Platted Lead Shot - Copper & Nickel
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Yes. Plated shot is just lead shot with a thin coating of copper or nickel on it. If lead works in your reloader, lead plated should work the same.
My opinion only. It's a waste of money unless you get truly "plated" shot and not "copper washed" which is just cosmetic.
It's discussed in this article.
Understanding Lead Shot Quality: Part 2
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One more thing, in case you weren't already aware. Given that this is a forum for trap shooting, primarily; Plated shot is not legal for ATA Trap shooting.
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yes I am aware of the rules. this is for "porch" loads or game loads.
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Plated lead shot is useful/desirable in hunting loads because it seems to pick up fewer feathers.
As I understand it, Precision Reloading sells the only plated lead shot currently available, that is hard shot.
The beautiful looking nickel plated shot that I have is relatively soft.
As I understand it, Precision Reloading sells the only plated lead shot currently available, that is hard shot.
The beautiful looking nickel plated shot that I have is relatively soft.
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I tested some Eagle brand plated shot a while back. Lead, copper plated, and nickle plated number 5's. All soft.
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I think you're right. And whether it patterns well or not all depends on the hardness of the lead shot it's plated onto.
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You might consider buffered loads. I think you'll get the tightest patterns out of those. Better than plated. But I think it's a pain in the neck to reload and you have to carefully weigh the buffer powder as well as the shot so you're not over weight.
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I have been using the Precision copper plated for a number of years and have been happy with it. But, I have been still working from a supply I bought a while ago (maybe 3 to 5 years ago), so it is possible that it has changed.
The main reason I started using it was an ego thing. When we are processing the birds at the end of a hunt with my buddies I clearly know which ones I shot.. I know - kinda lame...
The main reason I started using it was an ego thing. When we are processing the birds at the end of a hunt with my buddies I clearly know which ones I shot.. I know - kinda lame...
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Tim, did/have you ever tested any of the other manufactures of plated shot such as Lawrence shot as you did Eagle? We all know Eagle shot is softest out there anyhow so for you to find their plated to be soft as well is really not much of a surprise.
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I'll check my notebook. It just so happens that I have some Remington STS Number 5 shot, so I will test it tonight to see how it performs.
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Sorry guys, this will have to wait. I will not be able to do it tonight. I had a pellet spill disaster of epic proportions.
Do they happen any other way?
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Eh, not bad. Still can see the table yet!!! Shop vac time. Glad to see the cookie sheet idea. They are life n time savers for sure!!! And l add that green rubber shelf mat inside mine also.Usually, not this bad.![]()
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The only hard round copper plated shot you can get is inside some Wichester hunting loads. All the rest is copper washed, not plated, and not worth using.
Ballistic Products sells soft, dented Nickel plated shot. Precision Reloading takes good, hard, round shot and sends it out for Nickel plating. IMO it is worth the money. I prefer Nickel plated shot for bird hunting because it draws almost no feathers. Because of that, it penetrates deeper and you can use one shot size smaller.
Ballistic Products sells soft, dented Nickel plated shot. Precision Reloading takes good, hard, round shot and sends it out for Nickel plating. IMO it is worth the money. I prefer Nickel plated shot for bird hunting because it draws almost no feathers. Because of that, it penetrates deeper and you can use one shot size smaller.
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Yes, BP does make some great nickel plated shot. I use it in my Back-up, porch, Annie Oakley shells. Expensive, but worth it for you only shoot a few at a time.
I've still got 4 bags of old Winchester nickle plated 7 1/2 and all I notice is when you shoot it under lights you can see flakes of nickel floating. From my limited experience patterning, as Tim said buffered shot is the way to go. JUST FOLLOW THE DATA!! You have to account for the added weight. Ballistic products or precision reloading has buffering and loading information.
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I got my spill cleaned up...mostly.
This is a post from a while back:
nitro27man and jmac_cope sent me some number 4 and 5 pellets to see how hard they are.
jmac_cope sent a sample of pellets out of a Fiocchi Golden Pheasant cartridge, as well as some bagged Lawrence, and Ballistic Products pellets.
nito27man sent me some pellets out of a Remington Nitro Pheasant cartridge
Ten pellets of each type were tested, measuring the pellet diameter before crushing, and how much the pellet flattened after crushing.
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant Number 4 Nickel Plated
- Average diameter before crushing: 0.128" (this falls within the criteria for Number 4 shot)
- Average crush: 0.023"
Ballistic Products Bagged Number 5 Nickel Plated
- Average diameter before crushing: 0.118" (this falls within the criteria for Number 5 shot)
- Average crush: 0.022"
This Ballistic Products shot was by far the LEAST spherical. It was very inconsistently sized and there were flat spots all over on the pellets.
Lawrence Bagged Number 5 Copper Plated
- Average diameter before crushing: 0.116" (a bit small but still falls within the criteria for Number 5 shot)
- Average crush: 0.021"
Remington Nitro Pheasant Number 5 Copper Plated
- Average diameter before crushing: 0.117" (falls within the criteria for Number 5 shot)
- Average crush: 0.017"
Much harder than the other three brands tested. If I had to choose among the four, this would be the one I would choose.
Note, the Remington shot is obviously just "copper washed" since Scott sent it to me folded in a piece of cardboard which was taped shut, and the tape pulled most of the copper off the pellets so they essentially looked like lead pellets with some copper flakes stuck to them.
For the good of the sport!!!
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