Is There A Downside To Powder Caoting Bullets?

[fatelk]

I can only speak for myself, and the type of casting and shooting that I do, but for me personally I only see positives.

I cast and lubed traditionally for about 30 years before powder coating. I had several lube-sizers and a container full of various sizing dies. I had it figured out fairly well, and could produce pretty nice traditionally lubed bullets that shot well and almost never leaded. Mostly handgun but a few rifle calibers, nothing real precision and I don't compete, though I can shoot both handgun and rifle well above average for the "average" person.

It was definitely a learning curve for powder coating, frustrating at times until I figured it out. I bought a $10 convection oven at Goodwill, and wired up a PID to control it. I use the shake-and-bake method but don't get too fancy. I love it so much that I sold all my lube-sizers and dies. To be honest, I'm a bit of a traditionalist and part of me wanted to not like powder coating because of that, but once I got it down, it was revolutionary for me. I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon unless it's something that really works.

The advantages I see, for myself, are:
The bullets and ammo are not sticky, no exposed lead.
Noticeably less smoke when shooting.
Size is a bit less important, especially when shooting a common load through several guns, like 9mm.
Alloy is a bit less important, even with magnums.
No leading in "problem guns". I have a couple of guns that have been hard to conquer leading, no matter what I tried. Powder coat= leading is gone.

So what it boils down to for me is that it's essentially cleaner and easier, and works great for my purposes. I can totally understand if someone else prefers traditional lube for their purposes. It's worked well for over a century and will continue to work just fine, if it's what you like.

[schutzen-jager]

jmho - all the benefits listed does not justify the expense , time lost , complications , + eliminating leading over tumble lubing with liquid alox - why complicate a simple efficient process with a greatly more complicated one for the same or lesser end results -

[243winxb]

When coatings first appeared on forums, i studied it. Didnt like what i saw. So never tried it. See post #1 https://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ducts.7135836/

Primid systems use HAA (β-hydroxyl-alkyl amide) as a crosslinker with polyesters to reduce the toxicity of the TGIC crosslinker, they are often called TGIC-Free. They were developed and are used in Europe more than here due to the regulations banning TGIC for health reasons.

[schutzen-jager]

completely agree - all workers in commercial powder coating facilities that i am aware of utilize respirators + haz mat clothing with all of the different formulas -

[gloob]

If you can get away with tumble lubing and everything is perfect, then that would be ideal, IMO. At least once you learn how to tumble lube without leaving bullets sticky.

If you need to size bullets anyway, lube sizing appears to be minimal extra work, but it certainly has a significant initial startup cost per caliber and/or nose profile.

I've tried powder coating, and I'm not good at it. My results are awful for the amount of work I want to put into it: i.e. dumping a layer of bullets onto a tray. If I shot a 45-70, it would feel less of a waste of time standing up each bullet on a tray and getting it into a rink a dink oven without watching them all fall over.

The key question is if you can get away without it. A lot of koolaid drinkers believe that powder coat always reduces smoke and fouling. It might be surprising to know that most locked breech firearms can be made to shoot lubed bullets with zero smoke or fouling. Revolvers and blowback firearms are a different story; lube will always smoke, period.

[fatelk]

jmho - all the benefits listed does not justify the expense , time lost , complications , + eliminating leading over tumble lubing with liquid alox - why complicate a simple efficient process with a greatly more complicated one for the same or lesser end results -

I guess I'm doing it wrong then, because I hated tumble lubing, and I love powder coating. I'm talking about results for me personally.

I tumble lubed off and on for decades, studied and tried many different methods and formulas. I got it down to where it worked very well. I still didn't like it, for various reasons.

For me, powder coating is so much better that I will never go back, not even close. That's just me, my priorities and my results, not based on anything other than what works best for my purposes, and for my purposes powder coating is worlds better than tumble lubing.

It's also neither expensive nor complicated, once you get the hang of it. It was significantly cheaper to set up for powder coating than it was for lube sizing. If you don't like it for whatever reason, that's fine. Do what you like. Lube sizing and tumbling are great if that's what you like. If you've never tried powder coating though, your opinion of it takes a bit of a back seat to those who actually use it successfully.

[schutzen-jager]

been reloading for 60 years - lead bullets in over 9 pistol calibers + 3 rifle calibers in over 30 different firearms + been tumble lubing since liquid alox has come out with never one instance with leading - the only thig that goes thru a sizer is a 30 calber to install gas checks w/o sizing - PC is definitely more expensive, time consuming, + complicated to achieve lower quality results in performance + accuracy - been there + done that + will never do it again -

[gloob]

The main problem with lubed cast is each gun is different. If you have a large quantity of different guns in the same caliber, it would be annoying to have to make cast loads in 2 or maybe even 3 different bullet sizes for a given cartridge, just to get them to chamber and shoot right. Then there's the smoke that is unavoidable in revolvers and blowback firearms.

Another downside is what if you decide to sell your guns and buy new ones, and now your ammo doesn't shoot right. Personally, I don't stockpile on thousands of loaded rounds. Primers, powder, and lead are more flexible.

My tumble lubed bullets are part of my stock of lead. I don't worry about making "too many." It takes 5 minutes to tumble lube 20 lbs of bullets. If I want to change them to another caliber, I just dump them into the pot and recast them.

