two shoes Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 So I decided I wanted to give some coated bullets a try. I ordered samples from 2 different outfits. I had read in order to properly load I had to: 1. Ensure bell is wide enough not to scrape sides when seating 2. Reduce crimp so that no score/wipe was present when looking at puled bullets I've loaded with jacketed Zero bullets and have been using MG HPs for a little while now with no real issues with case gauge, (MGs just a little proud) feeding or just running in general. The first coated bullet (red) worked really well, I could crimp them to .378 all of them gauged well, were completely coated with no signs of flaking/exposed lead. I could dent the bullet but not scrape off the coating with .377" crimp. The second set of bullets didn't pass visual inspection with the lube ring not coated, the tips flaking off and a really "thin" look to the coating. The bases looked questionable as far as coating is concerned. I contacted the manufacturer and said that I wasn't impressed. He explained that the missing coating at the lube ring and the flaking at the nose wasn't a concern as there is no contact with the barrel. I went ahead and started my die setup. I found I could load these as long as my mags could handle due to shape, but had to back the crimp off to .380" to get them not to scratch/scrape when pulled. They wont pass the case gauge either, not like others. All will plunk and turn freely so they will run, I'm just questioning the overall quality of the black ones. Pretty sure I'll just run the major players/mfgrs after this. I'm not likely going to waste time with the "no-name" brands. PB, Bayou, Blue, SnS (in no particular order) will get my business. I know there are brand fanbois, and that is cool. I'm just looking for a good deal on a quality product. And who doesn't like pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamber Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Care to share the names of the "2 outfits"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two shoes Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 42 minutes ago, kamber said: Care to share the names of the "2 outfits"? Not sure I want to "bash" a business... so I'll not publicly name the black ones... I haven't found them mentioned on here though (did a search on the whole site), so not a major player in any way. I hope to shoot them today or tomorrow. The red ones that loaded well and shot as accurately as I can tell are BadmanBullets. The coating seemed tough, but I didn't do a hammer or melt test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furrly Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Go Blue, you will not regret it!!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two shoes Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 30 minutes ago, Furrly said: Go Blue, you will not regret it!!~ I will try them for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HesedTech Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) Good topic. Today I tested J-Ames Bullets 135 https://jamesbullets.com/product/9-38-rnfpbb-crb-135gr-new/ and RMR 124 JHP in multiple guns. I trapped the bullets to check for coating and distortion and what I found was this: Chrono'ed at 10' from Tanfoglio S2, Tanfoglio Limited Pro, Glock 19 Gen 5 and Glock 19 after market std. rifled barrel. Bullet J-Ames 135 FP .356 3.45 grains Sport Pistol, OAL 1.125 Tanfoglio S2 average PF 128 Tanfoglio LP 130 PF Glock 19 Gen 5 PF 126 Glock 19 After Market Barrel PF 126 In general the coating remained intact on all the guns, however I find in std rifled barrels there is always more coating erosion than poly. What I did observe in J-Ames bullets is more distortion from the trap (my trap uses ground rubber from tires, playground mulch) compared to Blues, ACME, Precision, and SnS coated lead. I suspect the manufacturer uses a softer lead alloy. I was also surprised to see I did not gain any velocity with 3.45 grains J-Ames coated 135s compared to my 147 Precision Delta FMJs. I am most impressed with the RMR 124 JHP .355 bullets. Loaded at 1.08. They are easy to load, and at 3.8 grains of Sport Pistol made 138 PF. After this test my bullet preferences are: 9MM Pistol (minor PF) is still the same: Precision Delta 147 FMJRN OAL 1.14. 3.45 grains SP. 147 FP Coated .356 from both ACME and Precision Bullet (Precision's coating is a bit more robust than ACME) OAL 1.13, 3.2+ grains SP. 9MM PCC: 124 RMR JHP 40SW: 180 RNFP Blue Bullets 45ACP: 230 RN Blue Bullets For the $ the J-Ames bullets are a very good value. If you buy in bulk (10K) ACME and Precision Bullets are equal in value (around 6 cents each). Hope this helps someone. Edited May 19, 2020 by HesedTech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking4reloadingdeals Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 If you’re just looking for cheap bullets IV found Everglades plated to be a great bullet and a great price. I think I got them for around $0.072/bullet when buying 3k at a time or something. That is cheaper than most of the big coated bullet brands. IV also found these to be much easier to load than the coated, as I’m sure you know after loading FMJ bullets. Although IV had decent luck with blues (only ran about a hundred or so) and literally just tried SNS for the first time without any incidents, but both of those are also more expensive as I’m sure you’ve seen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmojo Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I've loaded and shot 10's of thousands of Bayou Bullets without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jollymon32 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Completely unscientific perspective; after shooting tens of thousands of Acme and Gallant, I have found that the coated bullets from Precision Bullets are more accurate. Significantly less number of ‘flyers’. