SWC vs. RN bullets

[punkur67]

I made a little grab bag of ammo last week and took it to the range yesterday. This was the first time that I have made and shot swc ammo. I did like how clean the holes were in the paper and my groups were nice too. I am going to order a couple thousand bullets soon and wanted to know the pros and cons of the rn and swc. Also is there any advantage to using plated swc ammo?

[thenodnarb]

I made a little grab bag of ammo last week and took it to the range yesterday. This was the first time that I have made and shot swc ammo. I did like how clean the holes were in the paper and my groups were nice too. I am going to order a couple thousand bullets soon and wanted to know the pros and cons of the rn and swc. Also is there any advantage to using plated swc ammo?

SWC jam up my springfield XD. They seem to feed OK in my 1911. If they feed well, shoot em. no other downside I can think of than feeding problems. plated SWC is just cheaper since its a plating process and not an actual copper jacket. Apparently they act more like lead rounds on target, so don't use them in situations were lead only would be a bad choice(self defense?). But for target shooting they'll be fine.

[Bill Steele]

I prefer SWC over RN. My favorite supplier for lead SWC is S&S Casting. Another good one is Missouri Bullet Co.

http://shop.snscasting.com/

http://www.missouribullet.com/

For plated, I would go Berry's, but I prefer lead for SWC's.

[punkur67]

Im shooting a sa 1911.

S&S has som good prices

[smoothy8500]

I shoot 200gr SWC in my 1911's. Plated has the slight advantage of producing less smoke than cast lead. In an indoor range this is somewhat noticable.

[punkur67]

I like the 200gr with a 5.6gr load of hp-38 for my 1911. I get good groups and get on target faster. I loaded severial different bullets and loads when I started and found this to be my favorite.

[Bill Steele]

Many options down here...

I like the 200gr with a 5.6gr load of hp-38 for my 1911. I get good groups and get on target faster. I loaded severial different bullets and loads when I started and found this to be my favorite.

For light target loads I use 4.7 grs of W231 (HP38) under a 200gr SWC in my 1911's. Light recoil, very accurate load.

My favorite 200gr LSWC load for my 1911's is 4.8grs of VV-N320.

Inkman turned me on to S&S. He shoots a lot of practical pistol competition and found the weight consistency better with S&S than other options.

[punkur67]

I think im going to order 2000 200gr plated SWC bullets and see how i like them

[noylj]

There is never any advantage in plated bullets. Either save money and go with cast lead or buy jacketed from Montana Gold, Zero Bullets, or Precision Delta.
I have never gotten good accuracy with plated or jacketed SWCs.
For all my guns, I find that JHPs tend to be the most accurate (and the most expensive), followed by cast L-SWCs. Round nose bullets are good for feeding, but they are not as accurate.
I use L-SWCs in 9x19, 9x21, 38 Super, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto, .44 Mag, .45 ACP, and .45 Win Mag. All the guns, as purchased feed SWCs just fine.
I use a L-RNFP in .32-20 and a full wadcutter in .32 S&W Long.
Currently, because cast and plated are so close (or even more expensive than) to jacketed, I have been using Montana Gold and Zero bullets in my 9mm/.38 Super loads.

[Southpaw45]

If your getting SWC bullets to feed in your 1911, then stick with them. There only used for cutting nice round holes in your paper targets...

[noylj]

They also have a nice flat meplat for nonexpanding SD loads and they have been used for hunting.
They're not JUST for punching nice holes in paper.

[xrMike]

They also have a nice flat meplat for nonexpanding SD loads and they have been used for hunting.
They're not JUST for punching nice holes in paper.

I've always thought the same thing too, although I've seen no data to confirm it.

Anything that cuts such large, round holes in paper (like .45 LSWC) has GOT to do the same thing in flesh. More so than a round nose bullet (like an FMJ).

I keep LSWCs in my night gun, loaded and ready to go. I'm pretty sure they'd put a major hurting on somebody.