Plated Lead vs Hardcast Lead for practice/competition

randyc74 · April 14, 2008, 09:24 PM

Hey guys
I checked all over this forum for an answer to my question(s) before posting these questions.
I'm brand new to the handgun competiton sports but not to shooting or reloading. I plan to enter a USPSA match next month. I plan on using my duty SA XD45. and shoot in either/or the Production/Limited10 classes.

I've been reloading Berrys plated 230gr. RN over 5.5 Grs. of Unique. Berrys bullets have kinda gone over the top with their lead surcharge. Because of cost, I'm considering reloading 230 gr. hardcast bullets. The XD45 according to popular opinion doesn't function real well with semi-wadcutter bullets, so I will be sticking with roundnose bullets.

Would either the 230gr. RN plated or hardcast work for both practice and competition?
Would either bullet type place me at a disadvantage in competition?
Because of the cost factor, can I go just with the hardcast bullets for both practice and competition?
For consistancy sake, can I use the same powder weight charge for practice/competition?

Thanks
Randy

k8do · April 15, 2008, 09:33 AM

I am shooting moly coated hard lead (Master Blaster - now gone, but others make em), ACP 45 cal. RNF, with 5.0 gr. Accurate#2... Makes high power (just)... Bore is still clean of lead after thousands of rounds...

denny

Gatorguy · April 15, 2008, 09:32 PM

I'm interested in this as well. I have never shot hardcast, but I am finding myself looking for plated alternatives with the current pricing going up. I really don't enjoy cleaning lead out of a barrel, so I was willing to pay more for plated to not have to do so. If hardcast doesn't foul much, that would be good info.

Lurper · April 16, 2008, 07:25 PM

You should have no problem w/hardcast bullets. Also, don't buy into popular opinion, try SWC for yourself. You would be better off shooting a 200gr or less SWC than a 230 gr RN if your gun will feed them reliably.

Ken O · April 16, 2008, 09:30 PM

I shoot mostly cast bullets, I have several .45s and just one of them doesn't like lead.
In NRA bulleye shooting, cast is about all that is used and is considered more accurate. In CMP jacketed is used because that is a requirement (hardball only).
I hear you on the Barrys, I was putting in a good size order and when I saw the surcharge I canceled. I also don't like that they want you to pay extra for the right size bullet (doublestruck). I went to Powder Valley and bought 230gr FMJ Zero jacketed bullets way cheaper. I shoot mostly IDPA and IPSC, I cast my own bullets and really hate buying the jacketed stuff.
Check out Powder Valley, they get about three thousand bullets in a $9 flat rate shipping box (I hope I remember the numbers right.)

Gatorguy · April 16, 2008, 10:40 PM

According to powder valley's website, they are out of stock of every single Zero brand .45 bullet they carry.

randyc74 · April 16, 2008, 11:00 PM

I too liked Powder Valleys prices until I found they were out of virtually all .45 bullets.

Jim Watson · April 17, 2008, 07:28 AM

When you get fast enough and when the sun is at the wrong angle, the smoke from burning bullet lube will be an aggravation. There is only one range I can count on using cast bullets at without trouble. The others, I only use cast on cloudy days.

The "moly" coated bullets are a lot better in that regard. I prefer them to plated.
Precision and Bear Creek are good, and I am going to try Billy Bullets, they have the shouldered 200 gr roundnose that I liked from Masterblasters before they folded up in the face of high lead prices.
http://www.precisionbullets.com/
http://www.billybullets.com/
Looks like Bear Creek is concentrating on Cowboy bullets, but they might do some ACP if you asked.
http://www.pandorasfunbox.com/bearcreekbullets.htm

Lurper · April 17, 2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

When you get fast enough and when the sun is at the wrong angle, the smoke from burning bullet lube will be an aggravation.

I've never had that experience and I'm as fast as anyone and faster than most. Even in the old days when we shot open class with compensated .45's I never had an issue with smoke. I still shoot a 178gr lswc over 5.9gr of Bullseye (which is smokey) in my SS gun and have no problems.

Sigma 40 Blaster · April 23, 2008, 12:20 PM

Most competition shooters will shoot either hard cast or plated (Berry's or Montana Gold).

