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Thread: Will this work powder coat in swage die

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold stumpy2cool's Avatar
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    Will this work powder coat in swage die

    Ok so here is my dilemma I have a 9 year old that has really gotten into shooting with me and we have been using 53 g hp's from a bt sniper die set in 223 with reduced loads of trail boss. She loves to be out in the garage and reload with me seating bullets in her own rounds after I powder charge the cases and doing case prep and the like .

    Recently we where at at the range and she saw some one shooting powder coated 9mm in red and wants me to make her some pink bullets for her 233. I'm not looking to buy a mold and die to do 224 bullets. So here is my question.

    could I make Core and swage it down to the weight I want then powder coat it and THEN run it though my point form die? I know I can point form a plain lead core and the powder coat it and then size it back down just wonder if I could save a step or will it be hard with the powder coat to work in the point form die?

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy uncle dino's Avatar
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    Welcome....It'll work just fine. As long as you don't have to bring the core diameter up too much. I've made the cores slightly under point form diameter, but they still fit in point form after powder coating..forming will thin the coating on the ogive portion..but that doesn't matter.. I run a .490 core to make a .500 bullet.. D

  3. #3
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    I'm about to start working on this very problem.
    after measuring things I'm thinking my steps are going to be more like.
    make the bullet.
    then powder coat.
    then size to 225.
    the one point form die I have is just a touch undersize so I should be close to 225 + @ .0005 or there about after coating anyway.
    226 will chamber easily in an AR or bolt gun and you won't generally scuff the ball seat until 227 in the 22 rifles.
    so you have some wiggle room to work with here.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    Although I do not powder coat this is my take. Completely form your bullet including final nose shape, then powder coat and the run back through the nose form die. An extra step but when swaging you shouldn't really be worried about time anyway.
    A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold stumpy2cool's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasquatch-1 View Post
    Although I do not powder coat this is my take. Completely form your bullet including final nose shape, then powder coat and the run back through the nose form die. An extra step but when swaging you shouldn't really be worried about time anyway.
    I would be more worried about the bullet being oversized for the die at that point or putting more stress on the die then is needed.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    My first thought would be to do as described by runfiverun, then size the coated bullet in a Lee size die.
    But Sasquatch's idea might just work, and possibly leave the bullet with a better shape.
    To lazy to chase arrows.
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  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    My gut feeling is to do what Dino suggests... Take your cores, powdercoat, then point as normal. You don't really care about the thinning powder coat on the ogive... That's going to be the most efficient process and probably get you the most consistent results. At the point you're going through multiple steps, you might as well just die some 22lr jackets the color you want lol

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by stumpy2cool View Post
    Ok so here is my dilemma I have a 9 year old that has really gotten into shooting with me and we have been using 53 g hp's from a bt sniper die set in 223 with reduced loads of trail boss. She loves to be out in the garage and reload with me seating bullets in her own rounds after I powder charge the cases and doing case prep and the like .

    Recently we where at at the range and she saw some one shooting powder coated 9mm in red and wants me to make her some pink bullets for her 233. I'm not looking to buy a mold and die to do 224 bullets. So here is my question.

    could I make Core and swage it down to the weight I want then powder coat it and THEN run it though my point form die? I know I can point form a plain lead core and the powder coat it and then size it back down just wonder if I could save a step or will it be hard with the powder coat to work in the point form die?
    Although I do not use powder coating, I do use HI-Tek coating. My process is to make the lead bullet completly, then coat the bullet, I then use a push thru NOE size die to size the bearing surface to correct size. I do this with most of the swedged lead bullets I use. If the coating is not super thick you can run the bullet back into the point form die as well and bring it back to correct size. I have also done this same thing with plated bullets both coated and uncoated and works like a charm.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master



    MUSTANG's Avatar
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    I did this a few years ago when Powder coating started showing up on Cast Boolits. Used my Corbin .223 swage dies. Process was:

    Cast Cores
    Swage cores to 55 Grains (or whatever desired end weight is)
    Clean cores with acetone & let dry
    Powder coat cleaned cores with HF Red; using Shake and Bake method - 400 degree cure
    Place PC'd core into the Nose swage die, place a .22 cal gas check on top (future bottom) of the core, & then Swage to form nose

    The gas check is swaged onto the bottom of the bullet as the core expands to fill the die and forms point.

    I had moderate success with the initial effort, shot lower velocities but did not record data and results. The groups were larger than using unsorted 22LR cases (mixed head stamps) so I moved on to other pursuits given that I had collected a large stock of 22 LR brass. Might be interesting to retry again this summer; but it will have to compete with several other endeavors.

    You might get a Pink color by mixing some white Harbor Freight Powder with the Red HF Powder. Have not used Powders other than HF (Red, Yellow & White); so have no experience how other powders will behave with the same technique I used previously.
    Mustang

    "In the beginning... the patriot is a scarce man, and brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." - Mark Twain.

  10. #10
    Boolit Mold
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    I know this is an old thread, but did anyone ever have any success doing this? I am just starting swaging and thought about powder coating my lead cores then forming a point. If no one had any pictures/results, I will give it a go and report back. Might be a couple months though as I am still waiting on my point form die.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    I cast Lee Bator bullets, PC them and then point form without a jacket. No flaking and at least in my experience, more accurate than Bators as cast. Now I am starting to wonder what would happen if I just PC'd cores and point formed. I suspect that the sharp ends would fail.

  12. #12
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    I do not know what you did in the last three years however I form .224 bullets in a old swage set by who knows who!

    When I started powder coating bullets I made some 55 grain .185" wires coated and baked them my dies left a burr on the base so they shot terrible but even with full charge of IMR-3031 in .223 Rem. they did not foul the bore.

    Since I am swaging them I tried putting the used large pistol primer cup on the wire the pressure bumped it up to .224 and they shot much better.Click image for larger version. 

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    When I think back on all the **** I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all ! And then my lack of education hasn't hurt me none I can read the writing on the wall.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Please post a photo from the side of the bullet. Do you get any cracks in the PC? I might have to try your way. I think that I can cut wire faster than casting.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    I'm curious about when people do their powder-coating step myself. My thought was to make a slightly undersized die, powder coat, and then finish it in a die of the correct size. But if people are powder coating after simply sizing the core, and then after forming the full bullet the powder coat is fine and not cracked or anything, that makes life way easier.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master



    MUSTANG's Avatar
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    I had no cracking with Bullets swaged/formed from Powder Coated cores.
    Mustang

    "In the beginning... the patriot is a scarce man, and brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." - Mark Twain.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

    firefly1957's Avatar
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    I am sorry I did not get back on here sooner ,the powder coat or baked on enamel paint does not crack if cured properly. I have taken 30 caliber and 35 caliber bullets and swaged them up to .452" with good results even .
    When I think back on all the **** I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all ! And then my lack of education hasn't hurt me none I can read the writing on the wall.

  17. #17
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    I cast and PCed a bunch of 45/70 boolits for a CB member and he had great results swaging them

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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