Coated bullets and gun cleaning....

[rwsmith]

I guess this is a reloading question because we are the ones that probably use the most coated bullets...

Coated bullet = no more lead or copper fouling.

Has anybody noticed any issues of fouling or residue from the use of coated bullets? (Provided that they are properly cured) Can the polymer build up in the barrel?

If so, does it affect accuracy at some point? Who shoots lots of coated bullets?

I'm using coated bullets almost exclusively at the range now. I haven't noticed any problems but I clean my guns often. I would like to clean them after every trip, but that hasn't been possible.

 

[AtomHeartMother]

I've been powder coating for 38/357 and 45 colt for a while now and I too, was curious about fouling. I ran about 500 rounds of my powder coat cast in 38 special through my model 66 and purposely didn't clean it. I found no ill effects whatsoever...no residue other than normal fouling. Powder coat rocks. I even managed to recover some bullets from the backstop. Never ceases to amaze me how the powder coat holds up to the burn and rifling.

 

[AzShooter]

I've fired over 30K rounds of coated bullets. They leave the gun clean.

I don't even bother running a brush down the boar any more, it stays that clean.

I do wipe down the outside of my gun after each range session but the powder coated bullets leave everything very clean.

 

[JBnTx]

I use coated bullets from Missouri Bullet Company exclusively in Glocks, Ruger Blackhawks and Colt 1911's

There's no lead and no buildup of any kind. More than a few times I've been amazed at how clean the barrel was after firing about 100 rounds.

Hi-Tek coated bullets are all I shoot. They've completely replaced plain lead and even jacketed bullets for me.

 

[Collo Rosso]

I had some lead fouling with coated bullets, especially with 45acp. Come to find out the case mouth was cutting the coating as the bullet seated using RCBS seat/crimp dies. Separated seat and crimp and the problem went away. No problem with revolver rounds using a roll crimp.

 

[JohnnyO]

I tried Hi-Tek coated bullets from 3 different companys, never had an issue with fouling or buildup. I've shot polymer coated bullets from a company boosting thier own polymer blend. After a few strings there would be a slight build up of polymer at the crown of the muzzle. After 100+ rounds the build up would be quite thick, never affecting accuracy, but would take some effort to remove it.

 

[Nevada Ed]

On my first try with coated bullets, I tried the 9mm in three sizes.
The smallest was a .356 dia. the next was a .357 dia. and
the largest dia. ordered was at .358. ( no cannelures )

The .356 dia. was loaded at a short 1.06" all the way up to 1.16"
Used Bullseye, Red dot and Green dot along with CFE and HS6 powders.
The 1.06 dia. loads went from 1038 fps up to 1173 fps for the top loads.
The 1.16" loads went from 1008 fps up to 1065 fps, best oal average in my 3.5" pistol was 1.12" oal.

The large .358 dia. would not feed/chamber in my weapon but my 38 snub did ok with them.

In both weapons a dry patch run two times back and forth left a clean barrel, free of particles but I still used a solvent in case of powder and primer residue.

Quality coated bullets can reduce clean up by 50% over jacket bullets
and 75% or more over soft lead bullets shot at high speeds.

If they work in your weapons, go for it.

 

[iPac]

Glad everyone supposedly has squeeky clean barrels using Hi-Tek, because my experience is different.

I just received 2K of the 158gr grooveless SWC from MBC and started trying them out the last week.

It doesn't matter what powder charge I use, or what gun they get shot out of, they always leave at least some minor lead streaking. Some charges a lot more than others.

However, I have found that after it initially fouls the barrel, it doesn't progressively get worse. Just stays the same and accuracy was never affected. I just got done testing a bunch of different loads yesterday with same results. Even recovered a bullet from my Detective and you can see where some of the coating has been comprised.

Most of the leading occurs more towards the end of the muzzle. The cylinder throats and forcing have next to no leading.

I have a thread going in the reloading section of the Colt forum if anyone wants to check it out. I plan on switching to Bayou Bullets for my next batch. Not impressed with MBC's.

