1st successful dry tumble results

[bmiller]

A friend gave me some grey powder to try. Tumbled in a plastic coffee can. Shot them in a 16" 300 blk with 16 gr on lilgun. Hit what I was aiming at with all shots. This load in the past has chronoed at 1900 in this upper with hi-tek coating and same lee mold. I added a gas check after I coated.

[Boogieman]

those boolits look great. watch out this powder coating is habit forming.

[popper]

If the grooves were gone you probably could get there without checks.

[willie_pete]

What brand/info was this magical grey powder?

WP

[bmiller]

Popper, I was thinking the same thing. Willie Pete , I don't know, he owns a fab shop and we did not get that far. I will find out and post. I had horrible results with HF red with the dry method. I am not saying it is bad powder, I personally could not make it work.

[prickett]

If the grooves were gone you probably could get there without checks.

Popper, could you explain this? What does the absence of grooves give you? I always assumed it just gave more bearing surface for gripping the lands better. If there is more to it than that, then I'm interested!

[prickett]

Popper, I was thinking the same thing. Willie Pete , I don't know, he owns a fab shop and we did not get that far. I will find out and post. I had horrible results with HF red with the dry method. I am not saying it is bad powder, I personally could not make it work.

Did you use boolits from the same casting session for both the HF Red and mystery gray? I ask because I've not seen anyone unable to get HF Red to work. I'm wondering if the boolits had something on them. Did the red not adhere? Or did it adhere but give a less than smooth coating?

[bmiller]

Yes they were from the same casting session. The HF powder was blotchy and kind of puddled where the bullets touched the screen I baked them on.

[prickett]

That is strange. But, at least you found something that DOES work for you. When you find out what kind of powder that is could you please post it in the definitive powder coating thread http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?226662-Definitive-List-What-powders-work-and-what-powders-don-t (trying to generate a list of all powders used and whether successful - so new comers can avoid the trial and error pains that we all went through).

[bmiller]

Ok, no problem

[popper]

Pricket see my latest rifle post. I tested RD311 PB & no GC ~1600fps vs a 165 GC sans check in 30-30. 165 was most accurate due to long & well formed rear band. Clean muzzle exit and strong band to take the pressure. Shallow groove to accommodate the lead from the front band/bore rider.

[bmiller]

I had some time to cast this week end. Cast a little bit on Saturday, and some on Sunday. I am working in my un-heated garage. Thinking it was maybe 10 or 20 degrees inside. I decided to run a few dry tumble powder coating experiments. Ended up coating all my bullets I cast. About 1260 according to my bathroom scale! This is addictive!

[popper]

Prickett - a regular lubed boolit has incompressible lube in the groove to add strength to the rear band. PC doesn't fill the groove so the band fails to hold pressure. No leading but patterns instead of groups. My boolit looks like Bmiller's, wide rear band. Just ordered one today (31-165C) with a narrow shallow groove, should get to testing it in a month or so. Hope to push it >1800 fps sans check in 30/30 MG, should do better in the 308. Now to find a light load that will cycle the AR-10 (or open up the gas port).

[prickett]

Just ordered one today (31-165C) with a narrow shallow groove, should get to testing it in a month or so.

Thanks for the info. Just out of curiosity, why get one with any grove at all then?

[popper]

Cast boolit thread has a good high speed video of bool it's in flight, you can actually see the bore sized material. 165C has a long front band, I don't want that carried all the way to the base.