Question regarding 45 ACP copper plated bullets.

dsv424 · September 11, 2009, 02:12 PM

From what I understand regarding reloading copper plated ammo as long as your velocity is under 1,000 fps your OK. So my question is since almost all my recipes I use for full metal jacket 45 ACP are under 1,000 fps can I simply treat the copper plated round the same as the full metal jacket and use that recipe? Should I be able to use the same OAL if the copper plated and FMJ are the same size also?

BigJimP · September 11, 2009, 04:23 PM

It depends .....

some copper plated bullets like Rainier have a real thin coating / while Berry's has a thicker coating .... but in general, the bullet mfg's recommend you load them similar to a lead bullet.

However, I have had good luck with Rainier in .45 acp where pressures and velocity are low / and really bad results with jackets shearing off the bullets in caliber like .44 mag. But with Rainier, in .45 acp, every now and then you will fire 8 rounds / and get 9 or 10 holes in your target - and it's because that bullet's coating is fragmenting as it goes downrange.

Rainier is also pretty inconsistent on their coatings / maybe + - a full 5 grains on a 230 gr bullet which is a lot. I find Berry's a lot more accurate from lot to lot.

Although they are more expensive - Montana Gold makes a far superior product in my opinion to the cheaper electroplated copper jacketed bullets ... and you'll see it in your accuracy / but for general range ammo in most calibers Rainier is fine....

dsv424 · September 11, 2009, 04:43 PM

BigJimP, its ironic you mention about the fragentation of Ranier bullets. Just the other day I was at the range shooting 45 acp Ranier bullets with a 7 round clip and ended up with 8 holes in the target. I had thought at the time that the guy next to me was sooo bad that he hit my target! I was about to confront him if it happened again.

Luckily I didn't have another one or there could have been a complete mis-understanding occur. Didn't even consider it was my own bullet making 2 holes. Thanks for that bit of info.

medalguy · September 11, 2009, 05:12 PM

+1 on Berry's vs Montana Gold. I just finished loading a bunch of 9mm using both Berry's and Montana Gold, and I much prefer the Montana Gold. They have a REAL metal jacket, not just plating, they are easier to load, and although I haven't really shot the Berry's very much, I feel very confident the Montana will outshoot the Berry's. I did shoot a bunch of Montana Gold in my Beretta a few months ago and I was very pleased with their performance.

BTW I load the 9mm to about 1000 fps and have had absolutely no problems with Montana and I chrono'ed some Berry's to get the same load velocity so I'm hoping they will shoot OK.

BigJimP · September 11, 2009, 06:56 PM

You're welcome DSV .... I see it happen quite a bit / because Rainier is made locally, we see a lot of them around here at reasonable prices.

But despite that, I'm not saying Rainier is a terrible bullet for general range shooting / yet for a match - I make sure I hvae plenty of reloads with Montana Gold bullets.

DaveBeal · September 19, 2009, 11:14 PM

From FAQ on Berry's website:

When loading plated bullets we have found best results using low- to mid-range jacketed data in the load manual. You must use data for a bullet that has the same weight and profile as the one you are loading. Do not exceed mid-range loads. Do not use magnum loads.

amamnn · September 20, 2009, 04:52 PM

I seem to recall that Rainier recommends using the same load data that you would use to load lead bullets or a 10% reduction from jacketed bullet load data.

September 11, 2009, 02:12 PM	#1
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Question regarding 45 ACP copper plated bullets. From what I understand regarding reloading copper plated ammo as long as your velocity is under 1,000 fps your OK. So my question is since almost all my recipes I use for full metal jacket 45 ACP are under 1,000 fps can I simply treat the copper plated round the same as the full metal jacket and use that recipe? Should I be able to use the same OAL if the copper plated and FMJ are the same size also?

September 19, 2009, 11:14 PM	#6
DaveBeal Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 158	From FAQ on Berry's website: When loading plated bullets we have found best results using low- to mid-range jacketed data in the load manual. You must use data for a bullet that has the same weight and profile as the one you are loading. Do not exceed mid-range loads. Do not use magnum loads.

September 11, 2009, 04:23 PM	#2
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	It depends ..... some copper plated bullets like Rainier have a real thin coating / while Berry's has a thicker coating .... but in general, the bullet mfg's recommend you load them similar to a lead bullet. However, I have had good luck with Rainier in .45 acp where pressures and velocity are low / and really bad results with jackets shearing off the bullets in caliber like .44 mag. But with Rainier, in .45 acp, every now and then you will fire 8 rounds / and get 9 or 10 holes in your target - and it's because that bullet's coating is fragmenting as it goes downrange. Rainier is also pretty inconsistent on their coatings / maybe + - a full 5 grains on a 230 gr bullet which is a lot. I find Berry's a lot more accurate from lot to lot. Although they are more expensive - Montana Gold makes a far superior product in my opinion to the cheaper electroplated copper jacketed bullets ... and you'll see it in your accuracy / but for general range ammo in most calibers Rainier is fine....

September 11, 2009, 04:43 PM	#3
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	BigJimP, its ironic you mention about the fragentation of Ranier bullets. Just the other day I was at the range shooting 45 acp Ranier bullets with a 7 round clip and ended up with 8 holes in the target. I had thought at the time that the guy next to me was sooo bad that he hit my target! I was about to confront him if it happened again. Luckily I didn't have another one or there could have been a complete mis-understanding occur. Didn't even consider it was my own bullet making 2 holes. Thanks for that bit of info.

September 11, 2009, 05:12 PM	#4
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	+1 on Berry's vs Montana Gold. I just finished loading a bunch of 9mm using both Berry's and Montana Gold, and I much prefer the Montana Gold. They have a REAL metal jacket, not just plating, they are easier to load, and although I haven't really shot the Berry's very much, I feel very confident the Montana will outshoot the Berry's. I did shoot a bunch of Montana Gold in my Beretta a few months ago and I was very pleased with their performance. BTW I load the 9mm to about 1000 fps and have had absolutely no problems with Montana and I chrono'ed some Berry's to get the same load velocity so I'm hoping they will shoot OK.

September 11, 2009, 06:56 PM	#5
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	You're welcome DSV .... I see it happen quite a bit / because Rainier is made locally, we see a lot of them around here at reasonable prices. But despite that, I'm not saying Rainier is a terrible bullet for general range shooting / yet for a match - I make sure I hvae plenty of reloads with Montana Gold bullets.

September 20, 2009, 04:52 PM	#7
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	I seem to recall that Rainier recommends using the same load data that you would use to load lead bullets or a 10% reduction from jacketed bullet load data.