Plated bullets for hunting

[DGrig]

Don't flame me here, but I am wondering if anyone has tried copper plated bullets (not jacketed) for hunting.  I am talking about the 240 gr FP which have a similar profile to a SWC cast.  I have loaded and tried a couple hundred plated bullets of this type with good accuracy at around 1100 fps. out of my SRH with 9 1/2" barrell.  Now I have seen reviews of plated bullets that are not flattering, but the poor performace is usually due to loading too hot or over crimping.  Will a plated give a good destructive pass-through as a cast would? 

[palgeno]

The only plated bullets for 44 magnum I have used are Rainier---soft lead inside---they will not penetrate like a hard cast bullet. For pigs,etc don't use them. If penetration is what you want from these soft bullets, use them on a raccoon or some such small game---but there are better bullets and calibers for small game. Gene

[timothy]

Thats suprising to hear, I know they wont cut a hole like a swc but always figured fmj was the king of penetration. If they're soft and flatten on impact it seems they might be a good choice for deer giving performance similar to jsp.

[DGrig]

Don't confuse plated with FMJ.  They are electro plated so the copper is super thin.  They are often billed as good practice bullets--especially in indoor ranges where lead vapor presents a health hazard.  I know a guy who builds indoor ranges and the ventilation on new indoor ranges is extreme to control the lead levels in the air.  But I wanted to ask the Q re:hunting with these bullets.  I also use the Ranier and wanted to also try the Berry.  They are soft.  They might have a good market for a harder alloy for hunting.  With the plated there is also no risk of lead fouling.  Thoughts...

[Lloyd Smale]

never tried them for killing anything. There not designed to be hunting bullets but i dont see why they wouldnt work on smaller thin skinned game like maybe a smaller deer.

[Catfish]

  I have some of the plated bullets that are HP`s. They are in .500 S&W, 325 gr. and I carried them 1 day this deer season but did not get to try them. They are very cheap compaired to other .500 bullets and the accuracy is good enough for deer out to 100 yrds. or so. For deer I want a bullet that will expand. I have loaded the Serria 240 gr. HP bullet for years for deer and would guess that there have been 25 to 30 deer taken with my load. In all of those deer there was only 1 bullet recovered. It was from a nice 10 buck that was shot in the left rear quarter at abt. 135 yeds. The bullet was recovered just under the skin of the right frount shoulder. Even at that range it had expanded to abt twice it dia. The verloity was around 1,250 fps.
   The plated bullets I have seen with a flat point have all had a True Cone point, I think they call it, and they witll not cut a hole like the Keith style bullets. I really would want they to expand for better preformance on deer.