Powdercoat

[shootrj2003]

New to me,so pardon my ignorance, it negates the need for lube?does it also negate gas check use?what are other pluses? I heard of the need of a dedicated oven?is this due to chemical safety or merely wife's temper?( Not that this is a mere thing mind you!)

[Burnt Fingers]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?184-Coatings-and-Alternatives

Enough reading to keep you busy for days.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Mostly it is a colorful fad. There are situations where it works better than lubes. But these are when you are pushing the envelope or in problem cartridges like 9mm or .223. I have great success tumble lubing with 45/45/10. I do powder coat 9mm and I use the oven in the kitchen.

[Minerat]

Well to answer your questions in short

Lube yes, though some use a minor amount if resizing after PC' ing.

Gas check. I still install a gas check on boolits that are designed for them before PC, but at lower speeds 1800 fps or less, if your PC is done right you probably don't need one.

A small toaster oven is a good idea unless you can install an old stove in the shop. Your assumption is correct, the chemicals are not compatible with food in our house or SWMBO' tolerance of my hobby. Besides it's not safe.

Burnt Fingers fed you square dope on the location and amount of information on PCing. Good luck.

[shootrj2003]

I am a traditionalist most of the time but I play with new things once in a while especially if they workand thank you for answering my questions and for your time

[slim1836]

Mostly it is a colorful fad. There are situations where it works better than lubes. But these are when you are pushing the envelope or in problem cartridges like 9mm or .223. I have great success tumble lubing with 45/45/10. I do powder coat 9mm and I use the oven in the kitchen.

I would never use the kitchen oven for powder coating and would never eat anything that came out of an oven used for powder coating. Just not worth it.

Slim

[MrHarmless]

Mostly it is a colorful fad. There are situations where it works better than lubes. But these are when you are pushing the envelope or in problem cartridges like 9mm or .223. I have great success tumble lubing with 45/45/10. I do powder coat 9mm and I use the oven in the kitchen.

This is off base for two reasons, the first being that it's not a fad since it's been around for 20 years and is increasing in popularity, and secondly that you're powder coating lead in an oven that you're cooking food in. Stop doing that immediately. The fumes from powdercoat are not good for you.

[bangerjim]

I worked with many others on here back several years ago to develop the power coat (PC) technologies for boolits. I have been PC'ing since 2014 and have shot MANY thousands of rounds with excellent success in everything from 223 and 30 cal rifles thru 9mm, 38, 40 & 45LC pistols. I have not cleaned a barrel since! PC is clean, not sticky, not smoky, does all the lubing you will ever need, except on EXTREME velocity rifles, which I never do.

PC has been the hot topic on here for many many years. I see you have been a member since 2005 yet only posted 37 times. We have been talking about this a lot! Read the link above and give it a try...........and, please.............just NOT inside your house or in your kitchen oven!!!!!!!! You will be very happy, as many thousands on here are using PC instead of greasy older technology lubes.

Good luck! And happy shooting.

bangerjim

[richhodg66]

I don't powder coat, but always laugh at the way guys who do sound like a bunch of chicks at a nail salon and will go out of their way to preach that it solves every problem in the entire world, bullet related or not.

"It eliminates leading!" I never get leading, it's no that hard to do, basic fit and decent lube eliminates that problem 99% of the time.

"It eliminates smoke!" I hate indoor ranges and would likely give up shooting if that was all I had. I shoot almost every day during the warm months, outside, I could not care less if it smokes, in fact, I kind of like it.

"You don't need to buy a lube sizer", but you need the powder, the oven, etc. My two Lyman 450s I payed $20 for one and $25 for the other. And you still need some means of sizing even if you powder coat.

"It's so much faster and easier". Haven't figured out how casting, coating, baking 20 minutes and then sizing is somehow faster than casting and then sizing and lubing in the same stroke.

"It's not sticky and messy like lube" I don't find lubing particularly messy and I've never been the type to be afraid of getting his hands dirty.

"You can increase the diameter of a bullet if you need to". This is actually a valid advantage. Not often, but there are times, guns, molds of various combos where this could be a good thing.

"The colors are so pretty and you can coordinate with your other fashion accessories!" Not my thing either.

I haven't really checked, but I bet if you look at the winners of matches in the CBA newsletters, you won't find any powder coating.

Not for me, ifit makes you happy, go for it, but I've had good success on targets and deer with traditional lubed bullets, just can't see where the powder coating would do any better.

[Scrounge]

I don't powder coat, but always laugh at the way guys who do sound like a bunch of chicks at a nail salon and will go out of their way to preach that it solves every problem in the entire world, bullet related or not.

"It eliminates leading!" I never get leading, it's no that hard to do, basic fit and decent lube eliminates that problem 99% of the time.

"It eliminates smoke!" I hate indoor ranges and would likely give up shooting if that was all I had. I shoot almost every day during the warm months, outside, I could not care less if it smokes, in fact, I kind of like it.