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I use the Precision bullets from Kemp, Texas and have had excellent results with them accuracy wise. www.precisionbullets.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimiStick Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Another vote for Precision out of Kemp. They are swaged from industrial lead alloy. Not cast from random scrap that was ‘cheapest this week’. I did a comparison on weight consistency of several coated Bullet manufacturers, and 2 jacketed. PM me if you want a copy of the spreadsheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intheshaw1 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I'm no expert reloader but the pictures on the precision bullets show chipped coatings. I've only loaded acme so far since they are local but the coating looked a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Don't think those are Precision bullets.as he doesn't sell that shape the lube groove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two shoes Posted May 20, 2020 Author Share Posted May 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Intheshaw1 said: I'm no expert reloader but the pictures on the precision bullets show chipped coatings. I've only loaded acme so far since they are local but the coating looked a lot better. The black bullets I posted ARE NOT Precision. They are an off brand that has yet to be mentioned on this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOF Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 15 hours ago, mvmojo said: I've loaded and shot 10's of thousands of Bayou Bullets without any problems. I'll second that! I've used them in 9mm, .38 Spl and .45 ACP. Their 9mm 120 grain TCG is one of the most accurate 9mm bullets I've used... and that includes accuracy testing a lot of factory loads. Bayou works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I'll third it. Bayou's are my go to bullets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glockster1 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 (edited) I've tried all the rest. I only buy the best. Toughest highest quality one of a kind coating. J-Ames Bullets full tilt. jamesbullets.com Edited May 20, 2020 by Glockster1 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intheshaw1 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 50 minutes ago, two shoes said: The black bullets I posted ARE NOT Precision. They are an off brand that has yet to be mentioned on this site. I'm not saying you were, I was just going off the pictures on precisionbullets.com. the pictures show a pretty poor quality of coating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124gr9mm Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Thanks for sharing this feedback. I load a lot of coated bullets so it's good to see some new names to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two shoes Posted May 20, 2020 Author Share Posted May 20, 2020 38 minutes ago, Intheshaw1 said: I'm not saying you were, I was just going off the pictures on precisionbullets.com. the pictures show a pretty poor quality of coating Ok, understood. I didn't want to misrepresent their product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intheshaw1 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 15 minutes ago, two shoes said: Ok, understood. I didn't want to misrepresent their product. I'm sure their product is good, most are. Just kinda shocked those were the pictures they decided to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking4reloadingdeals Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I'm sure their product is good, most are. Just kinda shocked those were the pictures they decided to use.I agree. IV looked at their site many times as so many people say they like their bullets, but every time I see those pictures I decide to spend my money elsewhere because I don’t really want to be buying bullets that look like that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcschwenke Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Great post. I’ve been using coated bullets from Acme & Bayou the past several years. Just picked up 16k recently. Both are very good. I agree with GOF, the 120gr Bayou are crazy accurate. Never using them before, I picked up 1k rounds to try in my 38 Super and took second Master at a PPC match. I shot 16 rounds as a test just a few days before the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasref Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 DG Bullets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottinohio Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 ANyone got a coupon code for precision bullets?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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