Coated bullet options

[njl]

With Montana Gold being $$ and Precision Delta being ...............

and my experiences with plated being kind of mixed, I'm looking more at coated bullets.

It seems everyone's jumped on this band wagon. There's Precision with their "proprietary dry lube coating", and Bayou, BBI, Blue Bullets, SNS Casting and maybe others I'm not aware of all using the Hi-Tek coating.

I'm primarily interested in 9mm (124gr and/or 147gr), .45acp (lighter weights, like 185gr and 200gr), and .38spl (probably just 125gr).

I've tried current offerings from Precision and Bayou (though the Bayou's came 2nd hand from another board member).

I'm reasonably happy with Precision's bullets. I started off with smaller boxes (500 packs I think), and after trying them out ordered cases. In the cases, I'm finding the occasional bullet that appears to have had its coating damaged (perhaps in shipping). They'll have what looks like a gash in the coating or a chunk of coating stuck to them presumably lost by another bullet. That's really my only complaint with them...maybe about 1% damaged bullets I won't load for my Glocks.

The Bayou I have are 147s in small boxes. I've only loaded a few small runs of these to test them. I haven't run into any problems with them yet, but did see that if I don't bell enough or start the bullets straight enough, the brass will cut right through the coating. With jacketed bullets, if the bullet starts off canted a bit, the seating die will generally straighten it out without anything getting damaged.

If anyone's tried more than one of the above, I'm curious if you've noticed any notable differences in quality (of the bullets, of the coating, etc.). Are bullets from BBI, Blue, SNS and Bayou pretty much interchangeable?

[jnr88]

The 135 Bayou's are very good. The profile seems to feed very easily and it's the round Donnie shoots. The new 125 from SNS is also very nice.

[bowenbuilt]

I would say the answer is yes, they all shoot well and if you do your part leave a clean barrel. They are pretty much interchangeable as to quality. The choices are profiles and weight. You won't go wrong with any of them.

[jayhkr]

I had the 124gr 9mm SnS and they worked good for my wifes m&p shield but not so great for my glock. The butt on them was a bit big and my barrel liked to lock up A LOT with them. Just received 5k of their 125gr 9mm and I did a few test loads and I'm already impressed. Hopefully I can get out next week and shoot them!

[JakeMartens]

Call Jim and Ryan at SNS Casting

[C-Money]

The 135 Bayou's are very good. The profile seems to feed very easily and it's the round Donnie shoots. The new 125 from SNS is also very nice.

Love Bayou 135s, didn't cae for 125s from SNS. Not enough curve to the ogive lead to me having to seat them very deep to feed properly. That caused a higher pressure spike and made them far less pleasant to shoot than other 124/5s. Haven't tried other SNS but I won't go back to the 125.

[225 Fireman]

Bayous have 135gr and 125gr and they both work great in my G34

[225 Fireman]

Bayous have 135gr and 125gr and they both work great in my G34

[rtp]

The 135 Bayou's are very good. The profile seems to feed very easily and it's the round Donnie shoots. The new 125 from SNS is also very nice.

Love Bayou 135s, didn't cae for 125s from SNS. Not enough curve to the ogive lead to me having to seat them very deep to feed properly. That caused a higher pressure spike and made them far less pleasant to shoot than other 124/5s. Haven't tried other SNS but I won't go back to the 125.

I'm seeing the profile on both the ('new' style 125gr RN) SNS and BBI 125grs have the same impact on the OAL for my PPQ. Not a feeding issue (mag, barrel ramp) is as much as the physical chamber vs ogive/profile, with a max OAL on either is ~1.08". May be a moot point, as I haven't shot them yet, but will do so next weekend..

Have you loaded both the 124gr and 135gr Bayou's for comparison?

[Studlee]

Love the Bayou's. I've been set with the 135's. You get best of both the 125 and the 147 as it's in the middle. I have 6k of he 125's that I'll be posting up for sale soon.

I tried the BBI's in 45 when Donnie had a backlog and I needed some quick for a match. At the time the coating was not as good as the one's Donnie from Bayou uses. I would get the gray coating on my fingers as I loaded. Recently though BBI has changed the coating and I think it's the same as what Donnie uses but I'm not sure.

Another one that has recently hit the scene is Blue Bullets. I just received some samples in 9 and 40 but haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. Nice coating. Looks a little thicker than Donnie's but I believe they use a different brand of coating. Hope to shoot some this weekend.

