.223 TulAmmo... steel jacket?

[idek]

I bought some .223 TulAmmo for the first time. Pictures online show copper colored bullets, and the descriptions mention "bimetal"--basically a steel jacket with a thin layer of copper over it.

But what I got has bullets that are not copper colored. They look more nickel colored. Does anyone have any experience with these, and could you explain why they are different than everything I see online?

I'd just like to know a little more about the ammo before I put it through my gun.

 

[doofus47]

Sounds odd, like the copper wash came off. Does a magnet stick to the bullet?
A photo would help.

 

[idek]

Think I found my answer...

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/AMM-2913-100?td_source=fbt

The description reads, "TulAmmo is converting from a Bimetal Jacketed projectile to a Zinc Coated projectile. Zinc coating is a chemical method of surface treatment (galvanizing) which gives the bullet jacket a more uniform and consistent protective layer than that of machine-stamped bimetal bullet jackets. Thanks to this, cartridges with zinc-coated bullets provide up to 10-15% better shooting accuracy than cartridges with bimetal bullets."

And yes, a magnet sticks to them.

Any metallurgists out there who can weigh in on whether this zinc stuff is a good idea?

 

[chris in va]

So basically it's still steel jacketed but now has a galvanized zinc wash instead of copper.

 

[Ibmikey]

Let us know how your Ruskie steel case works for you, i like many others, are so against steel case ammo in AR's ( Assumption is an AR because of the caliber ammo listed) that there is no objectivity left and so I would leave you with "ya deserve what you get with that stuff". Now if that does not spark the brass vs steel issue I don't know what will. Sometimes forums need a little fun too.

 

[O4L]

Care to 'splain why steel cased is bad for my AR?

 

[Model12Win]

10-15% better accuracy.... RIGHT.

I am sure they are doing it for cost reasons, and cost reasons alone.

 

[T. O'Heir]

Doubt the type of metal in a bimetal jacket matters. Tula is still cheap, steel jacketed, FMJ ammo.
"...why steel cased is bad for my AR..." Keep in mind that Cheaper than Dirt is a major retailer, but it's mostly a myth. A net search for 'why steel cased is bad for my AR' turns up 650,000 responses.
http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/shooting-steel-cased-ammunition-in-your-ar-15/

 

[Phoenix54c]

Care to 'splain why steel cased is bad for my AR?

These guys performed a pretty academic case study on the performance of steel-cased ammo vs brass. It's a good read if you haven't already flipped through it.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

But what I got has bullets that are not copper colored...

I recently saw something called "Golden Bear" on one of the big ammo retailer websites. It's brass-coated steel or some such thing. I wonder whether it outperforms other steel ammo in any way.

 

[dakota.potts]

From my understanding, Zinc is relatively cheap, corrosion resistant, and soft enough to be kind on the rifling of the gun it's shot out of.

I have some stuff I picked up at Academy that's zinc plated steel cases, but I don't have any where the bullet itself is coated. I have seen nickel plated .45 ACP ammo before that claimed to increase the "lubricity" of the round and therefore increase the muzzle velocity.