Powder coating cast projectiles

[9mmrevolver]

So I think I’m gunna start powder coating instead of “waxing” or lubing after resizing. Couple questions though.

1. How much does powder coating really help with leading of barrel?
2. Can I push powder coated projectiles faster than standard cast?
3. Do I resize before I powder coat or the other way around?
4. Have any of you ran it in a 50 beo AR? For the most part I’ll be loading it for 9mm but 50 projectiles are stupid high.

I’m trying to find a cheap used toaster oven and will be using harbor freight black powder coat. My temp will be 400° for 20 min. Resizing with a Lee .356 die. Any other tips are welcomed.

[Pablo5959]

HF flat black doesn’t stick. Don’t even try.
Order a LB of gloss black from thepowdercoatstore.com
I push mine to the low end of FMJ speed without issue.

[croue]

I order Eastwood powders on Amazon. So far so good. Toaster oven works
Perfectly. I use a silicone baking mat to keep things from sticking to the pan.

It’s amazing at eliminating leading. And eliminating all that lube smoke! You still want full obturation. So start by sizing just a hair above the first obstruction ID. The chamber on a revolver, the barrel grooves on everything else.

I have sized both before and after coating. Either is fine. Before might be a bit better to ensure obturation.

The hardness of the lead matters less, but if you’re really pushing hard you still need a pretty hard projectile to not deform too much.


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[Swagman00]

Originally Posted by Pablo5959

HF flat black doesn’t stick. Don’t even try.
Order a LB of gloss black from thepowdercoatstore.com
I push mine to the low end of FMJ speed without issue.

I used the HF flat once and it stuck. The problem though is it doesn't stick uniform no matter how careful I was with prep. Essentially it looked like crap and I won't do it again.

The other colors work great. I like how the a 30B/70W ratio turns out with the black mixed with the white for a speckled light grey look.

[Sandspider500]

That HF won't work with shake and bake. A toaster oven is like $25-$30 brand new. I got some green john deere color powder coat on fleabay for around $15 for 2 pounds about 8 months ago and still have a ton left. I size after I coat due to the coating increasing the diameter, what's the point of sizing to 356 before you coat only to end up with 359 after.

You can get away with using a softer alloy when you powder coat.

[kramynot]

PC definitely helps with leading. I couldn't use cast in my 9mm's until I started powder coating. I order the powder from "Smoke" over on the cast boolits website. All the powder he sells he has tested using shake n' bake method and I find they work great for me. I use an old cool whip container without any BB's. I put a couple of handfulls in the tub, swish around for 30 sec, up and down for 15, then swish for 15 and that's all it takes. I'm using a Black and Decker convection oven which I warm to 400 and then put in a wire tray of bullets for 24 min (4 min to get back up to temp).

I size after coating and for 9mm I'm sizing to 358, mainly because I use the same sizing dies for 38/357. Using standard Lee dies, after seating my bullets get swaged down to about 356.

I don't PC for 50, but have for 7.62x54r & 303. I don't push them too fast though.

[Cowboy T]

If you use a proper alloy for the pressure curve of your ammo, and use proper lube (both type and amount), then you won't have leading problems. I shoot my own cast bullets almost exclusively, and I don't get leading problems. Yes, including in polygonally-rifled barrels like Glocks.

Experience has taught me that, generally, the softer the lead, the better in most handgun applications. If you're shooting .38 Special, then BHN 8 to 10 is just dandy. For magnum-style handgun pressures (.357M, .44M, etc.), anywhere between BHN 10.5 to 12 is about perfect. You get proper obturation and thus gas-cutting problems go bye-bye. I actually got the most lead-fouling from hard-cast bullets, both store-bought (BHN 18, won't obturate until rifle-like pressures) and my own (BHN 15-16, won't obturate until you get above 30,000 PSI). Softer really is better.

Therefore, I see powder-coating as a way to be able to shoot your cast bullets in ranges that say, "NO CAST BULLETS!" That's the major benefit...which, in California, is now becoming a pretty big deal.

