Powder Coating Boolits

[popper]

IMHO the left one you can push harder, right one solves feeding and leading problems. The left one isn't covered over the front band, lands may pull off lead.

[Smoke4320]

so far in my testing on 45 ACP not coating the base has caused no leading at all
on my rifle rds , 308, 300 Blkout and 458 socom so far I have coated the base and to taper , no gas check, and again no leading at all .. up to 1650ish in the socom

[popper]

Attachment 73505Attachment 73506
Ok, tested the 30-30 & 308 PC'd. 308 using a new aimpoint, 3x9 for 30-30 @ 50. RO made me wear my glasses so I'm seeing fuzzy double, but - I like the PC FB RD. GC's were loaded a month ago, PB were dropped into water after baking. 308s were also dropped in water after cooking. Both are low Sb, Cu added to the 308. 308 was with a bipod, stand and rear bag for 30-30. Don't have a crony but 308 is GC 41 gr H4895, 30-30 25 gr Levr FB, 31 GC. POI is same as my jacketed loads. Left is 308, U/R is FB, C/R is GC. Got to pour some 30-30 FB with Cu and up to 30 gr. 308 needs more Sb.
Oh, forgot to add all but the GC 30-30 were using the pin nail system for coating. Didn't cause any problems. Completely coated including the nose.

[Copper75]

I think I'm gonna stick with the nose coated ones.
Popper that's what I wanting to known.
I'm coating my 300 BLK like you. Base coated up to taper.
No leading in 300 haven't gotten to shoot 45 yet.

Copper

[bayjoe]

I have been powder coating bullets for the past 3 months and have really good results with pistol bullets.
I just got a Lee 309-170 FNGC and made up around 800 bullets, my mix was 50/50 range scrap/wheel weights. I weighed and sorted the bullets, average was 175 plus or minus .3 grains. I resized them and they measured .3115 and weigh 180.8 plus or minus 3 grains. The weight is resized, gas checked and powder coated.
What is the opinion of letting these bullets age? And if you do age them, for how long?

[popper]

I would have WD them,you obviously want to run them fast. The 3 gr variation indicates you coating thickness is quite variable. Check your seating depth to insure you can chamber them, nose may be too large. My coating is .0015, 1/2 gr. I'm trying to drive PB to GC velocity accurately, if possible

[bayjoe]

Made a mistake on my post. My variance is plus or minus .3 grains.
How long would you heat them to WD?

[KYShooter73]

I've been lurking here for a long time. I'm powder coating, everything looks pretty and shoots fine. Making 9mm hollow points and soon .45acp. Two questions.

First, is it possible to overbake? I'm preheating on my jig, coating, baking at 400f for about 35 mins. Too much?

2nd, what is the smaller wire leading to the HF gun? The small wire with a connector to the air input. Mine is broken, but charge still seems good.

Thanks,

Matt D.

[bangerjim]

That wire is the shield or ground on the coax that carries the high voltage to the gun tip. It needs to be connected -----FOR YOUR PROTECTION. Otherwise the handle of the gun can approach the voltage potential of the tip thru possible leakage. Just solder it. And be safe.

The HV will not kill you but it sure will smart and scare you if you get zapped.

bangerjim

[KYShooter73]

Might wake me up. Thanks, I need to get my air and electrical untangled and squared away anyhow. Guess I'll fix that while I'm at it.

[popper]

Baking depends on the powder, follow the manuf. suggestions. Your extra 15 min may not make a diff, I don't know. I run my HF @ 400 for 20 min, then dump in water, rifle only. I missed pointing out another part of my experiment yesterday. I can't tell any difference in coated or non coated GCs so the old coating rig goes into the trash. Also, the aimpoint didn't loose zero over ~50 rounds of stiff 308 on an AR. Wish I'd remembered to take my clear safety glasses, groups would have been much better without prescription reading glasses. I single load the 30-30 and load 4 in the 308 mag, sight pic and bang, no waiting for the bbl to cool.
bayjoe, not sure in your case. I might try 250-300 for an hour, depends on your alloy. Somebody here posted you could do repeat a couple times at lower temp & time to get back to what you had. Never tried it. My process now is AC everything, WD after PC for rifle, size only after PC'ing for everything.
I did notice that recoil with PC is less than my normal lube. 50 rounds of 30-30 and my shoulder is fine.

