Here's a real head scratcher

[clovishound]

I have tried a lot of different coated bullets over the last several years. I have noticed a big difference in the robustness of the coatings, and the look as well. I don't care much about the look, but the durability definitely matters. I have two revolvers that both are very prone to leading in the forcing cone. Jacketed and plated run fine, but with coated, it depends on the coating.

I have a bullets supplier that has excellent prices, and the cast for my 1911 are excellent bullets. When he got into coated, I ordered some for both the 1911 and the .38s. The coating looks a little rough, but they shot fine except for one thing. The smell when shooting. At the range they would give off a really strong, acrid odor. So much so that the Pup asked me not to use them anymore.

Fast forward to last week. I still have some of these coated around, and wanted to use them up, so loaded up some for the outdoor range with my buddy last week and shot some. No smell, but then it was outdoors. Yesterday I tried a small handful at the indoor range, and neither I, nor the Pup detected any odor at all. I ended up shooting a couple dozen with no issue.

The only thing I can think of is that the coating finished curing, or off gassing during the 6 months to a year sitting in the box. I'm going to try the .38 wadcutters I still have on hand, and if they are OK, I will order another box of them to try. If they smell bad, I will let them sit and try again after they sit a couple months.

[fortyshooter]

I use the Missouri bullets in .44 caliber that use the Hy-Tech coating and whatever they use doesn't seem to give off an odor.
But then all my shooting is outdoors. Guess you could try a small batch again that you let gas off and a batch right out the box for another test.

[Mags]

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Coated by what method? Powder coated I would expect not to stink if they were fully baked. Painted would likely stink until the paint cures.

...

[clovishound]

They are supposed to be Hi tek coated. They look like it.

Some of the other coated bullets I have tried had a little of a burnt insulation smell. Nothing like these, however.

Going to pick up a fresh bottle of Trail Boss today, and load up a batch of the ones that have been sitting a while.

I love Trail Boss, and considering the price difference, it is still economical to use, but it seems like a bottle runs out pretty quickly compared to Universal. And yes, I know it's only 9 ounces as opposed to a full pound.

[JEBar]

interesting, looking forward to following responses to this issue .... a while back I got on a kick of trying to find cheaper, coated bullets for punching holes .... fired several different brands in both 44 & 45 caliber .... I don't recall ever noticing a smell like the one you have described

[clovishound]

Well I braved the heat in the shop and loaded up a hundred of those bad boys.

Hopefully it will be comfortable enough at the indoor range to go and try them on Tues. I'll report back with the results. It would be nice to be able to order the bullets for both calibers from the same company, and at a savings compared to some other companies.

[Flinch]

When I competed in PPC with a revolver, I fired 15,000 to 20,000 rounds per year. I competed with a revolver for over 14 years and learned a lot through trial and error, mostly error. Most of the ammunition I fired was reloaded using lead bullets. I don't think that using coated bullets completely eliminates the possibility of leading. The same powders I use for jacketed bullets are not suitable for some of my lead reloads due to powder burn rate.

The faster the powder burn rate, the more likely you will see leading at the forcing cone of a revolver when shooting lead bullets with light to moderate charge weights. Some of the faster powders cause leading regardless of charge weight. SNS Casting placed a note, and a link to a powder burn rate chart, on their website for this reason. https://snscasting.com/

[clovishound]

Well, I've used fast, slow and medium speed powders with these two revolvers. I have even tried Trail Boss which is supposed to be the consummate bare lead powder.

[220]

Well, I've used fast, slow and medium speed powders with these two revolvers. I have even tried Trail Boss which is supposed to be the consummate bare lead powder.

Trailboss is actually one of the fastest powders available, the only difference to other fast pistol powders is its density makes it more suitable for light loads in large cases.
If they were hitek coated I would say they werent baked properly in which case I would also expect to see leading.

[clovishound]

Yeah, I know it wasn't a slow powder, although it is slower than WST or Titegroup. Still, it's supposed to play better with lead than most any other powder. I'm sure burn rate isn't the only issue.