[C-Money]

The 135 Bayou's are very good. The profile seems to feed very easily and it's the round Donnie shoots. The new 125 from SNS is also very nice.

Love Bayou 135s, didn't cae for 125s from SNS. Not enough curve to the ogive lead to me having to seat them very deep to feed properly. That caused a higher pressure spike and made them far less pleasant to shoot than other 124/5s. Haven't tried other SNS but I won't go back to the 125.

I'm seeing the profile on both the ('new' style 125gr RN) SNS and BBI 125grs have the same impact on the OAL for my PPQ. Not a feeding issue (mag, barrel ramp) is as much as the physical chamber vs ogive/profile, with a max OAL on either is ~1.08". May be a moot point, as I haven't shot them yet, but will do so next weekend..

Have you loaded both the 124gr and 135gr Bayou's for comparison?

Yes, I've loaded all of the Bayou profiles in 9mm and like the 135 and 147 the best. Funny you should mention a PPQ, as mine was the reason I had to load so short and jack the pressures up. The 124 Bayou is GTG, you can load that to a longer OAL in a PPQ, and the 135 I load to the same OAL as 124. If I had to choose between them I'd take the 135 all day long, as it has a more pleasant recoil for a tiny increase in cost.

[JakeMartens]

Here is a good comparison for you

SNS Casting 200gr Lead SWC over 4.3grains of Clays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DafpR5ORkX8&list=UUUWSiIywGuVdGZjOi7Wwbzg&feature=share&index=2

SNS Casting 200gr coated swc over 4.3 grains of Clays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDyctn-HlCs&list=UUUWSiIywGuVdGZjOi7Wwbzg&feature=share

the Stinars are top notch guys to do business with, and yes I am somewhat biased in that that have been the major match sponsor for the Indiana Matches for the last several years donating close to $10,000 in certificates to the matches and have helped me out as well.

But I will also tell you that in the last 5 years there is no other company, not just bullet company, but company that has stepped up to be a sponsor of matches like SnS has, and not just the Indiana Matches.

I have bought bullets from all of them and no one ships faster or better than Jim and Ryan...PERIOD

[rtp]

The 135 Bayou's are very good. The profile seems to feed very easily and it's the round Donnie shoots. The new 125 from SNS is also very nice.

Love Bayou 135s, didn't cae for 125s from SNS. Not enough curve to the ogive lead to me having to seat them very deep to feed properly. That caused a higher pressure spike and made them far less pleasant to shoot than other 124/5s. Haven't tried other SNS but I won't go back to the 125.

I'm seeing the profile on both the ('new' style 125gr RN) SNS and BBI 125grs have the same impact on the OAL for my PPQ. Not a feeding issue (mag, barrel ramp) is as much as the physical chamber vs ogive/profile, with a max OAL on either is ~1.08". May be a moot point, as I haven't shot them yet, but will do so next weekend..

Have you loaded both the 124gr and 135gr Bayou's for comparison?

Yes, I've loaded all of the Bayou profiles in 9mm and like the 135 and 147 the best. Funny you should mention a PPQ, as mine was the reason I had to load so short and jack the pressures up. The 124 Bayou is GTG, you can load that to a longer OAL in a PPQ, and the 135 I load to the same OAL as 124. If I had to choose between them I'd take the 135 all day long, as it has a more pleasant recoil for a tiny increase in cost.

Thanks - can always lower the charges (and have), but I'd like to have a bit more of a range available with respect to OAL for that gun.

I've got a handful of Bayou 124gr and 135gr coming from a local shooter - not enough likely to work up a favorite load (maybe 20 of each) + chrono, but enough to see how much longer I can load them and probably at least get a 'competent' load for later refinement and testing.

[deerassassin22]

Black Bullets International (BBI) Enough Said. I have purchased over 20k of Chandler's bullets never have had any issue and you get them usually in 2 or 3 days. They are packaged in easier to handle 500rnd boxes.

[njl]

Anyone heard of / tried blackandbluebullets.com? I was googling last night, and found them. They use the Hi-Tek coating. They appear to offer the same 147gr bullet as Bayou and let you pick among several sizing options and maybe a little cheaper. They also have a 180gr .45 RFFP bullet advertised as being for .45LC, but that a reviewer on their site said they loaded some really soft .45acp with for an M&P. I'm curious about trying these in my Glocks at around 800fps.