[MacFan]

popper,
I can't seem to find your complete process in this forum, forgive me for asking...
If I understand correctly you shoot pins (HF pin gun) in to the bases(?) of your boolits to hold them while you shoot Harbor Freight PC out of a Harbor Freight gun. Then, trim or pull the pins after cooking.
My interest is not so much for day to day shooting but more for longer term storage. Thanks.

[Russel Nash]

Popper wrote:

....but 308 is GC 41 gr H4895, 30-30 25 gr Levr FB, 31 GC. POI is same as my jacketed loads. ....

I don't have a reloading manual handy, so how does that compare to normal j-word bullets' powder charge weights?

[Talondriver]

I read all 53 pages over three days. Last night I was talking to my Daughter-in-law without my brain engaged and mentioned pink boolits. That's all it took. You need to know my sons sweety to understand the enormity of that mistake. She's 5'3'', rather stout and the sweetest little girly girl you will ever meet. Curly hair, fluffy frilly dresses, couldn't hurt a flea. Until she opens her range bag. Then she sort of hunched down, her eyes get squinty looking, she gets this snarly look on her face and when her fingers curl around her hand cannon she actually kinda growls. When we go to a range for the first time all the tough guys kinda smile and laugh quietly at the site of the short girly girl entering the into the man's domain. Until she hauls out the GP 100 .357 with the 8" barrel. Yup, I said 8". Eyes get bigger, and the snickers stop. Then she goes into rapid fire double taps at 25 yards and eats the heart out of the target. Then it gets real quiet for a minute. And the eyes get real big. This girl does not use what she refers to as poufy rounds. You and I call'em down loaded target rounds. I load for her and I load them HOT! She wants a kick, a roar and a foot of flame. First time I shot with her and my son, I looked at him and said, "You gotta marry this woman." So now she's gonna load PINK boolits. That's just sooo wrong. But yup, I ordered the Harbor Freight kit last night. And she's going to get her pink boolits. Mine are gonna be RED.

[AverageJoe]

Here are a few I made for the wife. I added some smoke effects to the one pic.

[AverageJoe]

Here are a few of the new colors: olive drab, mirror black, mirror chrome. I have not loaded these yet, but will soon and test.

[popper]

Macfan - I pin the noses, not the bases, they are FN. Base would work as well but as some will be GC coated I chose the nose. Don't bother with the HF pins, they are too weak. The gun specs 7/8" pins but I use 1" and place the strip in a vice & file off ~.01 of the top. Only other 7/8" pins I can find locally are porter cable, don't know their quality (china?). My 308 mould has same profile as 168 Amax without the plastic tip so the meplat dia is ~ .2, not hard to pin the center at all. 30-30 is the RD design with a huge meplat. I just clip off the pin - figure steel is closer than air to the wt of lead. I push the pins through 2 glued layers of corrugated cardboard ( don't need the alum. foil between layers) then set the whole thing on a foil covered steel plate. Coat and bake, pull them by the pin with needle nose while hot and drop into tap water. Haven't tried it with the 40SW TC but expect it will work the same. With 1" spacing I can do 2 trays in by oven, should be ~ 200 CBs. I already have ~600 done so I'll wait for the next batch. I may try some different powders when I get low on the HF, but it is working fine for me.
I used the HF white & red to get pink, after a bit the powder mixes better and the pink is not splotchy. Coating is very even.
The RO asked if I was shooting wood bullets or tracers. Few have seen this stuff before. I did notice him 'spotting' my targets with binocs, think he was impressed or curious.

[Skip62]

I like the purple. All of them are good looking though.

[sbeatty1983]

Thanks alot Average Joe, as if I dont already have enough on my honey do list, wife was looking over my shoulder and now I have to go out and get some pink powder coat.

[AverageJoe]

Sbeatty1983....Friends helping friends! Check with a local powder coater, they will usually sell you a pound...and you won't have to pay shipping.