Montana Gold Bullets ( Hard On Barrels)

[Azone41]

I have been told that Montana gold bullets are pretty hard on a barrel due to the fact they are brass instead of copper. Is this ture?

[EricW]

What you've been told is complete baloney.

For whatever reason, certain folks in the shooting biz have a real hard-on to trash Montana Gold's product any way they possibly can. This is just one of several urban legends (I prefer to call them lies) about MG's product. Montana Gold bullets are a quality product put out by good people. Like ALL bullets, MG's shoot better in some barrels than others.

MG bullets are slightly smaller in diameter than competing bullets. The 40's I've had generally mic out at .3995" to 0.3998". This means that they are tougher to stabilize in very shot-out or oversize bores. I think that people are misinterpreting this phenomena as a sign that their bore is worn out. It is not.

[johnhurd]

they work great in my new Bedell

[Clay1]

I could be wrong, but I thought at last year's nationals for the equipment survey that Montana Golds were the number one bullet used. Someone must like them.

[Ross Carter]

I don't think it's trashing them to speculate they could be harder on barrels. There must be a reason most bullets are copper, brass maybe cheaper maybe a trade off here? If you have to use more powder to get the same velocity that tells you something. Whether it's worth worrying about is something else.

[kevin c]

I've heard the same thing about moly bullets, and, like the MG's, I'm still using both. I've been told by a gunsmith that AA5 turns into aluminum oxide grit and will wear out your barrel really fast. I don't use it, but not for that reason, and I don't know anybody personally who had that happen, nor with moly or MG bullets.

EW is right - there are so many variations of load recipes, barrels, how fast and often a body shoots their gun that it's pretty hard to say that just the bullet was the cause of barrel wear (or that there even is excessive wear causing inaccuracy/velocity changes). I'm not aware of any really clear/convincing evidence that either MG's or moly bullets are "bad" for your barrel.

I think that many people retire or beat up their guns before wearing out the barrel.

[gm iprod]

A freind I shoot with all the time uses the MG bullets, he recently bulged his newa barrel with a faulty reload, and had to switch to his old barrel (which we all affectionatley call "old smmothbore", and it has next to no rifling). Using MG 124gr 9mm they all shoot into 2" at 50Y this barrel is at least 250,000 rounds old.

With proper loads and good gun maitainence you should have no more or less wear with MG bullets.

EricW is right urban legends / LIES are rife. Try them and see. MG would be long gone if their product was in any way inferior, same applies to those evil Sierra's, etc etc etc blah blah blah.

[Azone41]

Don't get me wrong I have been using them for quite a while that is why this person told me this when he saw me loading mags one day. I went to the Montana gold web site and they said they started making copper jacketed bullets in 1991. Is it possible that the gold color jacket is a chemical process and is really copper.

[ErikW]

Funny, nobody says these things about Remington Golden Saber bullets. Same/similar jacket material.

[dajarrel]

I love the MG bullets. They load well, shoot well and after about 60-70k through my gun it hasn't effected the accuracy.

It's a shame that they are pricing themselves out of my range but then, I guess everything is going up.

FWIW

dj

[Flexmoney]

Funny, nobody says these things about Remington Golden Saber bullets. Same/similar jacket material.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you saying that Remingtons are bad for barrels???

[George]

Are you saying that Remingtons are bad for barrels???

If anyone is worried about using Remington Golden Sabers and needs to get rid of them, I am willing to bury them in berms all over the country for you, one at a time ;-)

.355's in any weight are preferred.

Thanks,

[Clay1]

George, when you get so many that you can't use them anymore I would be glad to be second on the list.

[Patrick Sweeney]

The difference in hardness between any usable alloy of copper, brass, bronze, whatever you want to use, and the barrel through which they travel is inconsequential. Were this not the case, the Greeks who kicked ass and took names a couple of millenia ago would not have given up bronze for iron.

Anyone who doubts can write me a check for a sufficient amount of bullets, matching guns, and range time to conduct extensive and definitive testing. I'll get back to you in, say, 2011. You get to keep all documentation generated, but I retain the right to use the information for articles and books.

[Putty]

This is what I have heard/learned/urbanized whatev.....in order to get the Gold color on the MGB's they have to add Tin, which reduces the amount of copper appreciably (I forget the % i was told) which essentially amounts to a harder bullet than say a zero that is 70?% copper, is softer and fills the micropores nicely. Like I said DUNNO. ...BUT, I know that i can get zeros for alot cheaper and have 2k shipped to my po box for 7$.

[Azone41]

I sent an email to Montana Gold and this is the answer I recieved today

hi don, our bullets do have a brass jacket as does winchesters range ammunition, remingtons golden sabre and others. yes brass may be harder than other guilding metals depending upon annealing. we have shooters that shoot in excess of 50 k per year with no problems, i assume they look upon a barrel as a consumable item, after 50 or 100 k they replace the barrels as well as rebuild the rest of the gun. hope this helps, norm

[Gun Geek]

I could be wrong, but I thought at last year's nationals for the equipment survey that Montana Golds were the number one bullet used.  Someone must like them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This would be a good reason for others to "to take shots" at MG. If you're out front, you're a target. But I'd prefer that problem to the view from the back of the pack.

[EricW]

I'd like to apologize for seeming snippy, but some of the scuttlebutt going around regarding MG is absolutely, unbelievably vicious, which really ticks me off because Norm and Jolene support the hell out of everybody and are really nice to deal with. Norm and Jolene don't have a fixation on sponsoring "name" shooters only either.

I hope that someday I do well enough to give 10% of what Montana Gold gives back to the sport. It's good to have role models.

[Nolan]

I've posted this before, but the Montana Gold 115 grain JHP is the single most accurate bullet I've ever fired out of my 38 Super Open gun. I've tried a lot of bullets and the MG is the most accurate in my gun with any powder that I've tried.

Nolan

[shred]

Good grief. Do the math on 75,000 rounds (hint: it's more than a new Open gun from anybody). So you need a new barrel? Chump change. MG's are as good as or better than anything else out there.

[Zerwas]

My experience with MG's are they are very consistent (weight) vs some others. I just purchased 2,500 of their 180 FMJ stuff for my Springfield XD. I think there stuff is priced just a bit high, but as someone else posted, everything is going up...especially gas...looks like I'm gunna have to take the motorcycle to many shoots this year.

MG's are good stuff.

[texasag93]

I second that MG's are excellent quality. They are a little out of my price range. I shoot the Zeros. Little cheaper and shoot as well. TXAG

[Jeeper]

Good grief.  Do the math on 75,000 rounds (hint: it's more than a new Open gun from anybody).  So you need a new barrel?  Chump change.  MG's are as good as or better than anything else out there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly!!!!! I always think it is funny when people bitch about the cost of a barrel after shooting 50-75K rounds. A new barrel and fitting cost is irrelevant compared to what you already spent on ammo and match fees.

[21 shooter]

I think it would be nice to be able to shoot enough to determine if Brand A wears a barrel out quicker than Brand B. If I can wear a Glock barrel out, that would be a drop in the bucket to what the ammo costs were.

[Putty]

Shot my Zeros today.....no complaints, just slappin' the damn trigger.....low left until I changed my finger position then spot on.