Powder Coating Boolits

[popper]

Bismuth and a lot of tin cast OK,hard and will PC OK.

[Traffer]

Bismuth and a lot of tin cast OK,hard and will PC OK.

Sounds expensive!

[kevin c]

Ironically, the tin I have accumulated over the past few years is less expensive than the bismuth by at least a factor of two.

Believe me, this is not something I'm doing with enthusiasm (changing boolit alloy from lead based to something else, that is. I'm not talking about coating methodology). There is a distinct chance that lead ammo will not be allowed at ranges throughout California. I need to explore alternatives that keep me shooting 20 to 40 thousand rounds a year. And before anybody suggests it, yes, I know moving to another state solves the problem, but that isn't viable for family reasons.

Copper, either solid or sintered, all polymer, zinc and bismuth are the materials I've heard of. The first couple would have to be commercially bought and would offer very limited options. All but zinc are expensive. Zinc and bismuth, at least, can be cast at home (the Zamak alloys made of zinc with a few percent of aluminum melt in a range achievable with home equipment, and I've read up on the equipment changes needed).

I currently HiTek coat my pistol boolits, but, straight from the inventor's mouth, that technique doesn't work for zinc, though apparently bismuth can be coated. I'm inquiring here, asking those who know best, whether PC works for either.

I need more info. For the sake of providing information of general or specific interest to those here, I'll try to post in the appropriate forums. Thanks for the information already provided.

[popper]

Ian on the 'other' site did cast 223 with Roto bismuth/tin alloy (86/12 or something) after adding some tin. Actually shot a deer with it. Very high BHN. You pour and wait 15 min (?) for the alloy to harden. Strange stuff. He did use an old Al. mould. Temp was just above normal PB.
Approx. 20$/# alloy. Depending on cal. probably cheaper to buy solids.

[Traffer]

I believe that zinc aluminum alloy is very light weight. Not good for any distance.

[Traffer]

Back to powder coating. I have been waiting for the humidity here in Wisconsin to get down. Amazingly the humidity has been near 100% or 100% all Winter. It got down to 86% last week and I was very tempted to try then. Then yesterday it was an amazing 65% but I wasn't feeling well so I had to pass. Today though it got down to the amazing level of 42% humidity so I did my powder coating. Presto...wham...pow...zap...IT WORKED. The bullets were nice and fluffy after a few quick shakes in a plastic container with some of those poly beads.

[Conditor22]

My friend and I have both powder coated ASBBDT method in the garage when it raining outside

Success depends on the powder and process you use

this is lower humidity for us

this ISN"T the reading when it was raining, I normally don't have my phone on me when I'm coating.

[Traffer]

I was tempted to do some powder coating the other day when it was raining because it was only 86% humidity. The next time it is 100% humidity where you live...try it! You will see the difference.

[cwlongshot]

I’m also one of the lucky ones who generally do not have a problem coating while it’s raining out side.

GREAT looking boolits guys!!!

CW

[cwlongshot]

[Conditor22]

[wis40]

Well here's my second try at a pic. PCed these little 95gr. pills for the wife's PK380. Cast with COWW and coated with Smoke's Jet Black. Loaded on my LNL AP with 3.1 gr. 700x. Need to get her practicing more.

[Traffer]

Well here's my second try at a pic. PCed these little 95gr. pills for the wife's PK380. Cast with COWW and coated with Smoke's Jet Black. Loaded on my LNL AP with 3.1 gr. 700x. Need to get her practicing more.

Looking good. My wife says she wants a "Hello Kitty" Pink Glock. Maybe I will get her a 32 acp and paint it pink and write "Hello Kitty" on it for her. You know women, everything has to look right.

[wis40]

Traffer, I guess I did good hitchin up with a "Kentuck" girl, she don't need anything flashy and "MAN" can she cook. Once she realized the gun wasn't gonna hurt her she became a pretty good shot with several pistols of 9mm or less. People say "only a .380"? Hey if you got a high speed .380 hole or two in ya, you aint gonna keep comin unless its some drug crazed fool. Oh and the cookin thing gives me an ever "expanding" territory, in a bad way! wis40

[OS OK]

Lyman 358432 'tall top' FWC, 160 gr. wearing 'Old Lead' PC.

Made with TLC behind Enemy Lines.

[cwlongshot]

VERY NICE!!!

I cast a bunch of WC’s myself Saturday!! Mine where 32’s from a RCBS Mold.

CW

[baddestXVI]

Wow this is quite nice. Good work.

[Conditor22]

Some powders work great IF you add a little of another color to it like the speckled yellows I posted. The yellow alone was terrible.

[kullas]

I am quite late to this party but I wanted to give this a try. I have been shooting cast for awhile but never got into the PC boolits, until now. I had some HF PC and gave a shot I had black and white. The white by itself didnt coat well. I tried the black and no good. I mixed them together and set the #5 plastic bowl in my tumbler and let it shake for about 10 min and they was well coated baked 375 for 20 min and successful. Looking forward to shooting these out of my glock. See if I can post a pic.

[kullas]