Plated Bullets Anyone????

[Jasonub]

Hi there.

Im contemplating in using plated 180 gr bullets since the 180 lead rounds i use seem to have a lot of smoke.

I currently use vv n320 so I know that the smoke is from the lead bullets.

Any pros and cons using plated?

Jacketed is very expensive and i heard that teflon coated rounds eat up the bore faster.

thanks

[kurtm]

Plated anyone?? Yes please! I use West Coast plateds for every thing (pistol wise). In 40 I use 200 gr fp for the 5" heavy and 180s for the 6" fat free. In 45, 230s of course. in 9mm 125. Great stuff. accurracy wise in the 6" pistol I have got 2" groups at 50yds, the 5" not quite as good at 3 1/4" and in .45 the groups run about here also. depending on which one I'm shooting. Never really grouped the 9mm But I have seen some nice groups shot by others with these bullets. NOTE: You can't use them in ported barrels like a hybryid comp, or glock C models. The port cuts the plating off and you will end up with a lead stripe down one side of your barrel and accuracy will deteriate noticeably! KURT

[reneet]

No thanks. Don't like them (plated bullets). Have found them to be inconsistent. My preference is Precision Bullets. They look similar to the teflon coated bullets but they have a unique coating. No problems with accelerated wear. If you'd like a sample, contact me and I'll be glad to send you a few if you'll cover shipping.

Try 'em, you'll like 'em.

http://www.precisionbullets.com

[Quixote]

Chalk me up as another satisfied "Precision Bullet" user. I'm on my second 1000 of 200gr SWC. I've run 500 rounds through my Kimber Gold Combat and almost that many through my Springfield V10. No problems in the Kimber, and no signs of leading on the comp of the V10.

[Flexmoney]

Jacketed bullets from Zero and Montana Gold can be had for similar prices as plated.

[schoonie]

The one complaint I have about plated bullets is that they are very soft (Raniers). The SWC type would get hung up at the transition between frame and barrel (I do not have a ramped barrel). With vv N320 and a plated bullet you should not have any problem with smoke. However, due to the softness issue, I switched to Precision bullets and have shot 10,000 through my 45 with no problems at all.

[mike4045]

I tried some West Coast for the last time. I had several keyholes and major fluctuation in velocity. I have shot over 20,000 Prec. Bullets since 1999 or 2000 and have been fairly satisfied. I prefer MG or Zero bullets. They have been very consistent and accurate for me. The price diff between plated is jacketed is not enough to worry about.

Mike

[Carlos]

Plated??!? You mean like the Speer Gold Dot Hollowpoint? Its electroplated. Or the Speer TMJ? as used in their Lawman ammo? Its electroplated. Speer/CCI is scared to death of anyone associating their premium defense bullet w/ the word "electroplated" becuse too many stupid shooters would be turned off by rumors that all electroplated bullets are bad. Speer goes to great lengths to call these "Unicore Bonding Process" (plated) or Total Metal Jacket" (plated). Any complaints about Gold Dots? I have never heard any - this proves that electroplated bullets CAN give excellent results. You can't call all electroplated bullets "crap" unless you want to claim that Gold Dot bullets are crap.

Are plated reloading bullets a good alternative for you? That depends. I tested high for lead in my blood recently & I will be shooting mostly indoors for the winter months - i.e., the increased lead smoke/lead exposure of plain lead bullets is not a good option for me. Plated bullets don't smoke b/c no lead is exposed & there is no lead to clean out of the barrel (in fact, I never clean the barrel at all).

Schoonie wrote: "The one complaint I have about plated bullets is that they are very soft (Raniers). The SWC type would get hung up at the transition between frame and barrel (I do not have a ramped barrel)."

Fair enough. Most Plated bullets are 1st made as swaged lead bullets. Swaging is generally done w/ only pure lead wire - which is very soft. The plating is often thin enough that the bullet can deform upon feeding - I had problems w/ the fragile nose of plated 200 grn SWCs deforming in a ramped barrel STI Edge & contributing to FTFs. A friend uses Berry's 185 Rns in .45 & has never had a feed problem. Something to consider.

I have tried batches of plated bullets that were problematic. I have tried other lots that were outstanding & very inexpensive. If you have the option of buying just 500 to try them out, I would recommend plated bullets. If you can buy Zero or Montana JHPs (no lead exposed at the base) for the same cost as plated, I can tell you those two brands certainly work.

