Hey all, I'm looking to join the reloading crowd, but so far my biggest hangup has been finding a place to get plated/jacketed FMJ bullets in 9mm .40 and .45 flavor at a reasonable cost. All the places I have hit up on Google, etc. seem to sell bullets at close to the cost of pre-loaded factory ammo. So I am wondering, could any of you fine gents point me to a source of relatively inexpensive plated ammo?
Places to get plated pistol bullets?
- Thread starter -v-
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kingpin008
Member
It'd be easier for us to suggest places, if we knew where you've already looked. Pretty useless for you and us if we're recommending places, only to find out you've already checked there. 
GLOCK45GUY
Member
Rainier and Barry's are two plated bullets I've used.
DWARREN123
Member
MidwasyUSA and MidSouth Shooters Supply are 2 that come to mind. I get 40 cal Rainier plated hollow point bullets from MidwayUSA, 1,000 for $122 shipped.
PowderApe
Member
Hey -V-
Where ya at?? Sometimes you can find great deals by avoiding shipping and driving to the manufacturer's place. Out here in Northern Cali there's some great deals to be had by going to Reno and Carson City, NV; Southern Oregon and a company called Miwal in Grass Valley, CA. Look locally and avoid those crazy shipping charges which are climbing like a banshee and only gonna get worse!! there's probably a casting outfit relatively close by.
Be prepared to stock up and buy a crap load both plated and plain lead (much, much cheaper) and either load for them or molycoat them (yeah, I know, many don't believe in moly but for me it seems to work!)
Most companies will give you a break when buying a couple of thousand bullets- (especially if the prices include prepaid shipping and they don't have to do the shipping) Get some buddies together and do a group buy and share the expense of gas money. Make it a therapeutic "day trip" to the manufacturer! (cough-cough- call in sick!!)
Stash the extras 'cause the cost of lead is climbing fast too. You'll eventually use them and they don't take up much storage room and you'll have them on hand later on at "the old price"! You can almost watch the prices changing (up, of course) daily just like the local gas station prices.
China is hogging lots of resources and the gov't is grabbing a lot for the war effort and we get the small amount that's left over... ...and who knows for how long though!
Better yet, get started in casting and then it's only a few pennies each- if that, and it's really fun! (really!) You really don't need plated bullets and the added expense sometimes isn't justified over good, hard cast lead slugs- especially homemade ones!!
Where ya at?? Sometimes you can find great deals by avoiding shipping and driving to the manufacturer's place. Out here in Northern Cali there's some great deals to be had by going to Reno and Carson City, NV; Southern Oregon and a company called Miwal in Grass Valley, CA. Look locally and avoid those crazy shipping charges which are climbing like a banshee and only gonna get worse!! there's probably a casting outfit relatively close by.
Be prepared to stock up and buy a crap load both plated and plain lead (much, much cheaper) and either load for them or molycoat them (yeah, I know, many don't believe in moly but for me it seems to work!)
Most companies will give you a break when buying a couple of thousand bullets- (especially if the prices include prepaid shipping and they don't have to do the shipping) Get some buddies together and do a group buy and share the expense of gas money. Make it a therapeutic "day trip" to the manufacturer! (cough-cough- call in sick!!)
Stash the extras 'cause the cost of lead is climbing fast too. You'll eventually use them and they don't take up much storage room and you'll have them on hand later on at "the old price"! You can almost watch the prices changing (up, of course) daily just like the local gas station prices.
China is hogging lots of resources and the gov't is grabbing a lot for the war effort and we get the small amount that's left over... ...and who knows for how long though!
Better yet, get started in casting and then it's only a few pennies each- if that, and it's really fun! (really!) You really don't need plated bullets and the added expense sometimes isn't justified over good, hard cast lead slugs- especially homemade ones!!
schmeky
Member
I bought 2,000, 9mm 115gn, FMJ from Presicion Delta for $134.00 delivered.
Hey ya'll, big thanks for the advice so far. Location wise I'm in the east Tennessee area, near Knoxville. Thus, judging by the other thread that's going in here, I'm probably looking at a 1.5-2 hour drive to the nearest supplier at Johnson city. Personally, looking at gas prices, I'm betting that paying S&H may turn out to be cheaper then the 200 mile round trip in my gas guzzler... But if the deal is good, then...
