reloading coated lead bullets

[dwtt]

Hi everyone,
I ran out of my 9mm 124 gr FMJ bullets and bought some coated lead bullets from Precision Bullets, since I'm a cheapskate. The Precision Bullet website recommends belling the mouth of the case more than for a jacketed bullet so I won't scape off the dry lubricant coating on the outside of their bullets. Well, I tried to load one today just to see how well the bullet seats and I managed to scrape off the dry lube. So, I can see the differences from loading FMJ and coated lead bullets are :

bell the mouth of the case more to avoid scraping off lead and the dry coating on the bullets.

taper crimp the cases to firmly hold the lead bullet in place and to counter the extra belling of the case

trim all the brass so taper crimping will be uniform on all cartridges.

Does anyone have experience loading lead and jacketed bullets want to comment on what else is needed besides the above?
thanks.

[Cowboy T]

Yep. I load tumble-lubed cast "boolits" all the time. A little more flare is a good idea. You don't need a whole lot more, just a bit. If your dies are made well and are adjusted properly, how much you bell the case mouth--within reason, of course--shouldn't really affect the crimp operation, whether you're taper-crimping or roll-crimping.

My rule of thumb for "how much bell" is if the boolit easily seats 1/8" deep in the case after flaring, that's enough flaring.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

A little more flare is a good idea. You don't need a whole lot more, just a bit. If your dies are made well and are adjusted properly, how much you bell the case mouth--within reason, of course--shouldn't really affect the crimp operation, whether you're taper-crimping or roll-crimping.

+1

Keep in mind that lead bullets are usually about .001" larger in diameter than jacketed bullets. Doesn't sound like much, but in reloading terms, it is. Lead is also much softer.

[john16443]

Hi everyone,
I ran out of my 9mm 124 gr FMJ bullets and bought some coated lead bullets from Precision Bullets, since I'm a cheapskate.

taper crimp the cases to firmly hold the lead bullet in place and to counter the extra belling of the case
trim all the brass so taper crimping will be uniform on all cartridges.

Does anyone have experience loading lead and jacketed bullets want to comment on what else is needed besides the above?
thanks.

I load Precision bullets regularly in 9mm and 45ACP. Love them as they are cheaper than FMJ/plated, and only a little more costly than lead, but without the mess and headaches.

Your quote in BOLD above should be approached with caution. You DO NOT want to apply more taper crimp to these bullets (or any bullet for that matter) than is necessary to remove the flare without cutting through the hard coating. Overcrimping or roll crimping the coated bullets will compromise the hard coating and lead to more problems. See the Precision reloading tips under the FAQ's for further details and other helpful suggestions and equipment recommendations.

I don't think I'd waste my time trimming brass, I just make a dummy round every time I change headstamps to verify the crimp ison't leaving a deep gouge or cut in the Precision bullet. R-P brass causes slight adjustments, all the others (Fed, PMC, Win) provide the same results.

[dwtt]

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll take it easy with the taper crimp, and do just enough to counter the extra flare. I have all my dies set up to load FMJ bullets but now will change the settings over to these Precision Bullet bullets.