Do you lube or powder coat the cast boolits?

[mdi]

Yes. Done both and it depends on what I feel like doing at the time...

[Joby]

Powder coating is taking over more and more. Just too easy and clean. Been doing some round balls in powder for the fun also.

[GhostHawk]

Ben's Liquid Lube on everything!

[JBinMN]

Tumble lube with 45/45/10, or pan lube with a mix of Johnsons Paste wax,paraffin/candles,vaseline,a couple crayons, and so on.

[bruce drake]

Just ordered a pound of powder to experiment with this PC aspect. Been tumble lubing and lubesizing for 20 years, figured I might have to try out the new process.

Bruce

[lightman]

I still use a luber/sizer. While appreciating the advantages PC offers I'm just not ready to gear up for this. Sizing and lubing bullets goes pretty fast for me, I get good results, and I'm pretty heavily invested in the equipment. A casting buddy started PC'ing and gave me some samples to try but I have not had the opportunity yet.

[marek313]

I just started reloading recently but after reading many posts here and on other sites I went straight to PC and never even tried any other kind of lube. Yes standing those little puppies up on a tray takes some time but results are great. I had a problem with ergonomics but I moved my setup from my basement to the living room to a more comfortable position in front of my TV so now I can sit there all day and it doesnt bother me. I just did about 1500 9s and 45s in 3 days and that includes sizing. I never tried conventional lubes but I dont see a reason to get into it. Seems like a step backwards if you ask me. PC does everything and it does it clean. Thanx to PC I'm yet to have any leading in any of my guns.

[stubshaft]

Doing both. PC allows me to shoot soft 8bhn - 9bhn boolits at full velocity in my pistols with no leading. That is something lube could never do. However, in some of my cartridges lube does give me better accuracy. I don't ever think that I will use just one type exclusively.

[white eagle]

the more I use PC the more I like using PC
I have been casting along time and anything that make the
chores quicker or easier I am all for it
I find it easier to get my PC boolits to target more accurately
with less fuss than I do with lube sized boolits

[10gaOkie]

I lubed all of my cast bullets for years using a RCBS Lube Sizer. Only recently did I switch over to 45/45/10 tumble lube on all bullets, both pistol and rifle. So much quicker and easier! Oh yeah, I switched over to using the Lee push through sizing dies also. I was so used to using the old way, maybe too stubborn to change, I would have been smarter to having made the switch much sooner than I did. I use the tumble lube on both tumble lube grooves as well as conventional. /Chris

[popper]

Used peanut butter, veggie oil, LLAA, Recluse, HiTek, BLL & PC. I think the ESPC machine will go on the shelf (while the humidity is low), just did a LOT with DT. BLL works great too. For me, fast, easy, clean works.

[35 shooter]

BLL or Ben's Red lube for me. I've always used traditional lubes and these two put the first shots to the last in the group...no flyers...no leading...no surprises year round for me.
Speeds up to 2600 fps. in my 35 whelen(best accuracy from 2200 to 2500 fps) and so far, 2450 fps. in my .308....still working with that one.

Groups run 1.5" or less @ 100 yds. with unweighed boolits and 1" and less with weighed boolits.

Nothing against pc, i've just always used grease or tumble lube and don't have any reason to change.
I do have a lyman 35 cal. rifle mould that casts undersize...i may try shake and bake with that one day.

[marek313]

Yes and no.

I sometimes lube and for the rest i use Hi-Tek wich is actually formulated as a bullet lubricant not an industrial surface coating like PC.

I'm sorry and let me just say that I'm not trying to be mean. I keep seeing these statements how Hi-Tek was specifically formulated as bullet lubricant. How much better it is against PC etc. Personally I never used as I exclusively PC everything but I can get PC for fraction that Hi-tek costs which I believe is $40/15oz container. None of my guns lead and barrels are clean. I'm sure your getting the same results with Hi-Tek otherwise people wouldnt use it I just have a problem of people claiming its better. There is a difference between performance and marketing and I dont see any advantage to Hi-Tek over PC. If they both work why would I pay more?
For all you Hi-Tek users I have couple left handed hammers that were specifically designed for left handed people. They cost little more but perform so much better, trust me

Remember smile its Friday

[Digger]

Ben's Liquid Lube on everything!

10-4 on that ....

[Mjdd23]

Just started casting last year and I have been tumble lubing and powder coating my boolits. I enjoy both methods. The powder coating gives me the opportunity to increase the diameter of my boolits which depending on the mold I may need. Further testing will be done this year.

[Rcmaveric]

I do both. Still "spearmintin" with PC. Until I get the kinks out I mostly lube. Both are pretty easy. My goal was PC for high volume shooting but lubing has been quicker actually.

[Grmps]

PC, HiTek, Lube have a couple similarities.
1) they form a barrier/lubricant between the barrel and boolit to prevent leading
2) Like all products/applications, you use quality materials in the proper fashion and you get good results.

PC and HiTek have a much cleaner end result, they won't gum up your dies, they don't dry out, crack and fall out of the lube grooves and they cover the lead with a pollymer coating protecting you from extended contact with lead.
PC and HiTek also have a broad spectrum of colors to choose from, you can use different colors to help easily differentiate between different powder charges , powders or ?
HiTek has been used commercially for over 20 years, there must be a good reason for that. It's the easiest to use in hi-volume production. the commercial casters can applty HiTek to 30 + pounds of boolits in 10 -15 seconds, dump on large drying/baking screens, place on large rolling racks dry and bake over 300 pounds of boolits at a time. Pass the rub and smash test bween each coat & your good to go. After you have the system down, the test are basically a formality.Normally 2 coats are applied for a nicer color and verry consistent results. I have never seen boolits PC'd commercially.
PC requires much less equipment that HiTek, with the right powders and process it's easy to quickly get good results.
this is the most efficient way I've found to do volume with PC
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ange-PC-method
Quality PC generally only requires 1 coat to get a great finish in both looks and quality.

[rosewood]

I alox 45-45-10 the gas checked boolits and I powder coat the plain base boolits. Has worked quite well for me.

Rosewood

[WFO2]

I do both . When developing loads and sizes ( .429 , 0r .430 , .431 Etc. ) or ( .452 , .453 Etc ) I will lube and size with some good lube . Once I get the load where I want it with no leading . I then powder coat a few and verify that they are accurate and still not leading. Then I will cast a big batch and Powder Coat and put up for stash .I also always size after I coat .

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I've done a lot of both, but I'm moving back to lube.

If you PC and just throw all your boolits in the oven, they will stick together and leave bare spots when you pull them apart. Even if they don't touch it will be uneven where they touch the aluminum foil. The only way I can get even coating is to stand them all on end, which takes a lot of time with pliers and become more difficult the thinner and taller the boolit is. I still PC my pure lead hollow points to prevent oxidation and to have some small form of weight retention.

In my .308 Win rifle I would get much better accuracy with lube over PC. Pistol is too close to matter, but I think investing in a Star lube/sizer would give me better speed of production and better accuracy.