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Posted: 10/18/2009 3:10:04 PM EDT
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I was recently given a quart bag of 38 special bullets with no identification. The individual that gave them to me had no knowledge of what was in the bag either. Here's my quandry, these bullets weigh in at 125 gr but the load data is different depending on the surface. How can I determine which they are jacketed or plated?
Thx |
. Using an exacto knife I can't get to lead and I've gone in a bit. Looks like jacketed. Many thanks.
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Plated bullets are much softer. They can be easily dented with a thumbnail or by dropping, hence they usually have a peened appearance. The jackets are pure copper and are dead soft as well as 0.001" thick or thinner. Jacketed bullets have swaged jackets and as such, the copper alloy becomes work hardened. |
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TMJs are not as common as FMJs so I would say the majority of jacketed pistol bullets have exposed lead on the base while the majority of plated bullets are not exposed on the base due to how it is plated.
Of course you could drop it on concrete like the others have said. |
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