Question on Blue Bullets Diameter

[looking4reloadingdeals]

As Iv posted here before I'm new to coated bullets, but I know most people use "over sized" bullets of .357-.358". I recently tried some Brazos bullets in .357" and they worked ok for me but after talking to a lot of people at the range I'm thinking making a change to Blue Bullets. What I don't understand is why Blue Bullets are sized at .355"? Do people not have a problem with these smaller sized bullets for some reason? Or, do most people use the ".357/.38" bullets sized at .358"? Is there something I'm missing with these bullets? Any advise is appreciated

[36873687]

I use blue 125 tc sized .356. I’d put em to accuracy to jhp. Just hit special order to get .356

[Miranda]

ok ask a question that has an easy answer next time...

 

in 9mm the barrel should be aprox ( I love this...) .3543 - ish

from what I have read, that becomes .3550 inches.

and some manufacturers make them bigger...

 

lead bullets are softer than copper jacketed bullets

and so lead bullets should be bigger than the barrel bore

to seal and get traction on the rifling.

the thinking is that about 1 to 2 thou of diameter bigger is about right.

 

so if your bore is .355 you will want .356 for lead bullet size.

that would be considered normal for lead bullets.

 

try the .356 coated lead and see how it works for you.

 

victor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[looking4reloadingdeals]

2 minutes ago, Miranda said:

ok ask a question that has an easy answer next time...

 

in 9mm the barrel should be aprox ( I love this...) .3543 - ish

from what I have read, that becomes .3550 inches.

and some manufacturers make them bigger...

 

lead bullets are softer than copper jacketed bullets

and so lead bullets should be bigger than the barrel bore

to seal and get traction on the rifling.

the thinking is that about 1 to 2 thou of diameter bigger is about right.

 

so if your bore is .355 you will want .356 for lead bullet size.

that would be considered normal for lead bullets.

 

try the .356 coated lead and see how it works for you.

 

victor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what do you mean "a question that is easy to answer next time"?

I was just curious because it seems the common consensus is to shoot .357-.358" bullets with most people saying to just shoot the .358" to avoid leading  with most people saying that .355" usually leads barrels bad

[looking4reloadingdeals]

18 minutes ago, 36873687 said:

I use blue 125 tc sized .356. I’d put em to accuracy to jhp. Just hit special order to get .356

you don't get leading too bad using the .356"?

 

[36873687]

3 minutes ago, looking4reloadingdeals said:

you don't get leading too bad using the .356"?

 

Nope an I’m shooting 9major open gun. Couple times year I’ll glass beed blast the Comp an it’s clean. 

[Miranda]

hohohohohohahahahahahahaha

 

k. you seem to know the answers!

why did you ask?

 

I think you may want to note that the first step is to measure the barrel.

perhaps the guys running .358 bullets have barrels that are .357 inches.

in general, lead bullets sized one to 2 thousands over barrel diameter are

more accurate and avoid leading the rifling.

 

my issue with fat bullets is not wedging a .358 bullet into a .355 barrel.

it is avoiding the case swaging the bullet to .355 or having the bullet fall out after

assembly.

 

please consider what info you seek when you ask.

I do not yet read minds.

 

I have not used coated bullets.  the guys at castboolits state that the coating is helpful

for reducing smoke, buuut the also state keep your diameter for best results.

were I buying blue bullets I'd get .356 because I know my barrel is .355

 

miranda

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Miranda
fix a typo

[jcc7x7]

Blue's coating is different and seems to make up the difference so to speak of bullet dia.

Also Brazos uses a softer lead mix which is great for bullseye velocity but sometimes fails under power factor velocity.

Easiest answer is to try a few sample packs.

 

Even if you slug your bbl, your going to have to test fire different bullets to see if they shoot without leading etc.

So just try a few different bullets till you find one style and dia. your gun likes

[looking4reloadingdeals]

hohohohohohahahahahahahaha
 
k. you seem to know the answers!
why did you ask?
 
I think you may want to note that the first step is to measure the barrel.
perhaps the guys running .358 bullets have barrels that are .357 inches.
in general, lead bullets sized one to 2 thousands over barrel diameter are
more accurate and avoid leading the rifling.
 
my issue with fat bullets is not wedging a .358 bullet into a .355 barrel.
it is avoiding the case swaging the bullet to .355 or having the bullet fall out after
assembly.
 
please consider what info you seek when you ask.
I do not yet read minds.
 
