Powder Coating

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  • Last Post 17 July 2014
Chargar posted this 07 June 2014

As I look around the web, the powder coaters seems to be taking over the world. I will admit to being regressive, old school, resistant to change and all of the other pejoratives thrown at old fuds but this stuff gives me the creeps. From what I can gather, they seem to feel it is a  time saver, plus gives them pretty colored bullets. So is there something to this, other than some kind of fad?

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tturner53 posted this 07 June 2014

I know what you mean. I've deliberately avoided learning anything at all about powder coating bullets. Might be great for all I know, haven't the foggiest. I am like you, resistant to change or anything new.

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Tech posted this 08 June 2014

No fowling shot No leading Softer lead Temperature insensitive Reduced lead exposure Lasts forever Easy processing I would avoid it at all costs or come over to the candy coated side never look back.

As a side note this is the group with the knowledge, fortitude and time to truly explore the envelope of a new technology. Jump in the water is fine.

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JSH posted this 08 June 2014

I will watch from the side lines. Not that long ago moly was going to cure all of the ills and make all guns shoot through the same hole. I suspect once the new wears off it will calm some. Then again the exact opposite could happen. I know what works for me now and I am very happy with the end results on paper, steel plates and live critters. Time, seems it is all about the time? My grandpa used to say, ” the hurrier I go the more behinder I get". Jeff

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RicinYakima posted this 08 June 2014

Tech,

If I send you 25 of my best castings, will you powder coat them? Then I will shoot against 25 traditional bullets. One 25 shot group each.

Ric

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Tech posted this 08 June 2014

Jeff Don't drag the grand parents into this, my grandfather could get a chicken bone so clean that the dog would shake his head in disgust and walk off. Seriously though my wife can burn through several thousand rounds of 9mm per year. I don't send her to the range with bare lead because I don't know how well she protects herself from the lead. Nor am I there to make sure that her gun isn't loading up. powder coating is an easy way to solve that problem. My son has a 45 that really likes to lead. With powder coat it's not a problem. If I go to the range and someone wants to run a few of my rounds I like the safety margins on powder coated stuff a lot better. It is great in a pistol and it has the potential to work well in a rifle. You can definitely push it harder.

Ric I don't really want to do 25 but I'll do 2-300 for you. It is about the same amount of time and materials. They will probably be the slipperiest thing you have put down the barrel so you will probably need to up the powder just to get similar velocities. UPS or USPS flat rate is easy on my end

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 08 June 2014

hey ric, if you do this i will send you $20 for postage.

cheap education, i figger.

pm me if

ken

maybe cheap entertainment ( g )

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John Alexander posted this 08 June 2014

What does it take to try powder coating.  Where do I get the materials, equipment, and instructions? John

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Chargar posted this 08 June 2014

None of those listed advantages are problems or concerns of mine. However I will keep my eyes and mind open. It seems to me folks are trying to produce spray on bullet jackets, and just cast the cores. 

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Maven posted this 08 June 2014

John, There's a wealth of information about powder coating on the Cast Boolits site:  http://castboolits.gunloads.comdisplay.php?184-Coatings-and-Alternatives>http://castboolits.gunloads.comdisplay.php?184-Coatings-and-Alternatives  Some of the Stickys (sic) look promising as well:

"Powder Coating 101...."

"$10 Epoxy Coat...."

"Rangefinder's PC Tumbler Method...."

 

Hope this is helpful!

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gpidaho posted this 08 June 2014

Ive started powder coating bullets and to my mind here is some pros and cons. On the plus side, no more bumping,beagling, or reaming out a mould that drops to small for your needs. Coat to desired girth and size with Lee push through die.  A pound of powder coats a lot of bullets. Bullets c an be stored indefinitely with no special care, no lube to dry out. Used in gas guns no lube or errant lead to gum up the works. May be a good way to shoot soft lead for hunting bullets without leading. No exposed lead for indoor ranges.  Unknowns ( to me ) What twenty minute soaks does as to annealing different alloys,Whether water dropping hurts or helps. Does water dropping make the coating brittle?  Potential problems I see are you may unbalance a bullet by having more coating on one side than the other, the old washing machine wobble.   Unknown abrasiveness of some of the powrers. Ive been doing this just long enough to start getting some pretty nice bullets , its like casting the more you do it the better they look. Like Tech said try it you just might like it.   GP

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Larry Gibson posted this 08 June 2014

I did a test of some PC'd & HT'd 225428s in the .223 out of a 12” AR and some 314299s in a Russian Sniper 7.62x54R and that test is posted on the PC forum at the Cast Boolit Forum. Also recently I have tested some 200 gr .45 cal bullets in my M1911 and 45 Colt revolver.

