PC and Bullet Bases

Casting from a new mold today meant tossing many back into the pot during the breaking in period. It got me to wondering, If those boolits where the base is mostly filled out but just not quite as full as those that are completely filled out were powder coated would that be enough for consistent accuracy? Not to be sloppy or promote poor casting habits, but having read where many say they get good accuracy with PC and GC designed boolits without the GC prompts this inquiry. Does the PC fill out those small imperfections enough to overcome a less than perfectly cast base?

Nope, I’ve tried to tumble PC really thick onto my boolits and size to see if the rounded bases would “squeeze down” to make a 90 degree sharp edge. They still looked like they weren’t properly filled out after sizing. I’ve shot lee 255 grain boolits that the bases were rounded and PCd out of my Ruger vaquero and at 25 yards and IMO there’s no difference in accuracy. In a rifle I would cull them. Just get your mold and alloy really hot before pouring.

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Originally Posted by ChristopherO

Casting from a new mold today meant tossing many back into the pot during the breaking in period. It got me to wondering, If those boolits where the base is mostly filled out but just not quite as full as those that are completely filled out were powder coated would that be enough for consistent accuracy? Not to be sloppy or promote poor casting habits, but having read where many say they get good accuracy with PC and GC designed boolits without the GC prompts this inquiry. Does the PC fill out those small imperfections enough to overcome a less than perfectly cast base?

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Most of the time no... but it really depends on how much of a defect it is.

I sort for major defects before I powder coat for example broken hollow points noses, cracks in the side etc ...unshootable garbage.

After coating when I'm sizing is when I decide to be picky. What kind of bullet out of what kind of gun with what type of powder are using at what distance?

9 mm is awfully picky. 38 special and light 357 mag are surprisingly accepting minor defects and shoots well.

My personal pickiness is that I have a limited number of primers and my goal is to improve my ability to hit small targets at distance with handguns. The only way to know is to test it, go shoot it and see what happens! Please tell us how it goes I'm curious to know.

P.s. I did a fair amount of shooting earlier this year with gas check bullets without the gas check installed in 308 Winchester. The shoulder dynanometer guess is approximately at least 2000+-feet per second. They were certainly loud and powerful and beat the crap out of a steel plate at a hundred yards . They shot very well and did not lead the gun barrel. I put a great deal of effort to cast them perfectly. I had added tin and was pressure casting with an RCBS Ladle and a two cavity Lee mold over a coleman stove.

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overcome a less than perfectly cast base?

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Nope, if the base is bad, toss them back.

"My personal pickiness is that I have a limited number of primers and my goal is to improve my ability to hit small targets at distance with handguns."

Good point and well stated. I don't want to waste primers, either. Most of my cast are for rifles, which will exacerbate the issue even further. Plop, back into the pot they go.

Keep working on getting good boolits. Make sure the sprue plate is adjusted correctly, be sure to add enough lead to have a good sized sprue, don’t cut the sprue too soon and keep your mold and lead hot enough.

I still have those days where I’m not wearing my reading glasses and I think I’m having a good casting session. When I inspect them almost a third of my bullets don’t have fill outs! I feel your pain. I then get my lee 4/20 up to 8.5 and my mold blood hot. It get great boolit fill out…but fining of tin on mold. Takes almost long as my pouring session to clean the tinning off my mold sometimes but IMO it’s worth it.

I make sure to wear my reading glasses when pouring now.


Where I have gotten away with not perfect bases is when I cover them up with a GC. I have zero noticeable accuracy difference with a GC cover up as long as the boolit weights are within 1 grain of each other…..so far…knock wood.

Remember to use an electric hotplate to heat molds to FULL CASTING TEMP! (not just warm, as on the edge of the pot in the olden golden daze) before ever starting. I get perfect drops from the 1st one that way. No "break-in" period needed.

But PC is not a cure-all for every problem, especially bad bases!

Remelt them.