[bruce381]

what I do
1. How much does powder coating really help with leading of barrel?
no leading at all if at or over bore size

2. Can I push powder coated projectiles faster than standard cast?
yes even used in rifle

3. Do I resize before I powder coat or the other way around?
I coated then sized worked for me

4. Have any of you ran it in a 50 beo AR? For the most part I’ll be loading it for 9mm but 50 projectiles are stupid hi

9mm ok 50 I'm sure would be fine but i have not

[hermosabeach]

On another forum, they were shooting powder coated to 2,400 FPS without issues.

So if you have a .357 /.44 lever Gun - you can get good velocity and not worry about leading.

.458 socom with heavy bullets would be another good fit.

[9mmrevolver]

Well I’m doing it. Well sort of. I didn’t get the black light someone suggested and got white. After hand tumble for a couple min it didn’t look like it had stuck very much. Found a video of some guy using brass tumbler. Said to do it for a couple hours. Gotta wait on that now. Regardless I’m ordering the Easton online and hope that gives me better results.

[9mmrevolver]

Let it tumble for about 2 hours with not a whole lot of difference. Hoping Eastwood will be better. I hope it’s just cheap powder and not something I’m doing wrong.

[bumpo628]

The only HF powder that works with one coat is red. Black, white, and yellow all look thin and patchy even with two coats. Just buy from any of the following vendors and try them out. Even from the good vendors your results will vary by color. Some work perfect with one coat and others require two. For example, from Eastwood the Ford Blue works well, but the Cadillac Blue is thin.

For $3 extra, you can buy it from here in a plastic storage bottle:
https://thepowdercoatstore.com/colle...ck-powder-coat

https://www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-pow...g/powders.html

Smoke4320 over on castboolits will sell you three 1/3 lb trial packs of powder for the same price as 1 lb so you can try out different colors. I bought 4 of them so I have 12 colors and then ordered storage bottles from Eastwood. He also sells black BBs that are supposed to help generate static.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raying-bullets

People say you should use a #5 plastic container for dry tumbling. Look for the 5 in a triangle on the bottom on containers like nestle choc. cookies, cool whip, or cottage cheese. I think I added about 500 bbs in each container. Ideally, you need one container per color so you don't need to mix colors or clean anything. Bake them in the toaster oven for 20 minutes (or 15 if preheated) at 400F. I size them after PC.

Here is a good tutorial:
https://www.mp-molds.com/tipstricks/...mble-dt-method

[croue]

I use a vibratory tumbler to cost mine. They’re usually available pretty cheap used. Takes no more than 10-15 minutes to get well coated.


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[RiskyBusiness]

I use eastwood powders because it really does make a difference in coating compared to HF. Just be careful not to choose any flat colors because I've had one bad experience with it clumping up when heated.

I pc for my 50 beo and run them at about 1500-1600 fps. I dont use gas checks so the grouping is trash. I also used LP primers so I'm thinking that's the main culprit to the grouping. I've had some new ladder loads with LPM primers ready to be tested so we'll see if they fix that issue.

[9mmrevolver]

Got some blue from a local powder coat shop. Recoating the white and it is turning out a lot better. Harbor freight just sucks.

[golfish]

You might also look at Hi-Tek coating..
http://hi-performancebulletcoatings....ercoat-powder/

[Moparformances]

Originally Posted by 9mmrevolver

Let it tumble for about 2 hours with not a whole lot of difference. Hoping Eastwood will be better. I hope it’s just cheap powder and not something I’m doing wrong.

2 hours is just insane..

with the right plastic i tumble in my FART for a minute to 2 max..

I wrote this a while back.. still doing it the same way

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1312170

[Moparformances]

as you found harbor freight sux.. my local powder coat guy sells me powder for dirt cheap lots of colors available

[bohoki]

yea harbor freight is no longer the place for powder i still have yellow and red left they work great

i dont load to push them fast i just load them to work

ive only used poweder coat in my 9mm rifle and the barrel still looks new

[9mmrevolver]

Ya I got it for 12.99 a pound