My new"BED OF NAILS"

[Dragonheart]

I recently started on a quest to turn all my stores of lead into bullets. Last week I cast over 15K of various bullets including several thousand hollow points. Since I tumble powder coat several hundred bullets at a time that works great, except you can't tumble coat HP's. Well I guess that is not completely true, Yes, you can do it, but the PC fills the HP so it doesn't expand properly.

To PC HP's, years ago I drilled a small sheetmetal plate and tack welded in some hardened carpet tack strip nails to hold and spray PC just HP's. This has worked quite well, except for heat distortion of the sheetmetal, but it just didn't hold enough bullets to PC several thousand HP's with any efficiency. So this weekend I made a new "Bed of Nails" starting with a 1/2 sheet aluminum baker's pan. I use these pans in my converted PID 30" wall oven.

I chose to use aluminum because drilling 408 nail holes for the bullets in steel plate is a lot more effort & time consuming. I set the 3/4" hardened nails into the holes and spray PC the bottom of the pan to set the nails in place; I use the mixed powder sweepings for non-critical projects like this. Then I riveted (3/16"x1/8") a sheetmetal plate to the bottom of the pan to cover the nails and keep them from ever popping out. A light touch with a grinder knocks the sharp point of the nails if you desire.

I made my first PC run yesterday. I pressed down a sheet of parchment paper over the nails with shop towel so as to keep as much spray as possible off the inside of the pan. I found a layer of paper also seems to direct the spray to the bullets making the spray operation more efficient. To place the bullets I have found I can pick up a bullet with my self closing tweezers and set the HP down on the nail point faster than using my fingers, but that may just be me. A slight downward push and the bullet is seated.

Our humidity has been running quite high and I wanted a good PC, so I set the tray in the oven and gave it a high preheat. Once out of the oven the hot tray went into my DIY spray booth and on my metal lazy Susan, which allows me to spray easily and fast access all sides of the tray.

Once cooled, removal of the bullets is quickly done by putting an empty tray on top, inverting both trays and tapping the bottom. I usually leave the parchment paper in place for another batch, but removing old parchment is quick and easy with a wire brush and vacuum.

What you see in the photos is the end result. Note: no powder build up in the HP.

[MrWolf]

That is a nice setup. Have to remember that when I PC. Thanks

[jmort]

Agree, that is real nice. The results are excellent.

[Beagle333]

Well that's pretty nifty!!! And high output too.

[BK7saum]

I tumble coat my cast HP bullets. I may get a little extra powder in a few, but they definitely dont "fill up" the hollowpoint. They ones I've shot seem to open just fine, same as uncoated bullets.

[BK7saum]

Btw, nice setup. I use just enough powder to get uniform coverage, so there isnt enough extra powder to clog the hp. But I do pick them up with forceps and tap them against the side of the container to shake off excess.

[Burnt Fingers]

I tumble coat my cast HP bullets. I may get a little extra powder in a few, but they definitely dont "fill up" the hollowpoint. They ones I've shot seem to open just fine, same as uncoated bullets.

Same here. I've tumbled coated thousands of hollow point boolits without a problem. Occasionally I'll get a cavity filled with powder. I keep a dental pick handy to remove it.

[Dragonheart]

When I look at the coating on these sprayed bullets; smooth, uniform, solid and a virtual clean HP cavity, I have to say I have never achieved the same results with tumble coating, especially on HP's. I just completed 10K of tumbled bullets this past week.

[flydad]

Those are beautiful, makes me smile.

[Sig556r]

I just completed 10K of tumbled bullets this past week.

Just wondering since you're just in my neck of the woods, which downrange do you send these? seems you're a high volume shooter...

[pmer]

Sheetmetal screws and a screw gun works well too.

[Dragonheart]

Just wondering since you're just in my neck of the woods, which downrange do you send these? seems you're a high volume shooter...