[MoNsTeR]

I shoot plated exclusively. They cost much, MUCH less than jacketed in most styles and weights, unless you're buying 10,000+ at a time in which case Montana Gold etc. can be had for good prices. Of course if you're into buying that many, you can order manufacturer direct from West Coast or Rainier.

The best deal I've found for smallish quantities is Berry's bullets from Cabela's. They're so cheap, you'd really be cheating yourself not to try them.

[diehli]

Anyone use them for steel loads? Looking at maybe a 135 in .40 at 1000fps.

Both Rainier and Berry's make 135 grn in .40. I'd also be interested in ordering some of their 165 or 180 grain bullets, but can't find any companies that offer a price break on them at higher quantities (Either Berry's or Rainier--can't remember which--says they'll only deal with the public on orders of 35,000 or more... I'd be interested in about 10-15k on the first go 'round). If that's the way it goes, then it doesn't make sense to go with either of these companies if you're interested in quantity as jacketed bullets can actually be had for less. Any ideas?

BTW, Flex, if my calculations are anywhere in the ballpark it looks like the savings would be about $10/1000 shipped when compared to the best prices I've been able to find on Zero JHP (which would give similar characteristics with respect to leading and smoke) which are better by about a buck and a quarter than the best price I've been able to find on Montana Gold JHP shipped. Granted, this is on the internet/through email, but I doubt that anyone local could do any better once you figure in tax, etc.

This (along with a powder source) is my current dilemma.

[TBF]

IMHO buy a few and see how they work, some guns like em some don't.

You said 180 gr. so I'll assume 40 cal. Should be fine at 170 pf.

They really suck if you push them fast , like over 1400 fps , in a magnum revo or carbine.

Im not really sure they even make it out of the barrel with the plating intact.

Cabelas, MidwayUSA, both have decent prices.

Travis F.

[Sixgun]

300lbgorilla,

I use the Rainier 155gr flatpoint over 7.5gr. VV N350 lit by a winchester primer, 1.175" OAL. I like that load alot for steel. I like the way the dot tracks.

I tried the the 135gr flat point over N350 at 1.105", and didn't care for the way the dot tracked.

I'm shooting a STI open gun with the S1 comp. It's still "tight", so I may end up trying the 135's again. I'll just have to run several thousand more "pin loads" through it. My pin load is 200 powerfactor! The 135's and N350 didn't work too well for me.

Hope that helps.

Ray C.

[eric nielsen]

Plated bullets, other than the "premium" brands cited, most of them keyhole when pushed more than 900fps. Kinda takes them out of Major pf.

Any make/model of plated, even going below 900fps, I would FREQUENTLY check accuracy by shooting groups on a white paper plate. You might be shocked. Ditto for Clays powder.

dvc - eric - a28026

[Jasonub]

thanks guys

i just bought 500 rounds, all of them are in the 190 grain weight and not 180 anymore.

Ill try it and see

[DougCarden]

My experience, I load West Coast 180s for my .40 IPSC match loads with VV320, and the 230s with CLAYS for my 625 Revo.

The 9mm plated bullets from any manufacturer just plain suck, and I buy jacketed, regardless of the power factor needed. I have yet to get a plated 9mm (.355) bore bullet group worth a crap at 25yds using one of 9 powders, period. I personally cant wait to order some of the 185 hbrn plated rounds from Berrys.......

[MoNsTeR]

I've shot about 10,000 9mm plated bullets from all three big makers (West Coast, Berry's Rainier) and never had one keyhole, plating seperation, or indeed any problem of any kind.

There's a PPC shooter that posts at THR and 1911forum who uses Rainiers in some of his loads. If a guy who can hold 3" at 50 yards offhand finds their accuracy acceptable, seems to me they'd be fine for "practical shooting" uses.

I don't buy the assertion that they "just plain suck".

[Nemo]

Yes, please. In my limited gun (STI Edge) I use Berry's 155gr RS (round shoulder) for practice (Montana Golds for competition). Production load for my G35 is a Berry's 180gr RS over 4.2 grains of VVN320 at 1.130" OAL and never had a problem with it.

You'll also love Berry's customer service and shipping. They're good people.

Cheers,

[texasag93]

My only experience with plated were Berry's bullets. Accuracy was about the same as with lead, less smoke definately, and easier to clean in my Para. In my Glock, big big difference. About every 5 round would keyhole at 10 yds. I guess they are OK, prefer jacketed. Like price of lead, but not the smoke. Haven't tried the precision bullets. TXAG