Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Powder coating ?

What is the deal? Stops leading More velocity ? How difficult to do ? Better than Moly ?

Its easy. Tutorial on here somewhere. miles

Powder coating is rapidly overtaking (if it didn't already) traditionally lubed bullets and I can push bullets faster with no leading. Especially for rifle. I know some will say they can do the same with lubed bullets but that takes more experimenting. All you need to get started is a thrift store toaster oven, and old ice cream container and some scrounged trays or grates.

Look on the castboolits web site for all you need to know.

Moly? That was so 90's.......

Yes, can't say from my own experience, not difficult (fairly short learning curve), yes.

In one of the many threads on this subject, powder coating vs. traditional lube was compared to fuel injection vs. traditional carburetors.

Much less smoke although fired PC bullets have a distinct stink all their own, bullets are cleaner to handle, I find it easier and quicker to do, and I'm getting better accuracy. That last phrase may invoke some response and for full disclosure I'm only PC'ing my .38/357 bullets. However, in side by side testing with controlled variables my PC bullets grouped better every time.

Better grouping with powder coating - short survey

Here's a pretty good thread on how to do it.

Powder coating quick and easy

I've proven consistently accurate results and zero leading at 2800fps from my cast gas-checked 309-170 Lee mold stuffed in 308 win hulls, and fired from a 26" target barrel. The only Caveat is that I make my own bullet lube from beeswax, hoglard, avocado oil and a little of the black lyman stick lube. Making my own lube is easy.

I have done any terminal tests with my cast lead at 2800fps, but am sure It would be dramatic. I'll have to pull out a stack of computer paper and test sometime.

I’ve only PC’ed pistol bullets.

I’ve had decent luck with it. Can’t tell a big difference in accuracy, bullets are easier to handle and there’s no wiping off the bases. I’d say I have as much time per bullet involved with one as the other, but it may just be my process.

I’ve not really delved into actual accuracy/velocity differences with PC/Lube being the only variable.

One big difference is entry cost. Just a toaster oven, Lee sized dies, and some powder. I also use silicone ice cube trays.

No lubri-sizer or lube dies necessary.

Powdercoating lead bullets, blasphemy! I prefer my bullets to stick together and stick to every piece of dirt and dust. I especially like it when they smoke and my absolute favorite aspects of wax based lubed bullets is cleaning the wax out of my dies and cleaning lead out of my barrels. In fact, it's a family tradition to use strong chemicals in the confines of my reloading room to clean barrels.

I've been pc'ing since '14 and I have no intention of ever casting another "hard cast" bullet ever again. Naked bullets get PC'd immediately and they can be used anytime I want without fear of them getting sticky.

I shoot several thousand rounds of PC cast in benchrest every year, and not one was nekkid.

I’ve had good luck PC 44 mag with gc pushed hard out of my CVA Scout with no leading issues. I have stopped lubing and PC all my other bullets and I cast 50/50 wheel weights and pure with 2% tin.

I've tried powder coating and didn't find it any more convenient in any way. And no, I do not feel obliged to explain myself for that any more than I care to explain my preference of vanilla ice cream over chocolate.

I just lube and size them as I need them, or if I work 500 or 1000 to put away, I put them in a container I can close instead of leaving them outside where all the dust and crap can attach itself to them. I have found keeping guns, components, and tools inside to be a great help in maintaining good useable condition.

I've lubed/sized traditionally for a couple of decades now. I recently started PC-ing for some of my hunting revolvers to eliminate leading. Here's some things I've learned-

I don't care what anybody tells you, you cannot make a bullet more accurate by adding a coating to it, powder or otherwise.

Powder coating, done properly, with the desire to produce an accurate bullet, is neither fast nor convenient. Before PC-ing I size my bullets, then after agitating bullets in a tub for 2-3 minutes it takes me at least 5 minutes to stand 100 pistol bullets on the rack so I can put them into the oven, then they have to cook for 10-20 minutes depending on the brand of powder, then they have to be sized again. Conversely, I own a Magma Star push-thru lubrisizer that sizes and lubes plain-base bullets at the rate of about 30 per minute. So in the time it takes me to PC 100 or so bullets I can lube and size several hundred. Gas check bullets take a bit longer because the gas check has to be applied to each bullet. I can lube/size plain-base bullets and get no leading if I keep the velocities below around 1000 fps.

PC-ing does NOT always eliminate leading. I cast plain-base HP's for my revolvers from a fairly soft (9.5 Bhn) alloy and run them 1200-1400 fps. Despite being PC'ed they still lead a little in some of my revolvers. A buddy of mine who PC's recently bought a 45 Colt revolver that lead horribly with his PC bullets. That said, I would never be able to run plain-base, soft bullets such as these at these velocities without leading with traditional lube.

PC-ing definitely has its place, but it's far from the be all, end all that most frame it to be.

If you are getting leading you are not doing something right. There has to be something scrapping the PC off. Stop standing the bullets up. Shake the powder off and dump them into a tray and bake them. If you are only baking them 10 min there is your problem. You do not want to start the timer till the bullets themselves are up to temp. So preheat your oven and wait till the powder on the bullets wet out. Then wait just a little longer to start your timer. You need at least 400* and 20-30min depending on the size of bullets you are PC. Anything over 300gr for me goes in for 30 min

Only time I size before coating is to put a gas check on. Some of my molds will not let you get a check on after PC

I have run my 223 to almost 3000fps and NO LEADING. I run my 44mag to 1400-1500 with plane based bullets and no leading. Same with my 357s.

I will add to what tomme boy has said. If it's not as accurate or more accurate PC'd, you're definitely not doing something right.

