Matte powder coat

[slide]

279016279017

Time and time again I have seen someone post that matte powder coats won't work. The one photo is one of the rounds that shot the group.The other photo is of the group. Need to adjust my scope. Shot at 100 yards off of a rest with a no magnification scope. This is only one group. I need to shoot some more and see if the group holds.If it does then I will fine tune it. New guys, don't run with the herd. Try different things (safely). There are a lot of myths and misconceptions in this racket. This is 50 rounds. I don't hold with the 3 and 5 shot groups. If you want to know what your reloads are really doing then shoot at least a 10 shot group or more. This is fired out of an AR.

[charlie b]

I guess it depends on what is meant by 'it doesn't work'. Some people are happy with a 3" group at 100yd, some aren't happy unless it is under 1".

[joe leadslinger]

My guns don't know if the bullet matte finish or gloss. With a matte finish after sizing the drive bands look like a gloss finish.

[slide]

Consistency is what we are after. This is one group. If the load will shoot back to back targets then the fine tuning will begin. As far as the matte I got tired of hearing that it wouldn't work. It is another option. Somewhere along the way I will see what the velocity difference is between gloss and matte. This particular day the matte outshot the gloss by quite a bit.

[GregLaROCHE]

So what’s supposedly the difference between Matt and gloss powder. Actually this is the first time I’ve heard of Matt finish powders. When I first read this thread, I thought it would about the coating process. I have heard before that an unsmooth surface could have less resistance than a smooth one. What I heard is that nuclear subs use the technology. A sub through the water and a boolit through air, is the same fluid flow isn’t it? Maybe Matt coated boolits have less air resistance.

[slide]

Matte powder coats don't have the additive that makes them shiny. Basically they are not as slick. I am going to test the velocity difference between matte (some people call it flat). The bottom line for me is accuracy. A few f.p.s. difference doesn't matter. The only reason I started messing around with them was because some said you should stay away from them because they wouldn't work. I needed to find out for myself. On this day the matte outshot the gloss. Next time may be different. With cast bullets you might get a 1" group and the next group will be 6". Consistency is what we are chasing.

[charlie b]

I get upset if I get more than a 2" group and I try to find out what I did wrong. That's 10 or even 20 rounds.

I do not think matte finish would make a difference in accuracy. It might make a difference in the fouling left in the barrel? Or minor changes in velocity?

One of my load development sessions.

279092

[slide]

I notice that is 30 caliber and not 223. Have you ever used matte powder coat or are you making assumptions. You know what they say about assumptions. You post targets with those kind of groups in 223 and you will have my attention. I have seen no fouling in the barrel from matte. Velocity remains to be seen.

[Conditor22]

Coating boolits in a vibratory brass cleaner is much more efficient than ASBBDT/shake and bake.
You can get a greater range of PC to build enough static to stick.

[slide]

Conditor22, I totally agree. I quit the shake and bake when me and AndyC started fooling around with the vtb. Using the vtb you can handle the bullets without having to use tweezers or none of that stuff.

[bangerjim]

When it is stated by many "it doesn't work", that means poor coatings and finishes with the ASBBT method. They shoot just fine, just not good coatings and looks.

A vibrator may work better....never used one for coatings. I coat ALL my boolits with ESPC guns (2), applying ANY and ALL powders completely and easily the way they were engineered to be applied - with a spray gun - not rolling around in a little plastic tub.

Glad to see you can get matte to coat for you with a vibrator. :drinks: Accuracy is another totally different story line. :cbpour: Let us know what you find.

banger

[slide]

bangerjim,I agree that spraying is probably the best way to coat bullets but not all the guys on the forum including me can afford a spray rig. Below is a photo of some of my 22 caliber bullets using the vtb method. These are all one coat. Could you post a photo of some of your sprayed bullets? Not trying to start anything just wanting to see how I am doing.

279101

[bangerjim]

I do not have any matte sprayed boolits right now. Everything I have is gloss, as that is generally what I use now. Early on, back in 2013 or so, when we all started messing with this madness of PC'ing, we were trying anything and everything to get boolits coated with any and all kinds of powders, especially the now-dreaded HF stuff. One of the things many found out (the hard way): matte powders tend to kill the very tiny triboelectric charges in the little #5 tub with manual "shake-n-bake" only method. Running for a period of time in a vibrator (newer technology) looks like it does work.

Heck, some guys on here complain they cannot even afford a friggin' vibrator!!!!!!!! (dead broke seems to be a rather common occurrence among casters.)

Good luck. And let us know on your accuracy/shooting findings. Glad someone has figured out a good way to use matte finished!!!!!! [smilie=w:

banger :guntootsmiley:

[GregLaROCHE]

I’d be interested to know if there is much of a velocity difference as well as accuracy. If you are doing controlled tests, please post your results.

[slide]

I posted a photo in the first post. That is 50 rounds. My scope needs adjusting but, I wasn't concerned with that but with accuracy. Velocity, I plan on testing later on. Remember this is only one target. The next time the whole thing may fall apart. Cast bullets especially in the 223 can drive you totally nuts.

[charlie b]

There is a thread in here from a guy shooting .221 fireball in his bench rest rifle with PC bullets. Don't remember which ones. Groups were tiny, as in less than 1/2".

Cast does not mean poor accuracy.

And, no never tried matte, but, 2" groups would not make me jump to use it either.

[GregLaROCHE]

To understand if there is a difference between Matt and gloss PC, it would be interesting if someone was willing to PC fifty boolits with gloss and fifty with Matt. Then load them identically and shoot them from a bench rest, recording velocities and accuracies. Doing the same with different calibers would make the test even more interesting.

[slide]

GregLaRoche, that too is on the list. What is next is to see if this load with the matte will hold groups. If this one target is just a fluke and the others scatter like a shotgun pattern then there is no need to pursue it.

[cwlongshot]

I have matte blue I like and shoot. It shoots as well (or bad) as any.

I was Interested to read about matte Blk powders. Mo one seems to have or use.

I know of the "claims" of some about its effect if bores. I remember reading matte blk HF was poor quality.

CW