coated bullets and consistency

[Beef15]

8 hours ago, GeneBray said:

Curious as to when BB changed. Prior to May ordered BB in .45 ACP. Smurf fingers. Large extreme spread in weights. Inconsistent OAL. When gone, back to Precision bullets. Much better in my opinion.


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Blue's coating supposedly didn't change, they added a step to wash them after. Change occurred in the last 60 days or so. Maybe more like 30. Hasn't been long since Smurf fingers, last week's bullets were shinier and no transfer.

 

Stoeger claims not to use reloads in matches because his are too inconsistent, and he won't put the time into fixing/QCing. Sounds like ignition issues mostly.

[Racinready300ex]

On 9/10/2018 at 2:07 PM, mstamper said:

I have had weight issues from 120 to 130 grns. that is a wide variation.

Diameters are from .355 to .358. doesnt sound like much but can cause issues on a tight toleranced barrel.

 

What do you use to measure the diameter?

[mstamper]

 
What do you use to measure the diameter?

Digital calipers

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[kosh79]

this is entertaining at least 

[Steve Moneypenny]

I have shot so many coated bullets I cannot count them. 

 

I shot Precision bullets by Dave long for many years, then a Friend of mine started Black Bullets... then sold it.  The new owner and i Did not see eye to eye on some things,  and I ended up shooting blue bulllets, through the past 3 years I've shot quite a few of them ( Unable to practice like I should) 

 

Disclosure  I am a member of the Blue Bullets team. I have enjoyed quantity discounts and or Team spots from all of the above mentioned bullets.  I have also shot Berrys, West Coast,   Plated,  as well as Zero and Montana gold.  JHP's. and a LOT of lead Cast bullets.

 

Most of the "smoke" and Dirt people talk about is from the powder they choose.... the cheaper the powder the dirtier it is in most cases.  I have recovered all of the above bullets   Lead melts... FMJ with an open back, as well as cast lead actually melts and burns creating some added smoke.  

 

With plated bullets Or Coated bullets over crimping can effect the jacket causing bullets to keyhole or lose jacket material before impacting the targets.

 

Using a factory crimp die and not over crimping I have found best for my reloading practices.

 

For coated bullets a slightly bigger bell may be needed  to keep from causing too much friction on the bullet as it goes in.

 

the reduced cost of coated bullets makes them awesome... sure someone will go to a website adn say it's not that much... BUT if you look at the reality of the pricing..

 

Blue Bullets  you can save 5% by using code Moneypenny, or any of their other shooters. Just by being a member on this forum you can also get 5% off

You can save 10% if you put their logo on your shirt, 

You can save 10% if you order if you order 10K or more

They also offer contingency programs.

 

I know other companies do the same.... so please compare equally. Your choice is yours . 

Consistency with other bullets is not much better than it is with coated.  if you want really consistent bullets you can have them.. HAP  Sierra Match kings etc are VERY consistent  But none of these are going to be precision rifle consistent because they don't need to be. 
 

 

To the Original poster i have been to the blue bullets factory, any differences in diameter are very tiny, they are double struck, with a sizing die.. you can possibly order some .356 to see if they shoot better in your gun. Thickness in coating will be crushed when fired ad not make much if any noticeable difference.

 

 

 

[Racinready300ex]

1 hour ago, mstamper said:

Digital calipers

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Brand?

 

I ask because a quality set of calipers (probably set you back at least $100+) are typically accurate to +/- .001 if used correctly. If you have a lower end set that was like $25 they probably not that accurate. I know it may show .0005 on the screen, but that doesn't mean it can read that accurately.

 

In reality to get a good number at you should probably be using a mic that will cost a lot more than calipers.

 

Do you see huge swings in velocity? Do you get really bad groups? The difference of a .355 - .358 in a .355 barrel should be vary noticeable on the chrono.

[Luck2011]

11 hours ago, Racinready300ex said:

 

FYI - The coating wassn't really coming off, it was just a dust from sizing that was left on the bullet. They now run all the bullets through a giant washer to wash off that dust.

Thanks I didn't realize that but it makes sense.  I just hate having blue figures...lol

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I measured the Blue Bullets and they are not round and are different sizes. It must be the coating thickness since the bullets should be very concistant. I used a vernier caliper and also a micrometer. And I may know how to use them after a day or two.  Thanks, Eric

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Another shooter here having problems with the Blue Bullets as well. Not sure if they had a bad batch that was not resized correctly? Maybe you guys have the same lot that they made. I would give them a call and see what they say. Thanks, Eric

[SWprotected]

Something to consider, I have shot several different coated bullets as well as FMJ and plated. I do notice that FMJ are the most consistent and forgiving when loading, Plated are not bad but need to pay attention to the crimp as to not over do it. Coated bullets are the hardest to set up to load properly in my opinion. I have shot thousands of them from Bayou, Acme, Precision, and Blue Bullets and they have all worked well enough for shooting USPSA. I think some of the issues with leading using a coated bullet are not the bullet. I am sure we are all most likely using mixed brass, this creates a variance in the amount of neck tension as well as crimp. For example if I set my expansion die and crimp die using Federal brass then have some S&B or CBC mixed in those rounds tend to be an issue. I have noticed some brass is thicker and when it is crimped it will break the coating.

As far as which brand of coated bullet, I use Blues for Limited guns and have been working on loads for the PCC and have not noticed an issue with leading.