I use 225 grain TC from mastercastbullets.com. Leading with these guys is not an issue, and shouldn't be an issue with .45 ACP unless you're really hot-rodding them OR you're using really soft lead bullets.

I do believe most develop one load for practice and competition and use it all the time for consistency sake. Figure out which one you are willing to pay for and go for it, your results will be the same.

T. O'Heir · May 4, 2008, 01:49 AM

"...can I go just with the hardcast bullets for both practice and competition?..." Yep. Like Sigma 40 Blaster, most shooters use cast, swaged or plated bullets. Jacketed bullets are too expensive to shoot in competitions.
You should be practicing with the ammo you intend using for anything. Cast 230 grain RN's or FP's work just fine out of my Colt with 4.5 grains of Bullseye. It's a nice light target load.

lmccrock · May 4, 2008, 03:31 PM

My suggestion is to practice with what you compete with.

As for smoke, for me it depends on the angle of the sun, humidity. Heck, I was shooting .223 FMJ when the sun was coming over the berm into my eyes on a humid day (USPSA multi-gun Nationals, of all places). Clear before shooting, smokey afterward. With lubed 45 bullets, pretty sure it would have been impenetrable. That said, I shoot coated or plated bullets from my 45. Less cleaning than with plain lead.

Lee

randyc74 · May 7, 2008, 05:18 PM

Thanks for the advise guys!

Randy

T. O'Heir · May 9, 2008, 11:49 PM

I should have said this before. Competitive shooting has something for everybody. Be that bullseye, bowling pins, IDPA/IPSC, etc. Go shoot the matches, but don't worry about placing. You'll meet all kinds of great people, most of whom will help you in any way they can and you'll have lots of fun.

April 14, 2008, 09:24 PM	#1
randyc74 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2008 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 101	Plated Lead vs Hardcast Lead for practice/competition Hey guys I checked all over this forum for an answer to my question(s) before posting these questions. I'm brand new to the handgun competiton sports but not to shooting or reloading. I plan to enter a USPSA match next month. I plan on using my duty SA XD45. and shoot in either/or the Production/Limited10 classes. I've been reloading Berrys plated 230gr. RN over 5.5 Grs. of Unique. Berrys bullets have kinda gone over the top with their lead surcharge. Because of cost, I'm considering reloading 230 gr. hardcast bullets. The XD45 according to popular opinion doesn't function real well with semi-wadcutter bullets, so I will be sticking with roundnose bullets. Would either the 230gr. RN plated or hardcast work for both practice and competition? Would either bullet type place me at a disadvantage in competition? Because of the cost factor, can I go just with the hardcast bullets for both practice and competition? For consistancy sake, can I use the same powder weight charge for practice/competition? Thanks Randy __________________ Bulldog Custom Gun Leather www.bulldogleathercompany.com Visit Me On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldo...2539637?ref=hl Last edited by randyc74; April 15, 2008 at 12:02 AM.

April 15, 2008, 09:32 PM	#3
Gatorguy Junior Member Join Date: December 12, 2001 Location: Lake County, Florida Posts: 4	I'm interested in this as well. I have never shot hardcast, but I am finding myself looking for plated alternatives with the current pricing going up. I really don't enjoy cleaning lead out of a barrel, so I was willing to pay more for plated to not have to do so. If hardcast doesn't foul much, that would be good info. __________________ NRA Member USPSA Member DVC!

April 16, 2008, 10:40 PM	#6
Gatorguy Junior Member Join Date: December 12, 2001 Location: Lake County, Florida Posts: 4	According to powder valley's website, they are out of stock of every single Zero brand .45 bullet they carry. __________________ NRA Member USPSA Member DVC!

