What brand bullets do you guys use?

[EMC45]

Cheaper with .38 and .32 S&W-L.

 

[themayor]

For 9's I use Bullseye powder with X-treme 124 gr HP from tjconevera. I do most of my loads at 4.1. The range is 3.9 to 4.3 on the bullseye powder but I like 4.1 the best.

 

[ngcsugrad09]

I'll just start by saying buy in bulk.

I love Montana Gold bullets, and if you buy by the case it becomes very affordable. An alternative I've been using are the Black Bullet International bullets, although they are moving right now. Another alternative is Precision Bullets. They're very affordable, and much less messy than cast bullets.

For powder, I've always been a fan of Solo 1000 and Titegroup. The Solo 1000 is a pretty awesome powder to play with as it is clean, has a nice recoil impulse and fills the case with a reasonable amount of powder.. ie my 9mm loads are around the 4 grain range for a full case. If you're going to shoot cast bullets, avoid Titegroup and Bullseye. It'll look like you're shooting a black powder gun. That was one of the reasons I went to the Solo 1000, was it burns cooler than most other powders, and has less smoke with moly or cast bullets.

 

[JHV2]

I recommend GA arms cast bullets for .38, 44 and 45 revolvers.
Many combinations and loads available in front of Bullseye and Unique
I have not been able to constantly beat their price.
http://georgia-arms.com/lead%20bullets.pdf

 

[EMC45]

I do agree that Bullseye will smoke with cast bullets. I personally think that has more to do with lube though. To be honest I think all of Alliant's pistol powder (Dots, 2400, Unique, Bullseye) is pretty dirty and smoky. When I get done shooting autos they smell like a house fire. Full of carbon and soot too. Titegroup is good, as is 700X (meters badly though), W231 is a nice one too.

 

[Chuckdog]

I use mostly Hornady jacketed bullets in my defensive pistols. I shoot only cast lead in my target pistols. At target velocities, there are no real drawbacks to the cast bullets, with one exception. Most cast bullets a sized on average .001" over spec. This can cause some chambering issues with really tight chambers.

One thing I stress to folks who shoot both jacketed and cast is to clean well between bullets types. These metals will cling to one another in your bore if you mix and match. If you remember not to mix your cast and jacketed you can shoot them both without issue.

I can usually buy Hornady bullets about as cheap as the plated stuff. I watch Cabelas for sales. At times they run stuff way below cost, if you combine a coupon, you can get some good buys. I buy from everywhere though. I really like the XTP hollow points from Hornady in my defensive pistols. I use them in 9mm, 38/.357 .40, .44, .45 acp & Colt, and maybe a few others I've forgotten. They shoot for me.

As for cast, the Ga. Arms bullets work great for me. They're very competitive on price too. Check their FMJ prices too.

I like Universal Clays powder for my everyday loads. The slower powders give a little better top end performance. ACC #7, and Longshot are my favorites for high power loads. The Universal Clays is just a great all around powder that burns clean and meters very well.

 

[RamRoddoc]

http://www.rozedist.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=RZD&Category_Code=ZJB
38 Special (.357 Diameter) - 110 GR JHP
Price: $98.00/1K

9MM (.355) Diameter) - 115 GR FMJ
Price: $101.40

40 S&W (.400 Diameter) - 165 GR TCFM
Price: $121.25

45 Acp (.451 Diameter) - 230 GR FMJ
Price: $125.00

http://www.precisiondelta.com/product.php?indx=5
9mm Luger Grains: 115gr
Unit Price: $82.00 per 1000 (Price Includes Shipping)

Caliber: 40 S&W Grains: 165gr
Unit Price: $120.00 per 1000 (Price Includes Shipping)

Caliber: 45 Auto Grains: 230gr
Unit Price: $130.00 per 1000 (Price Includes Shipping)

http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=9
Also discounts for Law Enforcement & Military Personnel (active and retired) are available upon request
Bulk packs are reduced price then if LEO/Military add further discount. Shipping was free if you ordered 2K of bullets.

All lead cast bullets.
115 Grain 9MM RN
$118.00 for 2000 ($59/1000)

125 Grain TCFP, .358 Diameter/.38 Special
$118.00 for 2000 ($59/1000)

.40 S&W/10mm, 140 Grain TCFP
$128.00 for 2000 ($64/1000)

.45 ACP
185 Grain SWC Flat-Base
$77 for 1000

I never understood why anyone would pay the same or more for a plated bullet than a copper jacketed one? Plated bullets have velocity restrictions/limitations.

You can shoot copper jacketed/plated in all pistols. Lead may not be fired in specific pistols (HK P7) and often is not recommended to be shot through polygonal rifling. Copper jacketed is best when pushing towards maximum loadings.

Lead is great to shoot through most barrels at mild to moderate loadings. Push a cast lead bullet too hard and the lead deposits on the bore (fouling) which accumulate and make for poor accuracy. That is a royal pain to remove during bore cleaning.

Many decent ball type powders exist. They tend to flow and meter well in most reloading measures. Last couple of years for pistol I have been using Accurate Arms due to cost, economy, metering properties and burn characteristics. I gave up on flake pistol type powders over 20 years ago. AA#2 is one of their fastest powders. I can use it in 9mm to .45 ACP for mild target loadings and it's very economical. AA#2 doesn't seem to work well in my 9mm Glocks or really any fast burning powder. For the 9mm Glocks I go to a 124 gr bullet and a slower powder like AA#5 or better AA#7.

For near maximum loads I'll grab a slower powder which is not as efficient but much safer due to the slower peak power spike. Caution with .40 S&W loadings as this is one that is already fairly hot as is. It has less metal surrounding it than a 9mm. I stay well within the lower limits on this one.

 

[Rush_Fan]

I use Missouri Bullets for cast lead loads, especially 158 grain LSWC for .38 Special and sometimes 230 gr, RNL .45 and 125 gr 9mm.

For FMJ, I like Precision Delta. Shipping is included in the price.

 

[FredAlert]

Unless I'm loading plinkers or 77gr 5.56 the only thing I load are hornady bullets across the board.

 

[Evan Fletcher]

I've just started reloading and I'm using Xtreme Bullets and Win 231... From what I understand, Xtreme bullets are copper plated but done very thickly so you load them to specs similar to a jacketed bullet. Also, I've been informed that Win 231 is fairly forgiving and good to start on, but it does seem a bit dirty. I'm looking at Accurate Arms #5 next run, or something similar.

I got 500 .45 acp FP bullets for $52.00 to my door!