As far as bullets go, my main issue is that I would prefer to minimize my exposure to lead. While from work I know how to handle stuff much more toxic then lead safely, I would rather avoid having to in the comfort of my home. As far as my understanding goes, both plated and jacketed bullets would both minimize my exposure to lead. But, if lead is the best way to go to save money, I'm not completely averse to that option either.
As far as bullets go, my main issue is that I would prefer to minimize my exposure to lead. While from work I know how to handle stuff much more toxic then lead safely, I would rather avoid having to in the comfort of my home. As far as my understanding goes, both plated and jacketed bullets would both minimize my exposure to lead. But, if lead is the best way to go to save money, I'm not completely averse to that option either.
kingpin008
Member
-v- I'm no expert, but I'd imagine that most of the danger from lead exposure comes from airborne lead, rather than from skin contact/ingestion.
As long as you wash your hands well after loading, and before eating/smoking/etc, you should be fine.
As long as you wash your hands well after loading, and before eating/smoking/etc, you should be fine.
PowderApe
Member
Follow the common sense precautions of handling lead... I believe there's a sticky regarding that....
Lead is not as easily absorbed fron the skin and you wont go into toxic levels by simply reloading or casting lead. Much of that is environmentalist hype. Cast and smelt with adequate ventilation, shoot with adequate ventilation and you'll be pretty much ok. (Probably higher levels than a anti-gunner who avoids all exposures)
Don't eat, drink or smoke while reloading and wash your hands. Like most heavy metals, it's the oxidized form that is most toxic and not the pure base metal itself. Indoor ranges with lousy ventilation or melting and processing lead in a closed room while chowing down.... common sense stuff. wash up and you can even use a lead wipe cloth
Hell, there's still houses out there that have lead domestic water pipes!! They used it for years! I'm more concerned about my PVC water pipes leaching out bad stuff than casual lead exposure. If you did it 24/7 or daily as making a living from it, then I'd worry more...
For a technical/medical discussion: http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic293.htm
Lead is not as easily absorbed fron the skin and you wont go into toxic levels by simply reloading or casting lead. Much of that is environmentalist hype. Cast and smelt with adequate ventilation, shoot with adequate ventilation and you'll be pretty much ok. (Probably higher levels than a anti-gunner who avoids all exposures)
Don't eat, drink or smoke while reloading and wash your hands. Like most heavy metals, it's the oxidized form that is most toxic and not the pure base metal itself. Indoor ranges with lousy ventilation or melting and processing lead in a closed room while chowing down.... common sense stuff. wash up and you can even use a lead wipe cloth
Hell, there's still houses out there that have lead domestic water pipes!! They used it for years! I'm more concerned about my PVC water pipes leaching out bad stuff than casual lead exposure. If you did it 24/7 or daily as making a living from it, then I'd worry more...
For a technical/medical discussion: http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic293.htm
Yes, but plated bullets are enclosed base. I know the concerns about lead evaporating from the back of the bullet are a little overblown, but I'd still prefer to get as little lead exposure as possible. Stuff builds in your body, and takes forever to get back out.
snuffy
Member
Extreme bullets are what I use IF I am going to load plated.
http://www.xtremebullets.com/plated.htm
That said, most of my handgun loading is done with my home cast boolits. The exception is my Glock M-22 40 S&W. I may even try to prove the myth about not using lead in the polygonal rifling wrong, by making some 40 boolits for it.
Also the hype about lead poisoning is just that HYPE! I've been casting/shooting lead boolits since 1972. Wanting to know exactly what my lead levels were, I requested a test be made in my semi-annual panel. 5.0 was the results, for as much handling of lead that I do, that's a tiny ammount.
http://www.xtremebullets.com/plated.htm
That said, most of my handgun loading is done with my home cast boolits. The exception is my Glock M-22 40 S&W. I may even try to prove the myth about not using lead in the polygonal rifling wrong, by making some 40 boolits for it.
Also the hype about lead poisoning is just that HYPE! I've been casting/shooting lead boolits since 1972. Wanting to know exactly what my lead levels were, I requested a test be made in my semi-annual panel. 5.0 was the results, for as much handling of lead that I do, that's a tiny ammount.
Try www.rozedist.com They have good prices and free shipping.
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