 

[mikld]

I've fired over 1,200 Hi-Tek coated bullets with no fouling to speak of. I've powder coated and fired mebbe 2,000 bullets in various guns (revolvers, semi-autos, and rifles) and get a bit of fouling but normal cleaning removes it. Just today I loaded up some .357 Magnum with 125 gr LRNFPs I cast and powder coated. I used a mid level load of Universal (should run about 1,200 fps). I expect normal "clean" shooting...

 

[Calliope]

I use a lot of coated SWC's in my HK45C (polygonal bore) and I do get some fouling. No noticeable falloff in accuracy, but it does take some scrubbing.

I my 357s I've gone back to plated bullets, they're cleaner and more accurate in my guns.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I have been using Bayou Bullets for several years for 9mm and 38 Short Colt ammo for USPSA, IDPA, and various steel games. The 9mm is loaded to 1100 fps with 231 powder. The 38 Short Colt ammo is quite mild at 800 to 900 fps. I run a patch through the bores periodically and find no fouling.

Fellow shooters like to remark about the smell the coating emits. However, they also gripe when I shoot lead with lube and make smoke.

 

[Nemo288]

Fellow shooters like to remark about the smell the coating emits. However, they also gripe when I shoot lead with lube and make smoke.

Back when I was experimenting with fillers in very low power target loads,
I used some old walnut shell/rouge tumbling media to fill up the cases.
They were at least half full of this stuff under some compression.
The folks next to me at the indoor range immediately looked over at me kinda funny.
The smell is a tad bit like a certain smoke you may encounter at concerts.
I also was convinced the walnut cleaned and maybe polished the bore.
Since I never could determine this process gave better accuracy, I gave it up because of the added complexity.

 

[fredj338]

Everything that moves down the bore will leave some fouling. It's just a matter of degree & how easy it is to clean. Plastics leave fouling, copper leaves fouling, powder leaves fouling. I find coated less issue cleaning than lubed lead or even gilding metal.

 

[Tom S.]

Glad everyone supposedly has squeeky clean barrels using Hi-Tek, because my experience is different.

I just received 2K of the 158gr grooveless SWC from MBC and started trying them out the last week.

It doesn't matter what powder charge I use, or what gun they get shot out of, they always leave at least some minor lead streaking. Some charges a lot more than others.

However, I have found that after it initially fouls the barrel, it doesn't progressively get worse. Just stays the same and accuracy was never affected. I just got done testing a bunch of different loads yesterday with same results. Even recovered a bullet from my Detective and you can see where some of the coating has been comprised.

Most of the leading occurs more towards the end of the muzzle. The cylinder throats and forcing have next to no leading.

I have a thread going in the reloading section of the Colt forum if anyone wants to check it out. I plan on switching to Bayou Bullets for my next batch. Not impressed with MBC's.

One of a couple things can cause these problems. If you aren't loading them hot enough to cause the bullet to expand, gasses could escape past the bullet sides, cutting through the coating and leaving exposed, even semi melted lead. If the bullets are sized too small for the barrel, you can have the same problem. One last thing is the barrel itself. If the finish is rough, it can cause leading problems.

I'm the the group who hasn't had any problems, but I also haven't shot many of them. I will say I was pretty impressed with the 240 grain SWC .44's I got from Missouri Bullet. Grouped very well at 25 yards out of my PC 629.

 

[patrickd]

After polishing my pistol bore The only fouling I get at all is carbon from the powder, I took a worn bore brush, wrapped a patch around it and smeared some Iosso bore paste on it. After that no more metal fouling at all. That stuff will make the bore glassy smooth. If you're getting fouling from any type properly sized bullet try lapping the bore.

 

[iPac]

One of a couple things can cause these problems. If you aren't loading them hot enough to cause the bullet to expand, gasses could escape past the bullet sides, cutting through the coating and leaving exposed, even semi melted lead. If the bullets are sized too small for the barrel, you can have the same problem. One last thing is the barrel itself. If the finish is rough, it can cause leading problems.

