Copper plated or not

[Pvtryan]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of copper plated and just lead
.22lr ? Would you rather use plated or not?

[jackandblood]

Im not aware of any disadvantages. Typically high- hyper velocity rds are plated as copper has a low coefficient of friction. Non plated tend to use a waxy covering so the lead wont oxidize and so you're not handling bare lead when loading. match grade ammo meant to stay subsonic for accuracy purposes are typically not copper washed.

[WDE91]

I do agree with the above ^^^

[rojocorsa]

It makes sense for HV rounds. Who wants to get lead fouling, right?

[dangerranger]

I dont use copper plated in my guns and dont have to clean out copper fouling from my barrels. I actually have only one gun that shoots hyper velosity well so I dont normally buy them. it also shoots plain lead well. the only up side I can think of is that without any exposed lube they wont collect dust or grit. DR

[Izzy43]

All the coatings on .22 ammo is a lubricant, whether a copper wash or some type of waxy material. There are no plain uncoated .22 ammos and under the coating they are all lead except for the new non-lead stuff. Never gonna get copper fouling in a .22 although there is a possibily of lead build up in the chamber which contributes to that awful cold barrel first shot flyer in some rifles. The coatings are not there to prevent contact with the lead or to prevent corrosion of the lead. Its there as a lubricant as the bullet travels down the barrel.

[jackandblood]

I fired a single shot of winchester non leaded, (tin it said). hyper velocity and busted a 9mm hole through 6-7mm thick 6061 aluminum (spare heatsinks). I thought it was pretty damn awesome.

I know a least some not necessarily significant lead fouling occurs.
CB low velocity through a 4.75 " barrel, only 12 shots, and almost debris or fine dirt like stuff in there. Course that's a specialty round only uses primer as propellant, but i think it may be relevant especially for sub sonic through a rifle length barrel.

[Boltz]

Good info guys, learn something new everyday

[9mmlaw]

I have been to indoor ranges that will not allow non cooper plated rounds. If you buy them make sure you can shoot them at your range.

[Izzy43]

I have been to indoor ranges that will not allow non cooper plated rounds. If you buy them make sure you can shoot them at your range.

Is that centerfire, rimfire or both? Just curious.

[jackandblood]

I think both. The indoor range in City of Industry wouldn't let me shoot CCI Blazer. The indoor range in Brea allows it. They are also more professional and better facilities.

[c good]

I shoot only copper washed ammo in all of my .22 LR firearms. Maybe because it tends to be a little better ammo it runs more reliably, and is easier to clean afterwards. Not direct science, just my observation over the last 46 years. HTH c good

[Tythagoras]

I avoid copper plated .22 ammo whenever possible. The copper deposits it leaves are more difficult to clean, and with time, cause degradation of precision. I've shot cases of ordinary lubed ammo without cleaning the bore and the last group was no bigger than the 3rd. (my barrels tend to need a few shots after cleaning to settle) Same results with 5 barrels in 4 rifles, ranging from cheap to fairly expensive barrels.

High-end target ammo is almost never plated. I don't know if that's a hint, but they shoot better than any other (for me), and they might know something I don't.

As has been said many times in many other threads, each barrel is a law unto itself. Experiment, analyze, experiment some more, and go with the ammunition that you feel gives you the best performance per dollar, or whatever metric makes you happy.

SK standard plus or Wolf match target is my preferred ammo, if you want to try it. It's about midway in price between the cheap stuff and the expensive cartridges. Most rifles seem to shoot well with it. I can't say for pistols yet, I don't have the skill with my pistol to tell to tell good from bad ammo.

[Ledbetter]

Copper does not deposit in .22 barrels. Not enough heat. Try to get a blue patch cleaning your .22. Just the same, the only plated rounds I use are MiniMags and Stingers.

Match Grade ammo is lead because it seals better in the rifling. I also prefer Wolf and SK, but plink with Blazer or Winchester.

Primer only rounds leave gritty residue because primer material is grittier and more abrasive than gunpowder residue.

Go here:

https://www.rimfirecentral.com

[thunderbolt]

I was under the impression that a copper jacket was better both in terms of accuracy and cleaning afterwords but maybe I'm wrong. I have a bunch of lead stuff but I avoid using it for those reasons. The biggest complaint I have is finding copper rounds in 40gr. They all seem to be 36gr HP or 38gr HP.