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Thread: Anyone given up on PC?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    I started powder coating a few years ago. The limits are still not known. A few years ago most people would say to treat it as a substitute for lube and nothing more.

    Now most of us know it's far more than that. I'm shooting a lot softer alloy than I was ever able to with lube. I don't use gas checks on any straight wall pistol boolits. My 500 S&W load produces over 30k psi and my un checked PC base does not get pressure cut and does not paint the interior of my muzzle brake with lead spray like it did shooting a much milder load using the same boolits lubed.

    I've shot the Lee 55gr .225 un-checked and PCed at around 2000 fps with several loads that will all cycle an AR-15 and observed no boolit related fouling. (It's a shame this boolit relies on the gas check for over half of it's bearing surface).

    I've disassembled all of my seating dies previously used for seating lubed boolits and cleaned all of the built up dried up lube out of them. Same goes for my boolit sizing dies.

    I guess you see where this is heading:

    The answer is NO !!!!! I'm not ever going back to lubing. If I didn't have so much bore butter I'd probably be PCing my muzzleloader boolits too.

    I honestly had to go look to see what BLL was. I think it's great. Maybe it will make it eaiser to find someone who I can dump these 6 bottles of A-Lox on. LOL

    Motor

  2. #22
    Boolit Man jeff100's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Motor View Post

    I honestly had to go look to see what BLL was. I think it's great. Maybe it will make it eaiser to find someone who I can dump these 6 bottles of A-Lox on. LOL

    Motor
    LOL, so did I. Interesting as I have a collection of mostly full bottles of LLA on my shelf. Now I'll have to do some comparison testing. I have to say though, I love my pretty colorful PC'd boolits.

    JJ

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy
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    I actually did give up on pc for my 357 mag loads . I have no idea why but I lost accuracy with pc bullets . I tried adjusting the powder charge a bit tried a few other things . every once in a while i'd throw out a nice quarter sized group but more often than not I was scattered all over target . I went back to my lee 158 tl swc bullet with 45/45/10 over 6 gr of unique and my probs went away . I still have a few hundred pc swc bullets left and they seem to shoot ok loaded over 3 gr of bullseye in a 38 spl case . I like loading and shooting pc bullets and I really wanted it to work but it just didn't for me , now keep in mind I'm talking 357 mag only . I do load and shoot pc bullets with great results in my 9mm and in other auto calibers ive owned in the past . I'm also powder coating for my 45 colt and my 30 30 marlin . another member mentioned about pc increasing the bullet diameter and having chambering issues with there 30 30 , I had this same prob with my 35 marlin and went back to tumble lube for it as well .

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by BNE View Post
    Almost quit casting because I hated lubing so much.

    I Love PC.
    Same boat here. I decided to start casting, and was instantly put off by lube getting all over everything. I stumbled upon this site and read about PC, and the rest is history.

  5. #25
    In Remembrance

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    I would think that those whose PC'd boolits were too big to chamber properly could just run them through an appropriate sizing die and all would be well? Am I missing something here?
    Life Member NRA.
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    Founder: Guns of the Golden West (Show group).
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    Retired from Instructing, and just about everything else!

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by HABCAN View Post
    I would think that those whose PC'd boolits were too big to chamber properly could just run them through an appropriate sizing die and all would be well? Am I missing something here?
    Don't see why not. It would be an added step but should do the trick.
    Don Verna


  7. #27
    Boolit Master LAKEMASTER's Avatar
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    Yes, but the Benefits far out way the loss.

    I just went out and bought a 5lb vibratory tumbler to make my life easier.

    Another $60 down just to have hassle free PC bullets.... Lol
    Lake Havasu City... Born and raised

  8. #28
    Boolit Buddy Phantom30's Avatar
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    Bama was fairly humble in his statement on where PC can take us in rifles. Check his thread

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...urate-Load-pt1

  9. #29
    Boolit Master Drew P's Avatar
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    Gave up on PC when I tried hitek the first time. It’s much easier, MUCH faster and with zero waste. I like it a lot.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    Have never lubed a bullet, went straight to PC. Rifle or pistol, I have never had any issues. Been 3 + years and spray as well as tumble. Some rifle get gas checked to push faster. Accuracy is so good, I have no desire to change. I really don't see it being that time consuming as some say.

  11. #31
    Boolit Bub
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    I am new to casting. I went straight to powder coat. Now that I'm learning........my few times I have succeeded was due to the powder coating. Even boolits that didn't work.....didn't lead my barrels. I have powder coating down pat. I put the boolits in a vibratory tumbler, sift, and throw on a pan with parchment paper. I make 2 more pans while 2 are cooking....and I can coat 500 in a evening after work with little trouble. I am having all kinds of trouble casting.....and loading. If I don't get this down......I won't be able to continue shooting uspsa. I shot all summer with factory ammo.......and it's killing me. I have access to as much wheel weight lead as I can grab......I sell tires......so I can grab lead before someone offers money for our wheel weight buckets! I suppose I have close to 800 lbs right now. I need to get casting perfected. I am going to get it soon.

