plated or lead for .22 lr?

[Les K]

Hey all,

I don't have a .22 pistol yet, but I'm planning on getting one soon to keep shooting costs down. I'm currently shooting .44 mag JHP bullets at full loads, which is simply costing me too much to sustain at the quantities that I want to shoot.

My question has to do with plated .22 bullets like the CCI mini mags versus plain lead bullets like the CCI blazer or any other brand.

Is there any problem with barrel leading or other issues that would make the plated bullets a better choice than the plain lead bullets? do the lead bullets make it much harder to clean for the barrel?

Thanks In Advance!

[CSACANNONEER]

Depends on the gun's likes and dislikes. Some of the best match ammo is not plated if that tells you anything.

[scootle]

.22LR is very finicky and it will depend on your specific gun for what it likes best. believe it or not, it's the *cheap* ammo that is typically dipped in copper (not really "plated") or other alloys.

the top-end match ammo tends to be bare lead dipped in proprietary (i.e. "secret") formulations of wax or plastic to assist in lubricating/sealing the bullet as it travels along the barrel.

in general, you will probably find that a semi-auto .22LR will prefer "high-velocity" rounds to properly cycle the action while revolvers and bolt-action rifles will have the option to run "standard velocity" or "subsonic" rounds more easily and w/o malfunctions. ymmv, of course... some designs are more flexible than others.

experimentation is key... (and half the fun! )

[ExtremeX]

Depends on the gun's likes and dislikes. Some of the best match ammo is not plated if that tells you anything.

wow... didnt know that.

Guess those CCI Blazers arnt bad afterall

[shadow65]

Eley, Wolf MT, and most of the match ammo is not plated. But then you generally are not going to shoot 500 rounds of match ammo in a setting.
The plated (actually copper wash) doesn't leave as much lead and gunk.
We recommend the copper wash for the AR .22's.

Accuracy very much depends on what the particular gun likes.
I have a 20" AR .22 that will consistantly shoot Fed bulk at 1" 50 yards. Another looks like a shotgun pattern with the same ammo.
Dave N

[Izzy43]

Some .22 pistols do not cycle hollow point bullets as good as they do round nose bullets, just depends on the gun. I don't think you will find any copper washed/plated target grade ammo in .22lr. Dependent on what you are doing with the pistol should determine which ammo you are using. For plinking you might try Federal AutoMatch. 40gr, round nose, 1200FPS, specifically made for autoloaders (so Federal says) and works good in my S&W 22A. Accuracy is good but not match grade. I would stay away from Remington Golden Bullets. Dirty, failures to fire, inconsistent. Lots of folks shoot CCI Mini-Mags and Blazers but again not target grade ammo.

Leading is usually not an issue in .22lr due to lower velocity compared to centerfire, 22WMR or 17HMR.

[Mail Clerk]

Les K,

I like to shoot just plain lead rounds instead of copper plated versions. The pure lead polishes the bore and make your rifle more accurate over time.

Mail Clerk

[Rock6.3]

Les K,

I like to shoot just plain lead rounds instead of copper plated versions. The pure lead polishes the bore and make your rifle more accurate over time.

Mail Clerk

Lead polishes steel?

[Mail Clerk]

Rock6.3

Yes it will over time. The more you shoot the better the accuracy will get cuz of the bore polishing process. It smooths out any burs left in the bore lands.

Mail Clerk

[tvfreakarms]

Ok so which brands are plated?
I have cmmg.

[Mail Clerk]

Ok so which brands are plated?
I have cmmg.

tvfreakarms,

Sorry my bad....I meant copper washed bullets.


Mail Clerk

[Izzy43]

Ok so which brands are plated?
I have cmmg.

Federal and Winchester bulk, also Remington Golden bullets but I don't recommend them although some folks find it shoots good in their rifles. Its pretty dirty and can be inconsistent. I think some CCI Mini-Mags are also copper washed. Federal American Eagle 38gr is also copper washed. Probably others out there that I don't know about.

I posted earlier that leading is not usually an issue with .22lr but then I read a post on another forum that stated that copper washed bullets help prevent leading in the barrel. Not sure at this point what truth really is for leading using .22 ammo.

[dangerranger]

my guns seem to prefer lead bullits. the only leading probablem I ever had was from a poor bullit to bore fit. A quick ammo change cured that. I stay away from the cheapest bulk ammo, and have not had any more leading issues. Rem Thunder duds, Win wildcats, Fed lightning, etc are the ones I stay away from. my wifes Ruger MK1 prefers Fed 550s [plated], and my Ruger Single Six prefers Fiocci Standards [lead]. so get a selection and try a few to see what yours likes best. I pay about $6 per 100, but get concistant results and my guns are still clean after shooting. only needing a normal wipe down. DR

[wtkaiser]

Also, I think you will find that the velocity difference between so-called "high speed" .22s and Standard velocity .22s shrinks nearly to insignificance in a short barreled pistol. My wife's Mk 1 handles standard velocity quite nicely, as well as hi speed stuff. But I doubt any of it goes much over 1000 fps with that 4+" barrel. Hi-speeds are just a bit noisier. Ditto for hyper-velocity stuff like stingers.