copperplating lead bullets?

[ninteen11]

Hi..im looking to find out how to copperplate lead bullets..does anyone plate their own bullets and if so,how?..any diagrams or pic's of your plating would be great..
thanks

[DLCTEX]

There was a thread on this subject some time ago. IIRC it is done by tumbling with copper powder and steel shot, impact plating? You may find it by searching the archives.

[leftiye]

Copper sulfate solution, copper plates for anode and cathode. Set boolits on lower (cathode) plate. Use a 6 volt (just guessing) wall transformer or battery chargerfor power. Amps is the issue, and amp flow has to be in a certain range per square inch of area being plated. Maybe use a bigger power source (variac) to control voltage, and control amperage with a variable resistor (dimmer switch), and meter. Commercial platers (people who want hundreds of dollars for their power supplies, and sell solutions) use exotic and toxic and expensive solutions. They also use acidic plating solutions which don't work on lead (eats the lead). You could maybe phone one of the companies making plated boolits and ask them. I'd expect that they wouldn't balk at giving out the info, it is common knowledge. I've also been interested in this plating thang, but haven't done any yet. FWIW, there is a real possibility (I've heard) that there is an upper velocity limit on plated boolits. Above about 1300 fps I've heard, the plating is said to separate. No experience, but it would pay to know for sure.

[par0thead151]

i would be interested in this just to avoid the lube....
anyone on here actually have a setup going for plating? or have a link tot hat thread from a while ago?
thanks

[ninteen11]

hi leftiye
tnx for the info..i have heard of plating seperating,but that was because of two reasons,either the lead wasnt chemically cleaned before plating and the second ,it was plated to thin,so when the bullet travelled down a barrel with agressive grooves and lands,it tore through the copper plating and made the bullet very inaccurate..

if this process works,i will post sum pics..but it will take sum time to get it right,feels like im re-inventing the wheel again without sum pics and technical data..

thanks dale..i will go searching..ive tried the moly powder tumbling...mmm..naa..still got leading at the end of the barrel..powder coating moly,just like they do M&M's when spraying them different colours can work but machinery gets kinda expensive...

[JeffinNZ]

My good friend is head of science at an all girls school. A few years back I asked him about Cu plating and he had one of the girls do it for a science fair experiment. She got some good results but he never passed them on to me in time then the end of year rolled around the girl left school for university. [smilie=b:
I think it is one of the shooting subjects that is interesting but does not necessarily add much value for the time/results involved.

[jdgabbard]

Why not just lube them? It is gonna cost less, and be a whole lot faster to get the final product. If your going to go through the hassel to try and plate the boolits, why not just invest (less money) and purchase swaging equipment and make jacketed boolits.

[leftiye]

jd, Cause we all want a way to break the rpm barrier (where the softness of the lead causes deformation and inaccuracy at higher velicities), and overcome the weaknesses of GG lead boolits. So we can varmint hunt with our .30-06es using 3000 fps loads.

[docone31]

Paper patching!
I do it with my .30s, yes, 30-06, and .303 British. I am loading to jacketed velocities and frankly, I am outperforming jacketeds with the same load. I have not chronoed the loads, but, they zing.
Example, I use 40.4gns of 4895 in my .308 with 180gn paper patched casting. POI at 100yds, with no flyers, keyholes, or other issues. If anything, I had to bed my rifle to really use the patched loads.
I had looked into copper plateing, actually electroforming copper on cast boolitts. Electroforming is a more dense layer of copper.
I would have to have a rotating drum acting as cathode, immersed in copper sulphate solution, with copper solution to do this. It operates on a 6V DC current.
With paper, I get a ream of printer paper, scissors, cigarette roller and two sizing dies.
Several others of us are patching .243, and 25-06. I do not believe, .224 castings could not be patched as well. The trick is handling the patch. I suspect the cigarette roller would do the trick.
Much simpler that way, less outlay in machinery, and much result at the range. Not to mention the looks of the high dollar benchers just taking a gander at the loads.
I am sorry, I get results. I have not tried plateing/electroforming copper loads.
Electroforming is the same process as the copper baby shoes popular in the '40s, and '50s. They painted the shoes with aluminum paint and electroformed over the shoe. That is why the shoes maintain their shape. Believe me, no one is going to make a mold of a baby shoe, cut it, and cast copper into it. Instead of heat vulcanizing, you need mold material similiar to what is used by dentists for dentures, or relineing. I can cut a good mold for a filligree ring, but I would not want to cut out a shoe!
You definately postpone inaccuracy at the "RPM Barrier" with paper.
Sure cleans the bore also.

[par0thead151]

is there stickies on these forums about paper patching?
color me interested.... i would love to reload boolits for my 1919 and FAL in the 30 cal 7.62X51
is that even possible?
i will have to buy more lead if it is!

[docone31]

C'mon over to the paper patching section.
To whet your appetite,
Cast for the 7.62 X 51 a standard 180gn 30cal boolitt. Size it to .308. Two wraps of Meade Traceing Paper. Twist the tail and let dry. Snip the tail leaving some on the bottom of the boolitt, then dab some auto wax on the patch. Less is more. Size it to .309. Load standard starting load data. Do not crimp the patched load! Just tension the neck.
I use dish soap to lube the castings for sizing to .308. I rinse it off and let dry.
BadaBing, BadaBoom!
You will find some amazing info on the paper patching threads. There, as well as here, there are folks who eat, sleep, and dream of perfect loads.
Oh yeah, get yourself a cigarette roller. Makes great wraps on the boolitts.
Just like here, ask and ye shall recieve good information, my patched loads outshoot jacketed loads with the same charge.
Better accuracy, cleaner bores.
It is win, win.

[par0thead151]

so let me get this right, paper patching will allow me to get very good accuracy at fairly good velocities?
i am really going to love reloading cast patched boolits.
im so cheap i hate buying the expensive sierra match kings or the likes...
this will allow me to shoot accurate rounds for pennies on the dollar.