Powder coating

[Casull]

Finally decided to try my hand at powder coating.  Here's my first test batch.  Some 315 gn gc fp and some 200 gn rnfp.  Cast these a couple of years ago (several hundred) but have not loaded or shot any yet.  Just need to size them and then try some loads in my Rossi R92 .44 mag.

[Land_Owner]

They looked good until I got to 400X and everything went blurry.  Go figure.  Still they should fire OK.  Just size to fit 0.001" to 0.002" wider than your measured interference fit groove diameter, load starting a minimum or further of 10% below book value for a similar WEIGHT jacketed bullet,  shoot an increasing ladder load test of 3-rounds minimum per target per test watching for over pressure signs, and keep copious notes and all targets for further reflection. 

I shot some Lee aluminum mold, lead alloy, 55 grain, 12 BHN, Baiter boolits from below to approaching maximum jacketed book velocity and was doing OK with results until the  boolits stopped hitting the 4' x 4' white background at 100-yards where the 8.5"x 11" target was stapled in the middle. It took me by surprise and another minute to ascertain the boolits were evaporating against the wall of air friction within 20 yards of the muzzle. Too soft, too fast, but not high pressure.

Still, approaching 85% of jacketed maximum, and well above traditional lubed lead alloy velocity, I will likely find an acceptable "55 grain pill" accuracy for that barrel in the ladder load data. I also purchased some Rotometals hard alloy for increasing my alloy's BHN. Then I will have an accurate traditional lubed soft lead alloy velocity, a single and maybe multiple powder coated hard lead alloy accuracy velocities, and copper jacketed bullet velocities for that barrel.  I'll probaly never buy another jacketed bullet for it again.

Works for me.  Good luck.

[Casull]

They are very hard alloy.  I'd have to look at my notes (been a couple of years), but I believe they were at or above 22 BHN.  Mixture of pure lead and type lead.  I forget the nomenclature, but not linotype, the next harder one.  I bought the type lead from a printer that had gone out of business.  Still have about one hundred pounds of it.  I figure to use the 200 grain for light loads and the 315's with gas checks for heavy hunting loads.  I've got several hundred cast and about 250 lbs of pure lead and type lead for future casting.

[AtlLaw]

When you PC GC bullets, do you (can you) put gas checks on them? 

[Lloyd Smale]

yes. there not needed for leading but as typical gas checked bullets for the most part are more accurate and accuracy goes to hell usually when you leave then off

When you PC GC bullets, do you (can you) put gas checks on them? 

[Land_Owner]

They are very hard alloy.  I'd have to look at my notes (been a couple of years), but I believe they were at or above 22 BHN.

Retail boolit casters make their lead HARD to preclude the warehouse apes from tossing packages around, which would otherwise damage the contents.  Soft ductile lead boolits would be rendered unusable / undesirable before reaching the customer.  There is no sense in making perfectly formed soft lead alloy boolits if shipping is going to ruin them.


In order to get what we want, we cast our own.

[Casull]

I wanted them hard for penetration. 

[Dee]

I've never done any powder coating on bullets, but have molded, resized, and loaded many thousands. I'm just talkin, but I think I'd of run'em through a resizer before powder coating. Did I miss sumthin, or is my thinkin wrong?

[Casull]

Only issue for sizing first is that they then need to be cleaned because of lube contamination.  Powder coat first and then size and no cleaning required.  Oh, there would be one other issue if you coat after sizing.  You'd have to size again due to the additional thickness of the powder coat.