I'm the the group who hasn't had any problems, but I also haven't shot many of them. I will say I was pretty impressed with the 240 grain SWC .44's I got from Missouri Bullet. Grouped very well at 25 yards out of my PC 629.

I understand all the causes that could contribute to leading. I was never a lead shooter so I researched everything before getting these bullets. If you go to the Colt forum reloading section, I explain all the loads I used in detail, as well as the sizes of my cylinder throats. Thread is titled "lead experts, lend me your expertise". Two of the loads I tried were pretty stout, so it couldn't be pushing them too slow, but they did the same thing as any other loading I tried.

I tried these bullets out of 4 guns, and they all did that same thing. They consistently measured at .358 and my cylinder throats were proper for them as were my barrels. I haven't got to slug them yet, but I know my cylinder throats were at least the same size as the bullet if not under.

The leading didn't continually build up. More like just fouled the barrel a little bit and stayed the same. Cylinder throats, and forcing cone had almost no fouling. It was mainly concentrated in the end half of the barrel towards the muzzle.

I was just expecting to have no streaking of lead at all. Plan to try Bayou Bullets next time.

 

[fredj338]

I understand all the causes that could contribute to leading. I was never a lead shooter so I researched everything before getting these bullets. If you go to the Colt forum reloading section, I explain all the loads I used in detail, as well as the sizes of my cylinder throats. Thread is titled "lead experts, lend me your expertise". Two of the loads I tried were pretty stout, so it couldn't be pushing them too slow, but they did the same thing as any other loading I tried.

I tried these bullets out of 4 guns, and they all did that same thing. They consistently measured at .358 and my cylinder throats were proper for them as were my barrels. I haven't got to slug them yet, but I know my cylinder throats were at least the same size as the bullet if not under.

The leading didn't continually build up. More like just fouled the barrel a little bit and stayed the same. Cylinder throats, and forcing cone had almost no fouling. It was mainly concentrated in the end half of the barrel towards the muzzle.

I was just expecting to have no streaking of lead at all. Plan to try Bayou Bullets next time.

Undersized cyl throats can be part of the problem. Doesnt matter what the bore is or the bullet if the throats are 0.001" smaller than the bore. I didnt go look up your load, but powders like TiteGroup burn really hot. Add that to undersized bullets, you are likely to get leading. Generally leading at the muzzle is a lube or coating failure. It is possible you got a batch where the coating wasnt applied correctly. Check back with MBC.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

...using Hi-Tek ...my experience is different ...SWC from MBC ...they always leave at least some minor lead streaking. Some charges a lot more than others.

My experience with MBC also. I complained to them & the manager told me they replaced the guy they had doing the HT-coating & it should be better now.

So I bought some more coated bullets from them & noticed the date on the box of the .50 Crusher's was before the change. They have the same problem.

I've bought their .41Mag, 44Mag, 45 Colt & 500 Mag HT-bullets & they all, except the for 45 Colt, have that issue with moderate speed powder. If I use slow powder (not preferred for moderate target loads) they are okay.

I've mainly switched to plated now but I did recently try some .38, .45 & .50 HT-coated bullets from ACME. I tried them using the exact same loads, in the same revolvers that leaded with the MBC bullets & no problems with the Acmes. Obviously MBC had some coating issues.

.

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[rwsmith]

First time I shot...

I have been using Bayou Bullets for several years for 9mm and 38 Short Colt ammo for USPSA, IDPA, and various steel games. The 9mm is loaded to 1100 fps with 231 powder. The 38 Short Colt ammo is quite mild at 800 to 900 fps. I run a patch through the bores periodically and find no fouling.

Fellow shooters like to remark about the smell the coating emits. However, they also gripe when I shoot lead with lube and make smoke.

The first time I shot lead/lube in groove in an indoor range I was thinking, "There has to be something better than THIS."

 

[fredj338]

You can test your HT coated bullets by smashing them flat with a hammer. If the coating flakes or chips off, it wasn't done right. ANOTHER test is to wipe tem with acetone. If you can remove the coating, it wasn't applied properly.