Cherokeewind Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 OK someone help me out here.........what is the benefit to using coated bullets instead of plated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimiStick Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 cost mainly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJB Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 cost & accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Availability sometimes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnipTheDog Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 (edited) In addition, some ranges want you to use a softer lead bullet. Also when handling the bullet, there's less lead poisoning potential for the most part. Edited July 8, 2020 by SnipTheDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tires2burn Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Most indoor ranges don't like the smoke lead lubricated bullets put out. Plated are the easiest but casting your own and then powder coating is more fun. The final result is about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilrb Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Like was mentioned above, cost and with the craziness now availability. I started using recently for these reasons. Keeping my FMJ and now my plated for matches. Will be using coated for practice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mont1120 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 I found a slight increase in velocity with coated over plated, which made getting to major PF a bit easier. With my .45 Kimber, accuracy also improved with coated, but that did not really matter in USPSA. I first tried a free sample bag of Blue Bullets, and was sold on them. I also tired Gallant, Acme, and Bayou, and still found the Smurfs a better bullet. The only bullet I would never order again came out of CO. They were stuck together, unevenly coated, and took forever to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cherokeewind Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 Thanks for the replies, I expected that cost would be a factor, especially if one is shooting several thousand per year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindredGhost Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Coated bullets are also easier on the barrel... i've been told longer barrel life. kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_Schultz Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 6 hours ago, KindredGhost said: Coated bullets are also easier on the barrel... i've been told longer barrel life. kg The steel barrels are made of is orders of magnitude harder than the soft copper that's plated on a bullet. Most people in gun forums know absolutely nothing about basic metallurgy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igloodude Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 1 hour ago, SGT_Schultz said: The steel barrels are made of is orders of magnitude harder than the soft copper that's plated on a bullet. Most people in gun forums know absolutely nothing about basic metallurgy. It's true I don't know much about basic metallurgy (though I do know steel is harder than copper). On the other hand, I know that water is a lot softer than rock but if you run enough water over the rock and eventually you have less rock. I'm not saying this proves that coated bullets are significantly better for steel barrels than copper jacketed bullets, I'm just saying it's not completely dumb to think that it's possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_Schultz Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 45 minutes ago, Igloodude said: It's true I don't know much about basic metallurgy (though I do know steel is harder than copper). On the other hand, I know that water is a lot softer than rock but if you run enough water over the rock and eventually you have less rock. I'm not saying this proves that coated bullets are significantly better for steel barrels than copper jacketed bullets, I'm just saying it's not completely dumb to think that it's possible. Throat erosion caused by powder flame temperature (primarily) and solid particle erosion (secondarily) are the principal mechanisms that "kill" barrels. This is significant in rifles. I've never heard of someone shooting a pistol barrel so much that throat erosion killed its accuracy. Not saying it happens, just saying I've never heard of it. There is so little powder in a handgun cartridge compares to what's in even a small centerfire rifle cartridge that I doubt you could shoot enough to kill a pistol that way. As far as copper eroding the rifling due to raw friction, you'll probably die of old age before that happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 some guns are just not fond of plated bullets. we have had issues with 9mm and 40 1911/2011 guns having alot of accuracy/tumbling problems with plated bullets. The same exact loads run great in cz pistols however. Coated bullets seem to work excellently in all my guns, so I've just stuck with them. I have never had any issues with plated 45's however. go figger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 As far as copper eroding the rifling due to raw friction, you'll probably die of old age before that happens.Yeah, but what about your grandchildren’s grandkids? They may have to worry about it if they’re still shooting the gun you passed down to them...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_Schultz Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 25 minutes ago, Cuz said: Yeah, but what about your grandchildren’s grandkids? They may have to worry about it if they’re still shooting the gun you passed down to them... