Plated Vs. Jacketed Bullets

If the price is equal, get jacketed. No reason other than you are technically getting a better bullet.

With that said, for target practice in a .45, I wouldn't buy either....I'd get cast lead. They will shoot just as accurate and you don't have to worry about leading a barrel in a .45 due to it's lower velocities. They also will not wear a barrel as much.....I really like Missouri Bullet Company. I'll bet you can buy nearly twice as many of their bullets compared to the jacket/plated ones you are looking at.

hi, to stop leading completly in you .45acp [ if you find any ], alox your bought heads let them dry and your troubles are over . lead is a lot easier on the barrel if your shooting a lot

I would say for plinking "cheeper is better". Plated bullet manufactures recomend you use load data for lead cast bullets rather than data for jacketed bullets.

Berry's recommends low to mid range jacketed data for their bullets.

Plated bullets were designed to replace lead, not jacketed.

Plated bullets outside shell are much thinner than jacketed. If it's just plinkin ammo, I'd go with plated (assuming they are cheaper). If it's a hunting round or something similar, I'd use jacketed. Just my opinion anyway.

MarcoPolo said:

.I'm getting ready to make a large purchase of bullets in .451 for my 45 ACP.

My question is for target practice is plated better then jacketed or is jacketed better then plated?

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In .45 ACP I have some plated bullet loads that shoot better than similar jacketed and vice versa. I, myself, would never buy a large quantity of any bullet until I knew it shot well outta MY handgun......especially when it comes to cheap bulk type bullets.

A plated bullet has a much thinner copper coating than a jacketed bullet.

So as ColtPythonElite said: "If the price is equal, get jacketed. No reason other than you are technically getting a better bullet."

I wouldn't say there's no reason. An FMJ bullet has an exposed lead base. A plated bullet is completely covered. This can lead to both better accuracy and reduced lead vapors when shooting (although JHP are considered the king of accuracy). The thinner plating and soft lead means lower pressures for a given velocity and less wear on the barrel. So in some ways, a plated bullet is the ideal projectile for target shooting. I've read that some ranges only allow completely enclosed projectiles, i.e. plated bullets.

Plated bullets filled a gap between expensive Jacketed bullets and inexpensive cast lead bullets. Over the past few years the plated bullets have gone up in price and are now more expensive than good quality bulk jacketed bullets. For me, I see no reason to purchase plated bullets at a higher price than jacketed.

For inexpensive target shooting in the 45 it's hard to beat cast lead. They shoot great, cheap and very accurate.

If you are not into shooting lead then as Walkalong mentioned check out the Precision "Black" bullets. They are coated with a proprietary coating that helps reduce/eliminate leading and are cheaper than Jacketed and plated but a few $$ more than cast lead.

Honestly, unless you find better deals on plated than I've been able to, why not just get jacketed? There really isn't much difference between jacketed and plated for target shooting, but jacketed are more versitile in terms of the velocities you can load them to and are easier to load. The thin plating of the plated bullets can cause problems if you seat and crimp in the same operation, making it take longer to load.

The biggest justification for shooting plated is usually cost, but the price of most plated I've seen lately is about $30/250. Precision Delta and Montana Gold sell jacketed bullets for around $120/1000, which is the same price (but you do have to buy them by the 1000).

As for the question of the sealed base, that is relevant if you're shooting inside (and MG sells TMJ bullets anyway...) but it doesn't do anything for accuracy.

a plated bullet is the ideal projectile for target shooting

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Rather depends upon your definition of 'target shooting.' You won't find Bullseye shooters using plated at 50 yards - the accuracy is just not there due to the imperfections in the evenness of the plating. They're barely adequate for 25 yards and are most often used for indoor 50' ranges or those ranges that mandate no exposed lead base.

Lead, swaged or cast depending upon the barrel's preference, are the most commonly used BE bullets. The Nosler 185 JHP is also used, again depending upon the barrel.
/Bryan

Another thing to consider is if you are shooting indoors, or outdoors. Since I do both, my rule of thumb is; indoors plated, outdoors lead...

Do you guys figure plated wear barrel rifling less than jacketed?

I've never actually seen the rifling in a pistol barrel wear out before the rest of the gun, and I've seen hundreds of 9mms that have had well over 100,000 rounds through them, all with jacketed bullets.

If others have seen it correct me, but the slow rate of twist and low velocity of 45 ACP would seem to make barrel wear a complete non-factor.

Plating is pure copper, which is a soft metal with good lubricity. The swaged lead is usually soft underneath that thin plating, so just as with lead, you should theoretically be able to achieve equivalent velocity to jacketed bullets at slightly lower charge weights/pressures. That should place them somewhere between cast and jacketed bullets, in terms of bore wear.

Minnesota has a good point, though. Bore wear is usually a concern for high velocity rifles. And you aren't going to get those velocities with a plated bullet.

Montana Gold .451 200 grain FMJ is $181.00 / 1000/box including the $5.00 shipping charge. Berry's in the same weight and diamiter is $123.00 shipped.

Montana Gold .451 200 grain FMJ is $181.00 / 1000/box including the $5.00 shipping charge. Berry's in the same weight and diamiter is $123.00 shipped.

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Zero Brand 230gr FMJ $117

Precision Delta 230gr FMJ $119

Precition "Black" bullets 200gr SWC $105 shipped.

Powder Valley has Berry's 200 gr SWC and FP for $99.94 per thousand, before shipping.