Coated Bullet Problem

[petep]

I recently bought some coated bullets from two different outfits and I am having accuracy problems with both.The bullets are 158-160 grain SWC's sized by the caster to .359.When shooting either bullet in my Smith model 67( 38 Special) using Winchester brass,CCI primers,with 3.5 grains of Bullseye I consistently get groups measuring around 3 1/2 inches at 20 yards ,all from a rest.
I went to the range today and tried the same load(brass,primers,powder) but replaced the bullet with a Hornady 158 Gr. SWC/HP.which is their swaged bullet.I got several groups from the same rest that measured 3/4 inch also at 20 yards.
Has anyone else had any accuracy problems with their coated bullets? These bullets are Hi-Tek coated.

[BigBore44]

I'd say your gun is telling you it doesn't like what your feeding it...
They can be finicky.

What are you shooting them out of?
Do they fit the bore/cyl correctly?
Have you slugged your bbl?

BigBore44

[petep]

S&W Model 67,throats mic .3575.Bore mic's .357 .

[groo]

Groo here
Most coated bullets are hard cast, the Hornady's are very soft.
your load may be to light to seal the bore.

[smirker]

A lot of coated bullets are seconds, like plated bullets. Not all....but some. Measure and weigh a few bullets to see how the quality control is.

[Squatch]

PeteP, I haven't noticed any issues with the 2 brand I have been using (SNS and Bayou). But I have never tried the .357 bullets, I'm running the 45 Colt 250gr RNFP. I will say I've had better results with Bayou than SNS.

[petep]

Thank you Squatch! I also am using both brands and am having trouble with both.Both brands work great in my 625 and my 32 H&R Ruger.I think I will try them in another 357 Smith and see what happens.I like the bullets because I get no leading,now if I can just get them to shoot!

[lws]

Mar 20, 2017 15:53:40 GMT -5 groo said:

Groo here
Most coated bullets are hard cast, the Hornady's are very soft.
your load may be to light to seal the bore.

I have to agree with Groo . You may need to speed them up. All I shoot are Powder coated bullets that I cast. they are a little softer than most casters sell. They shoot 3/4 -1" at 25 yards pretty regular.

[petep]

Yep! I am going to try and kick 'em a little harder and see what happens.

[Squatch]

Pete, I get a tiny bit of leading with mine but that's shooting 200-300 rounds an outing. 8.5gr unique. I run a chore boy down a couple of passes and I'm good to go.

[bradshaw]

petep.... who knows what commercial bullet makers do to cut costs. The old Nyclad plastic coating of lead done when Smith & Wesson (owned by Bangor Punta at the time) put its name on ammunition, and which Federal Cartridge bought, was not in this shooter’s experience particularly accurate. The idea may have been to reduce lead spatter on indoor ranges. It is possible, perhaps probable, that the coating was uneven. When any sort of “jacket” lacks uniformity, it throws the bullet out of balance. When Speer developed the TMJ----Total Metal Jacket----electroplated jacket deposited unevenly. Accuracy suffered. Speer got the TMJ worked out, with some rather spectacular accuracy recorded with the Speer .357 200 TMJ and .44 240 TMJ in IHMSA silhouette. The Speer .357 180 TMJ of same profile was no slouch.

A Dan Wesson Arms M-40 Super Mag, loaded with the Speer 200 TMJ, record 5x5 under 4-inches at 205 meters. That’s with stock revolver iron sights and all. Such accuracy is possible only from a perfectly balanced bullet which separates Center of Form from Center of Gravity. And, yes, the Speer .357 200 grain TMJ has a SHOULDER. (RCBS designed the cast form of this bullet.)

Jeff “Tank” Hoover has been my connection to POWDER COAT cast bullets. The system he and Dick “Sixgun” Thompson employ----and they learned the process from others----anneals a hard cast bullet in the baking of the powder coat, which to my great approval produces a meatball effect. The powder coat is very thin and light, which such coating processes as Nyclad (thick nylon dip), and Speer electroplated copper are not.

Near as I can tell, the problem of accuracy with coated bullets really comes down to quality of coating----applied to a uniform, dynamically balanced core. Who knows whether the bullets you’re using display these two critical attributes. I purposely have avoided bullet diameter, a critical factor, because observation suggests that there are makers out there who lack the moral guidance of Speer and Tank and Sixgun to test their product.
David Bradshaw

[mgderf]

Mar 20, 2017 15:53:40 GMT -5 groo said:

Groo here
Most coated bullets are hard cast, the Hornady's are very soft.
your load may be to light to seal the bore.

^This. You can push powder coated bullets up to plated velocities without issues.
"Properly coated" I might add.

[ebg3]

I've had good luck powder coating 44 mag Keith bullets and shooting them with 22gr 2400 with minimal fouling in my 44's. I've had zero luck powder coating a 400gr Lee bullet in my .480 sbh. Using the same alloy and powder paint, I get horrible leading/fouling in my .480. I gave up instead of working through the problem, may come back to it. Goes to show you how different guns/calibers can be.

[oddshooter]

When the OP said,
Both brands work great in my 625 and my 32 H&R Ruger.

I think he answered his own question. If those bullets shot well in those other two guns, the test gun may be the problem, not the bullets.