What happens to lead boolits that are powder coated if they sit for a while?

[Stopsign32v]

Is it alright to make ammo now that you might not shoot for a year or so? Does the lead continuously get harder and what effect does the PC have to the process if it sits?

[mnewcomb59]

Many powders have been shown to react with the nitroglycerin in double base gunpowders. If you are only baking your PC for 15 minutes, OR if you are using a non-convection oven, I would not load any rounds that will be sitting for a long time.

Smokes Carolina Blue turned yellow and soft when I loaded Titegroup and ammo sat for more than a year. I baked in a convection oven at a measured 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Recent tests have shown me that his initial bake time and temp recommendations were on the light side. Now when Smoke's Carolina Blue has been baked for 20-25 minutes at 400 verified with thermometer in a convection oven, there is no degradation from nitroglycerin. I have a bullet sitting in Titegroup powder for over a year that is still blue and cured hard.

[Stopsign32v]

Many powders have been shown to react with the nitroglycerin in double base gunpowders. If you are only baking your PC for 15 minutes, OR if you are using a non-convection oven, I would not load any rounds that will be sitting for a long time.

Smokes Carolina Blue turned yellow and soft when I loaded Titegroup and ammo sat for more than a year. I baked in a convection oven at a measured 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Recent tests have shown me that his initial bake time and temp recommendations were on the light side. Now when Smoke's Carolina Blue has been baked for 20-25 minutes at 400 verified with thermometer in a convection oven, there is no degradation from nitroglycerin. I have a bullet sitting in Titegroup powder for over a year that is still blue and cured hard.

I used Eastwood powder... :confused:

[JSnover]

Depends on the alloy, lead/tin won't change. Antimony (and possibly arsenic) can age-harden but PC won't have any effect on that process.

[armoredman]

I have PC lead loads in 9mm that have been loaded a few years, Smokes' Blue, Harbor Freight black and a few others, no problem at all.

[prs]

I have noticed no ill effects on ammo loaded for a few years and stored. Mostly with double based powders. Then again, I bake for 30 minutes after the loaded convestion oven reaches full temp (i.e. auto-cycles).

prs

[popper]

They get lonely. :veryconfu
I mostly PC everything, have a large collection of loaded ammo that probably will take a yr or more to shoot. I did shoot some old PCd cast in 308W @ 200. worked fine. IIRC all alliant powder is 2 base, doesn't seem to be a problem. I use Smokes powder, don't know the manuf. I think I still have a few cans of 40sw loaded 3-4 yrs ago, not a problem. I don't shoot a lot of pistol.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve never noticed anything different with older PC loads.

[David2011]

If the powder coating is properly cured then the boolits won’t be any different from conventionally lubed boolits. The alloy determines whether they will age harden. I just loaded some .38 Specials with boolits that were coated four years ago. It was no different from fresh boolits.