love it when a plan comes together

[nagantguy]

May posts here and lots of good advice later I've done it!!!!!!! .50 cal Lee 320,REALS powder coated and kurled on a set of files to increase surface area, dry fiber was between powder and lead. 4 shots into one hole with a 90,gr charge, fifth shot just a little below the cluster, 6th just a touch low and left still inside the black of standard small bore target! One patch down the bore and shots number 7 back in the cluster. Shot 8 on a new target in the same exact spot as the cluster on first target! The one patch was much cleaner than they came out before powder coat!!!!!!! This is maybe even better accuracy than I used to get with power belts. Made the boolits did the powder kurled cooked right at home with my cast boolits!!!!! Now to chrono some to see fps but I'm betting I'm getting real close to same because my scope is dialed back to my old powerbelt index marks for 50 yards....also a side note the scope I mounted and bore sighted for my brother shot great for him with only a few up clicks!!!! The whole family is ready for deer season!! Thanks to everyone who helped out with advice and things not to do!!!!!!! Love you guys!

[newton]

Nice going. This is interesting. Do you knurl before or after powder coating?

I would be interested in doing this to the Lee 500S&W I shoot in my ML. I paper patch them, but can see how knurling and powder coating might be another alternative.

[johnson1942]

step by step details, on your bullets, knarling them and powdercoating them. what powder and how to apply. really sounds interesting and sort of sounds like a paperpatched bullet only with a coating instead of paper. these sound like a perfect bullet for fastwist guns, side locks and inlines.

[rodwha]

I'm interested in this too! Details needed!

[nagantguy]

The coating used was the liquid gunkote. It is a powder coating but comes in powder form, it is Teflon imprignated I got the boolits warm about 125° and layer them.on a cutting file and placed another file of the same size over them and with a little force rolled them back and forth twice. This left a very nice krul pattern on the driving bands and made caliper reading increase from .501 to .502 and some change but very uniform the boolits were still warm but cool enough to touch so I dropped them.in the liquid gunkote for about five mins. The color is titanium oxide, looks flat black to me.the directions call for 1 hour at 325° but says longer times or higher heat will increase durability so I did a batch at recommended temp and a batch at 425° for one hour, I could see no difference at all though the directions say longer times higher heat my cause color to change. I fired 4 of each batch and saw absolutely no difference! Just returned from range haven't even cleaned the old girl yet but I'm expecting to be much less mess. Anything anyone else would like to know I'd gladly share. But the main thing is as stated in the first post and I'll have to go into the files and compare old targets but this was I think even better 50yard accuracy than I got with power belts and they were the most accurate thing I've ever fired from this t/c 209x50 encore!

[rking22]

Interesting, are you using any lube? Are you rolling the front band, or just the rear bands, (it's bigger than the rest on 45s, assume the same on 50)? What distance? have I missed a preceeding post??? , if so sorry for the extra questions :)

[nagantguy]

No lube, all driving bands get the same kurl, just how they fit on the file. I have now cleaned her and there was kind fouling and 0 leading 6 patches of t17 by t/c had her shining like a mirror. Was less than thrilled with the 250 gr REALS but I'll now give then the same treatment and try her again.

[johnson1942]

the 250/grain bullets are too short for your twist. stick with the longer bullets. the 250 ones spin too fast for their length. its not your knarling or your coating it is just the shot bullet for the twist. you really have something going here to share with every one. of all bullets made for a muzzleloader this one would be the most convenient to hunt with. no lube, easy to load, no paper to come off of the bullet, shoots real clean and is super accurate.

[nagantguy]

Yeah the 250 mold may go up.for sale, makes good boolits but just don't work right in my fast twist. Should be good for 500s&w or a slower twist ml.