BSA1 said:
How well do plated bullets work?
While I shot matches with Montana Gold jacketed bullets and practiced with various plated bullets, I was never able to get close to accuracy of jacketed bullets with plated bullets.
For me with typical "regular" plated bullets (around .004"-.008" thickness of copper plating), accuracy fell as I worked up above mid range jacketed load data. Since slower burn rate powders don't produce clean burn and optimal accuracy below high range load data, I used faster burn rate powders that still produced accuracy at lower charges with the regular plated bullets.
That all changed with the advent of "thicker plated" bullets. First came PowerBond bullets with thicker plating then Berry's Manufacturing released hollow base thicker plated bullets that surpassed my reference Winchester FMJ loads.
I don't think there's an industry rule as to how thick of plating is considered "thick plated" by the various bullet manufacturers. Lately, I have been very happy with Rocky Mountain Reloading's Hardcore Match thicker plated bullets with .012"-.014" copper plating. Unlike some plated bullets with softer core, RMR's HM bullets have harder 11-12 BHN lead alloy core which I consider to contribute to greater neck tension instead of being squished during crimping for more consistent chamber pressures (hence the "hardcore" and BTW, RMR offers 5% THR discount with
thehighroad5 code).
With RMR's HM bullets, I have been able to produce sub 2" shot groups at 25 yards with factory Glock 22 which is on par with 1911 territory (and this I have not been able to do with other brand plated bullets) -
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9924922#post9924922
Here are target pictures of RMR HM 180 gr RNFP with Herco and BE-86 loads
I even had fellow THR member Dudedog verify the shot groups -
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9646469#post9646469