What's the Attraction

[steve4102]

What's the attraction to Plated bullets?

For inexpensive accurate pistol ammo it's lead. Either buy em or make em, but inexpensive is the word. That said, some indoor ranges do not allow lead bullets, so it's jacketed or plated. But, why plated, they cost more than jacketed and you have to treat them like lead plus a few tenth of a grain here and there.

Sorry, but I see the plated pistol bullet as an expensive solution to a non-existent problem. I'll stick with lead where allowed and cheaper jacketed when needed.

 

[JDGray]

Plated was a cheap option to jacketed, but the price has jumped, like you said, to levels passed jacketed. I now shoot mostly Zero brand bullets for 45, 9mm, and Missiouri bullet for 9mm Mak and 380. I do prefer jacketed for easier clean up, but these MB lead bullets are shooting pretty clean.

 

[shootinxd]

I started casting my own last year to keep the price down,but now I found mysely just shootin more trying to work up a good,accurate combination.I"LL save my plated for special occasions.

 

[Walkalong]

Years a go they were barely more than lead, and a great deal cheaper than jacketed. Kind of like the "Moly" bullets these days. Unfortunately, as they became more popular, the prices climbed and climbed. I still shoot some, despite some jacketed bullets being similarly, or even a bit more cheaply, priced in some instances, because I like a certain bullet. Still can't beat the price on Berrys 125 Gr TrFP .357 bullet for plinking, unless you buy lead.

Sorry, but I see the plated pistol bullet as an expensive solution to a non-existent problem. I'll stick with lead where allowed and cheaper jacketed when needed.

To each their own. I used to scrounge free lead and cast my own, just so I could afford to shoot more. I understand about stretching the shooting dollar.

 

[rattletrap1970]

There are ranges that don't allow jacketed bullets, but lead fouls guns. Also, some gas operated guns don't like lead. So.. you use plated. I think this is an instance of demand driving up price, not necessarily quality.

 

[noylj]

It wasn't popularity, it was increased "environmental" regulations that the platers face. The cost of doing business is so great, that it is making jacketed bullets a lot easier to make.
Soon we will have to buy pure copper bullets or some such and inexpensive shooting will be a distant memory.
Remember, elections have consequences...

 

[Hondo 60]

Until I heard of Zero bullets I found that plated was cheaper than jacketed. Infact that's the only brand of jacketed that I found that's cheaper than Berry's or HSM.

And some of the jacketed are only semi-jacketed (like Zero) so you still have exposed lead.

Zero can take a month or more before I get them. If I order plated ones from MidwayUSA I get them in 3 business days.

And finally, I dislike lead just because it's MUCH dirtier than plated or jacketed.

 

[Publius1688]

I hear you. For most of my shooting, it's good old cast lead. If I need to get fancy, Hornady HP/XTP is only marginally higher than plated.

 

[evan price]

Some ranges have a no-exposed-lead policy. In those cases plated was cheaper than FMJ.

 

[rbernie]

The key is that they USED to be cheaper. With PD and Zero undercutting the cost of plated bullets by a pretty significant margin, I can see no reason to continue to use plated.

 

[FROGO207]

I had not needed to get any plated bullets for a while and about put my fist through the keyboard the other day when looking at prices!! They have gone up lately for sure. I will be casting my own in the future as I do not need the plated ones that bad. I will say that the Zero brand that I have been using are super bullets for the money still.

 

[steve4102]

The key is that they USED to be cheaper. With PD and Zero undercutting the cost of plated bullets by a pretty significant margin, I can see no reason to continue to use plated.
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My point exactly, cept I'm rather new to handgun reloading so, I guess I have not seen the plated bullets much cheaper than they are now. Thanks.

 

[Walkalong]

I can see no reason to continue to use plated

unless you have a particular bullet you really like, which I do. Berrys is going to be around as cheap or cheaper, depending on the bullet, as any jacketed bullets, so I still use some that I really like.

That said, I started buying Zeros, and plan on buying some Montana Gold, because I hated to pay the same for plated as I could get jacketed for.

There are some plated bullets I will continue to buy unless pricing really changes.

The "moly" bullets are another option.