plated vs coated lead bullets?

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Axis II

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I'm trying to cut cost anywhere i can and seen Missouri bullet company offers coated lead and I'm pretty sure Mr. Walkalong has recommended them to me several times. :).

44mag, 38spl, and 9mm seems to be cheaper than plated bullets but here is my questions...
These look way different then any bullet I've loaded and i want to make sure im not going to damage my firearms or myself using these. I am loading for a semi auto m&p9, 44mag single shot carbine and 38spl airweight j frame. accuracy is the goal for all these listed. right now extreme plated 124gr shoots like a rifle out of my 9mm so could i expect the same out of Missouri 124gr lead coated?

Anything i need to know about when loading lead coated bullets? Now 9mm gets a FCD for the final crimp so how would i crimp 9mm coated lead?

My main concern is damage to the firearm/leading, accuracy and ease of use.
 
I've shot a lot of coated in .38, .357, and .45ACP. Accuracy didn't suffer any, but I still had to deal with some leading. Not as much as with naked lead, but it's still there. By "a lot," I mean twenty thousand or so total. I've switched to plated from RMR because cleaning lead out of the barrel makes me tired.
 
Use lead data and you'll be fine. I load and crimp the same way I did for plated bullets, but it's possible small adjustments might need to be made. Powder coated bullets have less friction than plated and in theory should create less wear, but that won't come into play less you shoot thousands and thousands of rounds per year.

I have had a very small amount of leading in .30-06 when pushing bullets at 1,500 to 1,700 FPS but not in handguns if the coating is done correctly.
 
I use Bayou Bullets coated bullets. Out of .30 carbine I push them at about 1700 fps. the barrel is cleaner after shooting than before, almost.
Love them. They're accurate and inexpensive.
 
In 357 mag I had leading with .357" coated, but not with.358", so it's not a cure all. No problems with coated in autos tho. All good there. For 357 I've settled on Rainier 158 plated FP, very clean shooting and accurate.
 
Ohihunter, in all the threads about powder coated bullets in this and other forums, I have never seen a single post that made mention of a powder coated bullet damaging a gun or a shooter. I think you're safe, assuming you use published data and proper loading technique and common safety gear while shooting.
 
splattergun said:
Ohihunter, in all the threads about powder coated bullets in this and other forums, I have never seen a single post that made mention of a powder coated bullet damaging a gun or a shooter. I think you're safe, assuming you use published data and proper loading technique and common safety gear while shooting.
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I meant more with leading. Never messed with it before and wasn't sure if say a certain weapon shouldn't have lead.
 
I've shot over 20,000 HI TEK coated bullets in 40 & 9mm for competition shooting. When I am running low of my own cast and coated I use Missouri Bullet Company and Acme HI TEK coated bullets. I have no issues with leading and they are very clean shooting and accurate. I use WST powder in my 40 and VV N320 for my 9mm. Reddog81's advice is spot on. Watch your crimp (don't over crimp) and use standard lead loading data and you'll be fine.
 
Here's the part going unspoken.....
When you load lead bullets of any kind, you MUST be sure to get a tight bullet-to-barrel fit or you'll get leading no matter what coating you use. So you must measure your bores by pushing a soft piece of lubricated lead down the barrel of each gun.

Do a search on "slugging" your bore. Tons of info here on how to do it.

A great MBC bullet that might work in both your 9 and 38 is the 130gr RN listed under 38 Super. Fabulous!!
 
rfwobbly said:
Here's the part going unspoken.....
When you load lead bullets of any kind, you MUST be sure to get a tight bullet-to-barrel fit or you'll get leading no matter what coating you use. So you must measure your bores by pushing a soft piece of lubricated lead down the barrel of each gun.

Do a search on "slugging" your bore. Tons of info here on how to do it.

A great MBC bullet that might work in both your 9 and 38 is the 130gr RN listed under 38 Super. Fabulous!!
Click to expand...
how do you do this with a revolver?
 
Englishmn said:
Revolver is done by measuring cylinder chamber throats, and hoping they are not smaller than barrel groove diameter. If they are too small they can be reamed out with the proper tools.
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Exactly, size lead bullets to be a tight slip fit of the throats. Then the throats need to be a hair over groove diameter. (.001 is good, .002 is OK, any more is less than perfect.) If the throats are below groove diameter, they can be reamed.
 
AZAndy said:
I've switched to plated from RMR because cleaning lead out of the barrel makes me tired.
Click to expand...

Just a few scrapes with a "copper" wrapped mop or bush & leadings all gone.

Just be aware that there are copper coated steel pads - you DON'T want them.
They're too coarse, they'll scratch your barrel.

You want the "100% copper" chor-boys.
 
I cast and size a .457 dia bullet for my heritage big bore revolver and lube them with lee alox and with 6.8gr greendot powder I get zero leading and super tight groups with this way over size bullet in my 45 colt pistols!!
 
I suspect there is considerable variation in the Hi-Tek coating various bullet makers sell. It appears both the thickness and evenness of the coating differs and likely differences in the curing process exist.

I've tried the Acme Hi-Tek 9mm 124RN and the coating is very thick and even. I don't see any leading at 1100fps in my 4" PPQ and they might even scrub the bore a bit. They do give a bit of a funky 'burnt wire' smell when fired, but I haven't noticed but a few times over the 350 rounds I've fired.

I've been using the FCD on mine with the standard 1/2 turn of preload. I've pulled bullets and the crimp isn't damaging the coating in most cases. I may back off the preload a bit to ensure it doesn't penetrate the coating as the crimp seems plenty firm

Accuracy seems fine compared to the Blazer Brass 115 gr. that is my baseline. I need to do some testing on a rest but handheld I notice no difference.

