I don’t get the infatuation with powder coat and hi tech

[Petrol & Powder]

I think I got my point across

1. yes you did
2. No offense intended, hence the purple font and "just kidding" following the line
3. I don't powder coat.

[dverna]

My first lube/sizer was a Star. It will lube and size over 1000 .38 bullets an hour. If you need to size, no other method can be faster. A stick of Lars lube is about $2.50...maybe more expensive than other methods, but my time is worth a few pennies. Every other method appears to be step backwards wrt efficiency of use. I use one lube for all pistol bullets. If the Star is properly adjusted the bullet bases and noses are not covered in yuck.

I have a few cans of Johnson One Step for BLL. BLL will only make sense if I can shoot bullets unsized, otherwise I will continue to use the Star. Still working through 25k cast bullets so have not tried BLL yet.

I bought a couple of Lyman 45's in case I ever decide to play with rifle bullets and need a different lube for high velocities.

I am in the process of downsizing from a 400+ sq ft reloading set up in the pole barn to 175 sq ft. in the basement. Even if I wanted to PC, I would not do it indoors. The fumes from PC'ing cannot be pleasant in the house. And frankly, lube/sizers are very space efficient.

I have cast bullets that are more than 10 years old and are not oxidized, so do not see the advantages of putting a condom on them. IMHO if you are getting oxidized bullets you are not shooting enough or storing them in a damp basement. If I had the damp basement problem I would vacuum pack them. BTW, I will be doing that with my inventory of primers as I have too many to store in the house.

[Bazoo]

I do both. I've always been one to start with the traditional way first, and then try newer things, testing against the traditional way as I go, to see if it actually has any benefits.

In fact, I make my own lube from my own beeswax from the hives I keep in the back pasture. My cowboy loads are bare lead with 80/20 bees wax to vasoline, pan lubed, in an NOE version of the 454424 with the square lube groove. Unless I can find an original Ideal 454424 or a lead deposit in my back yard, I'm not sure how I could make it more traditional.

But for high volume, higher velocity 9mm that feeds reliably across a number of pistols, doesn't lead, doesn't smoke, and performs consistently, I've had better luck with Hi-Tek.

In the end, I guess I'm a "use the right tool for the job" kind of guy.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

That's a very insightful way of looking at it. Thanks for sharing.

I've been expecting that the wife's bersa thunder 380 will benefit from PC. I've not loaded for it yet though.

[bmortell]

My first lube/sizer was a Star. It will lube and size over 1000 .38 bullets an hour. If you need to size, no other method can be faster. A stick of Lars lube is about $2.50...maybe more expensive than other methods

im sure a star sizer is fast and what not, but i just priced one with die punch and heater and it was over 500 dollars. thats just way out of my price range when i can just use a free old toaster oven and butter container with a few pennies of powder coat. if it takes me a few minutes to shake bullets and set them in the oven thats not a big deal to me.

[Mal Paso]

Dumb question, doesn't the PC have to be baked outside cause of fumes?

Those fumes are what gets people Hooked on powder coating. That's why they can't quit and get so defensive when you question them about it.




LOL

[Chainsaw.]

Dumb question, doesn't the PC have to be baked outside cause of fumes?

Not really. At least the brand of powder I use. you can smell something cooking but its not at all bad.

[Finster101]

Here in FLA it's hot most of the time, hence traditional lube stickiness is a real issue for me. I like PC mostly for that reason. Do I play around with the colors? Yes, sometimes because I can and it takes no more time but it is not the primary reason for coating. I won't say it out performs regular lube but it is easier and less mess for me. So do as you like and as usual I will too.

[oldhenry]

I don't PC (yet).
I've been casting since '60 & in that time period I would have been ripe to change to PC. The Lyman 45 was slow & some of the lubes back then were just OK: not great. Then came the Star & Tamerac & I was happy. Later came BAC & I was ecstatic.

I don't have a storage problem: however, I spend extra time arranging the boolits in rows usually 3 trays deep per container. I made the trays from medium strength cardboard with tabs on each end. I can lift a tray from the container (with boolits) & have them on the left side of the 550s. I recognize that I'm spending time arranging them, but it's nice to have them readily available.

I'm old fashioned & can't get excited over the "zombie" green, yellows & light blues. I could like black and possibly red.

I can see PC as an advantage with rifle calibers. As it turns out my shooting now is handgun only: so. I'm happy as I am, but PC curious.

