Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I saw a box of 500, .45 cal 230 gr. RN copper coated(?) bullets at Greentops and was wondering if they shot well. I have a Springfield Mil Spec that will feed just about anything and a picky G36. I've been advised to not shoot lead through the Glock and was thinking about trying these copper coated bullets for the range.

I've not tried them but have heard good and bad.

The good is they are just fine. The bad is some have a very thin layer of copper which results in quick fouling. Vahunter or SgtBill may have some good insight on this one.

My .40 cal. reloads are all made of this type of projectile and I have had no problems with them at all. And that is in my Glock 23.
Bill

Bill,

I am using plated .45 bullets in my latest batch of reloads.

I have not fired them as of yet, but as I reload them, they seem fine. I wanted to test them out, as I usually use FMJ projos.

18Bravo

SgtBill wrote:My .40 cal. reloads are all made of this type of projectile and I have had no problems with them at all. And that is in my Glock 23.
Bill

That's nice to know Bill!! Gonna use them for .45 since they are cheaper and readily available.

Thanks!

I've got some for my .45, Sherri's .380 and my .223. All shoot well except for the .223. I could throw the .223's and get just as good of a group. The magtechs for Sherri's .380 have a wicked looking hollow point. They are 95 grain and I loaded some yesterday that she tried. She said they had more recoil than the 105 grain. I used the minimum starting load. One day maybe she'll let me shoot it.

Thanks to all for the replys. Next time I'm in Greentops, I'll pick up a box of the .45 bullets and give them a try.

I'm glad you asked this question. I've seen them many times and passed by because of all the reviews I've read. .45 bullets have been on my list of things to buy and regular ones are indeed expensive.

I recently bought a box of 500 from Greentop, and plan on trying them in a XD45TAC.
(Just getting into reloading... and a newbie here)

Shot some test runs of the 230gr plated proofmarks this weekend, no problems whatsoever,and more accurate than WWB. Don't know about fouling, cause I was shooting some of my cast loads too...
+1 for made in VA...

I have some of them loaded in the rounds for my Nagant. Came loaded from some factory like that. From somewhere across the ocean. I'm looking forward to squeezing a few of them off. The Nagant I have will shoot ANYTHING I put in it.

I bought 500 of the Berry's Preferred Plated Bullets .40 180 gr. from Cabela's. Sent the first 50 down the range with no problems what so ever.

I came home and inspected the barrel closely for any fowling. Not a bit! I had been on the range for a few hours and had shot maybe 150 rounds total and the gun was still fairly clean all things considered.

I am just getting into this reloading but I was very pleased with these.

zephyp wrote:I've not tried them but have heard good and bad.

The good is they are just fine. The bad is some have a very thin layer of copper which results in quick fouling. Vahunter or SgtBill may have some good insight on this one.

So then... is there any diff between berry's, ranier or proofmark of the same shape and grain wt?

And how does the "thin layer of copper result in quick fouling"? Any type of gilding metal is many times harder than the hardest lead alloys, isn't it? At pistol velocities this seems unlikely. I've inspected fired slugs, - the plating is thicker than alum. foil, and the lands don't cut through to the lead underneath...

I don't know if there is a diffrence from company to company. I have used many diffrent types in plated bullets from many diffrent companys and never had a problem. As far as quick fouling, I think you are more likely to have fouling depending on the powder that you use. I use WW #231 in all my .380 - 9 MM - 40 cal reloads.
Bill

Palladin wrote:

zephyp wrote:I've not tried them but have heard good and bad.

The good is they are just fine. The bad is some have a very thin layer of copper which results in quick fouling. Vahunter or SgtBill may have some good insight on this one.

So then... is there any diff between berry's, ranier or proofmark of the same shape and grain wt?

And how does the "thin layer of copper result in quick fouling"? Any type of gilding metal is many times harder than the hardest lead alloys, isn't it? At pistol velocities this seems unlikely. I've inspected fired slugs, - the plating is thicker than alum. foil, and the lands don't cut through to the lead underneath...

I think its because of the way they are made. Regular JHP or FMJ have a copper jacket that is extruded and formed around the lead core with a press. You can buy a hand press (expensive) to make JHP or FMJ bullets using copper tubing. Some copper coated bullets are electroplated and end up with a shell only a few atoms thick. I think some may also be dipped. Spinning down the barrel quickly wears the thin layer away and could result in lead fouling. This is the reason coated bullets are cheaper. The production process is simpler and much less copper is used with very little waste. If you've got a copper plated bullet and an appropriate saw, cut one in half and compare it to a regular JHP or FMJ.

I've not tried the copper plated but will based on remarks here. Beforehand I had read some folks had good and poor experiences with them.

Here we have Proomark 230gr plated on the left, and Ranier 200gr on the right.
And here, a close up cut and peeled to show the copperplate. Smacked it a couple of times with a knife and hammer, and voila! the thin copper skin is revealed. It feels and tears like a foil coating, easily separated form the lead slug underneath, quite pliable. Casual measurements show both bullet's plating to run between .0045" and .005". I see now why pushing them past their limits could cause separation, deformation, etc...
But for what I'm using them for, I've been quite pleased.

(While I was researching the subject, found a cool site with a setup to plate your own cast bullets at home! I love this hobby, the expenditures never end...)

Very interesting Glen. Do you think they are dipped or electroplated? I'm curious. By the pics looks like they might actually be dipped.

Btw, thanks for sacrificing a couple of bullets. A worthy cause.

They are plated, which is a dipping process, the same principal that moves lead atoms between the plates in a battery... check this out - http://support.caswellplating.com/index ... aditemid=8

and Rick, maybe you could become a Proofmark dealer??? every little discount helps because when I do this , I need lots more!
http://www.proofmarkbullets.com/pages.asp?pg=default

Palladin wrote:They are plated, which is a dipping process, the same principal that moves lead atoms between the plates in a battery... check this out - http://support.caswellplating.com/index ... aditemid=8

and Rick, maybe you could become a Proofmark dealer??? every little discount helps because when I do this , I need lots more!
http://www.proofmarkbullets.com/pages.asp?pg=default

That process is actually electroplating and the same principal (not the same reaction) as wet lead battery reaction. Notice in the article he sets up electrodes (cathode/anode) by attaching pos/neg to the copper strips. He starts a current that draws copper ions from the strips through the electrolyte solution to the lead bullets.

Yup, it appears labor intensive, but very interesting. I can't imagine the big boys clamping every pistol bullet to get the job done... guess I'll do some more googlin