Hello fellow CGN! Wondering what the thoughts are concerning shooting copper washed or copper plated bullets out of our .22lr PRS style or target rifles. I hear different issues concerning accuracy and/or barrel damage. Just getting into the .22lr world....so I just want to make sure I'm not overthinking this and maybe it's not an issue at all. Appreciate any help and opinions.
Copper plated bullets
- Thread starter beaverbank
- Start date
Rod B
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The .22 copper coloured bullets are not copper plated but merely a light copper wash. I don't use them but I doubt if they would do any harm to a rifles bore. That said they are usually cheaper ammo that is not overly accurate.
Shooters are free to use whatever .22LR ammo they wish. Shooters looking for the best accuracy, however, won't be using copper washed ammo. Copper washed ammo is usually found with high velocity and many bulk ammos. HV ammo is not made to be especially accurate.
The best accuracy comes from match and entry level match ammos and these are invariably standard velocity ammo. Match ammo is made to standards that allow it to be more accurate. The bullets are lead.
The best accuracy comes from match and entry level match ammos and these are invariably standard velocity ammo. Match ammo is made to standards that allow it to be more accurate. The bullets are lead.
american eagle copper 38 grain hollow point copper plated bullet, 3/8 inch 10 shot 50 yard group, 7/8 10 shot group at 100 yards, if it comes in a box of 40 it's going to be more accurate then a bulk box, how do you find the most accurate rimfire ammo? you test lot numbers in your rifle, what works for you, may not work for the next guy.
will copper plated bullets damage or wear your barrel? nope, speed and temperature will kill a barrel, 2 things you won't get to with a rimfire, will you have to clean more often to maintain that level of accuracy?? more then likely, but if your barrel is stripping copper plating off a bullet, it's going to do the same thing to lead, but it's going to wear in, and not wear out.........
will copper plated bullets damage or wear your barrel? nope, speed and temperature will kill a barrel, 2 things you won't get to with a rimfire, will you have to clean more often to maintain that level of accuracy?? more then likely, but if your barrel is stripping copper plating off a bullet, it's going to do the same thing to lead, but it's going to wear in, and not wear out.........
sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
If you can afford the ammo to ever wear out a 22lr barrel, I'm sure the replacement cost will be a non-issue.
- Personally, I wouldn't lose any sleep on using copper-plated bullet. If they shoot OK in your gun, for your purpose. Got at it.
I've shoot countless brick of the old standard velocity Winchester Dynapoint, in anything from target rifles (Anschutz/Martini) to plinking/hunting rifle.
- I did "ok" this side of 50 yards.
- Personally, I wouldn't lose any sleep on using copper-plated bullet. If they shoot OK in your gun, for your purpose. Got at it.
I've shoot countless brick of the old standard velocity Winchester Dynapoint, in anything from target rifles (Anschutz/Martini) to plinking/hunting rifle.
- I did "ok" this side of 50 yards.
Results with copper clad bullets is generally marginal.
CCI MiniMags round nose gave decent ac curacy at 100 yards . . . about 2".
Switched to HP's and the group opened to 6" and 6" to the left.
Shooting the copper and switching to lead, IMO, requires a good cleaning.
Will they lay down any lead in the barrel . . . a through cleaning using wipeout showed some blue.
Then it becomes an issue of laying down the new lube from the lead bullets.
Since it is your rifle, you may shoot the copper wash bullets for the life of the rifle.
The inherent accuracy from most American manufactured ammunition is suspect.
No one uses it in our matches, at least not after their last place finish at their first shoot.
CCI MiniMags round nose gave decent ac curacy at 100 yards . . . about 2".
Switched to HP's and the group opened to 6" and 6" to the left.
Shooting the copper and switching to lead, IMO, requires a good cleaning.
Will they lay down any lead in the barrel . . . a through cleaning using wipeout showed some blue.
Then it becomes an issue of laying down the new lube from the lead bullets.
Since it is your rifle, you may shoot the copper wash bullets for the life of the rifle.
The inherent accuracy from most American manufactured ammunition is suspect.
No one uses it in our matches, at least not after their last place finish at their first shoot.
The abrasives in the primer compounds will lap a barrel out after many 1000's of rounds. It will take a long time to do that. The copper won't do a thing... I don't shoot copper because once you get a barrel settled with the lubed lead bullets the last thing you want to do is mess about with something else. I use copper plated for the kids and plinking- but my "good" rig will never see one. There are zero high end .22lr ammo manufacturers who user copper washed bullets. There are 100% of high end .22lr ammo manufacturers who use lubed lead bullets. Performance "could" be ok with copper washed bullets like minimags or dynapoints, but performance will be very good with a properly batch tested lubed bullet.
The copper washed stuff is generally sold in bulk and so the casing tolerances etc will not even allow its use in a highest quality .22 rifle- ask me how I know. I've also been told it's foolish to get involved with copper fouling for using stuff that won't even shoot properly- I don't doubt that. The big advantage of copper wash is that it should prevent oxidization of the lead in bullets you're intending to keep for a period of many years, as in ammo hoarding. It's true the lube applied to 22 ammo is probably going to do that anyway, but a while ago I did come across some whitish .22 rounds from my childhood in the Pleistocene that wouldn't even chamber, and don't even ask about old unlubed air rifle pellets.
The reason I asked is because I just put together a .22 lr PRS style rifle. I used the Bergara B14r action with an IBI pre-fit barrel sitting in a Cadex stock. I just got it put together in the last week or so, and have been testing different types of SK and Lapua ammo. But I've got between 500-600 rounds of copper washed ammo that are in clear plastic boxes of 50 that are labeled " .22 ball DND". I was hoping to use just for plinking , but was unsure if they would cause any issues with the barrel. I'm aware that it's a good idea to " condition or season " the barrel by shooting foulers before group testing each ammo. But after reading the comments on here, plus speaking with Marco from IBI, accuracy seems to be the only issue and not ' barrel damage '.Thanks for all your help and comments.
By all means plink away- BUT make sure you are ready for some cleaning and a bunch of settlers when you switch back. Like- 20- 50 settlers wouldn't be crazy. My lilja barrel takes a bunch of shots to settle after getting cleaned.
The process is the same as plating, just not as long resulting in a thinner application of the metal.
Your ammo, originally paid for by the Department of National Defence, is probably CIL Imperial .22LR HV ammo. It won't cause any issues other than not being especially accurate.
