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Thread: Size before or after pc?

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by MyFlatline View Post
    I've never had and issue with the smoothness, contaminates yes. Quite often I give em an Acetone bath, anything will stick then
    +1 on the acetone bath. I do size before and after PC. Usually however I get by with as cast and just PC load and shoot.( my pistol boolits) . Rifle boolits I am a little more OCD about. YMMV- CASTER
    In regards to shooting safety.Until you are ready to fire, keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

  2. #22
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    I always size after PCing the bullet.
    ______________________________________________
    Aaron

  3. #23
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    I am not 100% on sizing. Usually size after, but experiments continue to where I do not size at all

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by adam_mac84 View Post
    I am not 100% on sizing. Usually size after, but experiments continue to where I do not size at all
    All depends on what the gun calls for. Some boolits I can PC and shoot as cast with good accuracy and some not so much. Thus the sizing .... in that case usually afterward. Smallish boolit fit is not usually benefited by PC alone . If it is .001 undersized as cast sometimes the PC will do fine . However your relying in a film(polymer) jacket to tote maybe more than it is meant to do. IMHO. - CASTER
    In regards to shooting safety.Until you are ready to fire, keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

  5. #25
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    I just ES coated some of Noe's 311299s. I sized to .309 boiled with Dawn and water to clean. Let dry well. I think the lead oxidized a little as they are gray, kind of. Coated in HF red and baked. Nice red color. Went to size .309 again and set gc. Hornaday brass gc was too small to snap on had to tap on, separate problem but advice welcome. When I sized there was always a small spot on the drive band at the front of the sizing die that lost coating. I can duplicate the problem at will in the same spot. I haven't pulled the die yet but I can't find a burr on the die and the lead isn't scratched. I'm going to try measuring some to see if the pc is too thin. I don't think so but... Any ideas? I'm going to run these subsonic in a 300blk so I don't think a small bare patch of ww would be a problem but then again. I think I need to find whoever was selling gc here and order some that will fit right from the get go.

  6. #26
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    Always size 1st to make every thing the same /then size when done PC ing again to uniform the finished boolit ,remember accuracy is dependent on consistency/every thing else is luck/Ed

  7. #27
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AggieEE View Post
    I just ES coated some of Noe's 311299s. I sized to .309 boiled with Dawn and water to clean. Let dry well. I think the lead oxidized a little as they are gray, kind of. Coated in HF red and baked. Nice red color. Went to size .309 again and set gc. Hornaday brass gc was too small to snap on had to tap on, separate problem but advice welcome. When I sized there was always a small spot on the drive band at the front of the sizing die that lost coating. I can duplicate the problem at will in the same spot. I haven't pulled the die yet but I can't find a burr on the die and the lead isn't scratched. I'm going to try measuring some to see if the pc is too thin. I don't think so but... Any ideas? I'm going to run these subsonic in a 300blk so I don't think a small bare patch of ww would be a problem but then again. I think I need to find whoever was selling gc here and order some that will fit right from the get go.
    If the shank of the bullet is exposed to the PC it will grow and the check will not want to fit. Might try checking first. I stand mine in special made holders to protect the shank. If the coating is cured correctly, the only way (IMO) you could loose coating is a scratch or a poor cure. I had a batch that did not cure correctly and it came off in the sizing die. I learned something that day.

  8. #28
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    MyFlatline, I had a 1/4" aluminum plate that I drilled 19/64" holes in, a little over shank size. I put a layer of non-stick foil over the plate and pushed the bullet shanks into the holes. Everything is standing upright at about 1" spacing. I thought that I might have a thin coating that low. Still haven't measured yet, too much work not enough play. However since it is in one place it's either die or I may have an alignment problem in the RCBS sizer I'm using. When everything cooled down when I pulled the bullets I took a skirt of coating with it off of the foil. First time I tried this so I'm open to suggestions.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AggieEE View Post
    MyFlatline, I had a 1/4" aluminum plate that I drilled 19/64" holes in, a little over shank size. I put a layer of non-stick foil over the plate and pushed the bullet shanks into the holes. Everything is standing upright at about 1" spacing. I thought that I might have a thin coating that low. Still haven't measured yet, too much work not enough play. However since it is in one place it's either die or I may have an alignment problem in the RCBS sizer I'm using. When everything cooled down when I pulled the bullets I took a skirt of coating with it off of the foil. First time I tried this so I'm open to suggestions.
    I use a jig like this. This is for 35 cal. and use 380 and 9mm for the holders.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    And not to say the checks could be a tad small or the cast a bit large. I did have a batch a couple years ago that was just a pain to seat. I think it was my alloy mix.

