First loads with PC bullets

[gun toting monkeyboy]

https://i.postimg.cc/ZnqNK3Qj/20210227-234253.jpg (https://postimg.cc/YGJ0d4Mm)

Well, it looks like I managed it. We will see if they shoot reasonably well this week. 200 grain LFN bullets for .44 Special. Yes. They are hot pink. It took 2 coats to get good coverage on them. Then I sized them .430". They drop in and out of the chambers effortlessly, so my guess it they should shoot reasonably well. While I am not tremendously impressed with the pink's one coat coverage, the second coat helped immensely.

-Mb

[slide]

Good luck!

[Conditor22]

For the first go-around with PC, they look great.

For doing 2 coats with PC they recommend only baking the first coat until the powder flows, pull the boolits out, and when they are cool enough to touch bare-handed do the second coat then bake this for the factory specified time.

This will save on bake time and help the 2 coats bond together when they both cure.

I can guarantee you won't miss sticky lube :)

[gun toting monkeyboy]

As a follow-up on these bullets, I used the same .430" 200 grain powder-coated bullets this weekend for reloading 10.4 Italian Ordnance rounds. I sized them down first to .427", and then through a custom Lee sizing die to get them to .424" for the 10.4 cartridge. The powder coat stayed on through all of that beautifully. I was expecting some flaking or scraping or something. Nope. It looked exactly the same. Which is nice, as .424" bullets are a pain to find in the wild.

[oley55]

https://i.postimg.cc/ZnqNK3Qj/20210227-234253.jpg (https://postimg.cc/YGJ0d4Mm)

Well, it looks like I managed it. We will see if they shoot reasonably well this week. 200 grain LFN bullets for .44 Special. Yes. They are hot pink. It took 2 coats to get good coverage on them. Then I sized them .430". They drop in and out of the chambers effortlessly, so my guess it they should shoot reasonably well. While I am not tremendously impressed with the pink's one coat coverage, the second coat helped immensely.

-Mb

the PCing looks fine (once I get past the 'lipstick' similarity), but I am compelled to note your apparent absence of crimping, to the point I think I can still see some mouth flare. I've never loaded or fired 44 special and perhaps a good roll crimp isn't needed to hold the bullet in place or your propellent doesn't need it.

Are you by chance fearful of damaging the powder coat and not crimping as you normally would? Just throwing that out for consideration/discussion, as I have yet to load any PC'd boolits for either of my 44mag revolvers (Redhawk, Dan Wesson). I do plan to apply a good crimp however.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I didn't really bother to change the crimp from what I have on jacketed bullets. I saw that on the first few I loaded, but I wasn't able to get them to budge or twist in the case mouth with my fingers, so I didn't stress about them. Also, it looks much more pronounced in the pictures than in real life. I had no issues with firing them and having them creep out of the case mouth. These are not loaded especially hot either.

-Mb

[rfd]

Mb, what powder coat brand did you use and did you smash test it?

It would bug me to require more than one coat/bake, so I did some quick research for what brand and powder color worked best for most folks. That lead me to Eastwood Powders and selecting Ford Light Blue along with Full Gloss Clear as my first powders. The one bake results were excellent for 346 and 418 grain .45s for one of my .45-70 rifles and a smash test showed a super bond with zero flaking. There are other Eastwood colors that get high marks for PCBs, too.