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9mm plated bullet preferences

v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
Any preference in 115gr plated bullet brands?
I spoiled a number of very soft flat based 9mm bullet reloads before discovering that removal of an O-ring would give cases a small flare, eliminating shaving.
The Lee disk measure works best for me in a turret press but the O ring isn't covered in the old instructions.
It's been many years since reloading 9mm when I used FMJ bullets with no need to flare or chamfer brass

Comments

  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    For the most part I have not found any advantage in using PLATED bullets over good all lead bullets . I actually like the all lead bullets better as they "AT LEAST FOR ME" shoot smaller groups.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do you have a source for reasonable lead bullets? I tried Gunshop@twinvalley last night. Their ad showed a nice selection but they must have gone out of business.
    I'd like to avoid shaving and barrel leading.
  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,664 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by v35
    Do you have a source for reasonable lead bullets? I tried Gunshop@twinvalley last night. Their ad showed a nice selection but they must have gone out of business.
    I'd like to avoid shaving and barrel leading.

    Leading is caused MOSTLY by improper sizing for the bore. Slug your barrel and buy a quality cast bullet (see the auction side) that is .001 over your bore diameter. I drive cast rifle bullets (wheel Weights) up to 2,000 FPS with no leading. Good lubes help too.

    Some folks claim Laser Cast makes a good bullet.

    FWIW I too found plated bullets to be very poor in the accuracy department.
  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 13,733 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The biggest reason for me to use plated is that they don't shatter or rebound off steel plates. Beyond that, I think they're a little easier to handle and there's no chance that lube will ruin the powder if some of your ammo gets warm on a sunny day. That's just my opinion.
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    I've had good results with soma Berry,s I'm using.
  • 62fuelie62fuelie Member Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have been using Gil Berry's bullets for more than 30 years and find his plated 9mms work very well in all of my 9s - Browning, Action Arms AT-84, Springfield, and Kahr. I understand that lead is not good in the poly bored Glocks, but I don't have one so moot point.
  • B17-P51B17-P51 Member Posts: 2,199 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by v35
    Any preference in 115gr plated bullet brands?
    I spoiled a number of very soft flat based 9mm bullet reloads before discovering that removal of an O-ring would give cases a small flare, eliminating shaving.
    The Lee disk measure works best for me in a turret press but the O ring isn't covered in the old instructions.
    It's been many years since reloading 9mm when I used FMJ bullets with no need to flare or chamfer brass
    I have never been able to load any pistol or revolver bullets without flaring the casemouth. Whats the trick to that? And what o ring are you referring to?
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Pistol and revolver hard cast bullets I've used in the past had tapered bases to start the bullets w/o shaving or the need to flare.
    The "O" ring was between the round knurled nut and the die body. Actually, it is the extra O-ring between the little hex funnel that you discard and die body that should have been removed.
    The only brass I recall flaring was thin wall revolver brass when using soft cast bullets.
    This latest batch of Ranier has sharp cornered bases that don't start without a flare.
    I never flare rifle brass like 06, 223, 6.5 Swede 243 etc.
    I replaced the 6-32 hopper attaching screws with 2" ss and threaded the brass nuts through, simplifying single and double disk use.
    Older rectangular hoppers were drilled thru and tapped 6-32 for 2" studs
    epoxied in. This eliminated wood screw threads and cracking.
    It's been at least 10 years since I've handloaded and am just getting back into it.
  • woodchuckjohnwoodchuckjohn Member Posts: 207 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I found a site for swaged bullets and some of my friends swear by them. Zero is the manufacturer, do a search for them you will be satisfied.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Getting back into my handgun reloading equipment I found my Lee charging dies have an expander with flaring section integrated into the charging function. I've used these sets with the Lee disk powder exclusively since they came out.
    My old Herter die sets had separate expanding with flaring operation that I've gladly forgotten about.
  • 44shotdoctor44shotdoctor Member Posts: 178 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Myself I am always in favor of reloading. But in this case reloading 9mm is not worth the time. You can buy bulk rounds for maybe 4 cents a round more than reloading. If your talking plated bullets your loading cheap rounds anyway. I perfer to reload as I can get what I want in the power I want. But 9mm rounds are not even worth picking it up off the ground. I am set up to reload these if times get tough and 9mm becomes unavailable. Figure out the price and you will see it's not worth it.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Agreed for plinking and maybe target but not for a good selection of powerful loads in several bullet weights and styles. See 9mm standard and +P loads given in WWW.realguns.com .
  • noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I do not understand why anyone would consider spending money on plated bullets, rather than buying high quality jacketed bullets from Montana Gold (or Zero or Precision Delta)?
    I am even going from all lead bullets in 9x19, 9x21, and .38 Super to jacketed as the commercial lead bullets I have been buying over the last couple of years are now priced too close to these jacketed bullets for me NOT to go with the higher quality.
  • cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I shoot through suppressors.

    And there is still a LARGE price difference.