    Hope you get it worked out

  10. #30
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    ^^^^^^ That's how I keep the PC off the shanks. Works great. Gp

  11. #31
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Use worn out brass to make your bullet holders as shown above. Take the expander out of your sixing die and size the junk brass and it will usually hold the unchecked shank. 30 carbine brass works good for me for 30cal. bullets. Gp

  12. #32
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    I checked my coating thickness. Assuming my 309 die really gives me 309 after coating I was at 311-313 so I had 2 thou dia. increase so I should be good. I ran an unchecked bullet into the die and had no tears in the coating. I think that the tight checks are throwing me at an angle going into the die which is causing the problem. I tapped the backend of the 19/64 drill into a couple of checks and they seated much better. BTW I thought about thick shanks and tried them on some bullets I cast with a LEE mold with Cu enriched alloy and had the same problem. I think I need to get some of Gator's checks. Thanks for the advice.

  13. #33
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    AggieEE wrote


    Went to size .309 again and set gc. Hornaday brass gc was too small to snap on had to tap on, separate problem but advice welcome.

    Make a punch to size the check out. A small tap with a hammer does the number. Not my idea- Col Harrison in his book recommends this. If you don't have a lathe, find a soft bit of rod 5 inches long and spin it in your drill. Attack the corner with a file until the tool spreads the check. Finish polish with a stone.... Hope this helps... Dale


    PS My groups were better as the check is on flat with the base before the crimp is applied...

  14. #34
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    sizing twice to me is pointless.i powder coat and to size and to round up the bullet,and then load and shoot

  15. #35
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    just getting back into casting after 15+ years of buying Bear Creek "moly coated" bullets. I have never had first hand experience with powder coating and was wondering, Doesn't the PC get wiped off when you run them thru the sizer?
    I read above where one shooter lubes his bullets after PC. if they are powder coated isn't that a reliable lube to prevent leading a barrel?
    thanks

  16. #36
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    If coating is cured correctly, it will not come off. I think they were lubing to ease the resizing effort.

  17. #37
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    If the PC is cured properly you can take a finished boolit and smash it with a hammer and the coating will not chip, flake, or come off. As for lubing afterwards? Don't know why you would, other than as stated above about sizing.
    I PC the as cast boolits for all my pistols. Some I need to size before and after ,but usually I get by with as cast . In which case I run them thru the same size diameter die to clean up the sides. I size all my rifle boolits after PC. Never saw a need to size before and after. Depends on what the gun wants and what the mold drops. - CASTER
    In regards to shooting safety.Until you are ready to fire, keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

  18. #38
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    First post here! I am relatively new to casting and I powder coated from the start. I found that I had trouble with powder coat adhesion if I sized before coating until I used my vibratory tumbler to coat before baking. The areas that got sized would be shiny and not hold the coating well. I have not tried acetone to clean either. I am just reporting what worked for me. So far the only thing I have down perfect is the powder coating. The casting part is killing me!

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by tbobbo View Post
    First post here! I am relatively new to casting and I powder coated from the start. I found that I had trouble with powder coat adhesion if I sized before coating until I used my vibratory tumbler to coat before baking. The areas that got sized would be shiny and not hold the coating well. I have not tried acetone to clean either. I am just reporting what worked for me. So far the only thing I have down perfect is the powder coating. The casting part is killing me!
    meh dont worry, you'll get a knack for it with enough practice . Sizing before coating messes with hitek as well for me.
    My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter

    Thanks Yall!

  20. #40
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    I size after and ONLY after now, but I never really thought about it until someone said something one day. Now I am like, WHY the extra step? It is gonna get sized in the end. PLUS- Now I can take some of those .358 SWC 105gr boolits and leave them as they are, then size to .357 or .356 or .358 when I am ready to use them. All good.

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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