I have lots of jacketed bullets I will probably never use, either because I don't shoot those calibers anymore. Or I do, but I don't have enough of that particular jacketed bullet to even bother with, unless for an emergency. I don't want to add dozens more PC'd bullets to my organizational nightmare.

[fatelk]

No worries at all- you do what works for you, and I'll keep doing what works best for me. We'll all be happy.

[armprairie]

My main goal will be the reduction of smoke when shooting in indoor ranges with handguns. Heck, I even get a lot of good-natured razzing when I shoot at outdoor ranges. Compared to the guys using HiTek or powder coated bullets, it looks like I'm at the shootout at the OK corral when using my NRA 50-50, Carnauba Red, Orange Magic, or Jake's Purple. I don't think there is a lube I haven't tried. I suspect I will end up with a compromise, using powder coat on my 40 S&W and other indoor handgun rounds, then using traditional lubes on magnum handgun and rifle rounds.
Life's an adventure, but also one grand experiment. Not all experiments succeed, most fail, but it's fun to keep seeking new methods. So here goes!

[armprairie]

I guess I should also admit that another motive is a process that burns cleaner for my girlfriend. She bought a Model 60 3" Smith & Wesson a couple months ago. While she loves it, something not so messy as my traditional lubes would be a plus.

[charlie b]

I have done a lot of all methods, about 40 years worth. PC is newer and I've only been using it the last few years.

Powdercoating has advantages, mainly dealing with smoke when shooting and having a 'coated' bullet when storing and reloading. Downsides depend on how you apply it.
a. For my rifles I cast, size body, size nose, PC (individual bullet stood up on a sheet), then size body and nose again. Time consuming but the bullets are as accurate as my lubed bullets.
b. For pistols they can be coated and baked in batches, much like tumble lube. Instead of waiting a day or two for the lube to dry you bake them for 20min. This can be an advantage as you can bake a bit longer and then quench them for hardness.

One bigger problem with PC is the increase in the size of the bullet. Some designs this isn't a problem, others it is. You can buy molds made for PC (or Hitek) that are sized differently for this reason. Or, buy from Accurate and specify a slightly smaller size to account for the PC. For pistol bullets it means you might have to size a bullet that is PC, but, if lubed it can be fired as cast. That is a big time savings, especially if you tumble lube.

FWIW, I have used tumble lube quite a bit. If I don't need to size the bullet it is a great way to go. The Lee molds made for it work very well in the .357/.38 and .45acp pistols I have used them in. If you have to size them then there is no real savings compared to a lubesizer. The other downside to tumble lube is that eventually the seating stem in your die needs to be cleaned out. Not a big deal, but, the lube will build up in there.

Smell. PC does smell. Just bake it in the same area you cast. Using lube also smells and is really bad when making your own lube.

Almost all of my bullets require sizing (except for my .45acp TL mold). I have some that do better with lube and some that won't (size is a bit too small).

So, I have some bullets that I run through a lubesizer, some TL, and some that I PC. And, no, I don't find the PC bullets any less accurate than the lubed.

Last point. PC can be used if you want to drive a plain base bullet a bit faster. No, I've never explored the limit.

[Outer Rondacker]

I am going to start by saying I didnt read all three pages so if someone hit this already sorry.

There is a major downside to PC bullets! Some reloading powders like Lil Gun will eat powder coat up over time. The only way I have found to not have this as an issue is to store cartridges with the bullets facing upwards. This answers one of the age old questions of why my ammo boxes are always upside down. To keep the powder off the bullet. This does not always work as you know most charges touch the bullet. All I can say is do not load ammo that is not going to be used for a long period of time with PC.

[William Yanda]

If you post about it, you will be exposed to the nay-sayers from all directions, from "isn't mentioned in the Constitution" on.

[GregLaROCHE]

In my opinion there’s only an upside to PCing. I do still lube boolits sometimes for special purposes. If you are looking at high velocities, you should consider gas checks.

[schutzen-jager]

jmho based on my experiences over the years - retired, but my time + budget is very important to me - i gave up on powder coating + will not even consider it again - load cast boolits in pistol + rifle many calibers + i have not been able to find even a miniscule advantage using powder coat over alox tumble lube at all -

[elmacgyver0]

If you ever shoot through a suppressor, you will soon understand the benefits of PC coated boolits.
I don't understand the cost gripe, I found it to be dirt cheap.
If you find it too complicated, you may want to rethink reloading.
Both methods have their merits and downsides.

[1eyedjack]

I just plain like powder coating! I enjoy the process, the appearance of my finished ammo. No it hasn't cured any ailments or made me wealthy. But it is a pleasant pastime and I enjoy the benefits of clean bullets less smoke etc

[Wild Bill 7]

I powder coat now. I have the Star lube sizer, heater and 130 sticks of Thompson Blue Angel. I can lube size if I want or if a friend wants some lubed boolits I can do that. I like powder coating for the simple fact less smoke and cleaner barrels(no leading). I usually run a brush down the barrel and a patch with fire clean and the barrel is done. Cylinder faces require more but cleaning time is a lot less.

[GregLaROCHE]

It seems like most who have tried PC like it. I do for larger diameter boolits. Smaller calibers, like 6.5 mmm, I’ve gone back to Lee liquid Alox. Standing them up, especially with gas checked bases, was too frustrating. LLA works well too.