Powder coat sizing issue

[Bigmancrisler]

So This is my first time sizing bullets and casting. I tried it with both a 358-200 mold that I am sizing to .361” for my enfield revolver (slugged .360”) the pills drop right about .359” or so and the powder coat brings it up to right about .3615”. I then tried it with a 309-113 mold for my 30 carbine which slugs .310”. I am using the Lee APP and their breech lock bullet sizers sized .311” and .361”. It keeps either ripping the PC off, deforming the GC or both. Some are also very hard to size with the GC. I am using Hornady .35 GC and sages outdoor 30 cal aluminum GC. I have no idea what I am doing wrong any advice is appreciated.






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[Silvercreek Farmer]

Did you water drop your boolits?

[Bigmancrisler]

Did you water drop your boolits?

Ya I dropped them from the mold into a 5 gallon bucket of water (it was about 36-40 degrees out when I did it).


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[MUSTANG]

Does your sizer die have a bevel entrance or is it a sharper shoulder? looks like it is stripping at the wide parts (Bands & Gas Checks).

Try: Slight amount of lube. When nose sizing I slightly lube the nose of each PC'd boolit with a very light touch of Lanolin between my thumb and index finger.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Alloy?

Did you water drop them again out of the PC oven?

Try dropping them out of the mold on a dry towel, then allowing them to cool slowly out of the PC oven and see how they size. The revolver shouldn’t need hard boolits at all.

[Bigmancrisler]

Does your sizer die have a bevel entrance or is it a sharper shoulder? looks like it is stripping at the wide parts (Bands & Gas Checks).

Try: Slight amount of lube. When nose sizing I slightly lube the nose of each PC'd boolit with a very light touch of Lanolin between my thumb and index finger.

With bullet lube or case lube?


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[Bigmancrisler]

Alloy?

Did you water drop them again out of the PC oven?

Try dropping them out of the mold on a dry towel, then allowing them to cool slowly out of the PC oven and see how they size. The revolver shouldn’t need hard boolits at all.

It’s just range scrap lead, and no I let it air cool. I put it in the convection over at 400 and let it sit for about 4ish minutes until the outside becomes shiny.


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[Bigmancrisler]

Alloy?

Did you water drop them again out of the PC oven?

Try dropping them out of the mold on a dry towel, then allowing them to cool slowly out of the PC oven and see how they size. The revolver shouldn’t need hard boolits at all.

I do have ingots of pure clip on WW and stick on WW as well.


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[RustyReel]

It’s just range scrap lead, and no I let it air cool. I put it in the convection over at 400 and let it sit for about 4ish minutes until the outside becomes shiny.


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Maybe I'm not understanding you correctly, but you need more than 4 minutes to cure the PC.

[jules]

Make sure you degrease the inside of the size die. If your only baking your powder coat 4 mins that's not long enough. I bake mine 20 mins on average.

[Bigmancrisler]

Make sure you degrease the inside of the size die. If your only baking your powder coat 4 mins that's not long enough. I bake mine 20 mins on average.

Just spray them with brake clean?


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[Bigmancrisler]

Maybe I'm not understanding you correctly, but you need more than 4 minutes to cure the PC.

How do I know when it’s cured then?


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[GregLaROCHE]

Sounds like they are not baked long enough. I’ve sized PCed boolits that I could hardly get through a sizer with a Rock Chucker. I never had any with the PC shaved off the sides.

[Finster101]

Look up wherever you got the powder from and see what the curing time is. Like has been stated before it should be at least 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

[Bigmancrisler]

Can I put these back in the oven or do I need to just recast more and start over? Letting them bake longer and using a bit of lube


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[GregLaROCHE]

Can I put these back in the oven or do I need to just recast more and start over? Letting them bake longer and using a bit of lube


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I don’t know the correct answer, but if it were me, I would try baking them again and see what kind of results you get, before melting them down.

[Plate plinker]

Yep more time I do 20 mins. Then smash test one. When it’s baked on right I find bullet frag on the range that retains the PC, that is how tough proper PC will be.

How do I know when it’s cured then?


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[DougGuy]

Aside from getting the PC and the checks to not scrape off, will either of your sized and coated boolits go through the cylinder throats? If not here is where they will suffer more damage on firing as the cylinder is basically a multi port sizing die. I understand slugging the barrel, but they still have to go through the throats.

[Bigmancrisler]

Aside from getting the PC and the checks to not scrape off, will either of your sized and coated boolits go through the cylinder throats? If not here is where they will suffer more damage on firing as the cylinder is basically a multi port sizing die. I understand slugging the barrel, but they still have to go through the throats.

Ya I tried putting one through the cylinder and it slides pretty freely.


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[charlie b]

First, stop water dropping. There is no need for it with PC.

If you size the bullets before PC what do they look like? Does the die size them at all? If it does what do the bullets look like? Any 'rough' spots? Are they round? I have always polished my Lee push through dies.

My rifle bullets and some of my pistol bullets are cast large enough that I size them before and after PC. Just easier for me that way. Two are large enough that I use lube on them when sizing and then I have to clean them with acetone before PC.

Baking. The minimum baking time I have seen for PC is 20min. Some are longer. And that is the time for an oven that is preheated. You might be able to save your bullets if you bake them again, but be prepared to toss them all back in the pot.