Zero 185 LSWC HP

I don’t see a hardness rating listed on the zero site. Is this bullet a good choice for bullseye purposes?

Yes. A LOT of shooters I know run them. Including me. Great lead option, same bearing surface as the classic 200 gr.

Dave

The Zero bullets are swaged and are very soft, essentially pure lead. They are great bullets for bullseye. The only negatives are they have been hard to get the last few years and the lube is dirtier than some of the more recent coated bullets from other suppliers. 

The advantage is they have been making great bullets for a long time. In the 10 or 15 years since they became the most common bullet for bullseye, I can't remember ever hearing about low quality or a bad batch.

So far I have only used coated lead bullets and not experienced any leading in my 1911 BE barrel.

1. Is the non-coated lead bullet prone to lead fouling the barrel significantly more than the coated bullets?

2. What are the negative impacts of having “dirty lube” on the bullet? I have not used any bullets with lube yet so not sure what the problems are with this.

-Trevor

I love them. If you want, you can also tumble lube them with 45-45-10, Lee liquid alox, or Rooster jacket

hengehold wrote:So far I have only used coated lead bullets and not experienced any leading in my 1911 BE barrel.

1. Is the non-coated lead bullet prone to lead fouling the barrel significantly more than the coated bullets?

2. What are the negative impacts of having “dirty lube” on the bullet? I have not used any bullets with lube yet so not sure what the problems are with this.

-Trevor

1. I have only noticed issues in my guns if the bullets are pushed too fast or if they are seated crooked.

2. They will be a bit "smokier" than coated bullets. Not as noticeable outdoor but definitely is indoor.

Dirty lube or powder means there is more smoke and the gun gets dirtier faster.

If the lube is missing or not right, any lead bullet can cause lead build up in the barrel. The lube Zero uses (and all the other common bullet makers I know of) works fine. There are also some good lubes available to casters. Alox and Rooster Lube are two I've heard of but never used. I've even heard of people cleaning the lube off bullets and re-lubing them with Rooster, but that seems like too much work to me when there are lots of good options.

From everything I've heard coated bullets can be just as good, but I haven't used them.