Powder coating cast. Bullets

[Bul8mkr]

I have been casting 124 gr 9mm bullets from wheel weights and they come out at about 13 BHN when I powder coat them at 400 degrees and air cool them they test out at around 7 BHN. Is this Normal? Would it help raise the BHN if I water quench them after they come out of the oven again?

[acoop101]

The short version is yes and possibly. It won't hurt.

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[daloper]

Don't have an answer. Never check mine after coating. Are you filing off the coating before you check them to make sure you are testing the lead and not the hardness of the coating ? And have you let them age after coating or are you checking them right after pulling them out of the oven ? Maybe I will have to check mine and get back to you with what I find. I should have some before and after coating to check. Also I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum. Might want to put your location in your profile so we can see where you are from.

[Dusty Bannister]

daloper has given you the best answer so far. Air cooling so the 2-3 weeks to age harden is needed. It is always a good idea to test the lead surface not the hardness of the powder coated surface. Welcome.

[Bul8mkr]

Thank you for the replay I have filed a flat spot but I haven't let them age. I have some that has aged and will check those.

[daloper]

I checked mine and the coated and the raw both check at 14 with my lee tester. I cast and coated these late last fall so I know that they are aged.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

Have you shot any that are not aged? If so do they Lead the barrel? Dont perform properly? I never checked any of my pistol boolits after PC is on. I load and shoot them.
That being said , you may have a reason for wanting to know. Hunting applications perhaps? I cast 50/50 for most of my hunting boolits and PC them as well. Just wondering. Oh yeah Welcome aboard. - CASTER

[tazman]

I use range scrap sweetened with a small amount of Linotype. I water quench and get BHN somewhere around 15(thumbnail and pencil testing). I don't have a tester.
I powder coated some of the boolits I use for 9mm. When I loaded them 2 weeks later, the noses deformed because they were so soft. They didn't air harden at all.
I later heated some of them up in the same oven I used for powder coating and water quenched them. They came right back up to the hardness I am used to.
I don't know the specific alloy or the reason why they didn't harden over time.
I normally tumble lube and have no issues with leading, so I gave up on powder coating as too many issues.
I might try some for rifle using linotype but not certain even there.

[fredj338]

IF you are baking them at 400+ for more than 15m, they are gonna soften form the original alloy. So I do water drop mine from the oven after PC or HT coating. It doesn't really harden them like oven tempering, not in the oven long enough & not high enough heat, but it does seem to make them less soft.

[bangerjim]

Most of the ton of COWW's I have used over the years are 12-13 air cooled. If you are getting 7 air cooled after PC, then you are not using standard mix COWW's!

When I PC all my boolits, I do not worry about the hardness. Except mag and rifle loads.

Try shooting some! That is a far better test than stewing and worrying about the hardness. If they don't lead, go for it. That is what I do. And I have not seen leading in any of my many barrels in over 4 years since starting PC'ing.

Banger

[Bama]

Good method to try is when bullets come out of oven if you are PCing, drop directly into ice water. Seems to do well with alloy I am using at higher velocities.

[Tripplebeards]

My COWW AC after PC have a BH of 10.5 an hour after cooling and hardened to 13.4 2 days later. Same boolit 15 BH after WC in ice water after PC

[Rcmaveric]

I use range scrap as well for 9mm. 125 grains, plain based, no quenching and only gets aged as is sits awaiting to get shot. I checked the BHN once after casting and it was soft don't remember exactly what it was. You would have been fine with those soft bullets in my opinion. Depending on your use and load. 9mm luger is hard pressed to surpass the pressure limits of soft lead PB due to case capacity. You have to get into the 9mm mags like .357 or a specific aplication before I would get worried about BHN in pistol cals. I don't PC yet but wife has given me the go ahead because she wants pink bullets.