Plated Bullets vs Cast Boolits

[tchepone]

Has anyone done any meaningful testing of "plated" bullets, compared to the standard cast variety? I am referring to bullets that have been covered with a layer of copper or brass. It seems to be just a basic cast lead boolit with a thin layer of material electro-plated over it.

How does their accuracy compare to the standard lead boolit?
Are there any particular issues that need to be addressed differently from a handloading perspective?
Does the plating cause fouling in the throats, forcing cone or barrel?
I imagine the thickness of the plating varies with the care taken by the company doing the plating. Anyone know what the average thickness is? I have found reference to .003" - .005" thickness, double plating, and sized, plated and sized again.

It seems many indoor ranges are pushing the "lead is bad" theme. More and more indoor ranges are requiring the lead be "totally covered". I personally think that idea is much ado about nothing, but when uninformed bureaucrats get involved we all know what happens.

I have never loaded or fired a plated bullet and am curious. J. Gil

[TES]

the plated bullets i have pulled have all been undersized (354 - 355) range. I dont like them.

[Garyshome]

I've shot some berrys and they seem to not lead the barrel [no fouling either] and shoot fine. I've shot some lead that doesn't lead the barrel, and shot some lead that does. They shoot better then my ability.

[knifemaker]

I have shot thousands of X-Treme plated bullets in practice and IDPA matches. I have found that the plated bullets from X-Treme bullets in Nevada are dead on the size they advertise and very accurate in all the firearms I have used them it.
X-Treme Bullets use a thicker plating on their bullets them most other bullet makers do. One reason they can be loaded up to 1500 fps and not the 1250 fps that other makers put as a limit on their plated bullets. They also double strike the the finished bullet to make sure it is of the proper size and concentric on the dia.
Their prices are very reasonable and shipping is included in the price. Right now they are having a 15% off sale and have many calibers in stock. Go to their web site and click on "available now" to see what they have in stock and the price. They also provide photos of the bullets for you to see.

[popper]

X-treme are very good plated - but I only shoot PC cast now. Can't tell the difference except in $$. PC will usually go to jacketed velocity, x-treme recommends fps same as cast, lubed.

['74 sharps]

I fail to see any advantage of the plated over plain cast, and if I didn't cast, I'd pay extra to not to have any copper plating. If your getting leading, you have other issues that need to be addressed.

[tchepone]

Thanks Guys. I ordered a few from X-treme for a trial. Glad to hear they sell a quality product.
As far as any advantage over plain lead, I doubt there is much, if any.
I don't get leading; good alloy, proper bullet fit and good lube take care of that. I was only curious because of the requirements at some indoor ranges.
I don't chase the high velocity thing either, so that doesn't concern me.
The ranges in my area do not require the lead to be totally encased at this time, but what happens in Kalifornia eventually makes it's way across the country.
Thanks again....

[3006mv]

yeah i shot plated before i got into casting, no issues. but now i can save more with the lead with no issues. i dont use GC which prolly can be shot faster than plated.

[Love Life]

X-Treme makes a high quality plated bullet. I go to their storefront and buy them.

[destrux]

I run plated bullets using jacketed data. I have a .40S&W carbine load that's pushing a Rainier 135gr plated bullet to 1,680fps (~800 ft-lbs!) in a 16" barrel using 8.0gr of Unique. It's peppy... reminds me of Corbon ammo. No problems though, pressure is in check, and it runs well in my pistols too. No leading either, and the bullets expand very well but still stay together thanks to the thin "jacket". As always, YMMV, don't use that data without running it up from starting loads yourself.

I trust any of the major brand plated bullet companies... Rainier, Berry's, Xtreme... their products have all worked well for me.

Also, plated bullets follow jacketed bullet diameter specs. Don't worry about them not being oversized. They won't gas cut, but they do tend to obturate to fill the groves better than jacketed, just like a cast bullet.

[ebner glocken]

I've shot plenty of rainier plated bullets in 50 AE with no ploblems. Usually somewhere bewteen 1300-1400 FPS. The main reason I tried them in the first place was $.20 verses $.50-.70 cents a piece compared to jacketed. Results were good, they shot beyond my capabilities, no more fouling than jacketed. The only reason I didn't shoot naked cast is due to the gas system on a desert eagle. I'm currently working on powder coating for the same task, just cast some .41s today for the other eagle. With some more free time results will be posted in the future.

Ebner

[popper]

Coated cast runs as fast as jacketed, with a good alloy. No problems in my gas LR308 carbine @ 2400 fps, 2K ft-#. Several boxes of plated & jacketed in case I run out of lead, prolly wont happen.

[DRNurse1]

Just for a point of information: the data presented here is great but anecdotal. I have not seen plated data separate from Cast or Jacketed data. For that matter, there are some solid brass and solid copper projectiles out there, too. I have not searched for this data with any great effort either, so it may be in some of the more recent load manuals (not yet in my collection). Has anyone accumulated manufacturer information or independent test data to validate (or refute) the anecdotal information presented here?

@ Mr Destrux: Thank you for the links, I think the Hogdon information is relatively new as I have the printout from 2 years ago. I have seen the disclaimer from Berry but it only provides guidance not tested load data.

[destrux]

http://www.berrysmfg.com/faq-q21-c1-...d_Bullets.aspx

Hodgdon lists load data developed specifically on Berry's plated bullets for 9mm and .40S&W.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

As far as on target bullet performance, I can't find any professional data. I had done some testing myself on wet-pack with a deer femur embedded. In that medium it expanded and flattened out very well, almost as well as the Gold Dot HP I was firing (it also penetrated about the same depth, IIRC it was around 13 inches but I'd have to dig up the data). It also shattered the bone and held together afterward. I couldn't compare them to my cast bullets, as I wasn't casting at that time.

Accuracy will depend on the load, but I was shooting 3-4" 100yd groups with that load in my Keltec carbine.

I haven't tried any plated rifle bullets yet, but Xtreme makes .312" 123gr rifle bullets and I plan to try them in my SKS and Arisaka.

[Bonz]

The only plated bullets that I will shoot are X-Treme. They are top quality and consistent. Their HP bullets are heavier plated and have concave bases. X-Treme is now beginning to offer non-hp bullets with the heavier plating and concave bases. I just ordered a few thousand 9mm 115gr RN HPCB to shoot out of my Colt 9mm AR15. They are also hard lead, not sure how hard but much harder than Ranier, Berry's, etc. The big advantage of X-Treme plated bullets over cast boolits are no leading, no smoking… The disadvantage is pure cost.

[Bonz]

The ranges in my area do not require the lead to be totally encased at this time, but what happens in Kalifornia eventually makes it's way across the country.
Thanks again....

A shooting range in NC just converted to "no exposed lead bullets" due to OSHA. It's not just california...