Plated bullet reloads?

noylj · 02-19-2014, 02:39 AM

Vendors?
Penn is excellent. I like his 115gn L-SWCs.
For general, not necessarily L-SWC, 9mm bullets, I like:
mastercastbullets.com and Missouri Bullets, besides Penn.
Most all vendors make very good bullets, but with 9x19, you need to slug the barrel and be sure the vendor can supply bullets of the proper size. Penn is about the best at offering what you may need, but most can offer you an appropriate size.
For lead bullets, don't be afraid to try some .38 Super or even .38/.357 bullets, particularly if you can't get the size you need from a given vendor. I find that, in general, even a .355" groove barrel will shoot 0.357" bullets, jacketed or lead, quite well and sometimes much better than 0.355-0.356". You start with the starting load and work up.
Precision Bullets makes excellent swaged moly-koted bullets that feed and are quite accurate. Because they are swaged, they are very consistent dimensionally and by weight, but they cost more than run-of-the-mill cast. However, they don't offer alternative sizes as far as I know. However, if you don't damage the coating by excess crimping, they seem to perform more like jacketed in terms of size not being that critical. They eliminated many of their bullets several years ago when demand sky-rocketed--I assume they could keep up orders for the standard/most popular but the non-standard would take time away to meet incoming orders.
For jacketed bullets, which I only use in 9mm/.38 Super, I like Zero Bullets the best (PowderValley still has some in stock) but they are almost impossible to find. Second would be Montana Gold and then Precision Delta. Buy several thousand or a case to get the best price--quality is such that you are unlikely to be disappointed.
My preference for bullets is: JHP, L-SWC, FMJ-FP, RNFP, and CFP--in that order. I cast my own, but haven't in several years.
Finally, if you buy cast bullets and they lead, buy some Xlox from White Label Labs or Lee Liquid Alox. The oxidized calcium soaps seem to adhere to the lead and protect the bullet quite well from hot gasses, so I will give bullets that lead a light tumble lube in LLA and leading is eliminated (or reduced quite a bit).

02-19-2014, 02:39 AM	#18
noylj User Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 41 Thanks: 0 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Vendors? Penn is excellent. I like his 115gn L-SWCs. For general, not necessarily L-SWC, 9mm bullets, I like: mastercastbullets.com and Missouri Bullets, besides Penn. Most all vendors make very good bullets, but with 9x19, you need to slug the barrel and be sure the vendor can supply bullets of the proper size. Penn is about the best at offering what you may need, but most can offer you an appropriate size. For lead bullets, don't be afraid to try some .38 Super or even .38/.357 bullets, particularly if you can't get the size you need from a given vendor. I find that, in general, even a .355" groove barrel will shoot 0.357" bullets, jacketed or lead, quite well and sometimes much better than 0.355-0.356". You start with the starting load and work up. Precision Bullets makes excellent swaged moly-koted bullets that feed and are quite accurate. Because they are swaged, they are very consistent dimensionally and by weight, but they cost more than run-of-the-mill cast. However, they don't offer alternative sizes as far as I know. However, if you don't damage the coating by excess crimping, they seem to perform more like jacketed in terms of size not being that critical. They eliminated many of their bullets several years ago when demand sky-rocketed--I assume they could keep up orders for the standard/most popular but the non-standard would take time away to meet incoming orders. For jacketed bullets, which I only use in 9mm/.38 Super, I like Zero Bullets the best (PowderValley still has some in stock) but they are almost impossible to find. Second would be Montana Gold and then Precision Delta. Buy several thousand or a case to get the best price--quality is such that you are unlikely to be disappointed. My preference for bullets is: JHP, L-SWC, FMJ-FP, RNFP, and CFP--in that order. I cast my own, but haven't in several years. Finally, if you buy cast bullets and they lead, buy some Xlox from White Label Labs or Lee Liquid Alox. The oxidized calcium soaps seem to adhere to the lead and protect the bullet quite well from hot gasses, so I will give bullets that lead a light tumble lube in LLA and leading is eliminated (or reduced quite a bit).