I have not used coated bullets.  the guys at castboolits state that the coating is helpful
for reducing smoke, buuut the also state keep your diameter for best results.
were I buying blue bullets I'd get .356 because I know my barrel is .355
 
miranda
 
 
 
 

“What I don't understand is why Blue Bullets are sized at .355"? Do people not have a problem with these smaller sized bullets for some reason?”

This is the information I was seeking, which I clearly asked in the OP...

I don’t have all the answers otherwise I wouldn’t be posting here for help, I’m not sure why you’re being like that. I was just asking for an explanation and some help deciding on a new bullet/bullet diameter and trying to figure out why Blue Bullets are so popular while sized at .355 when most say to get bigger bullets. So I’m not sure why you seem hostile towards answering that question


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[Furrly]

Blues bullets are great bullets.. In my opinion Some of the best on the market..  they come in 355 and 356.. I would buy a sample pack of both and see what works best for your intended purposes.. 

[looking4reloadingdeals]

Blues bullets are great bullets.. In my opinion Some of the best on the market..  they come in 355 and 356.. I would buy a sample pack of both and see what works best for your intended purposes.. 

Thanks, what’s the best way to figure out if one or the other is going to lead in my barrel? Does that come just from normal shooting a mag and letting it sit then shooting another one, or is usually caused faster strings of fire back to back? I’m likely not going to be as accurate as the bullet anyways, so leading is my main concern at this point.


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[Miranda]

telling someone they are 'being that way' does not mean you are free of being that way.

 

to a great extent what others are doing makes little difference to what you should do with your ammo.

your pistol may be exceptional.  what most others buy and use will not help you.

 

again, you asked why 355 blue bullets are popular.

as the obvious answer is; I know they will not work for me.

that answer will lead to another question, which is the answer you got from two different people.

 

fit your bullets to your pistol.

victor

[Furrly]

53 minutes ago, looking4reloadingdeals said:

Thanks, what’s the best way to figure out if one or the other is going to lead in my barrel? Does that come just from normal shooting a mag and letting it sit then shooting another one, or is usually caused faster strings of fire back to back? I’m likely not going to be as accurate as the bullet anyways, so leading is my main concern at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why are you so concerned with leading.. I've never experienced that with any coated lead bullets.. Deos it exits, I'm sure it does? 

[looking4reloadingdeals]

telling someone they are 'being that way' does not mean you are free of being that way.
 
to a great extent what others are doing makes little difference to what you should do with your ammo.
your pistol may be exceptional.  what most others buy and use will not help you.
 
again, you asked why 355 blue bullets are popular.
as the obvious answer is; I know they will not work for me.
that answer will lead to another question, which is the answer you got from two different people.
 
fit your bullets to your pistol.
victor

I was looking for people personal experiences and their advice on what they like and what works for them, and what doesn’t. WHY these bullets don’t work for you would have been a much more helpful answer than “figure it out”. If I wanted to randomly buy a whole bunch of stuff then I wouldn’t have made a post here asking for advice. I’d rather buy two different kinds of bullets based on what others have had good luck with to start, and if that doesn’t work move onto other stuff. I was just asking for advice, not asking for a set in stone and works 100% of the time and will instantly work for me.


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[looking4reloadingdeals]

Why are you so concerned with leading.. I've never experienced that with any coated lead bullets.. Deos it exits, I'm sure it does? 

I haven’t experienced it either, but I’m trying to avoid it. Iv heard bad stories about people having problems with leading them they loose accuracy, then they have scrub their barrels forever to try and get it out, and it can cause excessive pressure. I’m just trying to avoid it as much as possible


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[Furrly]

Based on my own personal experience I've shot over 30k coated lead bullets over the last year and half and have yet to experience it or experience accuracy issues. I do clean my blaster after every training or match session.. 

[looking4reloadingdeals]

I have started cleaning much more frequently, about every other session, or 500 rounds or so after switching to coated bullets. But I guess it could be something I put further out of my mind and clean every time


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[GMP]

I think its a combo of size, hardness, coating,  and perhaps barrel finish/starting cleanliness in some cases.   Also I wonder how many guys actually look down the bore with a glass or scope.  I have a buddy who is a LEO and was shooting the Federal Syntech out of his G19.  Claimed it was clean, till he looked close with a glass.  Brazos in .358 maintained good accuracy for games with some minor leading after 200 rounds.  Not bad, but still there.  Like was said they seem fairly soft.  They also seem to smoke a lot even with Sport Pistol,  other shooters noticed it more than me watching me shoot.  I'm switching to Precision Bullets in .358 as they do not lead, smoke, and are very accurate.  

