This is why I like PC'd boolits

[randy_68]

Pic says it all.
Almost anyway.
Barrel is super clean after shooting 45 rounds thru my Ruger SR9C, Lee356-120TC and Red Dot powder. Only powder residue to wipe off.
Accuracy is just as good or better than lubed boolits, and better than the factory load I tried. (WWWB 115gr)
From a rest I can keep them in nice clusters at 10 yards. Offhand is another story, I really suck. Guess I need to practice more. Now I need to cast some more and get them pc'd.
Also does anyone have some powder choice advice for this boolit?

[silverado]

glad you are having good results.... am I the only one that stores my ammo nose down? It makes it easier to grab the bullets by the extractor groove, but hey whatever works. CFE pistol and pc same boolit leaves my beretta 92 pretty clean also

[Bullshop]

It is good news that this is working so well for your needs but I have to question part of your statement in, """"Accuracy is just as good or better than lubed boolits,""""
I see this same statement from different folks whose names here seem new to me and so possibly new to either shooting boolits and or casting them.
In the past year or so there has been much information offered here at CB on the subject of coating boolits. From all the honest reports reported without bias I have been unimpressed with the results compaired to conventional lubed boolits.
I have seen no gain in potential of either accuracy or velocity. From what I have seen reported the only gain is less messy and for that trade average accuracy is being compromised. Before I can accept coating as being equal to lubing I would like to see an apples to apples comparison shot for accuracy from the same gun with the same boolit coated and lubed.
I really hope this expressed opinion does not anger you because I have no desire to engage in argument. Its just that before I can except such a statement as more than opinion I like to see real irrefutable proof.
Believe me as a boolit merchant I have been watching and if/when I see a potencial gain in ballistic or accuracy performance I will be offering them but thus far I have not seen that gain. On average I have seen a slight sacrifice to accuracy with coating compaired to lubing which may be acceptable with the type of shooting most folks seem to be doing with them.

[silverado]

As far as I can tell "accuracy" of a boolit/load can sometimes be attributed to shooting a better group based on luck/ being in the right frame of mind, unless a proper rest is being used. I also believe that the small amount of accuracy gained from a different powder or lube does not make much difference for some types of shooting, as you mentioned Bullshop.
The biggest benefit for me is the lack of smoke from using lubed boolits. I am sure that there are many great lubes that smoke less... but I have lost points on an indoor match because there was enough smoke after a couple cylinders shot that I had some trouble seeing the target clearly, when combined with fog on my shooting glasses. It may have been an extreme case and hasn't happened again, but I will stick with pc, considering the last time I shot plain old lubed lead I could taste it for the rest of the day.
And ultimately coated boolits are prettier, and pretty boolits shoot better, as all experienced pistoleros know

[Bullshop]

Tight groups are pretty!

[prs]

Like beauty, accuracy is in the eye of the beholder. For me, I shoot large close steel plate targets and close 6" swinging plats such a dueling tree. So if she bo BANG-Clang its accurate. Others want itty bitty little tight groups on paper. I think the latter is really accuracy, but to each his own.

prs

[Bullshop]

I don't shoot steel or paper but I do subsistence hunt so am often trying to hit a rabbit in the head at ranges out to 100 yards but mostly not more than 50 yards. Grouse heads are even smaller targets so for me and what I do I need more accuracy than six inches at 25 yards.

[tomme boy]

I hear ya Bullshop. I have not seen anything that would make me switch yet. Until I see an accuracy improvement, I am not going to be switching anytime soon. I have seen some local people shooting coated boolits and I am NOT impressed. They normally lower their head and walk away when they see some of my targets.

I had a guy about a week ago that was bragging about how accurate his Springfield M1 was because he had paid about 3K$ for it. It came with every option he could get with it. Then he asked what I was shooting. I told him a Savage. Then he goes on a rant about how cheap they are and how junk they are. I went over and told him I would bet him gun for gun for 5 shots. And that I would use a cast bullet for mine. He starts laughing at me. Then tells me his Nighforce scope in more $ than my whole setup. I told him to bet me or shut up. He packed up his stuff and left. That is the accuracy I look for.