April 16, 2008, 11:00 PM	#7
randyc74 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2008 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 101	I too liked Powder Valleys prices until I found they were out of virtually all .45 bullets. __________________ Bulldog Custom Gun Leather www.bulldogleathercompany.com Visit Me On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldo...2539637?ref=hl

May 4, 2008, 01:49 AM	#11
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...can I go just with the hardcast bullets for both practice and competition?..." Yep. Like Sigma 40 Blaster, most shooters use cast, swaged or plated bullets. Jacketed bullets are too expensive to shoot in competitions. You should be practicing with the ammo you intend using for anything. Cast 230 grain RN's or FP's work just fine out of my Colt with 4.5 grains of Bullseye. It's a nice light target load. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

April 15, 2008, 09:33 AM	#2
k8do Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2007 Posts: 102	I am shooting moly coated hard lead (Master Blaster - now gone, but others make em), ACP 45 cal. RNF, with 5.0 gr. Accurate#2... Makes high power (just)... Bore is still clean of lead after thousands of rounds... denny

April 16, 2008, 07:25 PM	#4
Lurper Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2006 Posts: 943	You should have no problem w/hardcast bullets. Also, don't buy into popular opinion, try SWC for yourself. You would be better off shooting a 200gr or less SWC than a 230 gr RN if your gun will feed them reliably.

April 16, 2008, 09:30 PM	#5
Ken O Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2005 Location: Half way between Grayling and Cadillac, Michigan Posts: 353	I shoot mostly cast bullets, I have several .45s and just one of them doesn't like lead. In NRA bulleye shooting, cast is about all that is used and is considered more accurate. In CMP jacketed is used because that is a requirement (hardball only). I hear you on the Barrys, I was putting in a good size order and when I saw the surcharge I canceled. I also don't like that they want you to pay extra for the right size bullet (doublestruck). I went to Powder Valley and bought 230gr FMJ Zero jacketed bullets way cheaper. I shoot mostly IDPA and IPSC, I cast my own bullets and really hate buying the jacketed stuff. Check out Powder Valley, they get about three thousand bullets in a $9 flat rate shipping box (I hope I remember the numbers right.)

April 17, 2008, 07:28 AM	#8
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,535	When you get fast enough and when the sun is at the wrong angle, the smoke from burning bullet lube will be an aggravation. There is only one range I can count on using cast bullets at without trouble. The others, I only use cast on cloudy days. The "moly" coated bullets are a lot better in that regard. I prefer them to plated. Precision and Bear Creek are good, and I am going to try Billy Bullets, they have the shouldered 200 gr roundnose that I liked from Masterblasters before they folded up in the face of high lead prices. http://www.precisionbullets.com/ http://www.billybullets.com/ Looks like Bear Creek is concentrating on Cowboy bullets, but they might do some ACP if you asked. http://www.pandorasfunbox.com/bearcreekbullets.htm

April 23, 2008, 12:20 PM	#10
Sigma 40 Blaster Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: East Texas Posts: 997	Most competition shooters will shoot either hard cast or plated (Berry's or Montana Gold). I use 225 grain TC from mastercastbullets.com. Leading with these guys is not an issue, and shouldn't be an issue with .45 ACP unless you're really hot-rodding them OR you're using really soft lead bullets. I do believe most develop one load for practice and competition and use it all the time for consistency sake. Figure out which one you are willing to pay for and go for it, your results will be the same.

May 4, 2008, 03:31 PM	#12
lmccrock Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2007 Location: Red Rock. TX Posts: 820	My suggestion is to practice with what you compete with. As for smoke, for me it depends on the angle of the sun, humidity. Heck, I was shooting .223 FMJ when the sun was coming over the berm into my eyes on a humid day (USPSA multi-gun Nationals, of all places). Clear before shooting, smokey afterward. With lubed 45 bullets, pretty sure it would have been impenetrable. That said, I shoot coated or plated bullets from my 45. Less cleaning than with plain lead. Lee

May 7, 2008, 05:18 PM	#13
randyc74 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2008 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 101	Thanks for the advise guys! Randy __________________ Bulldog Custom Gun Leather www.bulldogleathercompany.com Visit Me On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldo...2539637?ref=hl

May 9, 2008, 11:49 PM	#14
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	I should have said this before. Competitive shooting has something for everybody. Be that bullseye, bowling pins, IDPA/IPSC, etc. Go shoot the matches, but don't worry about placing. You'll meet all kinds of great people, most of whom will help you in any way they can and you'll have lots of fun. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!