Am I being picky with my bullets? Something seems off?

[Petrov]

So I was running low on my revolver bullets 160 grain round nose from bayou bullets.

The new bullets seem messed up to me, half of the bullets are missing the polymer coating in several spots especially the "lube groove" spot.

My old bullets where sized to .358 and measured .3575 to .3585, new bullets measure .3555 and there is a seams on them from the mold it protrudes enough to catch my nail.

Will I have trouble shooting .355 sized bullets out of a .357 revolver?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[al503]

Do you have some of the previous batch to measure?  Differences in temp can make a difference.  Not sure if it would make .002-.003" but it might account for some of it.  

 

I shot a lot of Bear Creek moly way back when that had the same casting flash/seams.  Didn't seem to affect accuracy one bit.  They were very accurate.

[Petrov]

I compared to my old batch back to back they are sitting next to each other. My old batch doesn't have mold lines either.

[drewbeck]

Only one way to find out, load them and shoot em.

 

exposed lead could lead to increase in leading but at revolver velocities I wouldn’t be worried about it in the lube groove.  Exposed base in open may be an issue.

 

shoot some and see, undersized is better than the potential risk of oversized but they’re lead so probably not a big deal and even if they’re oversized you likely are swaying them anyway if you didn’t adjust your crimp setting.

 

pull a bullet from the bigger ones and see what it measures after it’s been loaded, you may find you are making them similar sizes inadvertently.

[Petrov]

pulled a bullet and it measures .357 even after crimp

[drewbeck]

I’d say what I’d do depends on how well they shoot first, and how many I bought secondly. If I got a couple thousand and they shot ok I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them but I’d also contact them and discuss the issue.

If I bought 40k of them and they were any less accurate I’d make an issue and get them replaced.

Accuracy and a significant change in leading would be the only thing I’d be worried about. It doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they go where their aimed in my opinion


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[Hi-Power Jack]

^^^^^^^^    That's what I'd do ....     

[drewbeck]

I’d say what I’d do depends on how well they shoot first, and how many I bought secondly. If I got a couple thousand and they shot ok I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them but I’d also contact them and discuss the issue.

If I bought 40k of them and they were any less accurate I’d make an issue and get them replaced.

Accuracy and a significant change in leading would be the only thing I’d be worried about. It doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they go where their aimed in my opinion


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[10X]

I just checked the Bayou Bullets website, and they sell a 160g 9 mm bullet with that same profile, sized to .356.    Maybe you got a batch of those that they'd mislabeled and sold as .358?

Edited December 8, 2017 by 10X

[Tom S.]

4 hours ago, 10X said:

I just checked the Bayou Bullets website, and they sell a 160g 9 mm bullet with that same profile, sized to .356.    Maybe you got a batch of those that they'd mislabeled and sold as .358?

I think you nailed it.

[Petrov]

I just shot 2.5" 8 round group at 25 yards, I think that is pretty acceptable.

[Hi-Power Jack]

That 2.5" group was with the .3555" bullets?

[lefty o]

that bullet pictured in the first post looks like absolute garbage. dont matter if it shoots well or not, id be making a phone call.

[jcc7x7]

Worth a phone call

Dennis will do you right

Probably let you decide what you want to do.

But I know he'll take care of you what ever you decide.

Call them up!

[drewbeck]

that bullet pictured in the first post looks like absolute garbage. dont matter if it shoots well or not, id be making a phone call.

Really?? Why, they apparently shoot well, are you one of the people that look at your Montana’s in the mirror?


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[lefty o]

your choice, if you want to pay for seconds.

[njl]

It seems like if you look at enough coated bullets, doesn't matter if they're from Missouri Bullet, Bayou, etc., you will eventually find some that didn't get coated in the lube groove.  I assume that's not a serious issue since the valley of the lube groove isn't in contact with the barrel.  I have some, may try to get some pics to post, from my latest source that I'm trying where the hi-tek coating looks "weird"...almost like something touched it while wet or like they fell in a puddle of the coating.  I've been setting such bullets aside...but I guess I should load a few and see what happens with them.

[njl]

What say the brain trust about these?  Would you load them or reserve them for dummy rounds or for melting down?

[Hi-Power Jack]

1 hour ago, njl said:

  I guess I should load a few and see what happens with them.

 

That's what I'd do.   

[Petrov]

just a quick update cheap crappy chinese measuring instrumensts are crappy. 

Went and used a mituyo caliper and a micrometer at work, the sizes are perfect. .377ish 

My step father always told me "never go off half cocked".

Now I look stupid.

 

[drewbeck]

On 12/8/2017 at 8:12 PM, jcc7x7 said:

 

 

3 hours ago, Petrov said:

just a quick update cheap crappy chinese measuring instrumensts are crappy. 

Went and used a mituyo caliper and a micrometer at work, the sizes are perfect. .377ish 

My step father always told me "never go off half cocked".

Now I look stupid.

 

 

And it’s good to never walk around “half cocked” don’t act “half cocked” and basically it’s never good to be half cocked...

Nothing to do with you, the world would just be better with less half cocked people in it.

 

my first thought was to say to double check your tools but you said you measured back to back with the larger and batch and got the same result consistently,  I don’t know how to explain that other than knowing all calipers suck, good calipers are better than cheap ones but a micrometer or clean gauge is really the more accurate way to measure anything.

 

I definitely don’t claim to be a machinist or expert but I was shocked how much most metals change in size and shape due to temp, gravity, thickness, etc once I had better tools to actually measure the difference.  A caliper is a rough estimate regardless of it was made in China, Switzerland, or USA, it relies on user consistency and a constant environment.  And few of us have or are capable of either.

 

The last thing is, everyone that shoots plated Bullets will say coated lead doesn’t work. Anyone that says plated sucks is most likely a jacketed bullet shooter, and anyone that says any of the three is the only thing that works has tried them all for themselves in their gun with multiple powders.  

 

Good job job for double checking your measuring devices, most don’t