Polymer coated .22?

[dogtown tom]

Wrong

Sorry, but several manufacturers use polymer coated bullets due to FUNCTION....as in the polymer coating works better than wax or other messy external lube.
That it can be colored red and green IS marketing, but doesn't affect function.

If you have evidence that's contradictory then post it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Polymer coating is fairly new. It has several advantages -- it's cheaper than conventional bullet lubes, easier and cheaper to apply, and it works better in many cases. I use it on all the cast bullets I load nowadays -- from .38 Special to .45 Colt, from .22 Hornet to .35 Brown-Whelen.

 

[Speedo66]

Yeah, because we need more plastics. Sorry, but every time I see another plastic in use, I think of all the plastic in the ocean, landfills, particles in our drinking water, etc. and it saddens me.

The anti's complain about lead, but it's plastic that will be the major problem in our lives and future generations.

 

[ATLDave]

Dang, Speed', that had not even occurred to me re: coated bullets. Anyone here know enough about the composition of the polymers used in coating bullets to opine on their breakdown over time?

 

[reddog81]

That's a straw man argument for coated bullets. Powder coated bullets are so much safer to handle and easier to clean up after.

How much of the coating is going to end up in drinking water? I tried to remove the coating on some bullets by leaving sitting outside in a container with mineral spirits for a couple of days to no effect. Then I tried acetone and then I tried gasoline. Nothing took off the coating.

 

[ATLDave]

But when the coated bullet hits a hard surface, you definitely get cracking of the coating as the bullet flattens. No doubt flakes of it do come off. Are those small flakes going to decompose fairly well in the soil, or are they going to last forever? I don't know. Do you?

(ETA: I'm someone who rarely fools with bare lead bullets. I have been a plated-bullet loader for a long time and have started fooling with coated bullets this year precisely because I don't want to mess with lots of lead all over my hands while loading.)

 

[reddog81]

To be completely informed you'd need to do a study on the total environmental impact from start to finish, and if you think mining for that copper plating doesn't pollute ground water you'd be sorely mistaken.

 

[ATLDave]

You seem to have very strong views about this. I'm just asking a question, though. Do you know the answer?

 

[reddog81]

I don't know the answers, but to try and say powder coating is bad without any evidence doesn't make much sense to me.

I use PC because it's much safer for me. If your terribly concerned about pollution than realistically every aspect of shooting involves materials that cause pollution...

 

[JTHunter]

Wouldn't the polymer foul the rifling in the gun's barrel as much, if not moreso, than the lead from the bullets? After all, it is softer than the lead than this plastic. Or is it?

 

[ATLDave]

It "fouls" the barrel the way that lube fouls the barrel, at least when it comes to centerfire pistol applications. Doesn't seem to interfere with accuracy, even if the barrel looks dirtier. Leading (lead fouling), OTOH, seems to interfere with rifling-bullet engagement and cause accuracy problems.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Wouldn't the polymer foul the rifling in the gun's barrel as much, if not moreso, than the lead from the bullets? After all, it is softer than the lead than this plastic. Or is it?

Nope -- I've found no fouling to speak of in my guns, and it easily brushes out -- much easier than lead fouling.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Sorry, but several manufacturers use polymer coated bullets due to FUNCTION

Everyone knows that. Many of us even cast and coat our own.
The point is colorful bullets with a window in the package are a marketing gimmick.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Everyone knows that. Many of us even cast and coat our own.
The point is colorful bullets with a window in the package are a marketing gimmick.

So what? All packaging is marketing in some way or another.

 

[Texas10mm]

Wouldn't the polymer foul the rifling in the gun's barrel as much, if not moreso, than the lead from the bullets? After all, it is softer than the lead than this plastic. Or is it?

Powder coat is MUCH harder than lead. Hi-Tek, I have no idea and no real way to test it. But it doesn't leave any deposits in the barrel. I've fired more than 1000 rounds through a barrel before cleaning. It took four patches to clean the barrel.