The 124s are a bit over 6 cents per; I think I'll try out the 115RN next time, they are a bit under 6 cents per. At that small price premium over plain hard-cast bullets the coated versions seem a good deal to me. I've got 1,000 RMR 115FMJs here to test that at 7.5 cents per are also a great deal - cheaper than most plated bullets and less than 2 cents more than the Acme Hi-Tek.
 
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I have shot a lot of MBC coated bullets, they are good bullets. MBC offers THR members a 5% discount with the code.
MBC charges for shipping, but it is falt rate and reasonable. My favorite for 9mm was the cone shaped bullet, they seemed to work better for me than the RNs.
Acme also makes nice coated bullets. (they come in neat wood boxes)
I have pretty much switched to plated bullets from Rocky Mountain Reloading. RMR also offers THRS members a 5% discount.
Shipping is included in RMRs price so if you compare the MBC per bullet cost with RMR you need to add your shipping charges.
Feel free to PM me if you need the code for either company.
 
question on my bore diameter and the Missouri bullets. I noticed all the hi-tek bullets are .356 so they are larger than plated so what would slugging the bore lead to?
 
Slugging the bore with a pure lead bullet will cause an easier time measuring the bore diameter. MBC bullets are very uniform and nicely coated but be cautious of which hardness you choose. Evidently I run my fourty-five Auto warmer than bullseye shooters do and have been cleaning lead out every two hundred rounds. This was completely my mistake.
I have just received a delivery of one thousand semi wadcutter groove less coated bullets from Sns Casting. They are of a harder brinell number, eighteen as opposed to twelve, and are much more thoroughly coated. I have not tried these yet, but hope to cure my leading problems with them. Though the MBCs are a fine product.

I have tried one thousand of The Blue Bullets, one thousand Bayou Bullets and five hundred MBC. All were very good. I just like new things. All were more accurate than the factory fodder I went through for cases. I will most likely try MBC again for something more appropriate for my shooting.

Coated bullets are the best thing since smokeless powder.
 
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If you had leading with 12 BHN in .45 ACP at Bullseye velocity you had a fit problem, not a hardness problem.

The 18 BHN coated bullets will solve the leading, but not because they are 18 BHN, but because they are coated.
 
The MBCs were coated. But were not run at bullseye velocity. A bit faster. 8)

The Sns coating appears much thicker. I have not measured either one. But I do know my barrel is a bit wider than it should be at the muzzle. The last inch is where it collects.
A Dan Wesson Valor is in my future and should solve that problem soundly.
 
Jacketed, plated, powder coated, grease lubed, moly lubed, HBN... All shoot just fine for me. Generally prefer powdercoated to greased lead, but some rifles shoot more accurately with grease lube, so thats what they get.

For me the plated bullets give more of a "window" for your bore to bullet fit. No worries of leading or poor accuracy here unless you really screw up lol. Nicely fitted powder coated or greased lead leaves little for me to clean up fwiw, but I am casting my own. I would use plated bullets, but the cast ones let me shoot more for less money, AND get exactly what I want. Commercial cast bullets may be a bit tougher to work with and get results, but I think you can do it just fine.

I generally see no reason to use plated or jacketed for any of my pistol caliber or low velocity rifle shooting. Hunting etc may be a different ballgame of course. You need to make sure you have a good bore to bullet fit for the cast bullets to perform how they should. The best thing to do, to be sure what you need, is to slug your bore. THAT and only that will tell you exactly what you are working with. Slower powders tend to perform better for me as well here. Medium level loadings do best for me too most of the time. I tend to favor a softer bullet for this type of shooting too. The really hard ones just dont seem to be as easy to work with. Many commercial cast bullets are this flavor, and can make things a bit tougher.

I shoot ALL cast in 9mm, 38, 357, 45 ACP, 10mm, 44 MAG, 45-70 rifle, 30 30, 300 blk sub and a few other oddballs. Even my glocks play nice with a little work : ). Accuracy is adequate, though variable based on how well I have the load dialed in. I will say it is more of a challenge getting cast loadings to shoot really well, especially at distance. They are just pickier than jacketed bullets, though with normal handgun shooting they are more accurate than I need.

If you are loading 9mm, mine ALL work well with a.358 diameter bullet, you will need to make sure the case is flared or sized out enough to take your bullet without shaving it or swaging it down. Common .356 or .357 bullets gave me leading no matter what I did, save using a gascheck of course. I generally cast them as big as my chamber will allow, and it usually does the trick. The 9mm case is plenty tough to squash your lead bullet down, turning your .358 bullet into a .355 ect, and give you lots of leading. Lyman M dies are awesome to expand your cases for cast shooting, and I use them in all my cast bullet calibers. Check them out. A good chamfer on the case mouth helps too.

As to your crimp, don't overdo it and you should be fine!

As far as damage to your weapons, I dont see and trouble there unless you create it. The coated bullets are far less messy than grease lubed ones. They will keep your mags cleaner and your loading equipment cleaner too. Win win.

9mm was tough for me to get shooting well... I found a cone shaped bullet and a bit of unique to do very well. Above all, get your bullet to fit the gun!
It just takes a bit of work since you have so many more variables to consider vs jacketed bullets.
 
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Demi-human said:
The MBCs were coated. But were not run at bullseye velocity. A bit faster. 8)

The Sns coating appears much thicker. I have not measured either one. But I do know my barrel is a bit wider than it should be at the muzzle. The last inch is where it collects.
A Dan Wesson Valor is in my future and should solve that problem soundly.
Click to expand...
Still isn't a BHN problem. A crappy barrel definitely doesn't help. I hope the Valor shoots great for you.
 
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