9mm Powder Coated Bullets Not Accurate?

I've been reloading for decades, but I'm always learning. I've been searching for a 9x19 load that is economical and reasonably accurate. I've been shooting Acme and Brazos powder coated bullets with different powders. Both don't shoot that well at 25 yards compared to factory JHP ammo. The groups are 2X larger with the powder coated bullets. I've been using Acme powder coated 200 gr. SWC bullets in my accurate 1911 and get very good groups at 25 yards. I also get very good results with 9mm loads when I use Hornady 115 gr. FMJ bullets and drive them very fast using Power Pistol powder, but that load is expensive. I'm not driving the 9mm powder coated bullets real fast. Am I missing something or are most folks who reload 9mm satisfied with 5-6" groups at 25 yards?

I know the answers to these questions have probably gone through your head. . .

But have you slugged the bore and measured the projectiles?

You say "not driving the 9mm powder coated bullets real fast"

A difference in projectile weight and/or projectile speed sometimes prefers a different barrel twist.

Is there a reason why you need such accuracy @25 yards?
What is the accuracy and with his many bullets?

I have seen very good accuracy with a 124gr coated 9mm bullet from Missouri Bullets. I had to play with the seating depth to achieve accuracy but I don't shoot them 25 yards. The furthest I shoot them is 15 yards.

I also shoot a 124gr JHP bullet from RMR now with good success.

ArchAngelCD said:

Is there a reason why you need such accuracy @25 yards?
What is the accuracy and with his many bullets?

I have seen very good accuracy with a 124gr coated 9mm bullet from Missouri Bullets. I had to play with the seating depth to achieve accuracy but I don't shoot them 25 yards. The furthest I shoot them is 15 yards.

I also shoot a 124gr JHP bullet from RMR now with good success.

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I don't think that I am being unreasonable. I like to include a little accuracy shooting during my range sessions. Like I said, others may not care that their ammo won't shoot well at 25 yards, but as factory ammo will produce very good groups at that distance, I use that as my standard. I've found that there is a huge difference in accuracy potential from 15 yards to 25 yards. I'm sure that there is even a greater difference if I tested at greater distances still.

9mm is an incredible PITA . Every gun is literally a law unto themselves . Bore dimensions are all over the map , chambers are non-uniform & many barrels are short throated . Nowhwere near as easy as finding a good lead load in 45acp . Barrel twist rates are also all over the place . As a fellow 2700 shooter I've yet to see anyone come up with a lead load that'll shoot to our standards at any range . Jacketed has to be pushed hard & barrel twist , coal & brass are critical to good results . Ironically 38 Super is much easier to work with especially with lead bullets .

colt_saa said:

I know the answers to these questions have probably gone through your head. . .

But have you slugged the bore and measured the projectiles?

You say "not driving the 9mm powder coated bullets real fast"

A difference in projectile weight and/or projectile speed sometimes prefers a different barrel twist.

Click to expand...

Actually, I was wrong when I said that I wasn't driving the bullets that fast. One load that I've been working with is 4.7 grains of Sport Pistol under an Acme 115 gr. coated round nose bullet. Alliant says that produces a velocity of 1,170 fps. I have measured the diameter of the bullets, but have yet to slug the bores. I'm shooting these loads through a variety of Sig striker fired pistols, to include the M-17, Sig P320X Compact and Sig P365.

I didn't even hint you were being unreasonable.

Again, what kind of accuracy are you getting and with how many rounds.

ArchAngelCD said:

I didn't even hint you were being unreasonable.

Again, what kind of accuracy are you getting and with how many rounds.

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Being an old man, I don't have the endurance or eyesight to work hard for a large amount of good shots. Yesterday I fired three shots with factory ammo from three different striker fired Sig pistols. The group sizes ended up being ranked according to barrel length (sight radius). The groups ranged from just over an inch to right at 3". So far, these same pistols, with powder coated bullets, produce 5-6" groups. Maybe I just expect too much from the 9mm coated bullets, but if you all think the potential is still there for 3" or so groups at 25 yards, I'll keep experimenting with different powders, COAL and velocities.

