Full 100% coating on driving bands important?

[mistermog]

So I have some 45s that I coated and after running them through the sizer I realized that a few of them had either fins that were shaved off or a small section that was rubbed down to the bare lead. How important is it that the bands are fully 100% covered. Can fins be ignored?

[websterz]

I would think that any exposed lead on the bearing surface of the boolit would be a potential failing point in the coating.

[mistermog]

That's my assumption too but want to double check with the pros

[LAGS]

I have found no issues with little Bare Spots on the driving bands where I transfered the bullets for baking with Hemostats.
But the amount of exposed lead that I see in the picture from sizing is way too much.
To avoid issues like that, I size my bullets, first, then PC them, and then size again after PC'ing.
That eliminated any high spots or out of round first and the coating is more even around the bullet after resizing.
But if you size , coat then resize, and you still get bare spots like you have, you have a sizer alignment problem, or you are working too darn fast and not being careful.

[Beagle333]

This is too much bare lead. Coat em again, bake em again, and resize and you might save that batch. Normally, if you start with fresh cast boolits (meaning never had lube or grease on them) and your coating comes off then, you might also have a temperature problem (it is a must to know the real temperature in your oven) or a size die that needs just a little bit of attention with some 600 grit paper to slick up the inside.
If you are having fins on your boolits and you just can't solve that, size them before coating and get the fins off first, then size the smooth boolits again after coating. Good luck!

[Maximumbob54]

I would say it's a definite maybe. The good thing is it's too easy to just tumble them again and get them covered.

[jcren]

I will say that I had a mold casting a little off-set that frequently did that when sized. I loaded them (380) and fired away with no leading.

[Tenbender]

Is that some of those " Good old out of round Lee boolits " ? lol

[Smoke4320]

That's more exposed lead in one spot than I would want to see
Agree it looks like out of round bullets .. Might want to size before coating to uniform, coat then size again

[bangerjim]

Melt 'em down! Waaaaaaaaaaaay too much potential exposed lead - at least for my guns! I do NOT miss mining lead out of my bores back when I use grease.

Not big whoop. We all melt some down now and then. I usually have a <2-3% rejection rate with BBDT and ESPC, but I am very picky!!!!

Check your drops as said above.....looks like (from afar) that you just may have out-o-rounders.

And you should never have fins. That is definitely something wrong with your mold closing or dirt/Pb on the faces/pins. Check it out.

Also make sure if you are using a Lee 6 banger mold you are NOT squeezing the sprue handle when casting!!!!! Big no-no some get into trouble with. And causes finning like crazy.

banger

[runfiverun]

those of us that shoot 100% exposed lead are chuckling at the responses.

[Smoke4320]

those of us that shoot 100% exposed lead are chuckling at the responses.

careful where you expose that lead .. you might get a ride to the gray bar hotel

[Jupiter7]

those of us that shoot 100% exposed lead are chuckling at the responses.

Most of us did before becoming PC'ers. But lube coats the barrel in a similar fashion that PC coats the bullets. Try shooting truly bare lead with no lube or PC and see what happens

[Tenbender]

I have some of those out of round Lee molds. I cast, size,pc then size again. Works most of the time.

[bangerjim]

Chuckle all you want.

Shooting bare lead will only lead to problems. Grease coating boolits is NOT shooting bare lead!

I do not understand your reply.

banger

[mistermog]

Tenbender hahahah yep, lee molds.

I sized about 140 bullets and 6 of them had that happen. I am running my lyman 450 without the return setup, I turned it into a push through. (got creative, didn't expect it to work but if im careful at bullet contact the top punch actually straightens things out fairly well).

I have no problem melting them down again and recasting, not a biggie to me at all. That was my original assumption, like I said, just wanted to double check.

I could size then coat then size, but that's more effort again, and PC is supposed to make them EASIER hahaha

[Beagle333]

But lube coats the barrel in a similar fashion that PC coats the bullets. Try shooting truly bare lead with no lube or PC and see what happens

Yup, agreed. If you got exposed lead and you got lube in the groove..... you got something.

If you got exposed lead and you got no PC... you just got lead. Hot... dry.... lead... sliding down your barrel.

But then you knew that, R5R..... you just wanted to post something in the cool forum with the cool people!!

[sdcitizen]

I've shot boolits that looked like that, wouldn't worry about it for pistols.

[runfiverun]

yeah,,,, I couldn't help myself.

I tried my hand at copper plating a couple of years back and if there was a bare spot on the side of the plated boolit it went right back into the reclaim pile.

in this situation I would size them and toss back the out of round ones identified by the sizer and then go ahead and coat the good ones.
I know things are supposed to be easy but you got what you got to work with.
you could always buy a new mold.

[LAGS]

If the boolits are consistantly casting out of round, then I would blame the mold no matter who it was made by.
But if it is Sperattic, then it just may be your Tecnique and not the mold.
Carefully check both.
Also like someone else mentioned, check your baking temperature and Time.
You may be Slumping your bullets when baking.