[Beagle333]

'Glad it's working well for you, Randy. They look good, from the picture! Have fun with it!

[randy_68]

No offense taken on my end. I'm just a hobbiest when it comes to casting and coating. You guys are the experts IMO. Expected accuracy for me with a pistol is different from gun/caliber combination. My 9mm Ruger is a 7-10 yard gun and as long as I can keep them in a 3" or smaller group I'm happy. Both the lubed and pc boolits were shooting that good or better off a rest. I like the pc boolits just because they are less messy, less smoky and just as easy to make,
for my .44 mag that is a different story. I expect at least 2" or less at 50 yards with a RedDot mounted.I am experimenting with some pc'd .44's but haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. I still lube my .357's, .44's and .35 Rems with homemade Bens Red.
I'm not about to get rid of my Lyman 45 sizer just yet as I still like my lubed boolits.
If I want extreme accuracy I shoot my PCP air rifles. (with lead)LOL.

[Bullshop]

tome boy
I like it! You put snobbery in its place. When it came to put up or shut up he couldn't deliver and he knew it. Savage rifles have shamed many a big spender.
Sorry for the drift here so those inclined back to PC and for me back to greasing.

[Paul Tummers]

glad you are having good results.... am I the only one that stores my ammo nose down? It makes it easier to grab the bullets by the extractor groove, but hey whatever works. CFE pistol and pc same boolit leaves my beretta 92 pretty clean also

No Sir! I also always store my ammo nose down in my MTM boxes, the factory boxes with the plastic inserts one can grab at the range in 9mm Luger are also used to store cast and lubricated SWC bullets for my S&W 686-3, they also go in nose down and are easy pushed up that way by their protruding points.

[fcvan]

A few days ago I was testing some greased and PCd boolits sort or side by side in a new rifle. Same boolit, same sizer, same powder charge, same everything except lube.i couldn't really tell the difference because I was just plinking and having fun. Well, I did try. Plinking with some accuracy.

the rifle is a recently built AR platform in 9mm. I tried a bunch of boolit styles but experienced some feeding issues with shorter and lighter styles. Specifically, the Lee 356-95 RF, 356-102 1R, the 356-120 TC, and the old trusty 356-125 2R. All were sized to .358 and lubed with either White Label BAC or PCd. Oh, I didn't lube the 95 RF, just PC because that short flat point boolit wouldn't feed. Accurate as heck when chamber loaded but a total fail. The 102 1R was also a failure to feed but accurate.

The 120 TC fed most of the time but any hang ups aren't worth it. Switching to the 125 2R and she fired and cycled most consistently. Then I started comparing lubes and different PCd boolits. Greased boolits in the brand new barrel showed no leading period. Left over lube and burned gunpowder residue only and that came out with a simple dry patch. Then I switched to PCd boolits. The main difference between greased and PCd boolits was the greasers got dinged up some during cycling and the PCd boolits were a bit tougher. They were more resistant to nose deformation.

i compared ESPC Flat Black, dry tumble lubed pink, gloss black, and fools penny copper colored. There was absolutely no difference in any of the 9mm loads. All were pulverizing a 3" rock off hand at 100 yards. The reduced smoke of the PCd boolits was very noticeable, and 1 dry patch took care of the clean up. This rifle will definitely be the fun gun that gets lots of trigger time on the AR platform rifle.

Now for a side note. I've been doing ESPC with a Harbor Freight gun for over a year and using their flat black powder. Perfect coverage every time. I recently bought some powder from Prismatic Powders to play with colors and dry tumble coating. Sparkle Pink and Ink Black both were a 2 coat proposition and although smooth, they couldn't compare to ESPC boolits.

