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Thread: Anyone given up on PC?

  1. #1
    Boolit Man jeff100's Avatar
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    Anyone given up on PC?

    Have any of you worked with powder coating and decided to go back to lubed boolits?

    I am relatively new to boolit casting, starting just a couple of years ago so I don't have a lot of experience with shooting lubed boolits. I've taken to pc my boolits in a big way, in fact at this point I've shot a lot more pc than lubed. I occasionally read that pc doesn't work for rifle. I'm not seeing that yet, I've had good outcome with my lever action rifles and pc cast to about 2100 fps. I suppose there is a velocity ceiling for shooting pc boolits where beyond that ceiling lubed boolits is the right approach. To me, so far, I'm finding that shooting pc boolits to be a lot more trouble free than shooting lubed with the added benefit of little cleaning required when shooting pc. Maybe I'm too ignorant, have too little experience of shooting lubed boolits to understand how much better lubed boolits are over pc for some situations.

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Has worked for me 110% for over 3+ years! BBDT and ESPC both work perfectly. No grease. No grease smoke. No stinky boolits in the summer. No leading........EVER....after thousands of rounds from 223 to 45 cal.

    Yes there is a velocity ceiling but some on here are going to the upper limits with no leading or degradation of performance. I limit my PC to around ~2K fps. For full house rifle loads I use standard commercial FMJ's - mainly 223/5.56.

    Banger

  3. #3
    Boolit Master LAKEMASTER's Avatar
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    My current look on pc is positive.


    Pc is one of those things you really can't go wrong with... A plastic container and a oven gets you a lifetime coating... ( meaning lube never goes bad).

    I think it's neat
    Lake Havasu City... Born and raised

  4. #4
    Boolit Master sawinredneck's Avatar
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    And if you are having problems with the powder sticking to the boolits, take a piece of styrofoam and rub a few BB’s into the mix, it doesn’t take a lot to make a large increase of the static electricity.
    Quote Originally Posted by sniper View Post
    Irish Proverb: Never approach a Bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or an Idiot from any direction!

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    +1 for PC Other than requiring a little extra time, I have found nothing that is a negative with PC. I used conventional lube for 40+ years and have only been PCing a couple of years--the only thing I would have changed is I would have started with 5 or 6 cavity molds to start because with PC I shoot a lot more often than previously. Have fun and be careful and if you get the chance, pass the knowledge on some of it was too hardly won to let it be wasted with this generations passing. Like a friend says "Stand for the flag and kneal for the cross".

  6. #6
    Boolit Master rsrocket1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jeff100 View Post
    Have any of you worked with powder coating and decided to go back to lubed boolits?
    No, but powder coating has caused me to quit lubed bullets completely in all my autoloading pistol calibers. Much less smoke, zero leading and no gunk build up on my dies. I still tumble lube with 45/45/10 for my 38/357 simply because I have several pints left, I don't mind the smoke and my Ruger has never leaded with TL bullets anyway.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    DerekP Houston's Avatar
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    Except for 9mm, I typically tumble lube or use hitek just cause I'm lazy and it works for pistol plinking. 9mm is still finicky for me so I powder coat all of them and have no issues. Here lately I haven't even been sizing my wadcutters, just tumble in bll and shoot as cast.
    My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter

    Thanks Yall!

  8. #8
    Boolit Master


    Taylor's Avatar
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    Almost gave up until I bought smoke's powder.Made a big difference for me.
    Pro Patria-Ne Desit Virtus

  9. #9
    Boolit Man jeff100's Avatar
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    Not a large sample size of responses, but so far 100% positive for PC. I've been PC'ing for a few months now and love it, seems to be the perfect solution. That's not to say there hasn't been a learning curve for me, there has. But all in all I'm a huge fan.

