PC Critique

All, Looking for a critique on my first stab at this PC stuff. Pictures below and appreciate any feedback for improvements. Bullet's were cast using MP 359-640 with 50/50/smidge of pewter and coated as a my first PC experiment so some of them are ugly. Had zero issues with the .359's other than needing a little more coverage. Pictures are coated (Smokes' Signal Blue), cooked (oven calibrated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes), smash test and then after sizing (bullets on towel). Also tried the MP 402 -190 but couldn't size the bullets with the NOE .401 push thru sizer. Measured them and they were .405-.406". I could size them using the .401 die in the LAM. So is this a case of having to size before PCing and then final size later?

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If the boolit is that over size then yes, you may need to size before and after.

Pics are small So hard ta see but seem to be good.

Better over cooked then under. As long as you know your 400° and 20min past powder Flow your fine.

When you coating say 55g 22 bullets its a shorter bake then say a 450g 458 bullet. Simply because it takes monger to heat the larger bullets and maintain the 400/20 thats needed. This is why we like to tell 20min bake AFTER POWDER
FLOW/glaze.


Here is how I powder Coat. If you can draw anything useful frim watching I have achieved my goal.

https://youtu.be/vzSMkpf5SCY

The 20 min cook time was based on putting them in the preheated oven. Not sure how long it was taking them to flow but it seems to be stuck pretty good.

nannyhammer: Your bullets are looking good. Smoke's signal blue is one of my favorite powders. It covers well and is very durable; I use it for both pistol and rifle.

I usually run my cast bullets through a push through sizer both before and after powder coating. This helps take the stress off the powder coating if the bullets were a little large as cast, but hurts nothing in any case. If you have as cast bullets that are on the chubby side, and think they might benefit from some lubricant as they're pushed through the sizer, I've found that putting a little bit of liquid dish washing detergent on a folder up paper towel works pretty good as a lube pad, and the lube washes right off afterwards. I've also discovered that the NOE push through bushings have a sharper shoulder and less taper than Lee push through sizers. The Lee's are more tolerant of oversized bullets, and are better at setting gas checks. I like the NOE products, but they are generally more precise and work better with bullets that drop at tighter tolerance (like from their molds). For roughshod sizing that borders on swaging, the Lee is your guy.

Probably be some disagreement from others, but I use Smokes Clear and do 15 minutes in a the oven preheated at 400. I do not wait for the powder to glaze-- 15 min from closing the door to opening the door. This includes large bullets (200 + grains). I do all mine in batches of 50 standing on their bases. Also, I have one mold that drops large by about 0.002", so I size before and after PC. I size them dry so that the surface of the bullet is absolutely pure alloy, with no oils or contaminants. I have also recovered some after shooting and the coating is fine.

Make sure you have shaken off the excess powder before baking. What did the boolits mesure before PCing?

.40 cal bullets as cast are .402. Thanks for the responses so far.

Tried the size, coat then size method...no joy. Looks like I'll try the Lee sizer next. Thanks for the comments.

have you tried a bit of lube on the bullets before sizing?

a quick spray of Hornaday One Shot makes sizing go much easier

this is after they have been PCed. Not before or you'll have probems with PC sticking

I used a little case lube and it helped but it appears that I'm trying to size down too much with the NOE sizing die.

You could try casting with a higher amount of pure lead at a higher temp. Bullets will come out a little smaller, should size easier, and fillout should be fine being cast hotter. After PC the coating/bullet will handle more pressure then if naked or conventional lube. A little One Shot or homemade alcohol/lanolin case lube will help with push-thru sizing. Sizing as soon as the bullets have cooled from the PC bake also helps. Good Luck.

Well the 185 grain 10MM loads worked like a champ with zero leading. The .357 loads leaded the last three inches or so. Going to pull a bullet and see if the seating/crimping is damaging the coating.