The Fools Penny copper colored top coat was another story. That powder doesn't color up the Boolit very well, it looks like it is thinly copper washed. Coverage was fantastic! I could make it thin or thick just by measuring the amount of powder in the Cool Whip container. I didn't have black airsoft BBs but the lime green ones worked great. Complete coverage, shiny and smooth finish like ESPC, 1 coat. I dumped the boolits onto a cookie sheet, arranged them on the baking tray with hemostats, and baked. No marks, no powder dropped off, and no problem with tumbling on a foggy day on the Northern CA coast. This will be my method for high quantity PCd boolits. Good times

[Bullshop]

fcvan
Good report! I have to catch up on terminology a bit though.

[Love Life]

Compared directly against Speed Green and Lotak Hard, HI-TEK super coat coated bullets have had the same accuracy as the mentioned lubes when stacked directly against the mentioned lubes.

Same bullets, same brass, same guns, only variables were the lube and coating.

9mm, 38 special, 357 magnum, 10mm, and 45 acp.

The reason I switched is less mess. I keep the Lotak and Speed green around because it is the bomb and it works well in the few rifle loads I have played with.

[Handloader109]

Nothing wrong with the red dot Powder. I've used it along with CFE Pistol and 800x for all my 9mm.

[waksupi]

It is good news that this is working so well for your needs but I have to question part of your statement in, """"Accuracy is just as good or better than lubed boolits,""""
I see this same statement from different folks whose names here seem new to me and so possibly new to either shooting boolits and or casting them.
In the past year or so there has been much information offered here at CB on the subject of coating boolits. From all the honest reports reported without bias I have been unimpressed with the results compaired to conventional lubed boolits.
I have seen no gain in potential of either accuracy or velocity. From what I have seen reported the only gain is less messy and for that trade average accuracy is being compromised. Before I can accept coating as being equal to lubing I would like to see an apples to apples comparison shot for accuracy from the same gun with the same boolit coated and lubed.
I really hope this expressed opinion does not anger you because I have no desire to engage in argument. Its just that before I can except such a statement as more than opinion I like to see real irrefutable proof.
Believe me as a boolit merchant I have been watching and if/when I see a potencial gain in ballistic or accuracy performance I will be offering them but thus far I have not seen that gain. On average I have seen a slight sacrifice to accuracy with coating compaired to lubing which may be acceptable with the type of shooting most folks seem to be doing with them.

Pretty much matches my observation so far, also. How ever, I strongly encourage people to keep playing with it, as there will probably (hopefully) be some useful break through in the science.

[petroid]

Good on ya to the OP. I don't want to pick sides, I'm pretty new at this too. I enjoy learning from the masters as well as hearing about "bleeding edge" breakthroughs. I have lubed and PC'd and still do both depending on the application. My 9mms and .40s get PC'd because I had terrible leading issues with both no matter what I tried. PC cured that easy peazy. My 7.62x54R cast loads were cured with PC not because of the load but because the mold was not appropriate for the gun. The PC bulked up the boolit to shoot much better even in a rough old bore. My most accurate 300 blackout load is with a lubed boolit. And my 45s get alox tumble lubed because they shoot just fine that way. That's what I love about this site. You get the whole gamut of ideas and experience all together in one place.

[RP]

Is it just me or is there a goal to prove that PC is better then lubed? PC is just another way to lube a bullet. Yes you can say lube will out shoot PC but is it the gun reload or shooter not the lube? I went to the range to see the benches filled with people shooting ARs with their match grade barrels scopes trying to get tight groups just to get their feelings hurt when I shoot a lot tighter group with my bull barrel target rifle. The point is if you go to a race and you run a moped against a supercharged funny car you may not win but you will get to the finish line. The only true test is the same shoot try both with everything the same up to the bullet and see what works for them some will find PC is good others lube is good its just to close of a race for some areas of use.

[Spawn-Inc]

glad you are having good results.... am I the only one that stores my ammo nose down? It makes it easier to grab the bullets by the extractor groove, but hey whatever works. CFE pistol and pc same boolit leaves my beretta 92 pretty clean also

i used to put them bullet down, but now i keep it up because i can grab 2 at a time and use a speed loader that much faster. although for 9mm it's sometimes hard to grab the bullets as they are small.