thru the chrono.

The rest downrange at targets. I will report back when done.

I shot 8 of them just for the hell of it thru an already very dirty 90 DashTwo Beretta just to see and at an average speed of 1071.25 fps that gave me a PF of 133+

nice feel and minimal smoke to normal.

If these work out I will be able to offer a nice low budget 9mm minor competition ammo for a little over $12 a box of 50.

[bowenbuilt]

For Dave33

Which 9mm bullets did you get? I am shooting the 147 grain bullets in my XDm with e3. Your starting load should be 3 grains of e3 seated to at least 1.120 OAL and work up from there.

Edited December 18, 2013 by bowenbuilt

[dave33]

For Dave33

Which 9mm bullets did you get? I am shooting the 147 grain bullets in my XDm with e3. Your starting load should be 3 grains of e3 seated to at least 1.120 OAL and work up from there.

I got the 147 gr ones also. I previously loaded some LRN 147 over 2.9 gr of E3 to 1.145 and liked that load but haven't worked it much from there. I've got my E3 .45 load where I like it though. Thanks.

[bowenbuilt]

I think you will find that because of the bullet profile the Blue Bullets will not reach much past 1.120 in your XDm unless it's been throated. I have one XD that would not go longer than 1.110 with these, I have sent this barrel to Dawson to get it reamed. What was your final load in .45?

Edited December 18, 2013 by bowenbuilt

[bajadudes]

As mentioned above, today I took the opportunity to shoot 190 of these. I shot them through a Beretta 92FS with a just cleaned barrel.
They were all 9mm 125 grain Round Nose

With 4.0grains of WC 231, Mixed headstamp used brass, Winchester SPP, OAL of 1.120 +/- .004.

Average velocity was 1033.9 fps. with 20 randomly selected rounds through the crono at 10 ft. for a PF of 129.23

With 4.2 grains of WC 231, Mixed headstamp used brass, Winchester SPP, OAL of 1.120 +/- .004.

Average velocity was 1069.2 fps. with 20 randomly selected rounds through the crono at 10 ft. for a PF of 133.6

They did shoot nice with perhaps just a bit more smoke than a jacketed round. The smoke did seem to get worst towards the end of the test.

Here is my target at 7 yards with 100 rounds thru it, accuracy is certainly there. This was with the 4.0 grains of 231. the grouping seemed to open up a tad with the 4.2. 10 of the rounds in this picture were the 4.2g and they are mostly the outlyers.. The figure is 1 inch ear to ear.

Leading did appear and while at first it was minimal, towards the end of the test there was a definite beginning build up. This picture is of the final look inside the barrel after about 190 rounds. No blue gunk however.

Here is a picture of the loaded round with an OAL of 1.120

For the Nerdy Data driven types here is the full data set

125g blue bullet data set.pdf

I liked the results of the test even though it seemed that leading started to begin getting worst towards the end of the test. In all honesty for a lead bullet with a polymer coating being driven to 1000 + fps they performed remarkably well.

I suspect that as the barrel begins to lead up, especially near the throat, that the polymer begins to get stripped sooner thereby exposing more of the lead to the hot gases of combustion. The more you shoot the worst it will probably get. For a regular range session or match of 250 or so rounds it should be a non issue. However if you are the type of person that does not like cleaning their gun after a 250 round session then your barrel and accuracy is going to suffer with each subsequent trip.

I also like that it's not a messy coating, it does not rub off on your hands and you can't really write with it like a crayon as you can with some coated bullets. I have seen Chinese copper plated bullets that you can literally scrape off the plating with a light pass of your fingernail. This coating appears durable and clean to handle.

I have to try the 147's next since I can get the same PF at lower speeds and the leading should be minimized to some degree with the slower speeds..

As a low cost alternative for an economy line I think I am going to invest in some and try to market it.

[bowenbuilt]

I don't understand why you experienced leading. Luckily I have had nothing but clean barrels in 9 and .40. I have been very careful to bell large and lightly taper crimp so as not to damage the coating. I had shot several hundred moly coated bullets prior to 500 of these and my barrel was actually cleaner than when I started. If you are experiencing leading the coating would have to been compromised somehow. It looks like the fouling is toward the muzzle end of the barrel and that is a sure sign of this.

[bajadudes]

I don't know. I know that I was very careful to expand the bell at the powder drop more than I normally do for a jacketed round and I specifically looked for any shaving after the seating station. As you can see from the photo, I do not crimp the round at all, I just remove the bell and that's it.

Perhaps it's the powder or the fact that you are driving a 147 grain and it's going slower with less stress than a 124.

I mean I did like them far more than any other moly coated version I have loaded over the years.

Like I said I want to try the 147's

Do you know what speed you are getting? Are you positive you are at least making minor with them?

The speed difference is significant, to make 130 PF with the 147 you only have to drive them to about 885 fps vs 1030 fps with the 125's.

That is going to stress the coating more.

[BeerBaron]

here in my little colony (australia) we have been shooting coated lead for a long time (and almost exclusively with the J+M Hy-Tech product).

