Is There A Downside To Powder Caoting Bullets?

[megasupermagnum]

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.

For a significant number of people their criteria is less mess. Less lube, less smoke, and apparently some still struggle with leading. I suppose another one would be able to use undersized bullets which run in all handguns, and still don't lead. These types of people usually don't care that much how they shoot, as long as they hit their targets. There's no judgement from me, those are worthwhile goals for some people. I only wish those same people understood not everyone is willing to sacrifice for less mess. As I went into earlier, there are very real tangible downsides to powder coating that matter to plenty of people. I'm playing with some Hitek now to see if it might offer a better alternative for some people. I had hoped to already have that report, but we still have multiple feet of snow on the ground. Maybe in 2 weeks if the range drys out.

[GONRA]

GONRA has never "powder coated boolits" but gather that one
does NOT use WIFEY'S OVEN for the process! Smelly? ???

[MarkinMD]

Baking the PC bullets does generate fumes. To me, the odor is not bad using Eastwood powders. However there is the very real chance of those fumes condensing on surfaces in the oven. When the oven is used to bake food, especially at temperatures above the 400 degrees used for powder coating, the condensed fumes could be driven off of the oven surfaces and re-condense on the coolest surface in the oven which is the food being baked. Any spilled powder will be baked onto the oven surfaces where it lands. The evidence would be very difficult to remove. A spouse, discovering that her oven has been fouled by your "chemicals", would be, at best, very angry. Are you prepared for an extended period of time where you are eating regularly at a restaurant while the oven is being replaced? It would be much safer and more economical to take your PC oven operations to a well ventilated area other than the kitchen. Bottom line: Stay away from the kitchen oven!!!

[D.Bullets]

Time it takes to powder coat , stack and bake then and there is more time needed in sizing the coated boolits and there are times when the coated unsized part of the boolit is too large because of the coating and now something must be done to get that part of the boolit to fit .

Although everyone will tell you PC'ing is all wine and roses , will heal the sick and raise the dead and cure hives ...it can create problems of it's own . You need an oven , you need powder , it has to be applied correctly and stacked on a tray and baked ... I see it as more time consuming . My Lyman 450 was paid for in 1972 and one cycle of the handle ... pull down - tweak lube flow handle - push up and out pop's a sized and lubricated boolit ...
The only thing faster is unsized tumble lubeing ... but all my boolits seem to benefit from sizing . I discovered a good lube decades ago (Lithi-Bee) have the recipe and the Lyman 450 lube/sizer paid for ... so I'm not going down the PC rabbit hole .
Now that said I mainly do Handgun reloading and a few 30 cal. rifles that can get by with Lithi-Bee lube at low velocity .
Powder Coating may be just the ticket for small bore high velocity loads ...
Let you needs be your guide ... and your pocket book ... I see a Lyman 4500 sells for $240 now ... out of stock at midway ! I bet Wally Mart has a Toaster Oven in stock !
Yeah ...$75 will get you a nice toaster oven from Wally Mart and they got plenty in stock ...
Get your powder from Smoke and don't look back !
Gary

LOLI agree and I disagree. "PC'ing is NOT all wine and roses ". If something is working don't fix it. I love testing. Before PCing I would always be leading my barrel. A Leaded up Barrel had to be cleaned ALOT or the test was wasted. So yep, I love PC. I would rather shoot and test than clean lead out. I use a liquid PC of my own recipe, 1 TBSP/100 bullets 45acp. I have mentioned the recipe before. I get 6 bonuses with PCing - 1)Lube, 2)Run Higher PSI (increased FPS), 3)Cleaner Bore (less cleaning), 4)Way Better Accuracy, 5)Oven Heat Quench, 6) P.C. over the G.C. so at higher speeds the G.C. remain on. PCing 600 at a time in a little modified toaster oven. PC for me is a huge time saver for a better product.

[D.Bullets]

My blood lead level has fallen below 5 mcg/dL for the first time since I've begun powder coating my pistol loads. It was pushing 2X that when I was shooting lubed boolits. Not so much airborne lead with the PC loads, I assume.

I like hearing that;

[Walks]

Bullseye & Titegroup react very badly to PC. As I have MANY pounds of that powder, selecting to PC depends on what powder I can use for what load.

[Somebody]

It's really not a problem. I suppose it could be in a sealed can, but I'm not sure why anyone who shoots cast bullets would buy one. It's really not that hard to remove the lead. I've only ever done it by hand, but apparently I've been told that you can run the baffles in a wet tumbler and it cleans them really well that way. No work at all then.

I can only surmise that if lead in your suppressor is a big issue, that something is wrong with your load.

User-serviceable centerfire suppressors are definitely not very common. If you have any recommendations, I would be glad to hear them, but this very issue is driving me towards a form 1 build.

[Recycled bullet]

Powder coated bullets are more accurate, foul less, don't smoke, clean to handle, clean to store. Size them 358 and shoot them in all the guns. Why confuse stubbornness with downsides?

[dverna]

What have I been doing wrong? I have fired hundreds of thousands of cast bullets in .38. 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP and have never had a bad leading problem?

I wonder if using Linotype and 92-2-6 alloy is my mistake?

Like a few others, the space needed to PC, and off gassing have kept me from trying it. A new caster might be better off going with PC. Seems it should be cheaper and more forgiving.

If I ran into problems with lubes I would try PC but I have been lucky...so far.

[Maven]

Don pretty much summed it up IMHO.

[TD1886]

Don pretty much summed it up IMHO.

I don't think so. It's if you're using a good lube, not pushing the alloy, knowing how to cast, size, lube, and fit the bullet to the firearm. I've never get severe leading, or even mild leading.

Now as pc I made the same negative comments as Don did. It's simply not true and I powder coat some, very little actually. Why very little, nobody has proved to me that you can get the accuracy out of pc rifle loads as you can with greased bullets. The steps for making bullets, lubing and sizing them (gas check too) isn't much different then pc'ing them. Just my two cents.

[Maven]

TD1886, I use "grease" lubes and get no leading to speak of , which is really what DV (above) was saying.

[TD1886]

TD1886, I use "grease" lubes and get no leading to speak of , which is really what DV (above) was saying.

I got that Maven, but the idea of pc is zero leading, in fact a bare metal bore. I've actually seen that with my bore scope. The thing about it is pushing the envelope. Like you Maven us old timers like the old ways.

[Maven]

Yes, TD I agree + we're too invested in tools, lubes, etc. to change. However, I was given a small number of PC'd pistol bullets to try several years ago and was impressed: They're just as accurate and left no leading behind, but hit to a different point of impact than my grease lubed CB's.

[TD1886]

Yes, TD I agree + we're too invested in tools, lubes, etc. to change. However, I was given a small number of PC'd pistol bullets to try several years ago and was impressed: They're just as accurate and left no leading behind, but hit to a different point of impact than my grease lubed CB's.

Now you're talking, different point of impact. I noticed that too!

[shootingblanks00]

Only downside I have found is not having enough boolits to coat but I am retiring at the end of the month so I'm gonna have lots of time to make more boolits!

[firefly1957]

If there is a down side to coated bullets I have yet to discover it ! You might say as some here that it takes more time but I am retired I have the time...

[Charlie Horse]

jmho ! - time consuming, expensive, + complicated solution for a much easier solved problem - absolutely no tangible benefit that i can detect over simple tumble lubing of good lead bullets -

I think it reduces your exposure to airborne lead. I get checked twice/year. My levels have gone down measurably since PC'ing. IDK if that's the cause-effect, but I'm happy that my levels are in the normal range now.

[shootingblanks00]

Only other downside I have is not being able to fill each container fast enough