Color coated quality compared to jacketed bullets

[recoilguy]

What my last statement was well thought out and with merit.

you sir offend me. Now I'm sad.

RCG

[tdogg]

Hello,
have you found yet a color coated bullet that could guarantee as much accuracy (or at least 95%) of a jacketed bullet?  I can't comment on this but to say that I've never worried too much on accuracy.  My main focus is on powerfactor.  I guess my gun is more inherently accurate and more forgiving to my reloading habits.

A manufacturer says I should treat a good coated bullet as a jacketed one. So, if the barrel is .3555", .3555" bullets will be fine. NO

How to validate or disprove that?  You need to slug your barrel.  Take a soft lead slug and push it through your bore.  Then measure the diameter of the grooves with a quality micrometer.  Make sure you order lead/coated lead bullets are .001-.002 inches larger in diameter than the measured slug diameter.

For example, would you ever rate Blue Bullets (since they're the most used, I guess), as accurate, or at least 90%, of a typical JHP? I guess the answer for as accurate would be no every time.  I've never used Blue Bullets, can't comment on that.  I typically don't load JHP.  I'd re-read Noylj comment:

The only lead bullets that have the accuracy potential of a JHP (not plated), is a swaged bullet (just as consistent in weight and dimensions as jacketed since made by the same process). All commercial swaged bullets I have found are 11-13 BHN, which is hard enough for everything up to and including a .44 Rem Mag. Precision Bullets makes a GREAT swaged lead bullets that are coated and really are quite accurate. Zero and Precision Delta make great .38 and .45 swaged bullets, but they aren't coated. For more money, you can look to Magnus. I have not found the other coated cast bullets to be as accurate as the equivalent cast and lubed lead bullets. The only coated bullets that have given me great accuracy are Precision Bullets.
Lead bullets are NOT jacketed, even with coating. Being coated, the bullet OD can generally be the same as the than actual measured barrel groove diameter. For lead bullets, they need to be larger than actual groove diameter, where "soft" bullets will tend to lead less than HARD bullets.
I buy almost all my bullets from Precision Delta or Zero (from Powder Valley, in bulk), lead or jacketed.

Would you pick a bigger coated bullet any time?  I would pick the bullet diameter that is .001-.002 inches larger than my largest gun bore in that caliber.

Deadshot,

Answers in blue above. 

Can you explain your current reloading process, equipment, and experience?  This may help myself and others better understand your situation.  In the end, you are going to have to experiment to determine what works best in your gun.  What works in my gun may not be the best in your gun and it seems you are after the best accuracy you can get.  This is generally a losing proposition as you end up with a subtle change in accuracy for the investment in time and components to get there.

Best of Luck,
Toby

[painter]

Last answers are clearly judgmental and random.

I didn't say I would spend 0 to obtain the best. I said I wouldn't waste money on something I don't need to. So, stop putting your judgment like "you should use the most expensive components any time", that's my right to judge. You can explain whatever you think, but saying that's what one has to do is NOT the right answer and this is objective.

This will be my one and only post in this thread, because arguing on the internet is like mud wrestling with a pig. You both get dirty, except the pig likes it.

You've gotten good advice here. The bullet manufacturer is just plain wrong.

No one has suggested that you use anything. Everyone has said it's a bad idea to train, and then compete, with different components. Do what you want.

No one has said you need to buy the most expensive bullet. They've said that JHP have historically been the most accurate, and that you won't get the same accuracy with hardcast, coated, lead, or plated. Use what you want.

Based on US pricing, the difference in powder cost between the cheapest, and most expensive, powder is roughly  1 cent  a load. If you shoot 10K rouds per year that's $100. It makes no sense, to me anyway, to develop two loads with different powders to save $100 bucks. Do what you want.

Find a load  that will give you the accuracy you seek at a price you can afford, and go with it, or not.

Good luck.

[Wobbly]

I'm locking this thread gentlemen.

I agree, we (as a forum) have spent an inordinate amount of time offering suggestions, and the OP has offered nothing. He cannot buy about 90% of the products we are discussing, which is where the bulk of our experience lies. The "Angus Load" just is not good enough.

I've finally come to the conclusion that our friend needs to have a long talk with a balastician, not a collection of hobby shooters. All we can say is...

Go reserve a day at the range with 600-1000 reloads and see what works best for you within your price range. And good luck with your future shooting endeavors.