Lead vs Copper Plated Lead?

Gatmandu · Post by **Gatmandu** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:14 pm

Hi Fellows,

I was first lead (no pun intended

) to believe that copper plated bullets wouldn't muck-up your barrel as fast. It seems to me copper is nearly as soft as lead so how does that help

What is the reasoning for using copper plated bullets or is there some reason you would use one over the other?

Thanks in advance.

Don

Post by **Bullseye** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:56 pm

Copper has a much higher melting point than lead. This means that lead tends to foul rifling much faster if the powder charge is high or the projectile speed is fast. Copper jackets provide more of a shield for the lands and grooves of the barrel and reduce leading. If a lot of rounds are fired the barrel can heat up tremendously via friction and intensify leading even more.

R,
Bullseye

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:30 pm

A question I might have is this, How much wear is there from copper plated vs lead bullets on the barrel?
Haka

Baldy · Post by **Baldy** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:50 pm

Hakaman wrote:A question I might have is this, How much wear is there from copper plated vs lead bullets on the barrel?
Haka

Lets say you will not wear a barrel out in your life time if you shoot all copper, and shoot a lot. Lead could go for a couple of life times, I would say.

Post by **Bullseye** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:53 pm

Actually I misread the topic. In copper plated lead bullets the plating is only there for a lubrication factor. For some reason I thought this was about metal jacketed bullets not plating.

R,
Bullseye

Gatmandu · Post by **Gatmandu** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:35 pm

Bullseye wrote: For some reason I thought this was about metal jacketed bullets not plating.

You mean there's a difference?

Don

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:31 am

Yes there is a difference. With a copper jacket the lead is swaged into the preformed metal jacket by a hydraulic press. This method is typically used for manufacturing highpower rifle bullets and some pistol rounds. Copper plating is a form of lubricating finish placed mostly on rimfire bullets as a lubricant for the lead slug.

R,
Bullseye

Gatmandu · Post by **Gatmandu** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:41 am

Thanks Gents for the information.

I've noticed some bullets which are not copper plated but they are obviously not bare lead either. They appear to have a black coating of some type. What would that be?

Don

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 12:26 pm

Some of the metal jackets are oxide coated to give it that dark appearance.

R,
Bullseye

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Tue May 03, 2011 12:19 pm

Besides the fine physics and chemistry lessons given, the copper plate does work to keep a barrel cleaner. I shoot very little of anything but hollowpoint .22LR just because of the copper plate. Round nose plated is harder to find, though CCI and others make it.

stork · Post by **stork** » Tue May 03, 2011 2:29 pm

I only know of one person who has had a shot out 22. It was a Hi Standard Citation Trophy that he got 3rd hand from 2 previous Bullseye shooters (and they shot it a lot). He estimated from discussions with them and with what he shot through it it had somewheres upwards of 750,000 rounds through it. He replaced it with an LSP barrel and continued to shoot it until 3 years ago when he switched to a Dworak 22 conversion on a dedicated frame.

He is still shooting a bunch of military brass, that he shot originally, with a 1966 headstamp. We usually give him a ration of cr@p about being so frugal and not investing in new brass as the headstamps are so worn down as to be nearly unreadable. However even on a bad day he will outshoot me while balancing on a wobble board and a finger stuck in his eye. He is, like nearly every bullseye shooter I have had the pleasure of talking to, a really great guy who loves to share his knowledge and try to teach you how to shoot better than he does.

Back to work.

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Sat May 07, 2011 4:56 pm

I only know of one person who has had a shot out 22.

Does frequency of rounds shot have something to due with longevity of a barrel? I figure the barrel would heat up more with the higher frequncy.
Haka

Gatmandu · Post by **Gatmandu** » Sat May 07, 2011 9:00 pm

Hakaman wrote:Does frequency of rounds shot have something to due with longevity of a barrel? I figure the barrel would heat up more with the higher frequncy.
Haka

I shoot 300-400 rounds through my Ruger MKIII within an hour, each week. Last week I used CCI SV ammo (not copper plated) and I noticed the barrel was very......aaaaaahhhh VERY warm. I'm just sayin'

Don

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Sat May 07, 2011 11:03 pm

The integrity of most steels is not compromised until 300F+. You wont achieve those temperatures with a semi-auto .22 pistol. If the integrity of the steel is not compromised, it seems that the period of time that the rounds were put through the pistol in is inconsequential. So I do not think this would have any influence on the barrel life of a Ruger .22 pistol.

greener · Post by **greener** » Sun May 08, 2011 8:44 am

I shoot mostly lead bullets. I have two barrels that ever show much leading, the Taurus 1911 and the SR9. The SR9 requires hotter loads to work the slide and the barrel will lead up quickly causing considerable scatter. I use FMJ's in for that pistol. The same lead rounds didn't affect the M&P much at all.

Barrel wear is some combination of power of the round and shooter's perception. I know a bench shooter who says barrels are worn out when the unexplained deviation is a bit more than 1/8". I'd probably be happy with that little deviation. I'd also be pretty happy with his old worn out barrels. I'm also pretty sure, try as I might, that I'm never going to be able to shoot enough to wear out a barrel.