Plated Bullets Are Whooping My....

[HSMITH]

OK, I have been reloading for a good long time. I have loaded pistol, rifle, shotshells and have easily loaded a couple hundred thousand rounds each for pistols and shotshells. Just to clarify that I am not inexperienced I have tried over 300 variations of loads in a single handgun using both lead and jacketed bullets with some stellar results. With lead or jacketed bullets I can usually zero in on what the gun wants quickly and develop loads that shoot extremely well.

On to the problem: I cannot get plated bullets to shoot even halfway decently in most of my guns. The only guns I have gotten anywhere near reasonable results using plated bullets are conventionally rifled 45 acp guns. Even then group sizes are double what a good lead or jacketed bullet will do. Glocks? Tumbling bullets somewhere between 15 feet and 25 yards depending on loading contortions, regardless of caliber too. Yup, I have had them tumble at just feet from the muzzle. Revolvers? Similar misery with a couple guns tumbling bullets also.

I have tried crimps varying from a slight bell still on the case to hard crimps. NO crimp is the best as far as I can tell but the loads still suck. I have tried 11 powders that I can think of with them in 9mm and shot them through 4 guns, the loads still suck. I have tried short loads, long loads, hot loads, very mild loads, all sorts of primers, and everything else I can think of. I have tried different die sets, including the FCD which most times made things worse.

I see posts on here where people shoot them and tell of success, what is the secret?

My presses are 550's and single stages, a typical pistol die set for me is a U-die, Redding Comp Seating die, and a standard crimp die from RCBS, Lee, Hornady, Redding, or whatever I have on hand.

Anyone have any insight on this?

[Joe4d]

You didnt mention age or brand of bullets you are using. I was burned by Rainers, they were junk later was told they were better so bought some when I couldnt get anything else and they were still junk. John M Browning himself could reccomend them and I wouldnt use them. Next went to West Coast Plated,,again an I need bullets now thats all we have., also junk, Both brands had inconsistent sizing so a tight crimp on one would let the bullet push back in the case on another. My 9mm didnt like Lead and my range started getting in Pallets of Berry I tried some and didnt have any problems that I had with the other brands. They make a Hollow base bullet 155 in .40 185 in .45 that works very well in standard barrels using faster burning powders. Prices are decent at there websight.

[ihatepickles]

Are the bullets properly sized? I remember dirtypool40 getting a large batch of plated bullets .003" undersized.

[blackdragon]

If you are buying US made Plated bullets don't crimp them. If you are trying to run them at Major, Good luck!!! Most guys that are shooting plated bullets are not running them at True Major PF.

Thanks

Ivan

[mlmiller1]

Another thing you didn't mention was what powder you're using. When I moved up to .40 major, I tried what all my friends were using(titegroup). Now, titegroup is a great powder but I couldn't get the bullets to stop tumbling. Light crimp, heavy crimp, virtually no crimp. Just like you said, tumbling, & horrible groups. ?????? I went back to my old faithful vihta vouri 3n37 & the tumbling stopped. For me, only for me, in my glock, titegroup was not the right powder. So, to make a long story a little shorter, try some 3n37 & see how it works out. I can load fmj, plated, polymer coated or pure lead & they all work well & shoot nice groups.

As a side note, I noticed the .40 brass varies quite a bit in the thickness of the brass from batch to batch even & brand to brand, so when I was trying the minimal crimp, it would hold the bullet well on one round, & then be really loose on another.

Good luck, keep at it, I'm sure you'll get it working eventually.

MLM

[EricW]

I've come to the conclusion that plated bullets are good for steel practice and not much else.

[RePete]

If you are buying US made Plated bullets don't crimp them. If you are trying to run them at Major, Good luck!!! Most guys that are shooting plated bullets are not running them at True Major PF.

Thanks

Ivan

I'm loading 45 ACP, 40 S&W to major and 9mm to minor using Frontier Plated bullets AND i'm crimping.

I haven't had a problem.

Frontiers are made in South Africa. These are the best plated bullets I have used.

[HSMITH]

Good points all.

I have tried at least 10 powders and probably over 15 if I thought about it in both 9mm and 40 from Bullseye fast to HS-7 slow, believe it or not Unique is as good as anything else I have found. I have tried both in a couple bullet weights and both at speeds from about 120PF to 140 in 9mm and 130PF to 170 in 40. I haven't tried them at major in the 9mm, no way no how am I going to pop the top of my Open gun.

I have tried Ranier and Berry, both sucked about equally but were WAY WAY better than West Coast/Extreme/whatever name they are using now.

Bullets have been sized OK, reasonably consistent in weight too. This wouldn't be a big deal but I am a cheap-ass at heart and I have the left-overs from all the different times I have tried to make them work. I would settle for ANY load that was reasonably accurate even at just 15 yards, I could use them for movement practice or something. Seeing a thousand bullets laying there and not being able to use them for anything but noise makers tweaks my beans, maybe I should give them away to an unsuspecting person and share the misery.....

