coated .38 WC pistol bullets

danno in va

New member
Finally getting back to targets with .38 Special and am considering using coated bullets this time out instead of messing with the lubed lead. i'm looking to get the crisp holes in target paper and staying with the true WC instead of a SWC. There are two bullets that i'm looking at:

Bayou 138 grain WC w/Hi-Tek coating - leading edge looks nice and sharp
X-treme 148 grain copper plated WC - edges appear a bit rounded

A friend has been shooting 9mm Bayou in IDPA for years without any issues. i've had good resules with HP X-treme 9mm and 45ACP. It's been conventional wisdom that copper jackets wear the bore more than pure lead bullets, and i wonder if the plated lead bullets are as bore friendly as lead.

Maybe there are some other WC's to consider. What advice does the board have?
 
Extreme Bullets are not jacketed. They are plated. Weigh some plated bullets and measure OAL of the bullets. I think you will be underwhelmed by plated bullet quality. Go with coated lead if you have too. Plain lead and Copper JACKETED will always be more consistent.
 
Danno, have you ever tried Lee Liquid Alox lubricant. This lube coats the bullet just like a 22 bullet. You cast them, throw them in a
cool whip container, put some lube in the container and shake until all the bullets are covered. Set them to dry over night on aluminum
foil. Next , you load them up and you're ready to shoot. The whole process is in the second edition of the Lee reloading manual.
I use these for light 38 practice loads in my 357 carry gun.
 
Spend some time over on the cast boolits forum. Lots of good reading and free info.

I use a 45-45-10 mix on pistol and .30-30 stuff.
45% Liquid Alox
45% Johnson's paste wax
10% mineral spirits

Mix warm, put it in a small soap bottle. Warm slightly before use. Lube in butter tub, toss on wax paper. Load the next day after work. Way less smoke that straight Alox. I have not had any leading, but bullet size and hardness factor into that also. You don't have to cast your own either, could buy them plain and lube your own way. Or buy cast and lubed and just load them up.

Good luck, lots of ways to skin a cat.
 
I used the 45/45/10 on cast bullets for years. Then I tried some coated cast bullets from several makers. Next step was coating some of my own pistol and 300BLK bullets. Bottom line, coated are much better in handling and the complete elimination of the Alox/wax build up in the seating and crimp dies. You can coat your own with powder from Harbor Freight or powder coat outlets.

I shoot several K each pistol match season, cleaner gun and less smoke. Bare lead bullet use is fast becoming obsolete, at least for those enjoying the benefits of coated.
 
Dan, lead in barrel is a function of not only the coating but more of a function of Bore dia and bullet dia.

I shoot .001 over bore dia cast bullets, lead in bores are not an issue when you stay 950 fps and below. As you approach 1200 fps, you need a gas check.

This good man, George, will dazzle you on accuracy and quality of his bullets:

http://www.gtbullets.com/

You have options on sizes for various bore dia, and the bullets you receive from George are exactly like the pictures on his web site.

in the 38 special, 145 WC-hp with 2.9g of Bullseye will dazzle you and the 130g HP with AA#5 around 900 fps was very comfortable to shoot and accurate!
 
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Size is king.
A bit more to just loading what ever bullet you decided on. You mention 38 so most are shooting a wheel gun?
Coatings and plating can disguise underlying issues that can help in the accuracy department.
After having played with coatings for a year I am back to the neeked boolits. May or may not be a fad much like moly.
I hade zero issues with proper cast, same goes for my tumbler full of corn cob or walnut. If it ain’t broke......better mouse trap....
 
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