Oregon Trail Bullets

[ESquared]

Still learning the ropes of this whole reloading thing, and have come across this bullet mfr that gets high marks, it seems, in the reloading world. Anybody have any experience with them?

https://www.oregontrailbullet.com/shop/ ... p104526396

[BigAl52]

Yup Ive used them. Probably isnt to many seasoned reloaders on here that havent either used or heard of Oregon Trail. Missouri Cast is another company I have used. I think there bullets are just as good and the price might be a little better also

[JEBar]

we've burned literally thousands of their 44's and 357's .... when it comes to lead bullets, we found them to be as good as any and better than most .... we still have a couple of thousand in stock that you would be welcome too .... after giving lead bullets an exhaustive try, I simply don't want to load them any more .... cautions from some very knowledgeable members of this forum say it is best to not mix firing jacketed and lead bullets in the same firearm .... while I don't really understand the mechanics behind their cautions, I trust what they say .... accordingly we only load jacketed bullets

[ESquared]

we've burned literally thousands of their 44's and 357's .... when it comes to lead bullets, we found them to be as good as any and better than most .... we still have a couple of thousand in stock that you would be welcome too .... after giving lead bullets an exhaustive try, I simply don't want to load them any more .... cautions from some very knowledgeable members of this forum say it is best to not mix firing jacketed and lead bullets in the same firearm .... while I don't really understand the mechanics behind their cautions, I trust what they say .... accordingly we only load jacketed bullets

The learning curve continues! I've never heard about not shooting jacketed and lead bullets through the same barrel.

As usual, I'm ahead of myself, and am trying to figure out what 45Colt bullets to acquire for reloading a 45 Colt that I don't even own yet! "Be prepared," you know!

Have seen multiple endorsements of Missouri Bullets "Hi Tek" projectile, which is a coated, lead bullet, and was just trying to figure out how they compare to the Oregon Trail product.

This whole "don't mix lead and jacketed" thing has me really stepping back and looking at options, so input is welcome!

[ESquared]

Interesting and very recent thread on this topic of lead and jacketed. It quickly gets into "coated lead" and jacketed.

Maybe I've got it wrong, but it seems like the Oregon trail are NOT coated, and the Missouri Bullets "Hi Tek" are coated?

[JEBar]

This whole "don't mix lead and jacketed" thing has me really stepping back and looking at options, so input is welcome!

please believe that I'm not trying to influence what you decide .... on not mixing them, someone else would be far better qualified to provide details as to the why of it .... as I understand it, doing so promotes lead and/or copper buildup in the barrel .... for me using jacketed bullets allows for hotter loads which equals flatter trajectories .... as to cost, 1,000 jacketed 158 gr JHP 357's from Rose Distribution cost $107.95 .... 1,000 lead 158 gr RNFP 357 Oregon Trail bullets bought at Cabela's cost $123.98 .... folks should most certainly load whatever type bullets they want to .... as noted, for me jacketed has proven to be the way to go


http://www.rozedist.com/mm5/merchant.mv ... de=ZBJ-38S

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Oregon- ... s?slotId=0

[ESquared]

Oh, no, JEB, not feeling that you're trying to sway me - I appreciate the heads up, as now I'm a little smarter (if more confused at the same time!).

I don't plan on using anything but jacketed in my 357, but once I move on to the 45Colt (again, ahead of myself), I'm just weighing options. I notice that Zero/Roze doesn't make a .452"/45Colt projectile, so, if I went the non-jacketed, lead direction, it would be Missouri Bullets or Oregon Trail. I'm liking the Hi Tek/Missouri bullets, based on input from RifleTom and general web research, but haven't really dug deep enough on what my jacketed options might be and what the cost differentials are.

Thanks again!

[CT_Shooter]

This whole "don't mix lead and jacketed" thing has me really stepping back and looking at options, so input is welcome!

Txgunrunner, who is (was) an admired firearms adviser on this forum was adamant about not shooting jacketed and lead bullets through the same barrel. He has years of experience with firearms and his posts are all well worth reading. Sadly, he was recently offended by the forum rules against political posts and decided to leave us. I, for one, will miss his informative contributions.

http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 9602#p9602

http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... ner#p37335

[Mistered]

Anybody have any experience with them?

I used to shoot them exclusively - the MOST accurate .45 ACP loads I have ever shot were with the 200 grain Laser Cast OT bullet.
My LGS stopped carrying them and I started using other brands that are as accurate and more available but they do stand out in the 'world' of cast bullets.

Txgunrunner, who is (was) an admired firearms adviser on this forum was adamant about not shooting jacketed and lead bullets through the same barrel.