My suspicions is that the coated bullets are probably sized .355 . You want them at least .356 and some 9's will handle .357 . I would ask for a couple of each size from your supplier , make a dummy round (no powder or primer ) of each size to see if it will chamber . The larger the better . I hope this helps , Regards, Paul

I second....

ArchAngelCD said:

Is there a reason why you need such accuracy @25 yards?
What is the accuracy and with his many bullets?

I have seen very good accuracy with a 124gr coated 9mm bullet from Missouri Bullets. I had to play with the seating depth to achieve accuracy but I don't shoot them 25 yards. The furthest I shoot them is 15 yards.

I also shoot a 124gr JHP bullet from RMR now with good success.

Click to expand...

I second the Hi Tec bullet coatings, it's like a thin polymer (which is what it is) and Missouri Bullets are very good.

boatbum101 said:

9mm is an incredible PITA . Every gun is literally a law unto themselves . Bore dimensions are all over the map , chambers are non-uniform & many barrels are short throated . Nowhwere near as easy as finding a good lead load in 45acp . Barrel twist rates are also all over the place . As a fellow 2700 shooter I've yet to see anyone come up with a lead load that'll shoot to our standards at any range . Jacketed has to be pushed hard & barrel twist , coal & brass are critical to good results . Ironically 38 Super is much easier to work with especially with lead bullets .

Click to expand...

This has been my experience. I have yet to find a satisfactory load using lead bullets (coated or plain) in the 9mm and it's not for the lack of knowledge on how to go about it, or the lack of trying.

I thought it might be me, as I mostly shoot revolvers. My 9mm is a 1911 so I bought a 1911 in .45 to find out. The .45 worked fine for me.

I hear it can be done from the internet but I have yet to actually see anybody do it. It might not be worth the hundreds of combinations you'd have to go through to find it, if it even exists.

Turns out my most accurate 9mm is my convertible Blackhawk loaded with .358 diameter 150 LSWC. But that doesn't do anything the .38/.357 can't do. Well the short case is easier to eject.

BE Mike, first of all I looked up both those bullet companies and neither of them offer powder coated bullets. What they offer are Hi Tek coated bullets, which are a different animal. Hi Tek coating is a polymer coating applied as a liquid and baked on and powder coating is a paint type process in that instead of being a liquid it is a powder type material that is applied as a powder then baked, it melts to a liquid and dries type coating (from what I understand, I've never actually done it).

I am assuming you are loading 115 grain round nose, right? Just asking to clear up what you are actually shooting. Have you tried .357 diameter bullets like Paul suggested or maybe some from another bullet maker that sells Hi Tek bullets such as MBC or Bayou? The Brazos you are buying are significantly cheaper than the 2 I mentioned and I wonder if they are cheaper for a reason. I would suggest trying out a few more types of coated bullets from other manufacturers and see if accuracy improves. Also, try messing around with seating depth like has already been mentioned.

Finally, if none of that brings the coated bullet accuracy up to what you expect, then you might try some true 115 grain FMJ bullets from Zero Bullets. Roze Distribution is their retail arm and they sell 115 grain FMJ bullets for around $100/1000 shipped. I find their bullets to be great, especially for the price. I use their 357, 44 and 45 bullets extensively and I've been very happy with them. I've also been trying out their 147 HP 9 MM bullets and have been satisfied with those too, but haven't shot them at 25 yards much. They are accurate at 15 yards for me though. I have shot their 357 and 44 bullets at 50 and 75 yards with lever actions and they will group as good as I can shoot those open sight guns at those distances.

cowboy4evr said:

My suspicions is that the coated bullets are probably sized .355 . You want them at least .356 and some 9's will handle .357 . I would ask for a couple of each size from your supplier , make a dummy round (no powder or primer ) of each size to see if it will chamber . The larger the better . I hope this helps , Regards, Paul

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I measured the Brazos and Acme coated bullets. All measured .356". I slugged the barrel of the Sig P320X Compact. It measures .355". The bullets ought to be the appropriate size for that barrel.

In order to call a bullet inaccurate...........

you need to test slow to fast loads, with several type powders...
along with different OAL from short to long lengths, to give a bullet
a fair trial.

