Seeking advice on copper plated bullets

[GBExpat]

I am about to reload my first batches of copper plated pistol bullets.

I am experienced & comfortable reloading both standard jacketed & cast pistol bullets.

My inclination is to treat the Plateds (and case mouth prep) more like I do cast bullets (sans bullet lube, o'course ).

I would appreciate any advice/tips from experienced plated bullet reloaders.

Thanks!

 

[jwrowland77]

They say to use upper lead data or low-mid jacketed data. Most of the plated, you can't exceed 1200fps.

I have some thick plated from berrys and on those boxes it says 1500fps

 

[Walkalong]

They are not lead, so don't use lead data. They are not jacketed, so don't use jacketed data.

They are somewhere in between. There is some good plated bullet data out there.

The velocity limits of 1200 FPS is a very good guideline. They can sometimes take a bit more, and sometimes a bit less.

More and more powder companies are including some plated bullets in their data PDFs. Check all the usual powder company websites for their downloadable data.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6195350&postcount=11
.

 

[GBExpat]

Thanks, Guys!

Walkalong, I have bookmarked that link for easy reference,

 

[Frag]

Many plated bullets dont have a cannelure and you need to watch your crimp. An exessive crimp can pierce the plating and strip it on firing.
I used a very light roll crimp on the last batch of plated 38 specials i did. Seemed to work fine but i am trying a lee factory taper crimp next batch. I used high lead data. 2.9 grains of Clays over a 158 gr projectile. Using it in a GP100.

 

[Blue68f100]

Mfg's of plated bullets recommend different load range. Berry's says to use up to Mid point of jacketed data. Where Rainers says to use lead data. They also have a max velocity of 1200fps till you move into the TP ones. Plated bullets fall in to a class of there own. Plated data is not starting to be published by powder mfg and some data is published on bullet mfg web site. Now sizing is also different between Berry's and Rainers. Berry's normally run 0.0005" -0.001" over a std jacketed bullets, sized closer to lead. The HB design that is out allows you to get a better seal to the barrel at lighter loads. Crimping is critical in that you do not want to break through the thin coating.

 

[2 Horse]

Think Gold Dots, yes they are plated so is Speer's TMJ line

 

[PO2Hammer]

Over the chrono most of my handgun loads with plateds are very close to jacketed bullet data.
I try to find overlapping charges from lead and jacketed data and load in that zone.

 

[1SOW]

Berry's says "Up to Mid-Range jacketted data" for their standard 'thin plating' The Thick Plated (TP) are rated to 1500 FPS. The 9mm .356 TPs were made for 9 Super loads.

Others sell thick plated also.

Go to the manufacturer's web site and see what they say---or email and ask.

 

[GBExpat]

Think Gold Dots, yes they are plated so is Speer's TMJ line

Gold Dots are plated! Imagine that.

I have no experience with them but last year I decided to reload some of those as primary SD rounds but have been waiting for the shortages to dissipate before attempting to source some.

I had already decided that a taper crimp was the only way to go (so as not to damage/cut the plating) and since I will be (initially, at least) doing .45ACP and 9x19 the 1200fps speed limit looks very comfortable for my purposes.

If (when) I decide to try some for the .357Mag and/or .44Mag, I will look into sourcing "TP"s to be on the safe side.

Building loads from mid range between Pb & Jacketed listings makes sense, too.

My thanks to all for the great advice!

 

[FROGO207]

I have had good experiences with heavy plated offerings from X-Treme bullets. They shoot well at mid jacketed propellant levels. When I cut one of each apart to compare, the plating was on par with a Speer gold dot when just looking at them. I did not bother measure the plating with a micrometer and the actual plating material MIGHT be a different composition. They were fairly accurate in 45 ACP with 700-X at just under max jacketed load data for practice ammo in all my pistols without trying to customize for each one. YMMV

 

[kerreckt]

I use mid point jacketed data and have had very good success with Berry and Ranier.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

Hi All,

I use jacketed data, usually near max load, and have had not problems. I'm not very picky when it comes to pistols but my method works for me. The advice usually posted seems contradictory to me. "Use up to mid-level jacketed data AND o.k. for speeds up to 1250 (higher for Thick Plated (TP) bullets)" Well if that's the case what is the problem with max jacketed data if the velocity is below 1250?