My casting and loading mentor shot close to 1 million home cast wax lubed bullets over several decades. In early 2014 I learned about powdercoating. I asked him about it and he had plenty of doubts. I visited him one day and I brought everything I used to PC and bake bullets. He kept the equipment until the following weekend. During that time he coated 100 of his favorite cast bullets and loaded them. He shot all 100 of them and 100 of his wax lubed bullets in a side by side comaprison. He was amazed at how well they shot, the lack of smoke, and how clean and clear of lead his barrel was. It truly is revoluntionary when it's applied correctly.

I'm doing everything as I should. Of course something is scraping the PC off, if rifling will scrape copper off of a jacketed bullet, why would it not scrape paint off of a PC'ed bullet? Some barrels copper foul worse than others and some barrels lead worse than others. Some of my revolver barrels lead a little with PC bullets, others don't lead at all.

Coating bullets and dumping them on a tray to cook them leaves irregularities on the sides of the bullets, which leads to an imbalanced bullet, which means an inaccurate bullet. Bullets cooked that way are fine for 25 yds., maybe even 50, but beyond that accuracy suffers as I've found that out firsthand. That's why I stand my bullets on the base.

As to the cook time, Eastwood powders require 20 minutes, and I cook bullets coated with Eastwood in a pre-heated oven at 400° for 20 minutes. The PC I'm using now from The Powder Coat Store (Satin Clear and Satin Bronze) only requires 10 minutes at 400° according to their instructions.

I size before I PC because 1) some of my molds drop oversize bullets whose diameter needs to be reduced prior to coating and 2) when I PC I want to start with a perfectly round bullet.

The velocity you get with a PC bullet is irrelevant without accuracy. I've read many, many claims of 2800-3000 fps with PC bullets, but when one asks how accurate they are, in other words, for targets, the conversation usually ends. That fact is, an unjacketed lead bullet can't withstand the physical forces placed upon it at those speeds and still maintain any semblance of accuracy.



Please explain to me how putting a coat of powder on a bullet that inevitably varies in thickness, can make said bullet more accurate. Heck, I'll even assume you can somehow coat a bullet and get the coating exactly the same thickness all over the bullet. I still want to know how said coating will make the bullet more accurate.
I've found in many cases they're as accurate as traditionally sized and lubed bullets, at 100 yds., but not more.

I was at the range one day shooting cast lead bullets in a 308 winchester. A local farmer who I barely know from the local gun club was shooting a 300 Remington ultra magnum on the bench to my right. We both fired a 5 shot group at 100 yds and then walked down range together. I had 4 holes that were touching and one above it for right at 1" group and he had a 1-3/4" scattered group. I personally think he was scared of his own gun and wouldn't admit it, but I'll never forget the day my humble gas-checked cast lead bullets outshot an ultra mag.

I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I should try powder coating. I'm sure it might have it's place such as keeping a semiautomatic action cleaner, but they'll still all need cleaning eventually and it's hard to argue with the accuracy I'm currently able to achieve with a traditional lubed cast lead bullet.

I think powder coating makes sense if you are used to jacketed bullets and loading for them, especially handguns.

My gas check style bullets do not get PC'ed, I don't think it's necessary.

Years ago I competed in our local High Power matches shooting cast bullets exclusively in a Swiss K-31. My first load/bullet was a 145 gr. FP plain-base bullet cast from ACWW, lubed and sized, that I loaded over a light load of Bullseye. MV was around 1050 fps and I would fire an 80 round match along with 10 or so sighters and have not a speck of leading. Accuracy was outstanding. I later switched to a gas-check cast bullet designed specifically for the K-31. It weight around 180 gr. and I loaded it around 1450 fps. Again, 80 round matches with sighters and not a speck of leading.

First, I can't imagine how someone can spray powder on bullets evenly. The shake and bake method is the best way, but use the minimal amount you can get away with. For about 100 30 caliber rifle bullets, I start with less than 1/2 teaspoon of powder, then shake them up. I check the coverage, and I don't want a nice pretty coating, just an ugly coating that isn't complete, but it's even. I'll add some and shake again if needed. The polymer is there, just not all the pigment. There isn't enough powder to tap off on the side of the tub. When I pick them up with tweezers to put in the baking pan, I wipe the bottom of the gas check on a paper towel, so it's bare.

And, I suspect, that attention to detail is what's necessary, and what spells the difference between suitable for handgun plinking versus what's suitable for benchrest rifle competition when you're up against some of the best shooters in the country. I'll admit to skepticism though regarding evenness of the coating at the micron level - it's hard enough to create perfect bullets for precision shooting as it is without adding yet another factor.

I'll posit that the vast majority of PC users would probably be happy just shooting jacketed stuff if it weren't cost prohibitive for serious volume shooting. It definitely cuts to the chase if one is plagued by leading, is disturbed by a bit of smoke, doesn't follow a strict regimen of cleaning after shooting, wishes for a means of slinging softer projectiles at higher velocity. A panacea in other words for the trials and tribulations of conquering the issues connected with traditional cast bullet technology. For some of us (myself included) we haven't finished mastering traditional cast bullet technology, and to abandon it now would be to surrender early! It's all in the challenge - the end doesn't necessarily justify the means, sometimes the means is the end.....

I just grabbed some random back issues of 'the Fouling Shot" magazine...of the Cast Bullet Assn. They publish match results...and part of the value of doing so, involves competitors are asked list details of their load used in that match. Not one single competitor, let alone winner used PC coated bullets. PC- ing or paper patching or moly are NOT prohibited or frowned on...the whole stated purpose of the CBA is to further the knowledge and excellence in the sport.
I think PC-ing is great for practice and plinking in volume...but until it shows up in official matches...I remain skeptical.