I have an old box of Winchester .45 Colt ammo loaded with copper washed bullets. I believe that winchester called this "lube alloy". The copper wash is a very thin plating copper on a lead bullet. This is not to be confused with electroplated bullets. those have a fairly thick plating. The copper wash is so thin that you can see the base metal through the layer of copper.

Is this a thin electroplate or is it applied by some other means?
When were bullets were first copper washed?
Does anyone sell copper washed bullets?

Copper washed boolits are no better than solid lead boolits, unless that wash is indeed thick enough to be held on its own merits by the lands. So, lets assume these 22 lubaloys, or whatever, are just for looks. I see they lay copper down in a 22LR barrel with ease, and it takes quite a few shots of regular lead to get rid of the copper wash. One the other hand, thougth, and this is important, shooting various brands of boolits down a 22LR barrel is good for the chamber in that there is enough variation in the fit of these rounds so as not to wear in a chamber in a bad way. This logic is for average chamber jobs, not match select job made for a certain boolit shape. ... felix

That is to say, if you have to index a round to get small groups, do so only when the small groups are actually required (to win a money match, for example). Indexing will wear the chamber out-of-round, if indeed it is round to begin with. If it is not, random orientation of rounds will serve to help make the chamber round. ... felix

Felix,

Someone on the Cast Boolit board was going to try to electroplate some cast bullets with copper and let us know how they performed. He bought the needed chemicals. If the shoot good the only difference I see in those over condoms is that they are probably easier and cheaper to make. Don't need the jacket or copper tubing, the wire or core caster, and most of all the way too expensive dies and press for them. Kinda getting to where blackpowder is trying to head to and that is someone always looking for an easier way out of things. A true blackpowder shooter don't mine cleaning his gun, one that isn't hates the chore. The only time I ever concidered making jacketed bullets was when I wanted a set of those Corbin dies to transform spent 22 casings into explosive bullets for varmint hunting. I just couldn't see the high price of the dies.

Joe