While I see some potential to PCing I don't think there is sufficient advantage for my uses to convert. I did have some fouling (wasn't leading so I assume it was the PC) and accuracy wasn't as good as claimed at 2500 - 2800 fps in the AR or in the Russian Sniper. I found that lubing the bullets with regular bullet lube (I used 2500+, Tamarack or Javelina - don't remember which) made seating the bullets more uniform, gave better accuracy and none of the fouling. The accuracy, while not nearly as good as with non PC'd cast bullets, was still very useable for casual shooting.

Recently with some PC'd 452-200-RFFs I also found some fouling buildup, particularly in the Uberti 45 Colt revolver. I found the PC'd bullets to be very useable for a lot of shooting where real accuracy is not a requirement such as in CBA, casual shooting and rock blasting. As with the rifle bullets I found lubing the bullets (BAC this time) increased accuracy and reduced the fouling to zero.

As mentioned I do see a lot of potential but so far have not seen any advantage for me and my shooting to switch to PC'd bullets. I am keeping a close eye on it thought and when/if PCing proves advantageous I will certainly use it. But for now I still use bullet lube.

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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gpidaho posted this 08 June 2014

I don't see the BR crowd getting much out of this. But for us plate banging, gong ringing, beer can ventilating rednecks its great. Like Cargar said a spray on jacket over cores. Home made to your own specs.   GP

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Tech posted this 08 June 2014

the current state of the art to my knowledge is at the cowboy action / high volume shooter zone (great payback small investment) but I don't know that it won't wind up at the BR level. With PC specific molds and possibly some innovative coating techniques it has lots of potential. Will your years of experience dialing in your current formulas be immediately obsoleted lets hope not. It has already found several niches that it performs well in. I believe that it will also find a home at the high end of the performance scale with a little help from gentlemen such as yourselves. This and a pound of red is a great start. http://www.harborfreight.com/10-30-psi-powder-coating-system-94244.html

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gpidaho posted this 08 June 2014

Okay one more thought about this and Ill shutup this being in response to a couple E-Mails from friends. A common misconception is that we are on some kind of Hillbilly easter egg hunt. As with bore cleaners and bullet lubes when it comes to colors some simply work better than others. Some cover better and provide a smoother coat. As with any product it takes some experimenting. I don't care if its Red, Black, or Green, I just want a nice thin slick finish. I use Cardinal powders as that's what the local paint shops use. I can buy this from them pretty cheep.( Six dollars a big red kegger cup ) I use the shake and bake method as there is no wasted powder and it works pretty well for a minimum investment. As with lead consider anything used in this process contaminated and use proper precautions. GP 

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RicinYakima posted this 08 June 2014

Gentlemen,

Tech and I have been corresponding off line, and may be working up an experiment. I have a rifle with 20 years of data and experience shooting, and he will do the coating and help designing what issues to test. More information at the end of the month. I've got to go shoot the MR nationals next week.

Ric

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Chargar posted this 09 June 2014

I am looking forward to the result of the testing. It should provide a good evaluation of the value or lack of value of powder coating. Thus far, I have no seen, heard or read of any virtues of powder coating that make me want to consider it. But, I remain open to new information.

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delmarskid1 posted this 12 June 2014

The Facebook Cast Bullets and Bullet Casting page has a lot to say about powder coating bullets. I am interested in knowing more about it for some applications. I'm a freak. I like mixing lubes and stomping bullets through my machine. I've run piercing and punching presses and it kind of gets me going.

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Tech posted this 15 July 2014

John's first batch is out of the oven. They may get lost in the mail!

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Duke M posted this 16 July 2014

If we don't keep an open mind about innovation, how will progress ever be made? On the other hand, I believe I'll let progress pass me by thank you.

Duke

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DR Owl Creek posted this 16 July 2014

I can see some legitimate uses for coated handgun bullets, other than simply having to have that certain shade of “jomby green". One such example would be for someone using a progressive press with an automated bullet feeder, where sticky lubes could really gum-up the works. I use a progressive press for a lot of my handgun loads, but I don't use a bullet feeder, so that isn't an issue for me.

For rifle loads, I think the jury is still out on whether or not coated bullets are any advantage at all. Before you spend a lot of time reading dozens of threads, with literally hundreds of pages of Martha Stewart “how to” stuff, I would suggest reading this thread first to see the type of results most people are getting with coated rifle bullets. See: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?220557-Real-Accuracy-(2-moa-or-less)-with-Coated-Rifle-Bullets-at-1800-fps-or-greater>http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?220557-Real-Accuracy-(2-moa-or-less)-with-Coated-Rifle-Bullets-at-1800-fps-or-greater

Dave

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