[EricW]

I think plated bullets have a place as a training aid on steel. They way I figure it, I have to be aiming dead center every time in order to ensure a hit with plated bullets. I burned up a bunch of my stock doing just that last year. It was worthwhile and I'd probably buy 10K or 20K again for the same purpose if the price was right.

[blackdragon]

US plated bullets??

Ivan

[EricW]

Yes.

[Joe4d]

i put some on a drill pressed and use them for sliding weights on a carolina rig, I am cheap too but got so frustrated with West coast about 700 went in the dumpster, If you just want practice ammo that is accurate try precisions coated bullets. If your determined to shoot plated the most acurate consitent plated bullet I have seen is the hollow bas bullets

[Cuz]

I had terrible luck with plated bullets in my 40 cal SVI with Scheumann barrel.

However,

I have had very good luck shooting Berry's plated bullets in .38/.357 (S&W 686 Revo), 9mm (STI and Glock 17 and 17L), and 45acp (S&W 625 Revo and Glock 21).

In all of the above I'm just about making Minor PF since I use them to shoot steel plates. They are plenty accurate for me. I have not tried pushing them at Major PF velocities.

-Cuz.

[Flyin40]

I use Rainiers plated bullets and love them. They group as tight as anything I have tried. I'm pushing a 135gr bullet around 1300fps. They are just under 175pf. I did try to load them alittle hotter once and got some tumbling. The bullets were running over 1350fps. Its stated on the website not to push them that fast. Some guys have luck with them and some don't. I have shot them 2yrs now and shot over 20,000 rounds with them and love them.

Flyin40

[TreblePlink]

Uh, any reason you're stuck on plated? I've been using the Precision brand COATED, swaged 170 grain rnfp, with 231, VV320, VV330, mix of .40 brass on my 550, and they're as good as anything I've shot. They're cheaper than jacketed and probably cheaper than plated. Minimal smoke and no leading issues. No plating to shed. Have you tried them?

[hitman]

I have never had any problems with Berrys in 9, 40 or 45.

Tightgroup, WST or VV.

And I started loading them to 175 PF.

[get2now]

I've had the same problem in the past. What I found out was they were out-of-round. Try checking the concentricity of the bullets. If you can, use a knife blade micrometer and measuer *all* the way around the bullet.

If they're not perfectly round that may be the problem. Also check to make sure they're sized correctly.

Good luck,

Gary

[Flyin40]

Uh, any reason you're stuck on plated? I've been using the Precision brand COATED, swaged 170 grain rnfp, with 231, VV320, VV330, mix of .40 brass on my 550, and they're as good as anything I've shot. They're cheaper than jacketed and probably cheaper than plated. Minimal smoke and no leading issues. No plating to shed. Have you tried them?

170gr is too heavy........I shoot 40 Open. The only lighter bullet I found Sinterfire which is a 125gr bullet but they are way to expensive.

Flyin

[HSMITH]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Edited March 3, 2007 by HSMITH

[Joe4d]

Put em on Ebay

[Irishlad]

I haven't "seen" much of a difference in 200 SWC 45 with plated. Meaning keeping them in the black(5") at 25 yards, but the lead do seem to group a bit tighter. A "bit" could be an inch...which is a "football" field difference to some!

Might give Precision bullets a try, if "any" coating will do depending on why you want it coated.

[Dream]

I have shot berry's for years. Yes there making major 172 pf in my open gun. I had someproblems but it was from over crimping. Corrected crimp and have had no problems since. I have over 60,000 rounds through my open gun and still going strong.

I am loading n105 and 4756.

[Bronson7]

HS, don't feel alone. A couple of years ago I bought a 500 count box of West Coast plated bullets. I could never warm up to them. Haven't used plated bullets since.

Bronson7

[Sparky]

Howard,

I used to use West Coast Bullets in my Edge and it shot them great.

Then I bought another pistol with an STI barrel and thought they'd

shoot good in it as well; WRONG. They tumbled like yours are doing.

I then bought a pistol with a Schueman barrel and it was even worse.

I could shoot 12 shots at 25 yards and have 10 A's and 2 Mike's?

These were all 40 sw, 200 gr bullets. I moved on to Zero's and have

never had a problem, except they cost a lot more.

I only use the plated bullets for practice. It ain't nothing your doing,

its the bullets and your barrel.

[DougCarden]

I remember getting flamed when I posted similarly a couple of years ago, when I couldnt get plated to be accurate at 25yds.... .

I gave up and shoot lead for practice and jacketed for matches that mean something. Life is too short and we work too hard at this to fight ammo that wont shoot, and now that prices are not that far off jacketed to worry about . If you can find that magic combo, good for you but I just dont have the time anymore to do that.

Good luck,

DougC

Edited March 3, 2007 by DougC