Hi Tek Coated Cast Bullets from Missouri Bullet

Has anybody tried the "new" Hi Tek coated cast bullets from Missouri Bullet Company?  What about coated bullets from Acme Bullets out of Wisconsin?  I have had good success with Missouri Bullet's using their 185 gr SWC "Button" on the short line.  And before anybody makes a Wiley Coyote comment about Acme Bullets I am old enough to remember the Roadrunner cartoons! (lol)

Yea, but do you have a Acme shotgun? Circa 1905. I think they were used to shoot Coyotes.  There are not a lot of coated bullet users on this forum. Maybe one of them will get back to you. The one and only box of coated bullets I ever loaded was for cowboy action. They work real good at 10ft

I have used Bayou Hi Tec coated bullets and they shot fine, accuracy was good. There was no leading in the barrel

It's Wile E Coyote.

Thank you.

I have not personally used Missouri Bullets, but have used coated bullets from three different manufacturers, including Acme. I find them to be very as accurate as the traditionally lubed (wax) lead bullets and now use them 100% indoor and on the short line outdoors. (JHP's on the long line) They are a lot cleaner to handle and I don't have to clean the wax out of my reloading dies.

I've used several hundred of the 9mm 125gn from Palmetto Projectiles and found them to shoot much better than plated all the way out to 100 yards out of a 9mm carbine. They shoot one ragged hole at 25 yards, and are more than x-ring capable at 50.

I would imagine that from a quality manufacturer such as Missouri they would be more than suitable for both the short and long lines.

I use the 185gr LSWC long-nose Hi-Tek coated Missouri Bullet Co. bullets; they work well at the 25yd line. I haven't tried them at longer distances. I've got a box of 200gr LSWC coated MBC long-nose bullets that I'll probably try over the winter to see how they work.

rebs wrote:I have used Bayou Hi Tec coated bullets and they shot fine, accuracy was good. There was no leading in the barrel

Same for me.

In the first picture, on the left, is a Missouri coated bullet.  I cannot get this bullet to feed into my .45.  I am (almost) certain it has something to do with OAL, but I have not taken the time to figure it out.  And while the advertised diameter is 0.452", I found a lot of variation on the large size, so I ran them through a Lee Bullet (0.452") Sizing Die.  Note that it still has a lube groove even though lube grooves are not needed on polymer coated bullets.
 
The middle bullet is from Blue Bullets.  Of the three, I think the coating on the Blue Bullet is more consistent.  Unlike the Missouri, it does not have a lube groove.  I prefer coated bullets that do not have a lube groove.  I cannot prove it, but I think they would be a little bit more aerodynamic.  The two issues I have with the Blue Bullet is 1) they only offer 200 gr and 230 gr in .45, and 2)for whatever reason, they are sized 0.451".  I think they are the only lead bullet caster that does not size their .45 lead bullets to 0.452".  I have slugged all my .45's, and a lead bullet of 0.451" is too small for my guns (according to a casting expert).  (But they seem to work as we will see later.)
 
The bullet on the right is a 175 gr from ACME of Wisconsin.  The pros of the ACME are, you can get them in 175 gr, 185 gr, 200 gr and 230 gr coated .45 bullets, and they are sized 0.452".  The con is the coating is a little thin/uneven in spots but not enough for me to stop using them.

I found a lot of weight variation in the Blue Bullets and ACME bullets.  I weighed one hundred Blue Bullets and there was a 5.9 grain difference between the lightest and heaviest.

Penn Bullets offers a coated bullet, which I have ordered but won't get for several weeks.  Their coating is proprietary and not the branded Hi-Tek coating.
 
As far as reloading is concerned, I would rather reload polymer coated lead bullets over un-coated lead bullets any day.  And cleaning my gun after shooting polymer coated bullets is much, much easier and faster than after a session of shooting un-coated.
 
Regarding accuracy, what might be accurate to me could be wholly inadequate to the likes of John Zurek or Brian Zins.  So some shooters will look at the pictures below and say 'I wish I could shoot like that' while most shooters will say 'I am glad I am not that bad'.  With that said, he is my experience with polymer coated bullets. 
 
