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Thread: Powder coating Black powder round ball and conical bullets

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy shaggybull's Avatar
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    Powder coating Black powder round ball and conical bullets

    Has anyone PC's any thing for black powder?

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I powdercoated some Zombie Balls! (fer shootin' at zombies)

    but they are riding in a patch when loaded... so it doesnt' really benefit anything.




    Rangefinder pc'd some actual BP boolits..... I'll find the link and post it here.


    ahhh.... here ya go... Post #401
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...t=#post2829795
    Last edited by Beagle333; 09-18-2014 at 10:54 AM. Reason: added link
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    yes I did a batch of 50 Cal Lee hollow base bullets. Did real well
    [SIZE=4][B]Selling Hi Quality Powdercoating Powder

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    Boolit Grand Master
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    I PC roundballs for 38 SPL and 45 LC loads, but have not shot them in front of black powder.

    I have found the best way to coat them is BBDT and then dump on 1/4" hardware cloth. Minor lay marks but they shoot great! 9-10Bhn.

    Hope some black powder guys chime in!

    banger

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


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    .54 Lee REALs and Minies. They're a slip fit in my T/C Hawken as cast. Hoping PC will bump them up enough to make them stay on the powder but still load easily.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master


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    To expound on that last post:

    -My minies cast from pure lead (well, SOWW, anyway) are undersized enough that they're hard to get a seal in the bore with.
    -Minies cast with a dab of tin added to the SOWW are a bit larger, and, hopefully, will be just a bit harder and able to withstand a slightly heavier (90-100gr) powder charge.

    After coating, the lead minies are a barely slip fit, and will probably be perfect in a fouled barrel. The tin-added minies will be barely tight to load; I think they'll be perfect.

    What I hope to do is find a load that is hot enough to obturate the 'tin added' bullets, yet not so hot as to blow the base off a lead bullet, and then plan on using the tin-added bullets for the first shot and maybe the second shot, with a lead bullet following them up. FWIW, it's easy to tell the two bullets apart: the lead ones oxidize quickly, but the tin ones are still quite shiny, even though they were cast almost a year ago. A quick glance at the hollow base tells which ones are which.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master


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    So far so good. The tin-added bullets shot decently well, but it took over 90 grains of powder to obturate them. I went to 100 grains; pure lead with the same charge seemed to be blowing the skirts off, or so I am guessing, as they grouped 12" or more at 50 yards.

    I thought things were going smooth and coming together, then I ran out of bullets. Just finished casting 70-80 more, with 2 ounces of pewter added to ~8 pounds of SOWW. Just enough tin to make nice, pretty, shiny minies. Will try to coat them tonight and shoot some more tomorrow night.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy marvelshooter's Avatar
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    I am thinking about loading some powder coated boolits over black powder. Has anybody tried this? Searching brought me to this thread so I am starting here. I am going to try a few with a card wad over the powder and a grease cookie under the boolit. Any thoughts?

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by C. Latch View Post
    So far so good. The tin-added bullets shot decently well, but it took over 90 grains of powder to obturate them. I went to 100 grains; pure lead with the same charge seemed to be blowing the skirts off, or so I am guessing, as they grouped 12" or more at 50 yards.

    I thought things were going smooth and coming together, then I ran out of bullets. Just finished casting 70-80 more, with 2 ounces of pewter added to ~8 pounds of SOWW. Just enough tin to make nice, pretty, shiny minies. Will try to coat them tonight and shoot some more tomorrow night.

    By way of an update, the promising signs I saw earlier were a fluke. I can't get this rifle to group with these minies, regardless of whether they are PCed or lubed.



    On another note, I PCed some 54-300 Lee REALs and they shot to the same POI as lubed bullets of the same type, and grouped equally well. Going to cast some more and test them further.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    Has anyone tried PC in place of a patch for round ball? I'd love to see the results.
    If not, I've got down time today, and may have to PC some of what I've got here and head to the range. I'm thinking if I could eliminate the lubed patches with PC instead, it would speed up the reload process a little.
    "Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.." - C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

  11. #11
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    Without using the patch would that effect the seal with the barrel resulting gas cutting ? Or it may not lead but I would sure compare the FPS of a patched and unpatched. Would be nice to find out to add to the data base on what works and what fails.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy Big Mak's Avatar
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    Holy thread resurrection!

    I built my first 45 Colt BP loads today with 35 volume/Goex 2F, 225 lyman cast 225 gr powder coated bullets.
    No air space, compressed without wad .150 (with powder coated bullet) and used the drop tube since it's a remedial zen-like experience.