Bayou Rifles, I usually shoot at the Addicks range as it is less than 15 minutes from me. Occasionally, I drive to the Juliff Range for rifle or shotgun, but a much longer drive.

The present high volume is because I recently decided to turn all my lead stores into bullets. The weather has been bad so a good time to cast & coat. I have over 30K bullets done now of mainly various 9mm"s & 45's with more to do. I am into production, but don't compromise on the quality, so I just try to figure ways to get the job done faster.

Running two 4 cavity molds I can consistently drop 20 bullets a minute. Using the old H&G 10 cavity mold I can drop 30 a minute. It takes me an hour to coat and fill a tray of 400+ base down and I have been cooking 4 trays at a time. Once they are coated I can size about 35 bullets a minute, but I need a break after a thousand. Presently, I am way behind on the sizing.

When I used to shoot in the weekly IDPA matches I was shooting three to five hundred rounds a week, but now I just go to the range when to mood strikes and shoot a couple of hundred.

[Sig556r]

Bayou Rifles, I usually shoot at the Addicks range as it is less than 15 minutes from me. Occasionally, I drive to the Juliff Range for rifle or shotgun, but a much longer drive.

The present high volume is because I recently decided to turn all my lead stores into bullets. The weather has been bad so a good time to cast & coat. I have over 30K bullets done now of mainly various 9mm"s & 45's with more to do. I am into production, but don't compromise on the quality, so I just try to figure ways to get the job done faster.

Running two 4 cavity molds I can consistently drop 20 bullets a minute. Using the old H&G 10 cavity mold I can drop 30 a minute. It takes me an hour to coat and fill a tray of 400+ base down and I have been cooking 4 trays at a time. Once they are coated I can size about 35 bullets a minute, but I need a break after a thousand. Presently, I am way behind on the sizing.

When I used to shoot in the weekly IDPA matches I was shooting three to five hundred rounds a week, but now I just go to the range when to mood strikes and shoot a couple of hundred.

Thanks for the info.
I shoot mostly black guns, occasionally 30-30 lever & some 6.5 bolts but got hooked on reloading 300BLK, .277WLV, 6.5G, 6.5C, 38Sup & 357Sig. Still dominated by heavy PC'd 9s though as I await my form 4s.
Bayou at Eldridge don't even have a waitlist, been lurking for an opening for several years now. Used to work near Waller Co. so I shoot a lot at Impact Zone Wednesday IDPA matches, but job pushed me back toward town & now shoots indoor (Athena/Full Armor) or outdoor (Hot Wells). ASC at Bush got flooded during Harvey & have never been back there since.
Nice to hear a fellow caster nearby.
Sig

[stubshaft]

Nicely done Sir.

[Dragonheart]

Thanks for the info.
I shoot mostly black guns, occasionally 30-30 lever & some 6.5 bolts but got hooked on reloading 300BLK, .277WLV, 6.5G, 6.5C, 38Sup & 357Sig. Still dominated by heavy PC'd 9s though as I await my form 4s.
Bayou at Eldridge don't even have a waitlist, been lurking for an opening for several years now. Used to work near Waller Co. so I shoot a lot at Impact Zone Wednesday IDPA matches, but job pushed me back toward town & now shoots indoor (Athena/Full Armor) or outdoor (Hot Wells). ASC at Bush got flooded during Harvey & have never been back there since.
Nice to hear a fellow caster nearby.
Sig

Since you mentioned the wait list to join the club, here is the email I received this morning if you are interested.

If you know anyone who wants to join Bayou Rifles, please ask them to go to https://bayourifles.wildapricot.org/...For-Membership at 8:00pm on Saturday, March 9, 2019 and sign up on the waiting list which will open at that time. The only way to become a member is to sign up on the waiting list while it is open. Membership is limited so the waiting list will be closed when enough potential new members have signed up to reach our membership cap. Please know that in previously openings it only it took a few minutes to reach our limit.