Loading "bi-metal" bullets?...

RedBowTies88 · December 17, 2012, 01:47 PM

Has anyone ever done it? Can you even find bi-metal bullets for reloading? One would imagine they would be insanely cheap looking at the prices of loaded ammunition.

motivation for doing so would be that I could carry 7.62x25 ammo thats known for its penetration ability without the corrosive powder behind it. That and plus the only surplus on the market right now is polish and it isn't loaded as hot as the others...

Newton24b · December 19, 2012, 06:22 PM

whats your definition of a bi metal bullet? the only thing ive ever heard of "bi metal" bullets was a few years ago in a really good scam to perpetrated on the government by a company that was trying to sell commercially made, conventional jacketed softpoints to the military as "frangible' ammo.

Marco Califo · December 19, 2012, 06:54 PM

Bimetal bullets look like copper fmj but stick to a magnet. Copper plated steel over the lead. They are typical in military including US. They load the same as fmj. Many sellers don't know the difference.
As to marketing, maybe Hornady will sell them as "Bi-max" with a new color tip.

snuffy · December 19, 2012, 08:32 PM

Quote:

motivation for doing so would be that I could carry 7.62x25 ammo that's known for its penetration ability without the corrosive powder behind it. That and plus the only surplus on the market right now is polish and it isn't loaded as hot as the others...

It's NOT the powder that's corrosive, it's the primer compound,(the stuff that makes it able to start the powder burning.

If by bi-metal you mean common FMJ military ball ammo, then it's what you get when you order pulled military bullets. Most are copper plated steel jacketed , lead core bullets.

Armour piercing bullets are usually copper plated steel jacketed, with a hardened steel core, there may be some lead as well.

Is your main objective to defeat bullet proof vests?

reloader28 · December 19, 2012, 11:38 PM

I always figured all jacketed bullets were bi-metal.
Copper jacket and lead core seems bi-metal to me.
I guess a cast bullet or solid copper bullet would be a uni-metal.

Jimro · December 19, 2012, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Is your main objective to defeat bullet proof vests?

Don't need FMJ's to defeat kevlar vests. Need Level 4 SAPI plates to stop a rifle bullet from any modern hunting rifle. Level 3 "soft" vests are generally designed to stop 9mm or 45ACP level ballistics, so even some of the magnums and "screamer" rounds like the 7.62 Tok would punch through Lvl3 reliably. That is why you have some vests called, "Level 3 Alpha" to indicate it was designed to stop those pistol rounds that normally penetrate level 3 vests, but not providing the Level 4 hard inserts that will stop a rifle round.

If you really want to know, common lead nose spitzer bullets will punch right through any "soft" body armor. Pistols are pistols, and rifles are rifles. That is why so many of us get our dander up whenever the Brady Bunch or VPC starts a campaign to ban "armor piercing ammunition" as it would stop the sale of all normal velocity rifle ammo.

Jimro

RedBowTies88 · December 20, 2012, 12:37 PM

With all the wacko's running around today with body armor I figure I have little to loose carrying bullets with a reputation of penetrating soft armor over hollow points.

I've experianced this type of bullet in several different cartridges and have come to realize that the bi-metal steel jacket bullets penetrate the best across the board.. even in comparison to m855 out of a 5.56.

RedBowTies88 · December 20, 2012, 12:44 PM

Quote:

I always figured all jacketed bullets were bi-metal.
Copper jacket and lead core seems bi-metal to me.
I guess a cast bullet or solid copper bullet would be a uni-metal.

The appropriate way I should if worded it is "bi-metal jacket" I appologize for the confusion.

Jimro · December 20, 2012, 05:12 PM

Redbowties88,

Your location says, "New Jersey" where hollowpoints are illegal last I checked, at least for handguns. If you are talking "open tip match bullets" for rifle, those will punch through soft body armor just fine.

M855 penetrates just fine, don't know where you got data saying that a bimetal jacket FMJ would penetrate better than an SS109 bullet. Not that it matters, at rifle velocities even soft points will punch right through.

Jimro

December 17, 2012, 01:47 PM	#1
RedBowTies88 Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2011 Location: 609 NJ Posts: 705	Loading "bi-metal" bullets?... Has anyone ever done it? Can you even find bi-metal bullets for reloading? One would imagine they would be insanely cheap looking at the prices of loaded ammunition. motivation for doing so would be that I could carry 7.62x25 ammo thats known for its penetration ability without the corrosive powder behind it. That and plus the only surplus on the market right now is polish and it isn't loaded as hot as the others... __________________ "...with liberty and justice for all." (Must be 21. Void where prohibited. Some restrictions may apply. Not available in all states.)

December 19, 2012, 06:54 PM	#3
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	Bimetal bullets look like copper fmj but stick to a magnet. Copper plated steel over the lead. They are typical in military including US. They load the same as fmj. Many sellers don't know the difference. As to marketing, maybe Hornady will sell them as "Bi-max" with a new color tip. __________________ ............ Last edited by Marco Califo; December 19, 2012 at 11:37 PM.

December 20, 2012, 12:37 PM	#7
RedBowTies88 Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2011 Location: 609 NJ Posts: 705	With all the wacko's running around today with body armor I figure I have little to loose carrying bullets with a reputation of penetrating soft armor over hollow points. I've experianced this type of bullet in several different cartridges and have come to realize that the bi-metal steel jacket bullets penetrate the best across the board.. even in comparison to m855 out of a 5.56. __________________ "...with liberty and justice for all." (Must be 21. Void where prohibited. Some restrictions may apply. Not available in all states.)

December 20, 2012, 05:12 PM	#9
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	Redbowties88, Your location says, "New Jersey" where hollowpoints are illegal last I checked, at least for handguns. If you are talking "open tip match bullets" for rifle, those will punch through soft body armor just fine. M855 penetrates just fine, don't know where you got data saying that a bimetal jacket FMJ would penetrate better than an SS109 bullet. Not that it matters, at rifle velocities even soft points will punch right through. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

December 19, 2012, 06:22 PM	#2
Newton24b Junior member Join Date: February 10, 2009 Posts: 974	whats your definition of a bi metal bullet? the only thing ive ever heard of "bi metal" bullets was a few years ago in a really good scam to perpetrated on the government by a company that was trying to sell commercially made, conventional jacketed softpoints to the military as "frangible' ammo.

December 19, 2012, 11:38 PM	#5
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	I always figured all jacketed bullets were bi-metal. Copper jacket and lead core seems bi-metal to me. I guess a cast bullet or solid copper bullet would be a uni-metal.