    CP
  • noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    OK, let's see how plated compares to jacketed:
    Berry's
    9mm 115gn P-RN: $84.58/1000
    9mm 147gn P-RN: $99.74/1000
    Rainier (from MidwayUSA)
    9mm 115gn P-RN: $92.99/1000
    9mm 147gn P-RNFP: $102.99/1000
    Montana Gold
    9mm 115gn FMJ: $105/1000 or $298/4000 (eq. to $74.50/1000)
    9mm 147gn CMJ: $129/1000 or $313/3000 (eq. to $104.33/1000)
    Precision Delta
    9mm 115gn FMJ: $76/1000
    9mm 147 FMJ or FMJ-FN: $95/1000
    Zero Bullets (from Roze Distribution)
    9mm 115gn FMJ: $101.40/1000 or $96.70/1000 for 2000+
    9mm 147gn FMJ: $105.35/1000 or $100.65/1000 for 2000+

    For me, the choice is easy: if not a cast bullet, then a REAL jacketed bullet and buy in bulk.
  • cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    thebulletworks.net

    $71.80 per 1000.

    CP
  • noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    cpermd:
    BulletWorks are cast (not part of my original "comment") and almost exactly the same cost as the bulk Montana Gold.
    For Cast (which I have been shooting for decades), see:
    Penn Bullets 120gn Truncated Cone for $65/1000
    Boothill Bullets 122 L-TC for $57/1000
    Precision Bullets EXCELLENT 125gn L-FP moly-kote for $70/1000
    MasterCastBullets 125gn L-TCN for $48.21/1000
    BulletWorks very interesting 130gn L-SWC for $64/1000
    Dardas Bullets 122gn CFPBB for $52.75/1000

    I just think that excellent jacketed bullets for $74.50-$76/1000 is bulk is too good a deal NOT to buy if I have the money. If someone is loading for full-auto, you need LOTS of good bullets. I love cast bullets, but with prices the way they are, plated just seems "stupid" and cast can't compete to me wit real jacketed at the "same" price.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the pricing.
    You've removed some cost asumptions for me at least.
    Plated bullets should be superior to cast if pricing is right because they're die swaged after plating to close dimensions, with casting irregularities and voids pressed out. It's interesting that to a shooter here, superior accuracy hasn't proven out.
    Irregularities in cast bullets proved as far back as the Civil War, to be cause for inaccuracy compared to swaged bullets
    though differences may not be as measurable out of handguns.
    Nose pour molds supposedly produce the most accurate cast bullets as base defects are more critical than nose defects.
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    Hello I have used a number of none jacketed bullets In all different designs. Flat base /Bevel BASE /Gas checked. I have used Hard cast,pure linotype, Lyman #2 alloy ,swaged,& plated. TESTED thousands of rounds out of many different pistols from ransom rest .REmember quality moulds like Hensely& Gibbs make bullets that are night and day better than bullets made with scrape lead over an open fire in brass mould blocks of the civil war time frame. I have shot over 200,000 rounds of a soft swaged 200 grain semi wadcutter bullets that I purchased in lots of 10,000 - 20,000 from a company that went out of business 4 years ago. STAR "no relationship to star loaders or lubersizers". This brand were cheap in Bulk and I lubed them myself in a STAR lubersizer and loaded in a Star reloader. NOTHING ever shot better except some nosler 185 grain Jacketed hollow-point and these only shot 30 shot groups 1/8-1/4 inch smaller at 50 yards. then these soft swaged bevel base lead bullets. IN MY opinion matching the bullet size to bore size and correct soft lube is the key to not leading and small groups. Plated bullet of any brand I tried never came close to group size of swaged or cast lead . I really don't think plated bullets are ever sized after plating and feel the over all quality of plated bullets is not up to par. YMMV
  • noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I love cast bullets. I know that swaged are supposed to be better, but I haven't found that to be true. Also, swaged bullets right now are generally as expensive as the jacketed bullets I quoted.
    With wheelweights and other inexpensive sources of lead drying up for me, I see jacketed and commercial lead as my choices in the future.
    If I had the money, I would buy 20k+ Montana Gold 124gn JHPs for all my 9mm and .38 Super needs.
    For .40, .44, and .45, I will stick with cast bullets (either mine or commercial)
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    In '82-83, CCI supplied me with plated bullets and production prints on certain of their bullets only supplied in their loaded ammunition.
    The manufacturing process was on the prints as described above.
    Swaging following plating was to closely control dimensions.
    These were furnished gratis as were Winchester jacketed, canalured bullets for new cartridge development in hopes of exclusive production contracts.
    They were tested in front of pressures up to 75kpsi.
    Jacketed bullets flew apart both inside and outside the pressure barrel at the higher pressures breaking my chronograph screen and were generally unsatisfactory for my application while plated bullets held together in one deformed piece.
    On impact plated bullets held together better even at lower pressures in the 40-50kpst range.
    Accuracy wasn't tested.
  • noyljnoylj Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Asked about the 9mm SWC molds that I like.
    Forgot to mention the SAECO 925 (115gn SWC) and 924 (124gn SWC).
    I have no idea how I forgot about these.
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