ive been powder coating for a while now using shake n bake method I started out doing it with 9mm bullets only . I liked it so much in 9mm I started doing it for my 40 cal lee 175 gr sw bullet , next thing I know I'm powder coating 200 gr swc bullets I shoot out of my 45 colt , then onto powder coating rifle bullets of various weights for my 30 30 and 35 marlin . but I just refused to do it with my 38 cal bullets. I cast a few different weights and styles of 38 cal bullets but my main bullet is a lee tl 158 gr swc and I stuck to old school tumble lube as long as I could , kinda happy with what I had and didn't wanna change it thing . well my supply was getting low so I decided to cast up 500 or so the other day and I just couldn't seem to get the size I wanted out of them my alloy was 8 lb wheel weight ingots mixed with 2 lb pure lead ingots with about an oz of pure tin . the bullets were dropping .360 at the base and .360 at the top end of the lube grooves but in the center section of the lube grooves it was only .356/.357 and it was hell bent that's what they were gonna be I tried 2 different molds, a 6 banger and a 2 cav with same results . I tried various temps ranging from 650 ish to 850 ish with no change . the bullets would have probably been ok but I was just being a stickler I wanted them to size to a consistent .358 so I ended up powder coating them to build up a bit so I could get the consistent .358 I wanted after sizing . I loaded 50 of them today and will hopefully get to try them out next weekend . I still plan on tumble lubing my .358 105 swc bullets and my wad cutters for the time being anyhow .