Question about pistol bullets - The Firearms Forum

mcgreen85 · 05-23-2012, 11:01 PM

Hey guys, I was thinking of reloading my own 40 cal bullets for my pistol. A friend of mine told me to go to a website called powdervalleyinc.com He said I could find reloading materials for pretty cheap there. He said to look for plated bullets. I've never heard of a platted bullet. I mainly just shoot bowling pins with my brother for fun & this guy said they would be perfect for that because they're cheap. So my question is has anyone evere heard of plated bullets ? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks: Matt

jack404 · 05-23-2012, 11:14 PM

a plated bullet is one where there was a chemical or electro plating used to cover the bullets with copper or other materials rather than a solid metal copper jacket , and yes these are way cheaper than jacketed , but you could cast your own , not jacket them at all and save even more

i use hawsbury river coated bullets with some of my loads but plain cast is what i use most in my .40 S&W Witness

jack404 · 05-23-2012, 11:21 PM

article about HRBC coated bullets in guns magazine

http://www.hrbc.com.au/featuredIn.php

mcgreen85 · 05-23-2012, 11:22 PM

Thanks Jack, so if I cast my own would they just be solid led. If so I could do that because I just scored about 31 lbs of led for free. I'd say that's pretty cheap indeed.

jack404 · 05-23-2012, 11:32 PM

good start indeed

nothing wrong with pure lead

you could add 2% antimony and 2% tin and thats what they call type lead ( the alloy they made lead type faces from )

or just 1% tin if your worried about antimony ( can be nasty stuff)

this will harden the lead up a tad to make it less prone to blast through ( not gripping the lands but being shaved by them as it passes ) but as i never load plinking loads with full charges ( 80% normally) i normally dont worry nowdays ..

312shooter · 05-24-2012, 12:29 AM

Matt,

Yes plated bullets are common in the reloading world. It is a matter of opinion which to use, typically the price vs very little difference in performance compared to jacketed bullets is appealing for some. In my experience the plated bullet manufacturers have become a bit too proud of their products and their price points have exceeded some jacketed bullet prices. Take a look at www.berrysmfg.com for the plated bullets that your friend recommends and then compare to either of the following jacketed bullet distributors and decide for yourself what works for you...
www.precisiondelta.com
www.rozedist.com

mcgreen85 · 05-24-2012, 12:49 AM

Hey thanks for the links man, everyone on here is always so helpful. I'm gonna check into it & go from there.

steve4102 · 05-24-2012, 06:05 AM

Plated bullets used to fill the $$ gap between Jacketed bullets and Lead bullets. They were cheaper than true jacketed, not anymore. In the last couple of years plated bullets have gone way up in price. So much so that they now cost almost if not more $$ than true jacketed bullets.

312shooter posted a couple links to some excellent inexpensive true jacketed bullets. No more high $$ plated bullets for me, it's true jacketed or lead.

Plenty of lead bullet manufacturers to choose from as well. Here are just a few.

http://www.missouribullet.com/

http://www.pennbullets.com/calibers.html

http://www.mastercastbullets.com/

http://www.snscasting.com/

05-23-2012, 11:01 PM	#1
mcgreen85 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Marion Junction,Alabama Posts: 68	Question about pistol bullets Hey guys, I was thinking of reloading my own 40 cal bullets for my pistol. A friend of mine told me to go to a website called powdervalleyinc.com He said I could find reloading materials for pretty cheap there. He said to look for plated bullets. I've never heard of a platted bullet. I mainly just shoot bowling pins with my brother for fun & this guy said they would be perfect for that because they're cheap. So my question is has anyone evere heard of plated bullets ? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks: Matt -->

05-23-2012, 11:14 PM	#2
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: Question about pistol bullets a plated bullet is one where there was a chemical or electro plating used to cover the bullets with copper or other materials rather than a solid metal copper jacket , and yes these are way cheaper than jacketed , but you could cast your own , not jacket them at all and save even more i use hawsbury river coated bullets with some of my loads but plain cast is what i use most in my .40 S&W Witness

05-23-2012, 11:21 PM	#3
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: Question about pistol bullets article about HRBC coated bullets in guns magazine http://www.hrbc.com.au/featuredIn.php

05-23-2012, 11:22 PM	#4
mcgreen85 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Marion Junction,Alabama Posts: 68	Re: Question about pistol bullets Thanks Jack, so if I cast my own would they just be solid led. If so I could do that because I just scored about 31 lbs of led for free. I'd say that's pretty cheap indeed.

05-23-2012, 11:32 PM	#5
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: Question about pistol bullets good start indeed nothing wrong with pure lead you could add 2% antimony and 2% tin and thats what they call type lead ( the alloy they made lead type faces from ) or just 1% tin if your worried about antimony ( can be nasty stuff) this will harden the lead up a tad to make it less prone to blast through ( not gripping the lands but being shaved by them as it passes ) but as i never load plinking loads with full charges ( 80% normally) i normally dont worry nowdays ..

05-24-2012, 12:29 AM	#6
312shooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,158	Re: Question about pistol bullets Matt, Yes plated bullets are common in the reloading world. It is a matter of opinion which to use, typically the price vs very little difference in performance compared to jacketed bullets is appealing for some. In my experience the plated bullet manufacturers have become a bit too proud of their products and their price points have exceeded some jacketed bullet prices. Take a look at www.berrysmfg.com for the plated bullets that your friend recommends and then compare to either of the following jacketed bullet distributors and decide for yourself what works for you... www.precisiondelta.com www.rozedist.com __________________ "Democracy is based on citizenship- perhaps the greatest gift the United States has given to the world- Power is vested in the people themselves, and government flows from the people" James M Henslin

05-24-2012, 12:49 AM	#7
mcgreen85 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Marion Junction,Alabama Posts: 68	Re: Question about pistol bullets Hey thanks for the links man, everyone on here is always so helpful. I'm gonna check into it & go from there.

05-24-2012, 06:05 AM	#8
steve4102 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota Contributor Posts: 2,760	Re: Question about pistol bullets Plated bullets used to fill the $$ gap between Jacketed bullets and Lead bullets. They were cheaper than true jacketed, not anymore. In the last couple of years plated bullets have gone way up in price. So much so that they now cost almost if not more $$ than true jacketed bullets. 312shooter posted a couple links to some excellent inexpensive true jacketed bullets. No more high $$ plated bullets for me, it's true jacketed or lead. Plenty of lead bullet manufacturers to choose from as well. Here are just a few. http://www.missouribullet.com/ http://www.pennbullets.com/calibers.html http://www.mastercastbullets.com/ http://www.snscasting.com/