.22 rimfire bullets

[Uncle Alvah]

For years, I avoided low priced .22 ammo with a plain lead bullet, under the belief it would help prevent leading.
I was told this was particularly true with revolvers, because of the bullet having to cross the cylinder/barrel gap.

But, the .22 cartridges that I have around the house are "plated". Some say so on the box, and some loose rounds just appear to be.
I can remove that plating with my fingernail, thats pretty soft!

Two questions:

Is there a genuine benefit of using plated .22 bullets over plain lead ones?

Is there a .22 round currently made with a genuine jacket, like in centerfire bullets?

 

[Dave B]

I have never seen a jacketed 22lr. I have also shot 1000s of cheap Wal-Mart bulk pack 22s with no problems except a dud every now and then. I think you will get an occasional dud with most any 22lr ammo. If you aren't a pro target shooter,you probably won't notice.

 

[SaMx]

I actually prefer the non plated bullets because they seem to shoot more accurately for me.

I think .22 magnum bullets are actually jacketed, but no .22 lr are because the bullet is heeled.

 

[moewadle]

Do not use Remington Thunderbolt

in my opinion. They are very, very dirty and I have had quite a few failure to fire. I like the Federal bulk pack ammo, okay and have never had a failure to fire.

 

[dirtdog]

No 22 RF is plain lead.

They all are wax coated.

 

[WAID]

Moewadle, my experience has been quite the opposite with many problems with federal bulk packs(and less than stellar results with all federal rimfire) and good results with remington thunderbolts, goldenbullets, etc. My rimfires however prefer CCI so if I'm after cheap stuff it is usually blazers.

 

[PointOneSeven]

There are differen't levels as far as the bullet goes with 22 lr: Lead (with a coating), copper wash, and copper plate. The thickest copper plating can be found on velocitors, stingers, federal gameshoks, mini-mags, and some bulk packs.

The bulk packs usually settle for a copper wash though.

If it were possible to have a jacketed .22 lr, I'd definately be down for it!

 

[protolith]

Jacketed .22lr would be interesting. It would probably have excellent penetration as deformation would be greatly hindered by the harder bullet.

The real reason you never see .22lr FMJ, is that there is a very small market for .22lr ammo that would be $10-15+ for a box of 50 , Even the uber expensive Eley is only like $6/50.

 

[bhk]

In general, the copper wash/plating is cosmetic only I (started by Remington in the 1920's). These and plain lead bullets both are coated with lubricants. The most accurate rounds, the expensive target rounds, are never copper washed/plated. Evidentally, the copper coating process involves tumbling the bullets, sometimes creating imperfections that may cause accuracy problems. Most shooters won't notice this at all, but the benchresters might. If plain lead bullets (coated with lub) caused leading, the high-grade target folks would be screaming about it.

 

[JimJD]

Even the uber expensive Eley is only like $6/50.

Oh man I wish it was... Eley Tenex Ultimate EPS

 

[protolith]

JimJD,
I guess I bought the "cheap" Eley ammo. $6/50 seemed really steep, $18.75 seems ludicrous. I guess if .22fmj was under $20 for 50, there would be a market for it.

 

[NG VI]

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=429349

you see it, 21.49 for fifty .22LR. wow. actually a detecive about two years ago was telling me that LaPorr's (I don't kno the spelling) was about 40-50 a box, but the most accurate .22 he'd ever seen.

 

[Sheldon]

Lapua.....good stuff from what I hear...I can't afford it to find out for sure!!

 

[foghornl]

I don't use the plain lead .22 ammo if I have a choice.

I had a bunch of plain lead Rem "Thunderbolts" that I tossed because the bullet had some sort of crud on them...lead oxide perhaps(????) that wouldn't allow them to chamber in my MKII pistol.

 

[rcmodel]

but no .22 lr are because the bullet is heeled.

Actually the U.S. M24 .22LR Ball ammo is FMJ.
It is/was issued for AF survival guns, as well as other more interesting uses in silenced covert weapons, in order to comply with Hague Convention rules of war.

http://cartridgecollectors.org/foru...ghlight=&sid=12714eb7c0e9a46fa20f0c84579df6ae

As far as plain lead .22LR causing barrel leading, that is simply not the case.

The best "Match Grade .22 ammo in the world uses plain waxed lead bullets.

rcmodel