You should not get leading if that is the product blue bullets are using. though their coating does look a little different to the normal hytek look. theirs looks a bit more 'patchy'. if the hytek stuff is applied properly it will not come off on your fingers and will not lead the barrel (plenty of guys here pushing 125 pills at 1300FPS+ for major PF in open guns) or the comp.

I also like the profiles without the lube grove (there is no need for it with a good moly coating). in fact one guy here now makes very accurate bullets. they are 125gn semi wadcutters with no lube groove and a flat base instead of bevel base. a little harder to load (just add a bit more bell/flare to the case at powder drop) but shoot very nicely. They use the copper coloured hytek coating which has some better heat reflective properties over some of the other colours.

here is another australia maker and you can see some of the profiles they now make. they also make profiles without lube grooves.

http://www.topscore.com.au/index.php/products

this is the 125 SWC flat base, no lube groove I was talking about. nice big bearing surface. still shoots nice and fast. I need about 10% less powder for these to get the same velocity as a similar weight/profile CMJ pill.

[bowenbuilt]

The average for my 147's is 930 fps. I tend to run them just a little higher than the 130 PF just to be safe and this is where I get the best groups with these in my gun. I am interested to see how the 147's work for you, be sure to let us know.

[See_Archie_Shoot]

Something is odd. You're the first person I've heard of that has seen any leading. I've been shooting them for about 6 months. We normally shoot a match every weekend. I have yet to run a brush down my barrel. I usually run a wet patch down the barrel every few months. The barrels on all my guns look clean. I normally use WSF with my 125 9's. WSF should be close to 231. My friend has been shooting some of the 125's in his 9 major open gun. He is loading them with autocomp. We haven't seen any signs of leading in his barrel. The coating shouldn't be a stripping off at 1000-1100 fps.

I'm really curious why you are seeing lead. Have you pulled any bullets to see it there is any coating stripped off in the loading process. A normal crimp shouldn't be a problem. I crimp my loads .002 and haven't had any problems.

[bajadudes]

I am doing a big run of MG 124 and 115s right now but as soon as I order and get some in I will try again and see if there is something in my process that is affecting the coating. I didn't pull any but will next time I load some. I did see absolutely no sign of shaving or scraping at the seating die.

The powder drop funnel is a Mr Bullet Feeder funnel not a Dillion. The bullet feeder is a MBF also.

With the bullet sitting in the bell I can see an ever so slight gap all the way around the bullet so I know it's not to tight.

I haven't cleaned that barrel yet, I will do it over the weekend. Maybe what I am seeing in there is not lead, maybe it's just dirty powder residue. It sure does look like lead striations.

On a side note it would be nice if there were no lube groove and instead more bearing surface.

Edited December 19, 2013 by bajadudes

[dave33]

I think you will find that because of the bullet profile the Blue Bullets will not reach much past 1.120 in your XDm unless it's been throated. I have one XD that would not go longer than 1.110 with these, I have sent this barrel to Dawson to get it reamed. What was your final load in .45?

4.375 gr of E3 under a 200 gr LSWC at 1.250 OAL has been my most accurate .45 load, often grouping 1" at 25 yds. I shot some of the 200 gr Blue Bullets today at the same powder charge and got very good accuracy but not quite as good as the LSWC's though I didn't shoot a ton of them.

The Blue Bullets worked well for me, shot very clean and had little smoke. I tried 4 different powders to see if it made any difference, solo 1000, SR 7625, E3, and 231 and they all worked well and were very clean.

[bowenbuilt]

Outstanding! I have found the Blue to be 35 to 40 fps slower than cast so you might just touch up the powder charge a tad and be right back to your 1 inch groups. Thanks for the info.

[narcop]

I am a bit surprised that you got leading with these bullets. I have just finished shooting my first thousand of the .40 195 grain loaded with 3.8 gr clays at 1.185 OAL. These just barely make major out of my Edge. This past weekend I shot back to back matches (close to 300 rounds) then another 100 practice rounds on monday. I cleaned it on monday night. No sign of leading, no smurf juice, just the usual powder residue which cleaned easily. I have loaded about every bullet available on the market, and these are as good as any I have tried and better than most. I will be interested to hear the results of your second test.

[BeerBaron]

On a side note it would be nice if there were no lube groove and instead more bearing surface.

I totally agree. many of the australian makers who produce cast bullets coated with the J+M Hytek coating now make them without and I think they tend to be a more accurate pill. some also make oversize too at .3565 or .357 for 9mm. I really like one in particular which is a 125gn semi-wad with no lube grove AND a flat base. a little harder to load (need a touch more bell) but flat base and nice big bearing surface seem to make them shoot very accurately.

[BlueOvalBandit]

The lack of a 230gr 45 is stopping me from trying. Pretty soon I will have a rainbow ammo box with the addition of blue to the green, gold, and red.

[bowenbuilt]

I was told the 230's are coming very soon. I want to give them a try too.

[63expert]

I ordered the 250 sample pack of the .40 180gr FPs. I haven't loaded them yet but I did measure them and the ones I measured were oval. .401 on one side and .402 90* from that. Would not even think about passing through my bullet feeder. As soon as I can get them launched down range I'll report back.