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvDog Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 With all the options of colors, the coated bullets look cooler. I think the coated also has the advantage of less friction - not concerned with barrel wear/erosion, but less powder for equal PF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleigher Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 I just received a tub of the Hi-Tek bullet coating powder. I'm very interested in trying it out, and will try to heat up my furnace and cast up some more bullets this weekend. I got the gold color because why not? I think my plan will be to coat a bunch of bullets and size them with no lube, then size and lube a bunch of bullets from the same batch, and then test them side by side in my gun. I'm most interested in seeing how the coated bullets reduce smoke and waxy residues/fouling in my gun. I've fired tons of my self-cast waxy lubricated bullets over the years, and it's lube residues that seem to be the largest component of any fouling in the guns afterwards. If the coated bullets function well with no lube in the lube groove, that should reduce the fouling a lot. Also, for rapid firing during action competitions smoke from my cast lead loads can be substantial, and the coated bullets should eliminate all or most of that too. I think it was this thread, actually, that got me Googling about coated bullets and learning that it's something a home caster can actually do themselves. I'm eager to try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igloodude Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 On 7/23/2020 at 9:26 PM, SGT_Schultz said: Throat erosion caused by powder flame temperature (primarily) and solid particle erosion (secondarily) are the principal mechanisms that "kill" barrels. This is significant in rifles. I've never heard of someone shooting a pistol barrel so much that throat erosion killed its accuracy. Not saying it happens, just saying I've never heard of it. There is so little powder in a handgun cartridge compares to what's in even a small centerfire rifle cartridge that I doubt you could shoot enough to kill a pistol that way. As far as copper eroding the rifling due to raw friction, you'll probably die of old age before that happens. Understood, thanks for this explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleigher Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Ok, so I've got my first experience both with coated bullets, but also with coating them myself. I'd picked up a tub of the Hi-Tek bullet coating powder. I picked up a cheap $40 toaster oven at my local grocery store. I casted up a few hundred 200gr LSWC .452" bullets for my 1911. Mixed up 20g of the powder in 100ml of Acetone, and squirted around 4ml of the solution into an empty plastic coffee can with a couple hundred of my cast bullets and swirled it, rolled it around, shook it, etc. for maybe one minute. Where I live it's hot and dry so they were already starting to be dry as I set them out base down on a wire mesh tray that came with the toaster oven. I had my doubts because they didn't appear to be all that well coated, but figured I'd just follow the instructions and see what happened. I turned a fan on blowing over this tray for a few more minutes till I could tell they were well dried out, then turned the fan off and put the mesh tray into the toaster oven at 400 F for 11 minutes. They say like 8-12 minutes, but since I gave the toaster oven no warm-up time I just settled on 11 minutes from cold. Figured over the first minute it would be heating up, then it would have 10 minutes of baking time. The coating darkened and became much more visible after it was baked. I laid the tray out on top of the toaster oven with the fan blowing on it again and in just a few minutes the bullets were at about room temperature. They looked pretty decent though there were patches on various bullets where it seemed the coating hadn't gotten. I repeated the process for a second coat, and after the second coat and they had been baked again they looked really, really good. I was very surprised. They feel nice and dry to the touch, you don't feel like you're handling raw lead alloy anymore, etc. I really like it. I pushed these through my lubrisizer and just didn't pull the handle down far enough to squirt lube into the grooves. They sized up easily, the sizer left the surface nice and smooth and shiny with the coating not breaking up or tearing, no crackeling, no flaking off, etc. I loaded up and shot around 100 rounds today with these bullets, and they shot well, there wasn't the smoke I normally get from my conventionally lubed bullets. There were some small streaks in the barrel, but less than I'd normally see with my cast bullets, and it cleaned up pretty quickly. It does add some more time and labor to the process. If this weren't a hobby I'd say that casting my own bullets, coating them myself, loading them up, etc. wouldn't be worth the time. If I ever get tired of casting/coating/sizing/loading my own ammo I'd certainly consider these coated bullets a good option to purchase commercially, as compared to just buying hard cast bullets. The improved cleanliness in handling the bullets themselves is awesome. The gun was considerably less fouled after shooting almost 100 rounds of these, compared to all the waxy bullet-lube & carbon residue the gun normally has on it afterwards. I think I'm a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I went from Montana Gold to Black Bullet International years ago. I have been very happy with the accuracy. I don’t see any reason to shoot jacketed bullets for uspsa really at all. Feeding hasn’t been a problem across many platforms. No problems with residues in the barrel. Just accurate and on time and inexpensive. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 8 hours ago, JimmyZip said: I went from Montana Gold to Black Bullet International years ago. I have been very happy with the accuracy. I don’t see any reason to shoot jacketed bullets for uspsa really at all. Feeding hasn’t been a problem across many platforms. No problems with residues in the barrel. Just accurate and on time and inexpensive. . If I shot non comped guns BBI are all I would shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 28 minutes ago, Sarge said: If I shot non comped guns BBI are all I would shoot. I wasn’t even thinking about open guns when I was writing. Yeah, would stay with jacketed with comped pistols for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Given the component shortage and the fact that I can make all the bullets I will ever need, casting makes more sense for me. I stopped casting because tmj plated and fmj were plentiful and cast / wax lubed were smoky and I did not like handling them. Shooting Tanfos with polygonal rifling also made lead a no-no Now that I am powder coating all of the issues with shortages and using lead are gone. If the shortages go away I doubt I will ever buy bullets again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NETim Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Looks like Easter!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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