Took my new Powder Coated Boolits to the Range today annnd!

[Petro58]

Well it took me a while to get all my (Basic) Casting stuff together, I posted some of my first Cast Boolits last week, I even learned (Learning) to Powder Coat just because I've read a lot and was curious. So anyway on the Spur of the moment we made a quick run to the Range today to test some of the Loads out. I ran 90 of a mix of .44mag and .44spl loads through my Ruger Super Blackhawk. 10yrds dead on POA. And I had that Barrel Hot, absolutely NO LEADING, Na Da None. I ran 50 different loads through my 9mm Cougar, same results Nada No Leading. Now I just need to tweak a couple of those loads and I'll be good to go. Next I need to test the .40s&w and the .45acp. didn't have the time today. Here's a couple pics of the Ruger Barrel. 1st pic is before I ran 1 dry patch though, then the Patch. I then ran 1 patch of spirits and 1 with Hoppes both were CLEAN.

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[mongoose33]

Congrats--it's nice to have it all work right the first time. (Warning: don't expect that as a rule :) )

I shoot a lot of PC boolits through semi-autos and my Ruger GP100 as well. I'm amazed at how little residue there is and how clean the bore is after running a boresnake through it.

I'm sold on PC.

[shoot-n-lead]

That is the beauty of pc...tumble, dump and cook...equals good accuracy and a CLEAN barrel.

I am sold, also.

[Bzcraig]

Ain't it great when a plan comes together!

[RobS]

What powder did you use and what method did you use to apply the powder?

[Motor]

There are a lot of naa sayers out there on PC and accuracy over traditional lubing and there may be some truth in it but now I'm beginning to see more and more competitive shooters posting about PCing there match boolits.

This is mostly pistol shooters. I'd like to see someone with a match rifle do some comparison testing. I often think about working with PC rifle boolits just to see how accurate I could get them but I don't have a precision rifle to test with. All of my cast boolit rifle loads are used in military surplus rifles with open sights.

I am getting very good results but it's not the same as testing with a true scoped target rifle.

Motor

[Petro58]

What powder did you use and what method did you use to apply the powder?
I used the Harbor Freight Powder Coat kit and Harbor Freight PC Paint, HF only has 4 colors White, Black, Yellow and Red. I know there guys here and other places that sell PC Paints of every color under the Rainbow. I tried a couple of the Tumble Powder Coat methods, maybe I didn't do it right or long enough I didn't get very good results. I put the Boolits on my welding plate that I covered with Foil, then PC them, take a big pair of hemostats and move them to my Oven tray covered with NON STICK Foil. When you grab them with the hemos sometimes you get a shiny spot were they touch (sometimes you don't) so after I get them all on my oven tray I give them a just a quick touch with the PC Gun. Then bake for at 400f for 15 -20 min in the Toaster Oven.

[Walter Laich]

I find that any bare spots from the hemostats get covered during the baking

and all that really matters is having PC on the drive bands, the tips getting covered are really not necessary

[Frank V]

I find that any bare spots from the hemostats get covered during the baking

and all that really matters is having PC on the drive bands, the tips getting covered are really not necessary

How about the bases? Do they get covered or does it matter?
Thanks.

[Motor]

It doesn't matter. Powder Coating is no substitute for a gas check. Although I'm hoping it helps with the lead spray I get in the muzzle brake of my 500. I haven't shot it enough yet with PC boolits to make any claims yet.

My bases get coated because I use the air soft BB (ASBB) shake and bake method.

Motor

[RobS]

I used the Harbor Freight Powder Coat kit and Harbor Freight PC Paint, HF only has 4 colors White, Black, Yellow and Red. I know there guys here and other places that sell PC Paints of every color under the Rainbow. I tried a couple of the Tumble Powder Coat methods, maybe I didn't do it right or long enough I didn't get very good results. I put the Boolits on my welding plate that I covered with Foil, then PC them, take a big pair of hemostats and move them to my Oven tray covered with NON STICK Foil. When you grab them with the hemos sometimes you get a shiny spot were they touch (sometimes you don't) so after I get them all on my oven tray I give them a just a quick touch with the PC Gun. Then bake for at 400f for 15 -20 min in the Toaster Oven.

