rtp Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) I've been buying Montana Gold 124gr JHPs, and currently am fairly well stocked with 1.5 cases on hand yet..but as you know, MG and most others have raised prices. MG is under my 'threshold' of 10c/rd, but have been considering alternatives. You'd have to be goofy to buy MGs at their 1k pricing, but case pricing makes them ~9.8c each shipped (124gr JHP). Precision Delta has raised their prices, as well. The last hike they were at $98/k shipped, or 9.8c each, now raised again to $120/k, needing to buy 6k to get to 9.8c/rd, or 10,000 to get to 9.6c/rd. More or less MG prices buy need to buy 6k instead of cases of 3750 at a time..or more. Most claim it's a very good bullet, along with MGs and Zeros. Zeros are ~11c/each via Roze Distributing, and still 10c+/each from PV (plus shipping); I know there's at least one way to get a better price on them in bulk (someone feel free to enlighten me/us on this one?), but they've been unobtanium for so long that I'm not seeing a benefit vs MGs, which are more readily available, IMO. Berry's and Rainier I pretty much ignore, as prices I've seen consistently are in the 9.x cents each range. Not worth .5c or less in savings to me vs MGs. (added) Berry's can be had for ~7.9c (+shipping) in 124gr variants from PV. L3324 mentioned buying 3k at a time gets flat rate shipping cost, so ~8.3c/rd shipped - not so bad. Xtremes are supposed to be quite thickly plated, closer to Speer TMJs at 10-15 thousandths of plating. Buying 1k at a time, their 124gr plated HPs run 9.75c/rd, which puts them out of consideration, but they also regularly run 10% off coupons, and their 124gr RNs are only 8.6c/rd pre-sale. I've got them on my 'buy some list' when they run 10% off or higher discounts. These are shipped prices. With 10% off, 124gr plated HP runs 8.75c/rd shipped, 124gr RNs 7.75c/rd shipped. RMR, whom I believe sells the same exact bullets as Xtreme, sometimes has seconds at a good deal, or ~8.5c/ea shipped in 3k quantities for RN to 9.x c/each for 3k or so 124gr HPs.. Seconds are in the ~7.5c/rd range in 1k qty for 124gr plated RN, further discounts in various larger quantities. Then we're into coated, Bayou, SNS and others (blue bullet) using AFAIK the same Hi-Tek coating from Australia, with a pretty good drop down to ~7c/each or so for 124gr RNs. Bayou includes shipping on cases, so ~7.2c/rd shipped for a case of 124gr coated RNs, but no online ordering. SNS seems to use flat rate of a sort..1-2k runs ~$8 shipping, 3-4k $15, 5-6k $30 shipping (ouch) etc...so 3k would run 7.3c/rd shipped. Not positive if it's flat rate across US, or changes based on location or not. BBI for 125gr plated (same Hi-Tek coating as Bayou) runs 8.2c each shipped in 1k lot, or 7c each shipped by the case (3500). Case price isn't bad at all. Lead, by comparison, is running ~6.5c/each or so, not worth the savings to me vs less smoke, leading, shooting indoors on occasion, etc. I know everyone's got their own favorites out there, some for good reason, some because it's what they've been buying and decide to stick with, but with a pretty decent range of prices while most have increased, I'm considering jumping on the next Xtreme sale instead of another case of MGs, or giving the Bayou, SNS, or Blue Bullets a 'shot.' Any other decent bang for buck/bullet combos I may be missing, or any reason to really stay away from the Xtreme/RMRs or Bayou/SNS/Blue/Hi-Tek coated bullets from a reputable company? In my case, this is for 9mm minor, current loads are ~130-135PF, ~1100FPS. I'm not a bullseye shooter, so while I'm quite happy with MGs, once I'm seeing ~30% less, I've got to say I'm considering making a change... Edited February 11, 2014 by rtp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
424D57 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Zero 125 JHPs can probably be found right at/near your 10c/rd threshold. I've found their 165 .40 JHP to be nearly identical to MG 165 JHP in performance; haven't gotten my hands on any 9s yet to play with but would expect similar quality. -424D57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Zero 125 JHPs can probably be found right at/near your 10c/rd threshold. I've found their 165 .40 JHP to be nearly identical to MG 165 JHP in performance; haven't gotten my hands on any 9s yet to play with but would expect similar quality. -424D57 Good point. I forgot about Zero's as they're currently at ~11c/each+ in 1k lots, and have been pretty unavailable. Added them into the original post, and maybe someone can fill me in on where to get them in bulk and at a discount. Hasn't been a real consideration at me unless it beats MGs at 9.8c/rd, although I get the impression the quality should be similar/high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I have shot many thousands of Bayou bullets and been through every coating he has used. The new coating is great! Donnie is a great guy and delivers a quality product. For $.07 a round for 124grn round nose it is hard to beat. I have used bear creek molly they are ok but the coating gets on your fingers. I used precision moly and I could't get them to group but I didn't try really hard, I just moved on. I had some sample packs of the blue bullets and I didn't care for them but I probably only had about 50. Rainier are great but too damned expensive. X-treme are awesome for pistol but I couldn't get their .223 bullets to group. They are a great supporter of our shooting sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1valdez Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhett45acp Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Just my 2 cents. My go to bullets for 40 and 9mm are ZERO. I have shot many others including MG. I find calling Roze and ordering bulk puts me at a advantage. Given