I thought that coated bullets were for "Practice" and used only for matches, if............
you were lucky enough to find a really good load......

since they were designed for indoor target ranges where "Lead" bullets are not allowed any more ??

No matter what your bore measures, I suggest you get your powder coated bullets sized to 0.357” - or even 0.358” if your chamber allows. I use a Wilson maximum cartridge gage to check my ammo and have zero problems with bullets sized to 0.357”. I generally use full-charge loads with either W231 or WSF powder. Bullseye works well, also.

I do not claim my loads are as accurate as my best efforts with jacketed bullets, but they are good enough for my indoor shooting at 50 ft and 25 yds. I have used them in everything from a Kart-barreled Les Baer 1911 to small CC-type guns and get varying but acceptable results in all my guns except a Browning Hi-Power, which has been a little defiant.

If you are having bad luck with round-nose designs, try something else. My two favorite designs are the Lee 124 gr TC and the old NEI #84, which is a H&G #68-style knock-off for the 9mm.

I have several 9mm pistols and tried a lot of bullet / powder combinations before finding a really good one. I’m using bullseye and the acme green coated 125’s with great results. I’m pushing it to a touch over 1000 FPS. Another excellent combination is HP38 behind a 124gr Berry’s hollow base round nose thick plate bullet. I came on the Acme while looking for a less expensive alternate for IDPA matches.

I constantly look for the best overall load / bullet combos for my guns and found an exceptionally good load for my Kimber Ultra 45 yesterday. I normally gravitated to lighter bullets like 185 & 200gr SWC but had some samples of Missouri 225 flathead lead blurts. I loaded them over a moderate charge of HP38/231 and was amazed at how accurate they shot. I didn’t have a chance yesterday but will chronograph them now. I’m guessing they’ll be running around 700fps.

Every barrel had it own personality I’ve found.

9mm and 40 S&W are both high pressure rounds compared to 45 acp. Fit to throat and barrel are both extremely critical regardless of any coating or standard lube. I would not load any to jacketed specs but would get a Lyman manual and start with their lead loads with your coated bullets.
As was said earlier, put a mike on them and find out what you are dealing with. I have sold at least two 9mm's because they wouldn't keep a 3" accuracy at 25 yards. Good luck but this is an advanced course in comparison to jacketed or slow speed lead.

For my PCed loads I use lead bullet data and methods. I have PCed bullets for all my handguns and my 30 caliber rifles and got decent/good results. I use cast lead data, size to cast lead specs., and load with cast lead methods. One of my favorite bullets/loads is a Lee 125 gr RNFP, PCed, loaded over Universal.

Cast bullets will shoot at least as accurately as good jacketed bullets at 25 yards, but the bullets have to be of the right alloy (hardness) for the load and of the right diameter, usually .358", but sometimes .357" or even .359" might be better. Whether you can get all this with store bought bullets, I don't know, but if you cast, it only takes some experimentation. One who lacks a little patience will wind up frustrated with poor loads and blame cast bullets in general as being the problem.

Everything's accurate at 15 yards or less, so a shooter really learns nothing about a bullet or load at such distances. I don't know anything about powder coating, but apparently it works well for some. If there comes a time when conventionally lubed bullets start shooting poorly and I can't correct things, I'll try powder coating.

Lots of good info here. I'm learning a lot. I went with what I know now are Hi Tek coated bullets (thanks Muddoktor) because I do a lot of indoor shooting with 9mm these days. I had been using hard cast 9mm, but I wanted something that wouldn't smoke so much as lubed lead bullets, especially when doing some rapid fire shooting, i.e. Bill Drill, etc. The coated bullets solved that problem and also didn't leave anything in the bore. I also wanted something less expensive than jacketed bullets. I like the idea of trying to get some bullets sized in something larger than .356". I'm going to try some other powders, too. So far, I've tried American Select, Sport Pistol and WSF. I intend to try the old standby of Bullseye next. I'm still stuck with wanting what I think is reasonable 25 yard accuracy (Boatbum101 understands my obsession).