"You don't need to buy a lube sizer", but you need the powder, the oven, etc. My two Lyman 450s I payed $20 for one and $25 for the other. And you still need some means of sizing even if you powder coat.

"It's so much faster and easier". Haven't figured out how casting, coating, baking 20 minutes and then sizing is somehow faster than casting and then sizing and lubing in the same stroke.

"It's not sticky and messy like lube" I don't find lubing particularly messy and I've never been the type to be afraid of getting his hands dirty.

"You can increase the diameter of a bullet if you need to". This is actually a valid advantage. Not often, but there are times, guns, molds of various combos where this could be a good thing.

"The colors are so pretty and you can coordinate with your other fashion accessories!" Not my thing either.

I haven't really checked, but I bet if you look at the winners of matches in the CBA newsletters, you won't find any powder coating.

Not for me, ifit makes you happy, go for it, but I've had good success on targets and deer with traditional lubed bullets, just can't see where the powder coating would do any better.

I'm new at powder coating, and I like it. I also like lubed bullets & boolits. It's pretty easy, it is (or at least can be, if you're not a fumble fingered klutz like me) not particularly messy. And as for the colors, I like them. I've got red, white, and blue bullets for patriotic shooting, funky green ones for zombie killing, and some other colors for whatever I want to use them for. It can be fun! If you haven't done it, get with someone who does, and try it out. After you've shot up all the evidence you can forget you ever tried, or go get your own stuff to do it. Which ever you prefer.

One advantage to powder coating in the cleanliness department: I'm a mechanic, and I wind up washing my hands at least several dozens of times a day. That leaves my hands with dry cracked skin. Cutting down on the number of times a day I have to wash my hands is a good thing! YMMV, of course.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Lets you use softer alloy. A real benefit when wheel weights and lino supplies are drying up.

[cwlongshot]

Lets you use softer alloy. A real benefit when wheel weights and lino supplies are drying up.
AMEN!!

Bottom Line... TRY IT decide for yourself.

I like it, I hardly lube a Bullet anymore.

CW

[bangerjim]

Most like it. Some will never change from greasy lubes. And most do not compete in hair-splitting at 1000 yard competitions. If you enjoy those activities, shoot whatever gets you there. I just enjoy casting, coating, loading, and shooting (at no more than 50 yards typically) all cals of guns. The only competition.................is ME!

To each his own. I would NEVER go back to grease lubes.

banger

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I would never use the kitchen oven for powder coating and would never eat anything that came out of an oven used for powder coating. Just not worth it.

Slim

If baking them at 400 degrees releases dangerous poisons than working over a pot of molten at 700 degrees would be extremely unhealthy. Yet long time castors have been tested for lead and found to be o.k. I should check the MDS sheet on the powder though. Could be something there I had not considered.

Update: Apparently the powder coat is benign. There is some stuff on explosive dust but I shake and bake.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Most like it. Some will never change from greasy lubes. And most do not compete in hair-splitting at 1000 yard competitions. If you enjoy those activities, shoot whatever gets you there. I just enjoy casting, coating, loading, and shooting (at no more than 50 yards typically) all cals of guns. The only competition.................is ME!

To each his own. I would NEVER go back to grease lubes.

banger

You should try tumble lube. It is not greasy and not nearly as time consuming as PC. I just tried a new TL recipe where you melt a can of Johnson's paste wax and stir in one 4 oz. bottle of Lee alox. Did some 170 gr. .357 boolits over 4 gr. of Titegroup and got a squeaky clean bore after 24 shots.

[koger]

Well, i am a long time caster/lube user. I recently started PC bullets. The ones I have shot, shoot great, no issues and i can run them hotter, 200fps+ over the old velocity. I still have some tried and trued bullets that i size and lube, will be anxious to see if they shoot better PC. I bought a table top oven, for $2 at a yard sale and have seen many of them for sale less than $10 at thrift stores, i checked mine with a thermometer and it works. Bottom line, you should be able to get into it for about $50, or less, see if you like it or not, you will not know until you try.

[Conditor22]

Powder-coated boolits are not temperature sensitive, they can't gum up your dies, you don't have to worry about powdercoating being on the base of your boolit.

Properly applied/baked powdercoating will not be affected by gun powder.

Once a boolit is powdercoated, you are no longer touching lead in your shop or on the range.

You can designate different charges by using different colors.

Many members "spruce up their rifles" -- make them "pretty" -- why not your boolits.

I know the fairer sex like pretty boolits :).

The PC sizing dies are cheaper than for lube-sizers, Powder is cheaper than lube, you don't need top punches (eliminating the risk of deforming the boolit nose)

IF I want smoke clouds! I'll shoot my black powder guns. :bigsmyl2:

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I have been liking PC on the 9mm. Just started casting for this caliber and went with PC from the git go. My FM carbine eats them up and they are accurate to boot. Still dialing in for my M&P 2.