    Plan to smoke out the firing line at the local gun club when the pistol bays fill up during public hours. (Cimmaron 1873 7th Cav replica revolver) It's an outdoor gun club so no one can complain!

    I'll report back on any leading, but I highly doubt it after my experiences with PC'd bullets and BP.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Once more to the top. Has anyone had any luck loading powder coated bullets in 38spl or 45Colt over black powder without wads. Gp

  14. #14
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Loaded up a couple rounds of 38spl this morning using a Saeco 158gr.RNFP powder coated over 18 pyrodex P and a small pistol magnum primer. Worked just fine and burned very clean. Not even much smoke. Sort of disappointing. LOL Loaded up another dozen this evening for a little better test. Gp

  15. #15
    Boolit Mold portneufboy's Avatar
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    Red face

    I haven't, but I want to. I think that powder coating muzzle-loader soft lead conicals could be a game changer for "northwest" legal muzzle-loader hunting. I think that powder coated boolits will allow softer alloy projectiles to be shot at higher velocity while still preventing gas cutting and barrel leading. I think that soft PC'd will be everything that power belts want to be, but aren't. I think that everything that Idahoron achieves with a paper patch can be achieved with a plastic patch. Of coarse, this is all hopes and dreams and wild speculation, I haven't bit the boolit and bought the mold from Accurate...yet. I am looking at the 50-350p and the 50-400w profile. perhaps a combination of both in one mold. He will cut up to 4 different weights/profiles in one .50 caliber mold. Its just kinda hard to commit to buying a mold for $175+ based on hopes and dreams an wild speculation. But speculation is all have to go on, iv'e scoured the internet for anyone else trying it and have't found much. Somebody ahs got to try it!
    SO i'll start with slugging the bore, getting an actual lands and groves measurement to base to mold specs on, and then fabricating a flimsy justification to offer my wife as to why I need this expensive mold that probably wont work.
    Last edited by portneufboy; 07-09-2018 at 05:09 PM. Reason: endless re-thinking

  16. #16
    Boolit Mold tworr's Avatar
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    I'm on the same mission too. I ordered a hi-tec coated 330 grain cast bullet to test before I order a mold. I'll know more in a couple of days. It just seems like there are limited options for those of us wanting to cast and shoot boolits in our modern in lines with 1in 28 twist.
    Last edited by tworr; 08-07-2018 at 12:22 PM.

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    Ive loaded approx. 50-60 x 45/70 rounds with Black, Swiss 1 1/2 63 grains behind .60 thou wad and Smokes jet black on the projectile, pan lubed with Emmerts for fouling softener and shot as well as without powder coating, it did however pick up 40 fps average velocity and no leading at all just the tiniest sparkle on the first swab through the barrel, as I shoot smokeless through the same gun I have different colour for the Smokeless and black, the boreriding section on the Boolit is snug in the barrel too, more testing to do though

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by gpidaho View Post
    Loaded up a couple rounds of 38spl this morning using a Saeco 158gr.RNFP powder coated over 18 pyrodex P and a small pistol magnum primer. Worked just fine and burned very clean. Not even much smoke. Sort of disappointing. LOL Loaded up another dozen this evening for a little better test. Gp
    Got a Turner Kirkland (founder of Dixie Gun Works)hollow base mold in a trade from a guy on this site and found it was a pretty loose fit as cast in my .40 Turner Kirkland percussion. Powder coated some and shot them over up to 70 gr. (measured volume) Black MZ. 50 gr. gave the best accuracy. They give about a consistent 2” size group at 50 yds. and ring the 100 yd. 8” gong about every time. My eyes at 71 aren’t the same as they were at 50 so your results will probably be better. The little.410 hollow based slugs from a mould I got from the Svarog Russian guys does about the same. They both obturate with the skirts intact as I’ve dug some out of the berm. You can see the rifling marks on them. So, pure lead and powder coat does work. When they become available again, I want to get a .399 sizer and try the powder coat on a solid slug to see how they do. Sizing does not take off the powder coat using the push thru sizers on other boolits I’ve done.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by C. Latch View Post
    By way of an update, the promising signs I saw earlier were a fluke. I can't get this rifle to group with these minies, regardless of whether they are PCed or lubed.



    On another note, I PCed some 54-300 Lee REALs and they shot to the same POI as lubed bullets of the same type, and grouped equally well. Going to cast some more and test them further.
    Check out Tom at Accurate Molds he has a real mold that I use for my 54 that is very accurate
    I tried to powder coat them but I think they will be to big to make them easy to load
    used plain ol lead the pc
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check