Has anybody tried Powder Coating their BP Boolits

[rhouser]

I cast for a 50 with both a TC Maxiball mold and a lee REEL mold. Has anybody tried powder coating these. I would LOVE to get rid of the bore butter step.

I first thought "I have to have lube to keep the residue's soft", but, I don't lube a sabot?

Thoughts, opinions, or experience appreciated.

thanks in advance. rch

[flyingmonkey35]

Depends. I don't PC or lube round balls at all. As the wet patch is the lube.

As most modern minie rounds use a wad. Again no need for lube.

Now if your shooting traditional lubed bullet over paper wad then yes powder coat will work great.

Or you can just make look pretty.

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[glockky]

I can see where it would work. It would definitely be consistent shot to shot.

[Tackleberry41]

Probably half the reason to lube a ML bullet is not stop leading but to soften up the residue from BP.

[rhouser]

Tackleberry41, I thought about that, but, I don't lube my sabots.

Flyingmonkey35, I don't use a wad or card with the Lee R.E.A.L. 50 cal. nor with my MAXI-BALL cast bullets. I smear them with bore butter and stuff them down the barrel directly on top of the powder drop. This can be messy in the summer months so I add some bees wax to the bore butter for summer. If I can lose the lube step, it would make life really easy.

I will definitely need to "spit patch" between shots (I shoot holy black) to offset the lack of lube to soften the soot.

I shoot these as cast right now but I wonder if this will drive me to a lee push through die to smooth up the PC on the driving bands?

This isn't rocket science so I guess I will just "go do it" and see what happens.

Thanks to all who make this a great site.

v/r rch

[johnson1942]

a year or two ago and i wish i could remember the members name but he was going to make and sell powder coated bullets. he was from col. and told me the ones he tested worked quite well.i cant see why they wouldnt work as well as a paper patched bullet. just use a fiber wad behind them and they would bump up and fill the bore just like a paperpatched bullet would.those mini ball bullets would be perfect for powder coating.

[mooman76]

I have meant to try but like many other projects, never got to it. I don't see why it wouldn't work either.

[rhouser]

I'll be running another shake and bake session in a week or so. I will give them a try. Virginia Black Powder season is coming soon. I guess that's what brought this to mind.

Thanks to all. rch

[flyingmonkey35]

Tackleberry41, I thought about that, but, I don't lube my sabots.

Flyingmonkey35, I don't use a wad or card with the Lee R.E.A.L. 50 cal. nor with my MAXI-BALL cast bullets. I smear them with bore butter and stuff them down the barrel directly on top of the powder drop. This can be messy in the summer months so I add some bees wax to the bore butter for summer. If I can lose the lube step, it would make life really easy.

I will definitely need to "spit patch" between shots (I shoot holy black) to offset the lack of lube to soften the soot.

I shoot these as cast right now but I wonder if this will drive me to a lee push through die to smooth up the PC on the driving bands?

This isn't rocket science so I guess I will just "go do it" and see what happens.

Thanks to all who make this a great site.

v/r rch
Then yes powder coat will work very well in this case.

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[Fly]

I have & I do not think it is worth the time. Reason it does not do anything to soften fouling.
That not a problem with smokeless powder.

Fly

[flyingmonkey35]

My only odd thoughts are what grips the rifling on the barrel.

A properly fitted booloit at 1k inch over there rifling may be a major pia to ram it down the barrel. Without all that lube.

Then again I only ever shoot round ball so i may be talking put my @ss.

But now I'm curious.

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[johnson1942]

a non hard lead bullet will bump up in the first 11 inches to fill the bore completely with a stiff wad behind the bullet.real black powder bumps up the best but the rest will also. ive even bumped up 20 to 1 bullets but wouldnt try it with wheel weight lead bullets.

[Omnivore]

I don't see any benefit to powder coated bullets for muzzleloading. If the same bullet in naked lead, with the same finished diameter, doesn't load easily, the powder coating isn't going to make it load easier. If the bullet works well with powder coating, then what's stopping it from working equally well without it?

Powder coating is for smokeless loads, as a cheaper alternative to a copper jacket or a high pressure lube, for prevention of barrel leadding. Since barrel leadding isn't an issue with black powder, there's no role for the powder coating to play.

We don't lube our black powder loads so as to reduce barrel leadding. We lube to soften the fouling. Since powder coating cannot possibly soften the fouling, it serves no purpose. Sure, you may powder coat your bullets, and it will add a little to the diameter, and it may work just as well as a naked lead bullet or it may work better because maybe you needed a little more diameter, but otherwise it will do nothing.

Some bullet designs load well in fouled barrels (that's why we have the Minnie Ball, for example), and if you powder coat them they'll still work, so long as they don't get too big in the process. Same goes for a sabot. A very tight fitting sabot will in fact become difficult, and eventually impossible, to load due to fouling. Ask me how I know.

Powder coating doesn't change anything but the bullet diameter. Go for it, if you have nothing else to occupy your time and you want pretty pink bullets or whatever.

On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, powder coat would protect the bullet base in large capacity BPCR loads (45-70 to 45-110), or "magnum" muzzleloader loads, and negate the need for a card or felt wad for that purpose. So if you're super-stoking your front stuffer, PC might conceivably have some benefit.

[johnson1942]

this is what if feel about powder coated bullet. they are the only type bullet that can compete with paperpatched bullet. if i knew how to do it i would try it. then i would coat them with alox. it is no doubt that they would would work very very well.

[rhouser]

Omnivore, I am now a little confused. I have never considered that we only lube our boolits because of B/P fouling.

I cast my .50 REAL and MAXI's from pure soft. I heat a pot of pure lead and cast my MAXI's, REAL's, .490 RB's and 7/8 LEE Key Slugs all in one session. I cast a full 20 lb pot and that keeps me in inventory till the next time.

My load shoots the MAXIS and the REALS at about 1625 FPS. Why wouldn't my barrel get leaded up if I shoot them totally unlubed? I am not being confrontational, it is just not intuitive to me.