that, availability has been not so great. Then I pretty much go check Berry's distributers for price/availability. Right now though, I have checked and you can get Winchester, Remington, and my favorite big name - Hornady, pretty much for what MG is asking for the equivalent in 9mm. Check the obvious suppliers, but you have to be quick to act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3324temp Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I mainly shoot Berry's. If you buy 3K of 124's from powerdervalley they ship in a flat rate box. Cost delivered is 8.33c per rd. Edited February 11, 2014 by L3324temp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I have shot many thousands of Bayou bullets and been through every coating he has used. The new coating is great! Donnie is a great guy and delivers a quality product. For $.07 a round for 124grn round nose it is hard to beat. I have used bear creek molly they are ok but the coating gets on your fingers. I used precision moly and I could't get them to group but I didn't try really hard, I just moved on. I had some sample packs of the blue bullets and I didn't care for them but I probably only had about 50. Rainier are great but too damned expensive. X-treme are awesome for pistol but I couldn't get their .223 bullets to group. They are a great supporter of our shooting sports. Seems to be fairly consistent on the Xtreme comments from what I've seen to date - good in pistol, and mixed on the .223. Just loaded some up in .223 and shot this weekend, but with new gear, so was more about sighting in and checking chrono vs accuracy testing. Also consistent positives for Bayou. Ranier and Berry's both are just too close in price for me to move from MGs, but I might stock up if I ever stumbled across a sale.. What didn't you like about the blue bullets? How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. They do; they're now using the Hi-Tek coating, same as Bayou and others. I can't see anything at all in stock on their site, and it's all set to zero price, so hard to put them into the pecking order on price vs quality.. PS - for anyone possibly annoyed by the thread, this isn't a 'help me, I can't search or find bullets' post..have read about as much as I can stand on most/many mfgrs bullets, just looking to see if there's anyone I missed, and to keep them on 'speed-dial'/bookmark for future use, especially if bullets become harder to find...again. Maybe it'll also save someone a few $ from trying a new mfgr... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I mainly shoot Berry's. If you buy 3K of 124's from powerdervalley they ship in a flat rate box. Cost delivered is 8.33c per rd. Good add, Berry's 124gr variants run ~7.9c/each per K from PV + shipping. Are you calling orders in for the flat rate, or direct from their site? Adding into first post if it'll let me edit still; that's in a reasonable (IMO, vs various others) price range.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3324temp Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Good add, Berry's 124gr variants run ~7.9c/each per K from PV + shipping. Are you calling orders in for the flat rate, or direct from their site? Adding into first post if it'll let me edit still; that's in a reasonable (IMO, vs various others) price range.. I only called the 1st time to see if they could fit 3K in the flat rate box. All my orders after that were internet orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Been using The Blue Bullets 125gr lead round nose 9mm projectiles. They ship them in small usps flat rate postal boxes. My CZ loves them. I need to do a shorter OAL though for my G34's Barsto barrel to like them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrVvrroomm Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. They do; they're now using the Hi-Tek coating, same as Bayou and others. I can't see anything at all in stock on their site, and it's all set to zero price, so hard to put them into the pecking order on price vs quality.. Huh? https://www.blackbulletsinternational.com/Product_Store.phpI ordered a case of BBI 147's yesterday. I'll have them tomorrow. Best customer service I've ever dealt with for ammo components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJGary Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) PD 124jhp was my go to bullet but if the price jumped from $98 I will probably going with Montana Gold. My practice bullets have been just about everything Berry's HBRNs, Extreme, Rainier, Precision Bullets and BBIs first with the molly and now with the new coating. The BBI 125gr is $245 for 3500 and I am lovin the new coating, still have Extremes and HBRNs on the bench. I am running low on PDs and will need more soon. Edited February 11, 2014 by GJGary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. They do; they're now using the Hi-Tek coating, same as Bayou and others. I can't see anything at all in stock on their site, and it's all set to zero price, so hard to put them into the pecking order on price vs quality.. Huh? https://www.blackbulletsinternational.com/Product_Store.phpI ordered a case of BBI 147's yesterday. I'll have them tomorrow. Best customer service I've ever dealt with for ammo components. Ok, I feel somewhat stupid. REALLY bad web site, but you're correct. This is what I see - note the $0 price for everything with 'Buy now' below? Buy Now usually implies 'add to cart,' not 'go to other screen and I'll change the price.' I'd assume they're entirely out of stock seeing that anywhere...thanks for making me go back and look again, though! Edited February 11, 2014 by rtp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yagi Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Press on the buy now and you'll see another window where you can choose from buying 1k