[dverna]

im sure a star sizer is fast and what not, but i just priced one with die punch and heater and it was over 500 dollars. thats just way out of my price range when i can just use a free old toaster oven and butter container with a few pennies of powder coat. if it takes me a few minutes to shake bullets and set them in the oven thats not a big deal to me.

I completely understand. I bought my first Star over 45 years ago. IIRC is was about $100 with die an punch, which was an enormous sum to a college kid. but back then there were few options....heck Lee had not even made a pot yet!

If I was mentoring a young person who wanted to cast, I would go through the current options. I would likely suggest starting with something like the Lee APP and BLL. Very cheap and fast. Likely will cover every pistol caliber and most rifle loads under 1800 fps and serve the needs of most people. If BLL would not work for HV rifle, add PC at minimal cost.

If the person was going to be a serious shooter, I would suggest the Star option. BTW, a heater is not needed for most lubes but it is still a $400 investment. Over a casting "career" of 20 years the machine will be free. It will have appreciated in value so much. Used Stars go for over 50% of the price of new one. And for those 20 years the person will have the most productive way to lube and size cast bullets.

I used to shoot 3-400 rounds a week. Not typical and I understand that. My pet peeve is people who say PC is the fastest way to get the job done, when plainly it cannot be. Very few people need a Star...just like few need a Dillon 1050.

I no longer "need" either but they are bought and paid for, are a joy to use, and do not depreciate. A long way from the Wack-a-Mole I started with.

[dale2242]

Good post Larry.
Well documented experiment.

[salvadore]

of course, pc bullets are jacketed bullets.

[derek45]

Those fumes are what gets people Hooked on powder coating. That's why they can't quit and get so defensive when you question them about it.




LOL

hey man,......I can quit any time !

[Mk42gunner]

I don't powder coat, yet, maybe.

I haven't tumble lubed yet, but that is changing as we speak (I write). I am planning to tumble lube for .38 Special wadcutters, at least if my mold allows me to load as cast.

I solved my personal storage problems with sticky lubes by storing unlubed boolits, then lubing as needed. This can be a pain, as the one at a time in and out of either the RCBS or Lyman lubrisizers seems to be my big slow down in the loading process.

I don't leave my lubrisizers set up on the bench all the time, they are mounted to a 2x6 about 18 inches long (whatever scrap was handy when the time came). When I use them, I attach them to my loading bench with a couple of three inch deck screws.

I'm not really averse to trying powder coating, its just that what I do now works for me; and I learned a long time ago that if it works, don't mess with it.

Robert

[dogdoc]

1. yes you did
2. No offense intended, hence the purple font and "just kidding" following the line
3. I don't powder coat.

Certainly no offense taken!I knew you were poking fun. I am old school in that sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me. The problem with text is there is no voice inflection to signal your intent so I should have put a smiley face after my facetious comment.
��. I enjoy the comments!

[William Yanda]

94 posts in just over 24 hours. Is this a record?

[dtknowles]

The great PC debate. New is controversial. PC has its place. It is here to stay and that is a good thing. I have not PC my first bullet but then I am shooting and testing other things. Is it better, yes and no it depends.

Tim

[Three44s]

“I don’t get the infatuation with powder coat and hi tech”

That’s ok because it leaves more powder coat for the rest of us! LOL!

Three44s

[303Guy]

Someone asked in another thread whether one could PC copper condom bullets. To me that is a good question. Reason being that I insist on playing around with obsolete and over throat and bore sized Lee Enfields, some of which are worn/corroded or just made oversize to the point they could almost take 8mm bullets. Enter powder coating. Well, that's one of my ideas to try anyway. Not for target shooting mind you. I'm not sure where I'm going with target shooting but I can see powder coated smooth sided custom mold cast to fit throat boolits as a distinct possibility.

[onelight]

My cast I tumble lube or use my Lyman sizer .
But I also shoot a lot of commercial cast Hi-Tek coated that are not what I would call premium bullets , but work well for most of my range use in light to medium loads with this price range of bulk bullets I find that the coating leads less , compared to bulk cast with the lube most commercial casters use in this price range of bullet. So I like both coated , traditional lubed and tumble lubed. They all have a place on my bench.

[PBaholic]

I PC with regular Polyester PC.

Almost no smoke when shooting, gun stays clean.
Can use softer (lower BHN) lead, and NEVER any leading.
40,000 PC .45 ACP's through my Ruger P345. I can't see any wear of the rifling.