Copper coated rounds in a match barrel.

[Mythbuster]

I am aware that no match grade .22 ammo has copper coated bullets. I also notice a few of the guys who shoot high dollar rifles will not allow even one round of copper to be fired in their rifles. I understand that it would be sort of foolish to shoot junk ammo in a three thousand rifle but would it actually hurt anything?

 

[1813Benny]

I am aware that no match grade .22 ammo has copper coated bullets. I also notice a few of the guys who shoot high dollar rifles will not allow even one round of copper to be fired in their rifles. I understand that it would be sort of foolish to shoot junk ammo in a three thousand rifle but would it actually hurt anything?

“Hurt”. Probably not. As long as the copper does not deposit no big deal (and shouldn’t as it’s only there as a form of lube and VERY thin unlike a CF jacketed bullet).

The hurt would come after putting an ice pick into both eyes to make sure I never saw copper washed ammo in a match rifle again....

 

[alamo5000]

I am aware that no match grade .22 ammo has copper coated bullets. I also notice a few of the guys who shoot high dollar rifles will not allow even one round of copper to be fired in their rifles. I understand that it would be sort of foolish to shoot junk ammo in a three thousand rifle but would it actually hurt anything?

I don't think in a normal shooting situation 'hurt' is the right word to use. I definitely do not think it will harm your gun or it's components in any way unless you are using something like corrosive ammo or whatever.

What my experience is though in rifle calibers and to a lesser degree rimfire as well, is that when you switch up components you need to allow your barrel time to settle in with those said components. Say for example if you switch bullet brands or shoot different types of powder it can and in many cases does cause a short term loss of accuracy.

If you are trying to shoot one hole groups this matters. If you are shooting cans in the back yard, not so much.

I have one rifle that I have only (for 99% of the time) shot one type of bullet and load through since I've owned it. I got it shooting well and have a nice load for that gun. If I were to say try to work up a different load or just shoot some store bought ammo because friends are coming over to have fun I would either need to clean my gun really well after I am done and after that foul my barrel again with the good stuff. It might take 5 rounds or it might take 10 rounds but it will settle back in (at least in my limited experience).

I know you are talking about rimfire but the same basic concepts apply. Once you get into a sweet spot where the gun is shooting great with a good load shooting junk ammo can mess up your groups when you go back to the good stuff. Again I want to stress that this is in most cases a temporary thing but it's one that people in competitive circles generally don't want to deal with.

 

[chevy_man]

They're washed, not plated or jacketed. There's not enough copper there to do anything.


Shoot away, it'll be fine. If you want to get really picky clean it with copper cleaner and re-foul before any matches.

 

[justin amateur]

Copper washed 22lr has no effect on my Lilja.
It has a hard paraffin lubricant coating the copper
and is not traveling at centerfire velocities.
Visual inspection after use with a borescope shows no copper deposits.
The only problem I have with copper washed 22lr
is how poorly those cartridges are made.
Bullets are already beat up from the assembly line
and muzzle velocities are not consistent.
It's bulk rimfire ammo.

 

[Mythbuster]

Obviously the copper coating is not good for accuracy or the good match grade ammo would have it.

 

[grauhanen]

Whether copper is not good for accuracy -- its presence probably has no bearing on it -- is probably less relevant than its lack of usefulness on match grade ammo. Copper plating was introduced in about 1927. While it has lubrication, it was promoted as "greaseless" and "non-lubricated" ammo which would not leave grease on fingers or pick up lint or dirt from pockets, yet still prevent leading in the bore. For these reasons it was attractive to hunters and plinkers. It's been used on ammo made for these purposes, which doesn't require match ammo accuracy, and which is less expensive than match ammo.

According to George Frost in his book on ammunition making, paraffin is not itself a good bullet lubricant, having a tendency not to stick to the bullet surface. The lubricant used on copper plated ammo is applied by dipping the bullet in the lubricant or by using a solution with a solvent that dries away. While the match ammo makers don't use the same lubricants, they are typically more lubricious than hunting and plinking ammo lube because that quality contributes to greater accuracy.