Can't say I shared that admiration but I believe this part is mostly a personal opinion.
I have shot jacketed and lead out of the same barrels (and for probably close to as long as he has) and as long as there are no leading issues with the cast and the barrels are kept clean I have never experienced ANY problems.
I have loaded rounds with cast bullets that shot better than some jacketed and vice versa with the same gun.
A lot of the issues with cast bullets are with the consistency of the bullet weights, casting quality, lead hardness and lube.
Plated bullets have largely in part eliminated a lot of the traditional issues with cast bullets. I had a hard time accepting plated bullets when they first showed up but have since realized the practicality (and possible better accuracy) of them over unplated.

[Flinch]

I shoot both cast and jacketed bullets through the same barrels without any problems. I clean the barrel when switching from one to the other.

I've fired thousands of Laser Cast bullets in my 1903 Springfield and Trapdoor 45-70. They have always worked well and I have no issues with lead build up in the bore. If Laser Cast would produce a .323" bullet, I would shoot them out of my Mausers.

[krunchnik]

Anybody have any experience with them?

I used to shoot them exclusively - the MOST accurate .45 ACP loads I have ever shot were with the 200 grain Laser Cast OT bullet.
My LGS stopped carrying them and I started using other brands that are as accurate and more available but they do stand out in the 'world' of cast bullets.

Txgunrunner, who is (was) an admired firearms adviser on this forum was adamant about not shooting jacketed and lead bullets through the same barrel.

Can't say I shared that admiration but I believe this part is mostly a personal opinion.
I have shot jacketed and lead out of the same barrels (and for probably close to as long as he has) and as long as there are no leading issues with the cast and the barrels are kept clean I have never experienced ANY problems.
I have loaded rounds with cast bullets that shot better than some jacketed and vice versa with the same gun.
A lot of the issues with cast bullets are with the consistency of the bullet weights, casting quality, lead hardness and lube.
Plated bullets have largely in part eliminated a lot of the traditional issues with cast bullets. I had a hard time accepting plated bullets when they first showed up but have since realized the practicality (and possible better accuracy) of them over unplated.

I also have fired both jacketed and hardcast in the same firearm with no appreciable harm-the saying is not to clean the lead from a dirty barrel by following them with a high velocity jacketed-they say it presses the lead into the pores of the barrel-but personally I don't know

[Jdl447]

I don’t know how much this guy knows about shooting but this is not the first I have heard of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGd3H4bQh2w

[BigAl52]

Ive done exactly what Hickok is doing for quite a few years. Ive also done what a few others have mentioned and have shot both lead and jacketed in the same pistol and rifle. Ive never had any issues. Im just chosing now to trend away from lead. With the bullets from Roze at the same price or cheaper than cast and some of the plated I will be buying from them again.

[ESquared]

Ive done exactly what Hickok is doing for quite a few years. Ive also done what a few others have mentioned and have shot both lead and jacketed in the same pistol and rifle. Ive never had any issues. Im just chosing now to trend away from lead. With the bullets from Roze at the same price or cheaper than cast and some of the plated I will be buying from them again.

I don't see that Roze sells 45 Colt. Am I just missing it?

[fortyshooter]

Have had good luck with Missouri Bullets,Oregon Trail and Better Bullets. Matt's Bullets has a GREAT selection of fine cast bullets others don't have.

[Mags]

My preference is for you all to buy 'Made in Oregon'

[BigAl52]

Ive done exactly what Hickok is doing for quite a few years. Ive also done what a few others have mentioned and have shot both lead and jacketed in the same pistol and rifle. Ive never had any issues. Im just chosing now to trend away from lead. With the bullets from Roze at the same price or cheaper than cast and some of the plated I will be buying from them again.

I don't see that Roze sells 45 Colt. Am I just missing it?

No they dont have any Evan. Thats where you either shoot coated lead or the plated bullets from Berrys or Xtreme. You can also go the Hornady XTP route. The XTP bullets are a little pricey though for plinkin. I think Nosler makes 45 colt bullets also. The jacketed bullet selection for the 45 colt is somewhat limited.

[JEBar]

Nosler does offer 2 different 45 LC bullets, both 451diameter .... a 250 gr Colt Hollow Point (about 30 cents each at Cabela's) and a 230 gr JHP (about 24 cents each at Cabela's) ... I wouldn't hesitate to spend that much on hunting bullets .... that said, before doing so I'd contact Shooter's Pro Shop by phone and ask to be put on their waiting list to be notified when they get in a shipment of BLEMS .... I hunt, without any reservation, using their BLEMS and they cost significantly less


https://www.cabelas.com/product/Nosler- ... s?slotId=4

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosler-p ... y/p/1.html

[ESquared]

Buying 500 bullets is a leap of faith, but RifleTom (among others) has endorsed Missouri Bullets' Hi Tek, a coated lead. .452", about .$14/round, including shipping:

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?p ... condary=14

[Mistered]

Buying 500 bullets is a leap of faith

Maybe but I suspect they will shoot very well.
I would recommend if you do get them to start with 158 grain as you will have the weight the .357 was optimized with as the 'standard'.
Heck I might try some of these myself!