    I asked this question because I was wondering if or when there are some situations where lubing would be the better choice over powder coating. So far there doesn't seem to be, no one has chimed in and said lubing is preferred for any reason. I have all the equipment and supplies to lube boolits, but it now sits unused and I may at some point surplus and sell this equipment before it becomes worthless. That said, being a woodworker, mechanic, machinist, half a$$ed electrician and computer builder, I'm also a tool lover and struggle to sell ANYTHING once I own it. Ya can't have too much equipment or too many tools IMO. LOL. - JJ

    JJ

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
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    I use both PC and traditional lube. Until I get the noser sizing thing working for me, I only use PC'ed rifle bullets as plinkers and pistol fodder. I have had excellent results up to 2100 FPS as well.
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    Have a automated Master Caster. Powder coat all the cast bullets from the automated Master Caster. Have powder coated thousands of cast bullets. Powder coat the rifle bullets but they are loaded under light loads. Use an electrostatic powder coating gun, use a commercial convection oven to cook 600 powder coated billers at a time. Started powder coating 5 years ago.
    Install home made ts checks on most of the powder coated bullets. My self and my family will shoot several thousand cast bullets each year. Run the Master Caster every 6 months and cast 8000 bullets at a time using several caliber molds to keep a good supply of bullets ready to load.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    PC works great but I have been using BLL lately. I tinker a lot.
    Whatever!

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I use BLL where it works.

    This is mostly light duty target loads.

    Then again this for a LOT of target loads.

    It is just easier & less effort.

    I also shoot a lot stuff the BLL can not handle. It does take more time, but I have improved my output/time spent for my ASBB HF Red.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I have tried some power coated lee 150 grain bullets in my 30 30. They were given to me as I dont coat. I didnt like them. They added just enough to the ogive so that they wouldnt chamber without rubbing into the rifling I have the mold, and they chamber without problem when uncoated. I also found, they that leave a smidge of PC grains in the grooves, which comes out with a brush.

    I personally dont like PC for tradition reasons. I dont cast my own bullets, or shoot revolvers and lever guns so that I can go all high tech on them. I do it for traditional and cost effective reasons.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master BNE's Avatar
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    Almost quit casting because I hated lubing so much.

    I Love PC.
    I'm a Happy Clinger.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    I had been reading PC threads for a few months. Then I found the big BLL thread.

    Well seeing as I had 4 bottles of Lee Alox and I had none of the stuff for PC I went the BLL route.

    Now I am a die hard BLL fan, have still never tried PC and have no real urge to do so.

    For what I do the BLL works. 2 light coats for pistol, 3 for higher speed rifle. Most of my loads are in the 1600 fps and down. For punching paper it is all I need.

    Find something that works and run with it.

    Mostly I stay out of the PC threads. But one of those PC guys went and posted in Ben's BLL thread the other day. So this is retaliation. You leave us alone and we'll leave you alone.

    Different strokes for different folks. We have more in common than we have to argue about.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

    Beagle333's Avatar
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    Been PC'ing for 3+ years. Am going to keep PC'ing too. I do use lube and BLL, because I can't PC when it's raining, but otherwise, it's the PC way for me.
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Isn't it great that we have so many ways to get the job done?

    Every method has advantages and disadvantages. No single right answer for everyone.

    I am not stupid for doing it my way, you are not stupid for doing it your way.

    Like Sinatra said, "I did it my way".
    Don Verna


  19. #19
    Boolit Master


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    There is only a couple of applications that I will continue to use PC. For my 45-70,I need to increase bullet diameter to fit the bore. Some of my rifle calibers ,I am flexible since both conventional lube and PC work equally well.
    But for 9mm, 38 Spec. and .45 ACP I would not consider PC. I just finished casting and loading 1000 .38 Spec. And 2200 .45 ACP. It would have taken me weeks to PC that many boolits with PC and a toaster oven.
    With a Star lube-sizer I can size and lube at least 800 boolits in an hour. I could not exceed 150 PC in an hour. That is 3 hours versus 15 hours to prep 2200 boolits. I can have the boolits sized, lubed and loaded before I could get them PC. There is no difference in accuracy between the 2 methods in my guns.

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
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    I have PC'd 308 loads that run at 2000+ fps in my most accurate rifle that print 1.5 to 2 inch groups at 100 yds fairly consistently. I can shoot 30 or more and switch to jacketed match bullets and still go 1/2 MOA or less, so there isn't any degradation in accuracy. Maybe being able to shoot cheaper bullets improves my shooting all around because I can afford to do more of it. PC is great!

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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