I was wondering if you tumbled PC'd or if you were using a spray gun; good to see you tried both ways. I've also tried the tumble lube air soft BB's PC and had mixed results. I'm thinking with the Harbor Freight powder I didn't have enough of a layer with one coating even though the entire boolit was covered. I really didn't want to do two coats as it would be too much time invested for my liking so abandoned the project. I may look into trying the spray kit but then again I don't want to put in the extra cost for something I'm not quite sure of yet. So for now I'm using what works well and is accurate. I really do like the idea of coating alternative lubes for handguns as there is less residue and smoke etc. I don't have issues with leading using traditional lubes so that's not an issue just cleaner I guess is what I like.

[bangerjim]

I was wondering if you tumbled PC'd or if you were using a spray gun; good to see you tried both ways. I've also tried the tumble lube air soft BB's PC and had mixed results. I'm thinking with the Harbor Freight powder I didn't have enough of a layer with one coating even though the entire boolit was covered. I really didn't want to do two coats as it would be too much time invested for my liking so abandoned the project. I may look into trying the spray kit but then again I don't want to put in the extra cost for something I'm not quite sure of yet. So for now I'm using what works well and is accurate. I really do like the idea of coating alternative lubes for handguns as there is less residue and smoke etc. I don't have issues with leading using traditional lubes so that's not an issue just cleaner I guess is what I like.

If you BBDT correctly (following all the "rules" we have established over the past almost 3 years on here) you will NEVER need 2 coats! Especially with HF red. (And Smoke's powders.) They goes on perfectly. Not so much with HF white and yellow! Avoid those unless you plan on mixing. And ESPC'ing. I can say nothing about all those other brands of powders people have dredged up on the internet. I don't use 'em. And probably never will.

Someday mabe all the olde tyme grease users out there will admit PC is equal to and most times far better than grease. I spend hardly any time cleaning my guns now. And NEVER have to mine lead form the barrels.

And no, do not worry about the base. You never (I hope!) expected grease to protect the base did you??!?!?!? Why would you expect PC to? If you needed a GC with grease, you need one with PC. Simple as that. Many push PC much harder that I do and still get no leading. I GC anything that is full magnum and/or sonic load.

banger

[RobS]

If you BBDT correctly (following all the "rules" we have established over the past almost 3 years on here) you will NEVER need 2 coats! Especially with HF red. (And Smoke's powders.) They goes on perfectly. Not so much with HF white and yellow! Avoid those unless you plan on mixing. And ESPC'ing. I can say nothing about all those other brands of powders people have dredged up on the internet. I don't use 'em. And probably never will.

Someday mabe all the olde tyme grease users out there will admit PC is equal to and most times far better than grease. I spend hardly any time cleaning my guns now. And NEVER have to mine lead form the barrels.

And no, do not worry about the base. You never (I hope!) expected grease to protect the base did you??!?!?!? Why would you expect PC to? If you needed a GC with grease, you need one with PC. Simple as that. Many push PC much harder that I do and still get no leading. I GC anything that is full magnum and/or sonic load.

banger

Yep followed the directions to a T. I know why it wouldn't work for rifle (I heat treat boolits and the baking of the paint changed the bullet BHN) but I can't figure on why it would work for some of my handgun loads and not others and leaded my barrels in others with all else the same as how I loaded a greased boolit. How thick is the powder coat layer that people are seeing with lets say Harbor Freight Red as that's what I was using. Is there a difference coverage with Smoke's powders?

[Mal Paso]

Greaser Here!

I spent my first few shooting years achieving lead free bores and now that I have That And a lifetime supply of RandyRat's Bee's Wax and grease you want me to Change? No Thanks! :bigsmyl2:

[bangerjim]

Yep followed the directions to a T. I know why it wouldn't work for rifle (I heat treat boolits and the baking of the paint changed the bullet BHN) but I can't figure on why it would work for some of my handgun loads and not others and leaded my barrels in others with all else the same as how I loaded a greased boolit. How thick is the powder coat layer that people are seeing with lets say Harbor Freight Red as that's what I was using. Is there a difference coverage with Smoke's powders?

Your coat should be around 0.002". Unless you do not tap off your hemos when removing the boolits. Then you can get a lop-sided thick coat on the tops (whichever side is facing up in the bowl).

Smoke's powder is a different formulation and is finer and does cling better. Really good for those that live in swampy humid areas. I still get only 0.002 thickness with his powders...when applied correctly, that is.

banger

[bangerjim]

Greaser Here!

