Shooting USPSA/ STEEL Challenge with dry tumble coated bullet

[philproulx]

hello

i have read the 101 pages about the dry tumble PC
i have did some testing and it works

i have shot 50 rounds out of my G35 and results are ok for me

the main reason for my post is i shoot at least 10000 rounds every year

has someone shot that much with PC bullet yet..... i just want to check your stuff

for barrel wear i don't think it can be a major factor since PBTP offer polyester base paint ....in my mind copper is harder that polyester
and i must say i change barrel 3 or 4 time in the life of my guns

so i just want to know your experience with PC for competition USPSA / STEEL / PRO-AM etc


phil
f79623

[NewbieDave007]

Let me first say that I don't PC YET, but I have read a lot. The only thing that comes to mind it that there was some discussion about the Harbor Freight black possibly causing an issue but I'm not sure if that was definitive our not. I think bangerjim showed how some PC are more coarse than others in another thread but that's all I can think of.

[Walter Laich]

From what I read no one has really put that many through their firearms yet. We're right here at the beginning of the PC movement so to speak.
We're learning from each other and the few brave (and rich ones) that are willing to push the envelope.
It's not the space race but it is fun never-the-less

[bmiller]

I talked to a powder rep the other day. He said to stay away from silver because they are very abrasive. He pointed me towards black because they use carbon black as a pigment. Should be easier on the barrel.

[garym1a2]

If you pick the right powder and tumble them you can get a lot of them done quickly. In one weekend last month I powdered coated 4300 9mm and over 4400 40 cal bullets.
In a few hundred test rounds in my Glock35 with 9mm barrel they shoot clean.

I have not tried them in competition yet as that's done in 40 and i want to make sure its good before running in my KKM barrel.

The way i figure is that by the time I wear out a barrel the labor savings was worth the cost.

hello

i have read the 101 pages about the dry tumble PC
i have did some testing and it works

i have shot 50 rounds out of my G35 and results are ok for me

the main reason for my post is i shoot at least 10000 rounds every year

has someone shot that much with PC bullet yet..... i just want to check your stuff

for barrel wear i don't think it can be a major factor since PBTP offer polyester base paint ....in my mind copper is harder that polyester
and i must say i change barrel 3 or 4 time in the life of my guns

so i just want to know your experience with PC for competition USPSA / STEEL / PRO-AM etc


phil
f79623

[garym1a2]

Give me a few months. I am working on a big batch.

From what I read no one has really put that many through their firearms yet. We're right here at the beginning of the PC movement so to speak.
We're learning from each other and the few brave (and rich ones) that are willing to push the envelope.
It's not the space race but it is fun never-the-less

[philproulx]

Keep in touch Garym1a2

[alfloyd]

I have shot over 500, Harbor Freight Red PC, thru my Taurus PT99 at the local Action Pistol Shoots.
The barrel is clean and I don't see any wear either.
The lead slugs that I was using leaded the barrel so bad that half way thru the match my boolits were key holing.
Every thing is fine with the PC boolits.
I still size then to 0.358 inch diameter.

Lafaun

[Beetmagnet]

I've shot about 1500 through my main gun so far. I've used them in two IDPA competitions and they work great. So far, so good.

[prickett]

I've shot around 2000 in steel shoots so far. The reduction in smoke is huge. On humid days with traditional lube, it started looking like a civil war reenactment. The ability to see the target is worth the effort to PC alone.

[KTM400]

I am only about 2500 135 grn 9mm PC boolits deep in competition. I can say this much so far.

In my pistols, G34 w LW bbl, g17 w LW bbl (both Gen 4), G17 (Gen 2) with glock bbl, and franken 9mm 1911 - no discernible wear or ill effects. However - I can this about accuracy... some bbls love em, some not so much and some don't seem to have a preference. The Glocks, with whatever bbl, will put 10 shots into 1.5 inches at 11 yards shooting from a bench with wrists resting on a sand bag. The 1911 will give me about a 3 inch group.

At 25 yards shooting from the same position, the Glocks will print an approximate 5 inch group. The 1911 amazingly does about the same. This, in my opinion is not "good" accuracy. It is, to me, acceptable accuracy for what I am doing with my guns and boolits. (uspsa and steel)

My 9mm AR will keep 10 rounds in a 4" bull at 25 yards (standing offhand) and 10 rounds in the same bull at 50 shooting from a rest. This particular AR has an 11.5" bbl with a 5" FAL FH pinned to it. It runs great and accuracy for Pistol Cal. Carbine matches is, in my opinion, satisfactory.

I believe the most important issue and the hardest to control with PCing boolits (ESPC) is the even thickness of the coating. Some boolits get good coverage, others not so good. If you get better coverage on one side of a boolit but poor coverage on the other side, you get a wobbly boolit. I believe this is why I get acceptable groups up close but sloppier at distance. At least with the glocks. I am working on spacing while PCing and getting as even a coat as possible. But I am having a ton of fun, and have even won a few stages with my home made PC boolits. Of course, ymmv.

(edit) as for my shooting skill - I am a 17 year LEO firearms instructor in pistol and carbine and a B class uspsa shooter in Production Division.

[Freightman]

I have shot almost a 1000 through my 44 mag at mag speed and still x ring accurate at 25 yds, use HF PC also.