  12. #32
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tbobbo View Post
    I am new to casting. I went straight to powder coat. Now that I'm learning........my few times I have succeeded was due to the powder coating. Even boolits that didn't work.....didn't lead my barrels. I have powder coating down pat. I put the boolits in a vibratory tumbler, sift, and throw on a pan with parchment paper. I make 2 more pans while 2 are cooking....and I can coat 500 in a evening after work with little trouble. I am having all kinds of trouble casting.....and loading. If I don't get this down......I won't be able to continue shooting uspsa. I shot all summer with factory ammo.......and it's killing me. I have access to as much wheel weight lead as I can grab......I sell tires......so I can grab lead before someone offers money for our wheel weight buckets! I suppose I have close to 800 lbs right now. I need to get casting perfected. I am going to get it soon.
    Start yourself a thread, explain what you just did and you'll have more help than you can imagine.
    This casting craft is like riding a bicycle...it's dang simple to get started...especially with wheel weights to work with.
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

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  13. #33
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    What OS said,,more help here than you can beat off with a stick..Post up what your problems are and the help will be there.

  14. #34
    Boolit Bub
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    Well, I'm about ready to do that......I lurked on here for about 2 years, and have been combing the forum obsessively since I joined. I am going to try again with a new Lyman mold that I just got, and the trillions of other things I have learned from here lately. I am waiting for a casting thermometer first. If I do t get it down. I may break down and ask. Right now I'm getting stuff as funds allow. No, I can't sell lead to fund things.....stuff is going to be like gold someday!
    Right now I believe most of my problems are due to temp......I have no thermometer.....so that is why I'm not posting a thread until I've exhausted the information I have picked up here already.
    Last edited by tbobbo; 11-23-2017 at 01:59 AM.

  15. #35
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tbobbo View Post
    Well, I'm about ready to do that......I lurked on here for about 2 years, and have been combing the forum obsessively since I joined. I am going to try again with a new Lyman mold that I just got, and the trillions of other things I have learned from here lately. I am waiting for a casting thermometer first. If I do t get it down. I may break down and ask. Right now I'm getting stuff as funds allow. No, I can't sell lead to fund things.....stuff is going to be like gold someday!
    Right now I believe most of my problems are due to temp......I have no thermometer.....so that is why I'm not posting a thread until I've exhausted the information I have picked up here already.
    If it's money that's holding you up, we have a section here called 'Helping Hands'...I think, not sure...but you might get some help there from others who will share extra tools and things to help a Newbie.

    In this forum, from what I've seen...all you need to do is ask.

    c h a r l i e
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

    Be a Patriot . . . expose their lies!

    “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” G. Orwell

  16. #36
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by tbobbo View Post
    Well, I'm about ready to do that......I lurked on here for about 2 years, and have been combing the forum obsessively since I joined. I am going to try again with a new Lyman mold that I just got, and the trillions of other things I have learned from here lately. I am waiting for a casting thermometer first. If I do t get it down. I may break down and ask. Right now I'm getting stuff as funds allow. No, I can't sell lead to fund things.....stuff is going to be like gold someday!
    Right now I believe most of my problems are due to temp......I have no thermometer.....so that is why I'm not posting a thread until I've exhausted the information I have picked up here already.
    You can certainly wait until you have a thermometer but I cast for 20+ years before I had one, technically I still don't have one but I have a pid and a lyman mag 25 that has one built in. It really isn't necessary. Learning the feel and rhythm of the process, cadence for the casting and adjusting the temp by the speed the spru hardens. Should harden in a count of 3 to 5, longer and either the pot is too hot or the mold is too hot. Shorter than 3 seconds and the mold is too cold. Nothing like just jumping in and doing it. Sure things could always be better with more/better tools, but none of it is necessary and casting can be done very well using very primitive tools.

    Like Nike says "just do it!"

  17. #37
    Boolit Bub catmasher's Avatar
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    YES o YES

  18. #38
    Boolit Master LAKEMASTER's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    This is the powder i couldn't get to stick...

    The picture is terrible. The boolits are fluffy from the amount of powder stuck to them....

    One thing I'm trying to do, is adapt methods that take guesswork/ variables out of things.

    The tumbler is my latest, it makes PC nearly brainless........
    Lake Havasu City... Born and raised

  19. #39
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by HABCAN View Post
    I would think that those whose PC'd boolits were too big to chamber properly could just run them through an appropriate sizing die and all would be well? Am I missing something here?
    My exact thought as well.

    There is only one instance when I DON'T size my powder coated boolits. In this case the boolits as cast are marginal in size so I like the little extra diameter the PC creates.

    Motor

  20. #40
    Boolit Buddy
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    I left pc and went to hi tek2. Alot easier to get even coats.

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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