Buying 9mm and 45 acp bullets

[rappini]

Who is the most economical bullet manufacturer for subject bullets and do you folks buy covered lead or straight lead bullets. I'm trying to get away from the lead because of fouling the barrel but if it's cheaper it might warrant the extra effort. I find this site very informative thanks in advance.

[Aspect]

I like these because they are totally copper claded and I've yet to have them shed flakes anywhere.

I've used 1000's of Ranier 9 mil and 45 acp

You can find them on www.midwayusa.com

Their website.

http://www.rainierballistics.com/mainframe.htm

[demigod]

+1 on plated bullets. I usually buy Berrys direct on their website or pick them up at Cabelas here in town.

[Six Shooter Steve]

I buy missouri or Dardas lead bullets and have never had any leading issue out of many thousands shot.

[Xfire68]

Berry's plated are ok but I prefer jacketed bullets even for target shooting.

I think it's a good idea to use the loads your going to protect yourself with in practice.

I love Hornady XTP's and buy them in larger quantities when they are on sale and I use Montana Gold from Rocky Mountain Reloading.

I have not shot lead in my 9mm for the reasons above. It may be cheap to shoot but, they are not defense loads.

[AlaskaMike]

I shoot mainly cast bullets in my .45s, mostly Lasercast 200 grain SWC. You should get no significant leading at all unless you have a rough or slightly oversize barrel.

Cast bullets could be a problem if you shoot at indoor ranges due to the slightly greater amount of smoke they make due to the bullet lube. If you don't shoot indoors then of course that's not a problem.

[m&p45acp10+1]

For 9mm I use Berry's CPHP. (I shoot them in a G26). For .45 acp I shoot my own homecast 200 grain LSWC. Before I was casting my own I used Lasercast. Lasercast cost about a dime each when buying a box of 500. Casting my own cost me less than $5 per 500.

[Aldadentist]

+1 AlaskaMke on the 200 lswc Lasercast. Very hard bullet and doesn't lead. For 9mm I use the Berry's plated bullets. Regarding lead, a lot depends on the velocity you are pushing them. Mild target velocity should give no leading but if you go +P then there is trouble. I keep my 45 at 750-800 fps and can get away with cheaper softer lead bullets like Missouri Bullets.

[alfack]

I like the Montana Gold FMJ or TMJ. It's good reasonably priced stuff.

The mail man doesn't much care for the heavy packages, though.

[Casimer]

The most economical are likely to be whichever ones you can find locally. Shipping costs add up on bullets, for obvious reasons.

[spacecoast]

Cast bullets for .45, they are considerably cheaper than plated and I have a supplier locally for them. I bought some .45 JHP from Zero and was quite impressed. I use Berry's for 9mm because the velocity is relatively high and I want to avoid leading.

[floydster]

I mostly shoot MBC bullets but if you want to shoot FMJ you can buy them cheaper then plated---do your research---Roze is one place to buy.

I never have a lead issue running cast bullets.

[t45]

For my 45 I have had good luck with Hornady 230gr LRN for plinking. I do not experience any leading but I do not push them either.

[rjrivero]

I like shooting plated bullets. The fully encapsulated design may or may not make any difference in airborne lead, but in my mind I feel better knowing the lead is encapsulated in copper.

[noylj]

No body can stay in business producing poor bullets. In fact, some of my very favorite bullet companies have folded, so you know the business is very competitive.
If you want lead bullets, check Master Cast Bullets or Penn Bullets.
If you want good swaged bullets, I would look (in order) at Remington, Speer, Hornady, and Zero.
If you want bullets with a good Moly-Kote, check Precision Bullets (swaged 6/2/92 lead). I really like all their bullets that I have tried, and have been shooting their 200gn SWC exclusively in my .45ACPs for some time.
If you want Cu-plated bullets, check Rainier or Berry. I know that Berry is on some forums, so you can ask him directly if you have any questions.
If you want jacketed bullets, check Zero, Montana Gold, or bulk Remington bullets.
I, personally, will shoot lead as long as I can and see no reason to even consider the other options. Swaged or cast can't be beat, except in real magnum loads over 1500 fps.

[TXGunNut]

Can't beat casting your own for economy and quality. A properly lubed, sized and loaded home-cast boolit will likely outperform anything delivered by a big brown truck. I'm still a newbie at casting and my boolits are much more consistent than any cast rifle bullet I was able to buy at that time. Pistol bullets may not need to be as consistent as long-range rifle bullets but it can't hurt, economy won't hurt either.

[AlaskaMike]

I have to agree on casting your own. For my revolvers I do cast my own, but I still have several boxes of Lasercast .45 SWCs I'm working through. I do have a nice custom mould for a 210 grain SWC, but haven't done much with it yet.

With cast, bullet hardness has very little to do with whether it leaves lead in the barrel, especially at .45 auto velocities. I use a relatively soft alloy (BHN 9 - 10 vs. the BHN 20 or so of Lasercast) in my .357 mag and .44 mag bullets which I push to 1400 fps in my revolvers (1800+ fps in a .44 mag carbine) and have virtually no leading.

Bullet fit is vastly more important, which is why I mentioned bullet fit and/or rough bore in my earlier post.