Accuracy of hi tek coated bullets versus plain lead at distance

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FROGO207

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Some of the local bullseye competitors that I shoot with have been trying the new Hi Tek coated lead bullets for accuracy testing at 50 YDS. They are the guys that have one ragged hole at 50 feet while my target looks like a shotgun pattern.:eek: They all are in agreement that the lead bullets with wax lube are more accurate by a LOT. With my shooting habits I find no difference using Missouri Bullet Smallball in my assortment of 9MM pistols. So far I have only shot them at 50 feet though. Have any of you others noticed a difference. I have no 9MM carbine to try them in either. Enquiring minds and all that.o_O
 
Have they been able to quantify "a lot"? I can't see how there would be that much of a disparity, but then I rarely shoot pistols past 25 yards.
 
I would like to know what "a lot" is as well. I shoot thousands of cast bullets a year in USPSA matches and switched to HI TEK coated and saw no discernible difference in accuracy. Admittedly I am not a bullseye shooter so my shooting skills may not be able to discern the difference.
 
The two best .45 Auto bullets I have found for accuracy are:
Zero 200gn swaged L-SWCs
and
Precision Bullets 200gn swaged and coated L-SWCs.
At 50 yards, the Zeros are about 1/2" more accurate (2" vs 2.5" usually).
This is not a judgement, just a finding.
If you shoot minute-of-plate, plated are probably good enough.
 
The two best .45 Auto bullets I have found for accuracy are:
Zero 200gn swaged L-SWCs
and
Precision Bullets 200gn swaged and coated L-SWCs.
At 50 yards, the Zeros are about 1/2" more accurate (2" vs 2.5" usually).
This is not a judgement, just a finding.
If you shoot minute-of-plate, plated are probably good enough.
So the question is, would a powder coated bullet change anything for you? Copper isn't part of the issue here.
 
I haven't seen any difference between coated and naked, accuracy-wise. I've switched to plated lately because I was still getting lead fouling with Hi-Tek and Moly coatings.
 
I've been following the BE forums for years on the hand loading. And none of them that I've followed have switched to the HyTek. Many have tested with them, but none using it in competition. That tells me that the accuracy is not as good, at least for the top shooters. They did report a slight gain in velocity with the same load. I think the accuracy is hampered by the coating not being even thickness all the way around. You can tell looking at them that some have a better coating than others.
 
Next time I see a couple of the guys at the range I will ask how much the "a lot" really translates to at that distance. I can shoot my 44 MAG Ruger Blackhawk with a 10" barrel at 100 YDS and keep my six shots on a 14" target more often than not so I consider myself a fair shot IME. Those guys make me look like I just picked up a pistol and have never shot it before.:eek: One of them goes to Camp Perry and is always in the top 20 small bore pistol shooters every year so I imagine he can tell the difference in accuracy with a centerfire handload.
 
There are some problems with coated bullets. Depending on which brand you use those problems could be even worse. It is hard to get a consistent coating. Some companies even use soft lead thinking that coating the bullets will make up for it. We looked into doing coated bullets for a little while and decided against doing it for now. When we can perfect a consistent mass production system then we will probably venture into it, but I don't see it happening soon.
 
Not to be a nay sayer but as someone who cast and shoots a lot Hi Tek coated bullets. (a lot is 8,000 - 9,000 rounds a year) The coating will be uniform around the bullet. The process of applying the coating; usually 2-3 thin coats baking between coats helps keep the coating uniform. You size after your final coat.
 
I think the accuracy is hampered by the coating not being even thickness all the way around. You can tell looking at them that some have a better coating than others.
I have no doubt this is the reason, not to mention swaged is usually better than cast as well.
 
I agree variation from one side to the other will throw off balance that's why jacket uniformity on match bullets is critical. With Hi Tek coating the coating thickness is not thousands of an inch but tens of thousandth of an inch. If done right the coating will be thin and will not come off easily.
 
>So the question is, would a powder coated bullet change anything for you? Copper isn't part of the issue here.

I don't know what this had to do with my statement. One was a swaged lead bullet with a band of carnauba red wax and one was a lead swaged bullet with coating. The two are very accurate, but the coated bullet is very slightly less accurate out at 50 yards.
I have NEVER found a plated bullet to be any where near accurate.
If you want an almost universal accurate bullet for .45 Auto, you use a 185gn Nosler or Zero JHP bullet.
 
With Hi Tek coating the coating thickness is not thousands of an inch but tens of thousandth of an inch.
I wonder if you could cut and verify not only thickness but uniformity? Might be tough. None of the Bullseye shooters use them. We may not be able to shoot the difference, but they can.
You size after your final coat.
Which will only make the bullet round, and won't help uniform the coating.
 
My coated 158 SWCs in .357 shoot very well, certainly well enough for me and banging a 16" round piece of steel is easy at 100 yards. By no means Bullseye accuracy though, but then neither am I.
 
>So the question is, would a powder coated bullet change anything for you? Copper isn't part of the issue here.

I don't know what this had to do with my statement. One was a swaged lead bullet with a band of carnauba red wax and one was a lead swaged bullet with coating. The two are very accurate, but the coated bullet is very slightly less accurate out at 50 yards.
I have NEVER found a plated bullet to be any where near accurate.
If you want an almost universal accurate bullet for .45 Auto, you use a 185gn Nosler or Zero JHP bullet.
I must have misread the last part of your statement. In any event, how much less accurate are we talking about at 50 yards? Something measurable? Can it be attributed to shooting a particular set of bullets after the others, causing fatigue? I am interested in these kinds of details if you have them.
 
Havok7416:
What I wrote was;
The two best .45 Auto bullets I have found for accuracy are:
Zero 200gn swaged L-SWCs
and
Precision Bullets 200gn swaged and coated L-SWCs.
At 50 yards, the Zeros are about 1/2" more accurate (2" vs 2.5" usually).
This is not a judgement, just a finding.

That was NOT from one time firing but from about ten different trials over about a year's time. YMMV.
At 25 yards or less, differences are harder to see and I like my own cast RCBS 452-201-KT 200gn L-SWC shot as-cast and tumble lubed.
 
Thanks. I did see what you wrote and my reply was not intended to be snarky. I am genuinely curious as I don't typically (but will soon) shoot coated bullets past 25 yards. FWIW, I have a friend who makes and coats all my bullets for me, so I don't have much stake in the commercial side of coatings.
 
I have not noticed a measureable difference between 240gr lswc plain & hitek coated out of my SBH.

Another question: Some posters say powder coated. I was under the impression that hitek bullet coating is a different process and material. Am I wrong? If it's different, then results when shooting might be different??
 
I have not noticed a measureable difference between 240gr lswc plain & hitek coated out of my SBH.

Another question: Some posters say powder coated. I was under the impression that hitek bullet coating is a different process and material. Am I wrong? If it's different, then results when shooting might be different??
It's very similar if not the same thing under a trade name.
 
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