or a case. Normally he has them on stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegunnerd Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. They do; they're now using the Hi-Tek coating, same as Bayou and others. I can't see anything at all in stock on their site, and it's all set to zero price, so hard to put them into the pecking order on price vs quality.. Huh? https://www.blackbulletsinternational.com/Product_Store.phpI ordered a case of BBI 147's yesterday. I'll have them tomorrow. Best customer service I've ever dealt with for ammo components. Another vote for BBI, i've loaded 125 gr 9mm and 180 gr 40s and they're both great. Not any smokier then the x tremes . I don't run those anymore after doing some long range shooting with my 40 and seeing them veer sharply at around 70 yards. Not that we're shooting that often, but i didn't like seeing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Added BBIs into the original post, bolded mfgr/vendor and prices. Might be interesting to check back on this post in a year, and a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cslafrain Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 How about BBI. I heard they have a new coating that's less smokey. They do; they're now using the Hi-Tek coating, same as Bayou and others. I can't see anything at all in stock on their site, and it's all set to zero price, so hard to put them into the pecking order on price vs quality.. Huh? https://www.blackbulletsinternational.com/Product_Store.phpI ordered a case of BBI 147's yesterday. I'll have them tomorrow. Best customer service I've ever dealt with for ammo components. Ok, I feel somewhat stupid. REALLY bad web site, but you're correct. This is what I see - note the $0 price for everything with 'Buy now' below? Buy Now usually implies 'add to cart,' not 'go to other screen and I'll change the price.' I'd assume they're entirely out of stock seeing that anywhere...thanks for making me go back and look again, though! The reason it is done this way is is that the quantities are set up as options and the option (500, 1000, or case ) must be selected to so that the price is shown. If it will make it easier for you when we bring out our 3 new products in the next few days I can add a price listing to the product store of all the products. If we are out of stock (which doesnt happen normally since we maintain a significant inventory) there will be several messages regarding the condition. Thanks for the heads up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenR Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thank you rtp, this is a great post and a lot of work on your part. Kudos to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) The reason it is done this way is is that the quantities are set up as options and the option (500, 1000, or case ) must be selected to so that the price is shown. If it will make it easier for you when we bring out our 3 new products in the next few days I can add a price listing to the product store of all the products. If we are out of stock (which doesnt happen normally since we maintain a significant inventory) there will be several messages regarding the condition. Thanks for the heads up. I understand it, have built many web sites including e-commerce sites for work, and deal with usability studies fairly often. I can tell you it's not intuitive nor standard, but of course, once someone's ordered, 'then they know.' Not the end of the world, but an indicator of 'in stock' or 'out of stock,' or even 'starting at $<some amount>' on the screenshot I posted would probably result in some more sales vs seeing $0 and buy/add to cart but no indication to make them believe it's in stock. It's OK - it's still better than Powder Valley's site from 1994.. (but I suspect you would see some increased sales with the 'in stock' showing on that grid view, or a prominent link to 'bullets in stock' or similar. Edited February 11, 2014 by rtp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thank you rtp, this is a great post and a lot of work on your part. Kudos to you. Heck, I'd be typing it all into my reloading notes anyways, better to get comments on bullets I haven't shot yet from others, and maybe others will benefit. I know my 'shopping for reloading supplies' bookmarks are beyond insane (powder, primers, misc tools ... ), but a list of 'BE shooter mostly approved bullet mfgrs' and relative pricing is pretty handy. I wound up ordering some SNS, but will add BBI onto the list, and see if anyone local has some (don't like the 20c/each for sample pack) I can swap or buy a few, and the case price is competitive..always good to know what your options are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cslafrain Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thanks for the advice. We will take it under consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I have been told that the BBI 125 gr will hold up to open gun velocities. I have some concerns about lead and or coating problems in my comp. Does anyone load or know someone who is using these bullets for open? Edited February 11, 2014 by Jaxshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cslafrain Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Dan Mitchell has been shooting some of them along with Jeff Schumaker and Larry Hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegunnerd Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) I've always read and been told that lead even hard cast bullets would have a tendency to muck up the comp because of the heats and pressures involved . I personally don't know anyone using lead or hard cast for open guns Edited February 12, 2014 by thegunnerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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