Is it safe to shoot coated bullets in stock barrels

[900_DRIVER]

I loaded some Hi-Tek coated 147gr bullets for my G34 and chrono'd them. The accuracy was only so-so but they still had that led smokiness (not as bad) (plus the odor is strong) and it had me wondering if they are still leading up the barrel. From what i have been able to search online they appear to be OK, but does any body have any experience to share?

[Jay870]

I have about 25K coated bullets down the barrel of an OEM Glock 24 barrel. No problems whatsoever. If you end up with excessive smoke or leading then I'd be looking at your loading setup more than the bullet.

[nwhpfan]

I got a few K through my G17 no problem, no issues, no concerns. I'd say they are good to go.

[Swanny10]

3300 through a stock 34. Zero problems.

[bowenbuilt]

A lot of smoke with a strong acrid smell usually means the coating has been comprimised. You could be over crimping them, scraping the coating off when seating or the bullets could be undersized for your bore. Shooting in the late afternoon with heavy humidity will look like a civil war cannon depending on the position of the sun but your description of smoke, smell and poor accuracy sounds like a symptom of one of the above.

[9x45]

I've been running Bayou bullets since last October, 4-6 matches a month. My blood lead dropped from 25 to 8 in 4 months, about the same as jacketed. They are safe for hammer forged barrels. My load is 125 TC over 4 grains of TiteGroup at 1.100" with no leading and very minimal smoke under certain weather conditions. Bore snake for clean up. Watching other shooters run different brands of coated bullets I see a great deal of difference in smoke and odor.

[midvalleyshooter]

I've been running Bayou bullets since last October, 4-6 matches a month. My blood lead dropped from 25 to 8 in 4 months, about the same as jacketed. They are safe for hammer forged barrels. My load is 125 TC over 4 grains of TiteGroup at 1.100" with no leading and very minimal smoke under certain weather conditions. Bore snake for clean up. Watching other shooters run different brands of coated bullets I see a great deal of difference in smoke and odor.

How do they compare to Bear Creek?

[9x45]

I had been running Bear Creeks for several years. For my loads, they were filthy, leaded a bunch, blacked your hands from handling and other shooters complained of the smoke, and when my blood lead hit 25, I stopped using them. Bayous are only a little more expensive, and it is Donnie Miculeks company. For me they are the price point bullet compared to Montana Golds.

Now I know guys running Bear Creek in Open guns, claiming no leading, but that was not my experience.

Typical residue after a match from Bear Creeks.

[HCH]

I shot over 12,000 cast bullets through my g35 with no problem. I would think coated should be fine.

[Skywatcher]

i have put a few thousand thru mine i just clean it better then i would if plated

[SF1911]

I've also been using Bayou bullets in my M&P and Glock34 (stock barrel) for a few years now. No leading at all and very little smoke. I use to use Bear Creek and would never go back to them. The difference between the 2 is huge IMO.

[Skywatcher]

never tried bayou

[techj]

All I've fed my 17 is coated (the blue bullets) for the past 2 years without a hitch.

Edited October 21, 2015 by techj

[mdm3]

All I've fed my 17 is coated (the blue bullets) for the past 2 years without a hitch.

Same for me in my Glock 34. Been using the 124 Grain Blue Bullets for a couple years now and have had no issues.

[obsessiveshooter]

Black Bullets International is all I shoot in my G35b Limited gun. No problems, no leading. I did have to stop using the Lee Factory Crimp Die and just go to a regular Taper Crimp die. With glocks, you don't need to post-size anyway.

[GlockDude]

I like them and used to use them, but shooting more jacketed bullets that I buy in bulk, but would go back to them in a second, cost seems to very and is going up.

[ltrain7281]

Over the last 3 years I shot around 60,000 rounds of different coated bullets. These were all out of Glock pistols (G17, G34, & G35) and I have had no issues what so ever with coated bullets. Below is a list of different bullet manufacturers I have tried over the last 3 years:

Black Bullets International

Bayou Bullets

Black and Blue Bullets

Acme Bullets

SNS castings

I have loaded everything from 124 grains to 147 grains in 9mm and from 155 grains to 200 grains in 40 S&W. All these manufacturers produce high quantity bullets and I highly recommend any of them.

I know that some people will won't to know which brand is more accurate or which one I prefer over the other. I really have no preference. When I setting up a new competition load for USPSA I am not too worried about having one hole accuracy, that would be expecting way to much out a Glock anyway. I typically test from 20-25 yards and if I can keep the majority of my shots in an 6 inch white paper plate I consider it good for this sport.

The most important thing for when determining a load for our sport is the way that it feels during recoil and how fast the sights return to the target. This will also depend a lot on what your current skill level is.

From my experience when I first started in this sport three years ago I liked the soft shooting loads. They seem to me that they were easier for me to control the recoil and to track the sights. As I progressed (now Master class in Production) I much more prefer a "snappier" feeling load. When I compare the softer shooting loads now to the snappier feeling loads it seems to me that the gun is sluggish feeling. Now here's the dilemma, when I test the soft loads and snappier loads in different drills on a timer there is really no difference in time, only my conscious feeling of thinking that the gun is running slower even though it is not. So since I am not rich person I tend to go with the lighter bullets since I get more for my money and get to practice more. I hope this info helps, as these are just my experience's over the last several years.