I spent my first few shooting years achieving lead free bores and now that I have That And a lifetime supply of RandyRat's Bee's Wax and grease you want me to Change? No Thanks! :bigsmyl2:

Didn't say anything about you changing. Just saying mabe some will someday finally admit PC is as good as grease. Use whatever floats your boat. PC works for me very well. Got rid of all my grease formulated stuff several years ago. Now I use that ~30# of beeswax I have for reducing in my casting pot.

banger

[Grump]

Still waiting for the reports of repeatable 3-inch groups or better at 50 yards in .38 and .45 target guns using PC boolits.

Yeah, PC IS easier to load and shoot and keep lead off the bore than any lube I care to use (super-hard lubes on commercial cast I've bought handle NICE but always leaded horribly except for Oregoj Trail's stuff). But the single handling and standing them up to bake has got to be more time intensive than running a batch through even a Lyman 450.

[P Flados]

3” at 50 yards is easy with the right gun, you are talking 6 MOA.

I am currently focused on 4 “guns”. I am shooting 30 Herrett (10” an 14”) and 357 Max (10”) on my 2 Contender frames and 357 max in my 8” Dan Wesson.

With J words, I am right at 6 MOA in the Dan Wesson when lighting is good and my eyes do not fail me. I am real close to 6 MOA with boolits, both BLL and ASBB HF red PC.

My scopes let me shoot a lot better with the T/C, but I am not satisfied yet. I was close to 2 MOA on some barrels when I was shooting J words, but I pretty much gave up on condoms before I got my most recent barrels that I now shoot. With boolits, I have been using LLA, PC and BLL. I have not been able to single out any case where LLA or BLL is noticeably better than PC.

Again, I am not satisfied yet. I really want reliable 3 MOA loads. I am working on my casting and loading techniques and am confident that there is room for improvement.

For now here are some of my better 5 shot groups

30 Herrett, 14” T/C, 150 gr Lee, 5.0 grs Promo – 3.5 MOA
357 Max, 10” T/C, 150 gr Lee, 5.5 grs Promo, 1136 fps – 3.74 MOA
357 Max, 10” T/C, 150 gr Lee, 5.0 grs Promo, 1100 fps – 4.95 MOA
357 Max, 10” T/C, 180 gr modified Lee, 17.7 grs I4227 – 4.41 MOA
357 Max, 10” T/C, 200 gr Lee, 19.0 grs I4227 – 4.05 MOA


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[trixter]

"Smoke's powder is a different formulation and is finer and does cling better. Really good for those that live in swampy humid areas. I still get only 0.002 thickness with his powders...when applied correctly, that is.

banger"

Where can I get 'smoke's powder'

Thanks

[bangerjim]

"Smoke's powder is a different formulation and is finer and does cling better. Really good for those that live in swampy humid areas. I still get only 0.002 thickness with his powders...when applied correctly, that is.

banger"

Where can I get 'smoke's powder'

Thanks

A quick search I the white box above yields:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-241259.html


banger

[chutesnreloads]

Also a convert to the PC method.What got me on to it was a need for a fatter boolit....the added .002 I got from the PC gave me a very shootable 45-70 boolit.No sizing...just PC and load.Next tried PC on some .40's was getting mediocre results with....guess what?.....now they shoot as good as and better than most j-bullets.Its not only about not leading......PC solves other problems as well.

[P Flados]

Last weekend gave me a very interesting "new viewpoint" on using PC.

I live ~ 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Southeast NC.

For my previous PC batches, I pretty much had to shake, shake and shake some more before the first batch would get to the point where my HF red would really stick. Many if not all of these batches were with humidity that I will simply describe as "dripping".

Last weekend was different, comfortably dry. I also started off with my fresh new batch from my new Lee 158 gr 0.357 Tumble Lube design (until PC came along, I did not like the idea of TL molds given my lack of confidence in LLA).

After a shorter than normal first shaking, I found powder really sticking!

Oh how easy the whole thing was.

The real moral of the story is that I have done more than a few batches with very high humidity.

It just took a lot of shaking to get the powder to start sticking.

[Frank V]

Last weekend gave me a very interesting "new viewpoint" on using PC.

I live ~ 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Southeast NC.

For my previous PC batches, I pretty much had to shake, shake and shake some more before the first batch would get to the point where my HF red would really stick. Many if not all of these batches were with humidity that I will simply describe as "dripping".