[njl]

I'd edit my original post, but for some reason, this board doesn't seem to permit editing after a certain time limit. I'd assumed Blue Bullets was using Hi-Tek, but in another thread it's been said they're using something else (unknown what...but not Hi-Tek).

I just got back from chronographing 147gr Bayou's in my G17 and found 3.4gr Universal Clays works well with them. Previously, I'd tried 3.2 and wasn't happy. I think the lighter load was too light (erratic and low velocity). The 3.4 was consistent and avg'd right about 900fps...and none of the smoke I've gotten with moly coated bullets and Universal. This is good news, because it means I can reserve WST for my .45 loads and keep to using Universal for 9mm and probably .380 if/when I get one of those...and use either jacketed or Hi-Tek coated bullets.

[Jaxshooter]

I use BBI 147 gr bullets for ICORE and USPSA minor revolver loads. I use the 230 gr bullet in my Single Stack .45 and the 125 gr in the 9mm. Some guys are shooting the 125 gr bullet at major PF in open guns and are not getting any residue in the comp or barrel.

[njl]

Some guys are shooting the 125 gr bullet at major PF in open guns and are not getting any residue in the comp or barrel.

[deerassassin22]

I shot the BBI 124Grn in my Akai and Brazos no problems at all at 175PF

[BeerBaron]

there have been guys shooting bullets coated with the hi-tek coating in Australia (where it's developed and made) in open guns at major PF for quite a few years. every now and then someone has a particular combo of load/projie/powder/comp/barrel that doesn't work just right and gets some dirt in the comp or whatever, but 99% run them at major PF in their ported and compensated guns without issue. the best thing is they shoot faster (for a given load) than plated or jacketed so you can either wind back the powder a little or just enjoy more velocity (understanding of course than comp'd gun loads need to be producing enough gas to work the comp effectively too).

I'd feel comfortable recommending anyone with an open gun who is curious about it to at least try a sample pack of one of the US brands that use the hi-tek coating. If the coating has been applied properly by the caster, and all things in the loading process are ok then they should shoot fine with very little smoke, no leading and no flakes of coating anywhere in ports or the comp.

I don't know if any of the casters in the US who are using the coating do a better job than the others, but from what I've read around the place most of them have a bunch of happy supporters. I think Bayou and SNS seem to have been the early adopters of the coating so there is possibly more anecdotal evidence around about their projies.

[njl]

I got my first order from Black and Blue. I'm a little disappointed already. From the pictures, I thought they were using the same 147gr mold as Bayou, but the bullets are not the same. B&B's are slightly shorter (I didn't write down the measurements) and have quite a bit less bevel at the bottom. They also don't feel quite as slick as the Bayou bullets and the color of the Hi-Tek coating appears to be a little less consistent. It's a little hard to judge the color issue since I ordered a lighter color than the dark green Bayou bullets I have.

On the plus side, they threw in a couple of sample packs of bullet weights I didn't order in calibers I did.

The real tests will be how they load and how they shoot, so I'll try getting some loaded in the next night or two and hopefully get to the range this weekend.

[deerassassin22]

If that fails give BBI a try. You might have just got a bad batch maybe?

[njl]

I wanted to try something new, and B&B offers a light .45 bullet in a profile I've not seen anyone else offering. It's meant for .45LC, but I'm going to try loading it in .45acp and hope it feeds in Glocks. It didn't hurt that in small quantities, B&B is slightly cheaper than the other options.

[njl]

The B&B 147s run 0.010" shorter than the Bayou 147s. With no adjustment to the press, they come out 0.005" shorter than the Bayou 147s...so the bullet nose profile must be slightly different as well. I loaded 50 to try out.

I'm going to try loading some 180gr .45acp next and see if they'll feed.

[rtp]

I got my first order from Black and Blue. I'm a little disappointed already. From the pictures, I thought they were using the same 147gr mold as Bayou, but the bullets are not the same. B&B's are slightly shorter (I didn't write down the measurements) and have quite a bit less bevel at the bottom. They also don't feel quite as slick as the Bayou bullets and the color of the Hi-Tek coating appears to be a little less consistent. It's a little hard to judge the color issue since I ordered a lighter color than the dark green Bayou bullets I have.

On the plus side, they threw in a couple of sample packs of bullet weights I didn't order in calibers I did.

The real tests will be how they load and how they shoot, so I'll try getting some loaded in the next night or two and hopefully get to the range this weekend.

I saw these guys and wondered the same, if maybe they were using Bayou Bullets but were able to take online orders.

Let us know how they shoot!