I shoot 380 Berry's 100 grain, a couple of different Berry's 9mm Luger, and 230 grain Berry's 45 ACP. The only issue I've ever heard of with plated bullets is excessive speed causing copper fouling or problems with the plating. Since I couldn't push my 380 or 45 ACP's anywhere near "too fast" I feel comfortable using max load jacketed data. The 9mm Luger has some options that get close to "too fast" so I watch the chronograph and adjust the load down if I need to.

Good Luck.

Dan

 

[JRWhit]

What I've found so far may only be in my pistols. Oddly enough Rainier says to use upper lead load data, while Berry's says to use mid jacketed data. I have found the opposite to be true. The Rainiers are sized like a jacketed bullet and usually cycle best for me at mid to upper jacketed data." This is in 45acp no where close to 1200fps" Otherwise I get ftes and a very dirty gun. The Berry's, being sized like a lead bullet, cycle very well and stay consistent at Jacketed start loads. Not to say performance doesn't get better working up. This is usingwin 231 for 200gn bullets. Also use Unique and have similar results. The Rainier bullets do better at the upper jacketed range while the Berry's do good at lower jacketed data. Honestly with the berry's I have yet to work up any further than Jacketed start loads, the accuracy has been great, leaving a tennis ball size hole where the bullseye use to be. I was more than satisfied and saw no reason to spend more $ per round in powder.

 

[119er]

I load plated bullets (Berry's and Rainier) almost exclusively and I love them. They are for my bulk practice loads and I'll use jacketed bullets if I am loading for magnum calibers at those velocities. I load plated in .38SPL, 9mm, .40, and .45ACP, all with HP38/231 and have settled on mid jacketed data. I push the 9mm's pretty hard (124 @~1050-1100fps) and I have had no problems yet over about 4000 in that caliber. The velocity gets up there a little quicker than jacketed in my experience so my suggestion is to start with low jacketed data and chrono them. I typically bell just a little more with plated and use a Lee FCD to remove the flare and place a slight crimp.

Fun fact: This slight crimp can be felt in the stroke of my press and has alerted me to a .380 case that made it all the way through w/o being detected while running 9mm. The slight resistance was missing on station 5 and sure enough it was a .380.

 

[twofifty]

I push 124gr plated 9mm at 1,130fps.

 

[GBExpat]

I have received my first order of RMR 230gr .45 plated HPs and I have an order of Xtreme 124gr 9mm plated HPs inbound.

I am planning on running the former ~850fps and the latter in the low/mid 1100s so I should be GTG.

Just got a REMINGTON AMMO SALE email from Natchez ... and I noticed that the SALE price of a 25rd box of .45 Golden Sabre +Ps is $37.99 (reg $47.99!) ... a buck & a half apiece! OUCH!

Sure glad I bought several hundred of the .45 and 9mm Golden Sabre bullets from Wideners several years ago when prices were low!

Again, thanks for all of the great advice!

 

[boom boom]

Accurate and Ramshot powder guides now have plated bullet specific loading information. Best of all, free.

 

[Captain Capsize]

I wonder about the max bullet speed that is spec'd by the manufacturer. I am loading and shooting 110 gr. Berrys bullets that are recommended to a max of 1600 fps. I wanted to develop a load that would shoot to the same poa as 170 gr. Remington in my Marlin 30-30. They are chrono'd at 1950 fps. This load will shoot a 3 shot group all touching at 100 yds. using a 18x scope. The 4th shot will be 1 o'clock at 1" the 5th shot will be 1 o'clock at 2" I expect due to barrel heating. I am not experiencing flyers, barrel leading or any other detrimental effects. This is my coyote load and does not require a scope adjustment to shoot my favorite white tail round.

 

[Lj1941]

The latest Hodgdon data has some chronographed data for a limited number of Berry's plated bullets. Most of the data is very close to jacketed data especially in the 9x19 & 40 S & W's.

 

[hentown]

I use a Corbin hand-canneluring tool, when loading for roll-crimped rounds,using plated bullets. Just don't cannelure too deeply!

 

[Comrade Mike]

I load plated bullets almost exclusively as far as range ammo goes. They're going to have my picture on the wall at Rainier soon.

I use mid range lead data to mid range jacketed data. Most of my data is sourced out of the Lee manual and almost all of my pet loads for plated bullets came at the upper end of Lee's lead data. Hope that helps.