The second photo was a practice timed fire using an ACME 175 gr SWC.  Accuracy is good enough for me.  Note that even though this is a SWC, the holes are very jagged. 
 
The third photo is from a local, non-sanctioned match.  It was a timed fire string using a 200 gr Blue Bullet.  Note how the holes are cleaner, as we would expect a SWC to make.
 
In summary, polymer coated bullets are accurate enough for me (NRA classification of Expert) and they are a whole lot easier to clean up after, both in reloading and shooting.

joy2shoot wrote: 
The second photo was a practice timed fire using an ACME 175 gr SWC.  Accuracy is good enough for me.  Note that even though this is a SWC, the holes are very jagged. 
 

Interesting you mention the jagged holes with the ACME. I had the same experience when I used them. The SWC's did not cut clean holes. It seems like the "rim" is narrower do the cut is not tight.

w4ti wrote:I just put in an order to be picked up at the GA State shoot from Magnus and am super stoked. Spoke with Terry on the phone and what a super guy. Plus, he supports this site, so it's really win win for everyone. 

Does Magnus make coated bullets?  I was not able to find them on their web site.

Recently picked up some 158gr .358 hi-tek coated bullets from Gulf Coast Bullets for use in my DR revolver, though I haven't loaded them yet.  Mentioned to the owner about 115gr 9mm and 185gr .452 pills, he said that he will look into it.

Does anyone use the hi-tek coated bullets for the long line?

Sc0 wrote:Recently picked up some 158gr .358 hi-tek coated bullets from Gulf Coast Bullets for use in my DR revolver, though I haven't loaded them yet.  Mentioned to the owner about 115gr 9mm and 185gr .452 pills, he said that he will look into it.

Does anyone use the hi-tek coated bullets for the long line?

A while back AllAces posted that he tried Bob Palermo's 200 gr. SWC coated bullets in the machine rest at 50 yards. He said he got a 2.5" group and with the same bullet with traditional lube, he got a 1.5" group.

Sc0 wrote:Recently picked up some 158gr .358 hi-tek coated bullets from Gulf Coast Bullets for use in my DR revolver, though I haven't loaded them yet.  Mentioned to the owner about 115gr 9mm and 185gr .452 pills, he said that he will look into it.

Does anyone use the hi-tek coated bullets for the long line?

I suspect that using coated bullets for DR may get into a gray area. I know some who will say that lead means lead.



Len

OldMaster66 wrote:

Sc0 wrote:Recently picked up some 158gr .358 hi-tek coated bullets from Gulf Coast Bullets for use in my DR revolver, though I haven't loaded them yet.  Mentioned to the owner about 115gr 9mm and 185gr .452 pills, he said that he will look into it.

Does anyone use the hi-tek coated bullets for the long line?

I suspect that using coated bullets for DR may get into a gray area. I know some who will say that lead means lead.



Len

I stopped using lead on the long line in favor of jacketed hollow points. Prior to doing that I was using the coated bullets in lieu of the traditional coating with no ill effects.

I am using coated lead bullets for DR and it is my belief that this is a lube question and not in violation of the rules. I guess I need to check further before I run into an issue. As far as accuracy, I did shoot a 95 on the long line this year. It was the only slow fire target I shot well this year. Unfortunately I spit the bit in the rapid fire stage and fell outside the top 10%.

Having used both the non coated and Hi-Tek coated Missouri bullets, I can say that I can't tell any difference in accuracy.  The good thing is that the Hi-Tek bullets don't smoke up the firing line as normal lubed bullets will do.  It's the grease that makes all that smoke.   Another thing is that your fingers are not touching lead when your reloading.  I like these bullets and I think I'll stick with them.

OldMaster66 wrote:....   I am using coated lead bullets for DR and it is my belief that this is a lube question and not in violation of the rules. I guess I need to check further before I run into an issue. ....

The current wording in the rules is pretty open as to the ammo allowed for DR.   Rule 3.1.4 (e) says: "Ammunition- Any safe .38 caliber ammunition using the 158
grain round nose or Semi-Wadcutter bullet only."   That is all it says now so as long as it is 38 cal and 158 grain SWC or RN, it can be lead, jacketed or whatever else and comply with the rules.