Last weekend was different, comfortably dry. I also started off with my fresh new batch from my new Lee 158 gr 0.357 Tumble Lube design (until PC came along, I did not like the idea of TL molds given my lack of confidence in LLA).

After a shorter than normal first shaking, I found powder really sticking!

Oh how easy the whole thing was.

The real moral of the story is that I have done more than a few batches with very high humidity.

It just took a lot of shaking to get the powder to start sticking.


Is the PC really in powder form when you start shaking it in the tub? Then you put a lid on the tub when you start shaking? I'm really not informed about PC bullets, but it does sound interesting.
Thanks.

[blueeyephil]

I've read that you get coverage often times when you think you aren't getting full coverage. And at least with some powders, that is true. I just did some with Smokes gloss black. I had some areas I didn't think I had coverage as I could see lead. But because of the high gloss, if you look close in the light, there is coverage, it's just clear. The pigment is just carried in clear. And the clear covered everywhere, even where I had picked the bullet up.

I had double coated the first batch so they would look better, but no real need to do that.

I bought a sample pack that includes clear, haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to.

[bangerjim]

Is the PC really in powder form when you start shaking it in the tub? Then you put a lid on the tub when you start shaking? I'm really not informed about PC bullets, but it does sound interesting.
Thanks.

Get informed........read the threads in "alternate Coatings". Easy to do....just follow the simple rules we have developed over the past 3 years.

banger

[bangerjim]

I've read that you get coverage often times when you think you aren't getting full coverage. And at least with some powders, that is true. I just did some with Smokes gloss black. I had some areas I didn't think I had coverage as I could see lead. But because of the high gloss, if you look close in the light, there is coverage, it's just clear. The pigment is just carried in clear. And the clear covered everywhere, even where I had picked the bullet up.

I had double coated the first batch so they would look better, but no real need to do that.

I bought a sample pack that includes clear, haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to.

What you pick out of your tub will be nothing like what comes out of your oven! Coating quality OR color! PC melts and runs ( and changes color especially when mixed) while curing and tends to fill in minor divots and thin spots. You really have to have some WHOPPER voids for it to NOT fill in.

The polyester (or other) resin will flow down even if the pigment does not, and your "bare" spots will generally have clear resin over them.

That is why I cannot understand the clear powder usage thing. You cannot effectively see where it is and if you did get a sufficient coating. And I have seen enough bare lead loads for my lifetime! I like Technicolor boolits!

banger

[Petro58]

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Here's some of my PC Lee TL401-175. I Loaded up today into 38-40 cases for my 1892 Winchester. Hope to get to the Range next week and punch some holes so I can tune these loads.

[Frank V]

Thanks for the replies everyone guess I'll look up some of the threads on it.

[bangerjim]

Thanks for the replies everyone guess I'll look up some of the threads on it.

Remember-------------the "P" in PC stands for "POWDER coating", not "Politically correct". Yes, it is in powder form. And cures in the oven to a hard shell that protects your barrels. And no, before you ask, you do NOT need to coat the bases. No protection from cutting is provided by PC. Use a GC like with grease.

Read and learn. It is a very easy process. 95% of your questions will be answered by YOU when you just do it.

banger

[Forrest r]

It doesn't matter. Powder Coating is no substitute for a gas check. Although I'm hoping it helps with the lead spray I get in the muzzle brake of my 500. I haven't shot it enough yet with PC boolits to make any claims yet.

My bases get coated because I use the air soft BB (ASBB) shake and bake method.

Motor

I've shot several 1000 pc'd bullets in a couple of 357's (full house loads of power pistol & 158gr bullets) that have muzzle breaks. No gc and never any problem with leading/lead spray.

[4719dave]

Some times it seems like more work but...its a hobby that's keeps me out of the house ..so .off to the shop I go .

[Love Life]

Is the PC really in powder form when you start shaking it in the tub? Then you put a lid on the tub when you start shaking? I'm really not informed about PC bullets, but it does sound interesting.
Thanks.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?265460-Powder-Coat-Shenanigans

[Markbo]

And if you are not into all the candy colors smoke sells gray, silver and clear - which actually looks white in dry form. I use clear & silver just because. They are lead boolits for goodness sakes, not lollipops. And it is just a pain to answer all the curious nellies at the range.

[Love Life]

I tell the curious nellies they are store bought and I don't know what the coating is.

[Frank V]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?265460-Powder-Coat-Shenanigans



Thanks I'm going to give a look.