Coated bullets in older rifle

[fstdraw]

Will I get more life out of the barrel of a '92 Winchester by reloading/shooting coated bullets? I thought less friction my be easer on the 120 year old barrel. Thoughts?

Thank you.

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[Mikej]

Will I get more life out of the barrel of a '92 Winchester by reloading/shooting coated bullets? I thought less friction my be easer on the 120 year old barrel. Thoughts?

Thank you.

Not that I know anything, or have any experience, but I do have common sense. Logic tells ME, that shooting coated lead would be easier on an old barrel than shooting FMJ bullets. However, I'm not concerned about shooting copper jacketed bullets in either one of my Swedish Mausers dated 1902 and 1917? That's what they were shooting originally. In your case, that gun probably was shooting cast in most of it's early life?
The only coated bullets we shoot are in Wifey's Rossi M92 .45 Colt. When cleaning that, I get some of the grey/black coating on the patches.

 

[osprey]

I think most barrels wear out and become inaccurate due to erosion in the throat area. This erosion has more to due with combustion and pressure including duration of pressure. I would not worry about bullets as much as the overall choice of load. A good cast load with a faster burning powder with shorter duration of peak pressure should allow the barrel to last another 100 years!

 

[JohnnyMac]

but I do have common sense.

 

[Koda]

Will I get more life out of the barrel of a '92 Winchester by reloading/shooting coated bullets? I thought less friction my be easer on the 120 year old barrel. Thoughts?

Thank you.

yes, less friction will be easier on an old barrel. Another option for you are bullets with drive bands which are designed to reduce friction yielding better velocity. I run these in my old shot out 30-30 and they group tighter than factory ammo.

.308 Cal-143gr Lever Hammer - Hammer Bullets

This bullet is designed specifically for 30-30 lever action rifles with tube feed magazine. It will also work very well in any 30 caliber rifle. Recommended min twist rate is 1-14" or faster Bullet length is 1.053" Bullet weight is 140gr Recommended use: Big game hunting G1-BC= .287

hammerbullets.com

 

[fstdraw]

Thank you guys for all the replies! I think I'm gonna buy 500 coated bullets and see how they shoot in my old .38 40 Winchester carbine.

 

[aasbra]

When getting a new rifle or handgun that I plan to load cast bullets for, I slug the bore to make sure I get appropriately sized bullets for the bore of that gun. Most work fine with bullets sized typical for that application, a couple of mine have bores a little oversized and for those I get the bullets unsized and run them through a sizer.

For cast bullets, most of what I shoot are coated. Still have some cast and lubed lead from a ways back, but generally only buy coated in recent years. Prefer handling and shooting them. I get most of my cast coated bullets from Travis at T&B Bullets in Lebanon/Sweet Home area. He is great to deal with, ships quick, and makes an excellent product at a great price. If he casts the bullet I'm looking for, I haven't found any need to look elsewhere.

 

[fstdraw]

Thank you aasbra, I will check it out.

 

[ageingstudent]

Thank you guys for all the replies! I think I'm gonna buy 500 coated bullets and see how they shoot in my old .38 40 Winchester carbine.

It won't hurt it a bit. I've been using my own powder coated in my old revolvers and carbines for years and I haven't noticed any wear. The cleaning is easier as well. No build up of gilding metals either.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Lead bullets will make a barrel last longer.

Bear creek supply makes moly coated cast bullets that work very well and are cheap. They also specialize in bullets for older cartridges.

The coating they use is a moly coating, not polymer. It is a superior coating and acts as a lube without the smoke you get from lead lubed bullets or burning plastic smell you get from poly coated bullets.

They advertise the moly coating nearly eliminates bore cleaning. I found that to be the case. I ran 1000's through my pistols including a 40 S&W factory Glock polygonal barrel. The polygonal rifle normal will not work with lead bullets. I found it never built up lead or fouling, only a thin layer of moly. I stopped cleaning the bore beyond running a dry patch through after every match.

A major bonus is their prices are some of the lowest and include shipping.