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I would buy a sample pack and see how they shoot for you in your pistol. One thing I did not like about the Blue Bullets was that they are not round at least the ones I tried. They were not very accurate in my pistols. Others seem to like them but they did not work out for me. Thanks, Eric

[looking4reloadingdeals]

Hello: I would buy a sample pack and see how they shoot for you in your pistol. One thing I did not like about the Blue Bullets was that they are not round at least the ones I tried. They were not very accurate in my pistols. Others seem to like them but they did not work out for me. Thanks, Eric

Thanks Eric, what did you end up going with?


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[Beef15]

I believe it has something to do with the coating.

 

I shoot .355 blues in several 9mms without leading or accuracy issues. 4 of 5 bores slug over .355. The other I haven't checked. I also have a Turkish 9mm that they lead up, there's tooling marks in the grooves though.

 

I also cast and coat my own bullets with Hi Tek or PC. Have to size to .357 to prevent leading.

[IVC]

16 hours ago, Miranda said:

so if your bore is .355 you will want .356 for lead bullet size.

that would be considered normal for lead bullets.

I've seen this argument before and it all makes sense, but then it would mean that the only people shooting .355 Blues would be those with .354 bore. That would seem to be a very small group at best. So, why would Blue Bullets provide .355 as their default size and run .356 as a special order? 

 

I have just recently reloaded some 3K of .355 BB-s and haven't noticed any particular issue. I'm testing them on paper from rest and 25-55 steel plates, some quite small. Am I not being discerning enough, or is it just luck that they seem to work in a bunch of guns (two 929-s, SA 1911, CZ TS, SZ SP-01, Sig P226 X5, etc.)? I would like to revisit and retest accuracy much more systematically if it's likely that I'm using the wrong size... 

[Kenstone]

 "trying to figure out why Blue Bullets are so popular while sized at .355 when most say to get bigger bullets"

 

Bigger BLUE bullets get me better accuracy, something others may not be concerned about and are content shooting 0.355 bullets. 

 

It seems like the answer(s) you're looking for are in the "Need Coated 124's recommendation" thread, where you and I have posted.

I'll repeat what I posted there, here, but know that you will need to do some testing yourself, as all barrels are different.

 

I never experienced leading or slugged a barrel, the reason I load/shoot "over-sized" bullets is for better accuracy/groups, proven thru testing.

I buy 124gr, 0.358" dia. 38/357 RN Blue Bullets, no special dia. order required.

https://www.thebluebullets.com/product-p/1000-147rn-38.htm

I have LEE push thru sizing dies sizes 0.356"/0.357"/0.358" to resize those bullets depending on the gun/barrel.

The "tightest" chambered/shortest throated 9mm barrel I have is a Storm-Lake and I have to use thinner cases to squeeze 0.358 dia bullets in that one, as well as a shorter OAL.

I use a 38S&W expander ($3) in a 9mm powder thru the expander die, a direct swap, so the over-sized bullet is not swaged down by the case while seating.

https://leeprecision.com/pm-expan-plg-38-s-w.html

 

You might get lucky by just buying those bullets, seating them, without bullet resizing, into any random case, expanded with a standard expansion plug, not get any bullet swaging, and plunk in every 9mm barrel you have 

If that happens...go out and buy a Lottery ticket.

I don't see that happening though, without some testing of different components/different size bullets.

Only you can decide if all this crap is worth any gains you get, if any.

Sometimes you have to risk it to get the biscuit…

Edited September 9, 2019 by Kenstone

[mveto]

I tried blues in .355 in both the 135tc and 147rd and none of the 4 guns I was using liked them. The accuracy was not very good, I should try them in .356 and see how they work out but for now I’ve been using Acme’s and they are working very well. When it’s time to get more billets I might give them a try again.

[Miranda]

9 hours ago, looking4reloadingdeals said:

I was looking for people personal experiences and their advice on what they like and what works for them, and what doesn’t. WHY these bullets don’t work for you would have been a much more helpful answer than “figure it out”. If I wanted to randomly buy a whole bunch of stuff then I wouldn’t have made a post here asking for advice. I’d rather buy two different kinds of bullets based on what others have had good luck with to start, and if that doesn’t work move onto other stuff. I was just asking for advice, not asking for a set in stone and works 100% of the time and will instantly work for me.


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with any luck you will figure it out.