copper plating bullets

[gamma50]

I've been watching these on u-tube and wonder if I could get more FPS with my Lee 200 gr bullet or is it a waist of time? I watched 1 thru 5 from 1 guy then I ran into another guy doing sort of a different way with vinegar instead of Zep root killer and then another guy doing it some other way and only the first guy showed that all the copper came off bullet after firing it.
so can these be fired faster or not? I was going to paste all the u-tube vids but I ran into over 10 about plating. heres 1 and you can see the rest or you probably already seen them. any input about trying these please?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KM_hr5eCNo

[mikeym1a]

The ones I watched deposited only a very thin plating of copper. Perhaps you could do several sessions to get the thickness up, but I have not tried it yet. It's on my 'list' of things I want to try, someday.......

[bangerjim]

You might want to consider electrostatic powder coating with the gun from Harbor Freight.

I do all mine that way. I considered Cu plating but takes waaaay to much time and is too messy. And the coating is literally microns thick, unlike the FMJ swaged boolits you can buy.

I and many others on here are having excellent success with this no-more-lube coating process.

check this out:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?209151-Powder-Coating-101-Electrostatic-Method&highlight=Powder+coating

bangerjim

[jonp]

Or epoxy coating with a can of spray you can get at the auto store for $10

[gamma50]

The ones I watched deposited only a very thin plating of copper. Perhaps you could do several sessions to get the thickness up, but I have not tried it yet. It's on my 'list' of things I want to try, someday.......

another guy left hid bullets in for a lot longer than 10 or 15 minutes and sais his bullets grew stalagtytes of copper hanging off bullet, and even a wire brush wouldn't remove that ****. it looks and sounds like a good ides but theres allways the chance it won't matter and copper will just get blown off. about the powder coating or these black bullets. look at this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp4K__GkLe8

[bangerjim]

Or epoxy coating with a can of spray you can get at the auto store for $10

Here is the thread where we have been trying the VHT epoxy thing.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?210666-10-epoxy-coat-can-it-be-done-lets-find-out

I does work, but takes a lot of unnecessary time coating and baking several times, as some do. I have found the $10 can of paint sure does not coat many slugs! It ends up being far more expensive that gun-applied PC.

But play around and come up with your own conclusions.

Messing around is fun!

bangerjim

[bangerjim]

another guy left hid bullets in for a lot longer than 10 or 15 minutes and sais his bullets grew stalagtytes of copper hanging off bullet, and even a wire brush wouldn't remove that ****. it looks and sounds like a good ides but theres allways the chance it won't matter and copper will just get blown off. about the powder coating or these black bullets. look at this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp4K__GkLe8


I have no idea what that guy in this video is trying to prove, but from my and many others experience on this forum with TRUE electrostatic gun powder coated boolits, there is no flaking, no cracking, no lubing, and.........get this.......NO LEADING! Some have taken this coating way up into the rifle FPS ranges. I cannot say that about other methods of trying to dissolve the powder, slop it on, and bake several coats. I use ONE sprayed-on coat and ONE bake session. It results in perfect beautifully coated boolits every time!

What he shows is NOT ES PC, so do not be confused! It is some kind of "black coating". There are some commercial VERY expensive hi-tech coatings out there some use. That is probably why his comments on high cost are so out of whack compared ti what I do.

You can use any color of powder you want, but I find the matte black from Harbor Freight works the best and is only ~$5.50/#. One pound coats thousands of rounds! It is as hard as nails and does not come off.


Yes, you do have to invest $59 (-20%) for the HF gun, but it is well worth it and you can coat tools and other things with it, as long as they fit in your toaster oven! I have coated all my custom-made lathe tool quick change tool post tool holders (Aloris) with it!

bangerjim

[Cmm_3940]

:hijack:

Semi-threadjack here, but still more or less on topic.

I'm thinking about the copper plating not due to performance issues, but because the local indoor range won't allow any ammo without a copper jacket, or plated like the ones from Berry's and Ranier due to 'health and liability reasons' :roll: Has anyone here tried any if these methods, and is the coating thick enough to compare to the commercial plated stuff?

[bangerjim]

:hijack:

Semi-threadjack here, but still more or less on topic.

I'm thinking about the copper plating not due to performance issues, but because the local indoor range won't allow any ammo without a copper jacket, or plated like the ones from Berry's and Ranier due to 'health and liability reasons' :roll: Has anyone here tried any if these methods, and is the coating thick enough to compare to the commercial plated stuff?

Well..........check out the threads here on PC'ing and you will find many of us test the coating by putting the boolit on a steel block base down and pound it flat to see if the PC comes off or flakes. It DOES NOT! I have tested many slugs of different cal's using the HF matte black powder and the coating will not flake off even when completely flattened with a 4# hammer. If the lead splits, the coating will, of course, open up, but is does NOT come off. That is only ONE coat of electrostatic gun applied powder coating, not the multi=coating liquid slopping methods described in other threads.

Several have recovered spent slugs and have found the coating still in tact as much as you could expect after shooting. And there is NO LEADING and NO LUBING. Several have taken these to high FPS rifle speeds with no degradation in coating or performance. Just use a GC as I do on 30-06's.

I would consider that pretty thorough coating and would compare it to plating and the thin jackets on today's commercial ammo.

And that total BS your range is vomiting about "environmental concerns" does not consider the fact that FMJ's split and splay open when they impact, exposing the dreaded "health and liability" lead anyway!!!!!! Can you say......"BOGUS!"

bangerjim

[spfd1903]

I have copper plated ten cast boolits, not for an increase in speed test, but for an increase in diameter. My MG M44 slugs at
.3129. With 20:1 alloy, the largest diameter I could get from a Lyman 314299 was .3127. I might later try different alloys to increase diameter. I tried a wide range of temperatures with the 20:1 and got .3127. Shot the best of any other type yet in the M44. Anyway.... I put the 10 boolits in the copper sulfate root killer solution, with a Mr. Coffee heater and pump, for two hours. Now have boolits that measure .3137. The copper plate boolit was smashed with a hammer and the coating stayed adhered. Will load and shoot, then compare the results with the unplated .3127 boolits.