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Old 05-31-2020, 04:08 PM
Salavee Salavee is offline
 
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Default PowderCoated Cast bullets

Has anyone tried cast bullets that have been powder coated ?

I've seen and read a lot of chatter about this and it looks promising - but looks can be deceiving. Looking for some real world info from anyone who has actually tested them regarding reduced fouling, pressures and increased velocities with either handguns or rifles.
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Old 05-31-2020, 04:44 PM
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I have been shooting powder coated cast Bullets in my 8.15x46R Shuetzen rifle that Boogerfart of AO is making for me and accuracy is excellent offhand at 200 meters , no leading at all!
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Old 05-31-2020, 06:14 PM
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Have been shooting my own powder coated cast out of my H&R 4570 with no issues for a few yrs.

I have heard of guys having issues with the pc paint fouling barrels but I think it could be due to taking short cuts in the PC process. You have to bake the PC properly .Trying to melt the coating with a heat gun doesn’t cut it .

For example if you heat up a jig head and dip it in powder, then hold the heat gun on it till the powder melts , it looks great but drag it over the rocks fishing a few times and it chips and cracks. Take the same jig head and bake it at 200c for 20 minutes and the coating is ten times tougher.
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Old 05-31-2020, 07:17 PM
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I have been shooting PC bullets in my lever action 357 and have been able to achieve jacketed velocities with no leading or fouling issues whatsoever. I'm quite a fan.
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Old 05-31-2020, 07:55 PM
Salavee Salavee is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tikka250 View Post
I have been shooting PC bullets in my lever action 357 and have been able to achieve jacketed velocities with no leading or fouling issues whatsoever. I'm quite a fan.
Thanks for the input guys. It's looking that I may give some a go with my .41 Rem mag and 35 Whelen Ai . I was really concerned about the possibility of the coating fouling barrels at higher velocities. A professional application with proper curing appears to be a decent upgrade for a cast bullet. With that in mind, would lubing still be necessary ?
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Old 05-31-2020, 08:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salavee View Post
Thanks for the input guys. It's looking that I may give some a go with my .41 Rem mag and 35 Whelen Ai . I was really concerned about the possibility of the coating fouling barrels at higher velocities. A professional application with proper curing appears to be a decent upgrade for a cast bullet. With that in mind, would lubing still be necessary ?
I think the whole premise of powder coating bullets it to get away from lube and lead fouling. I suppose lube wouldn’t hurt but not sure what would be gained .
There are others on here with a whole lot more knowledge about this than me , but I think the PC is meant to be the buffer between lead and rifling just like copper is on jacketed bullets.

Also remember to size your bullets after they are coated. Sizing won’t hurt the PC if it is applied correctly.
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Old 05-31-2020, 10:28 PM
Boogerfart Boogerfart is offline
 
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I've been making powder coated cast bullets from .224 to .458 for awhile now and its the best bang for your buck system I know of. I've tried Lee Alox, pan lubes, I bought a RCBS lubrisizer, but powder coating is by far my favorite. It gets rid of leading as long as you remember its still a cast bullet (no 3000fps) Its way cleaner and slicker to handle while loading, and cuts down on lead exposure too. I spend too much time working to do a personal in depth side by side comparison of lubes but there are many who have and took the time to document it. YouTube is a good resource and castboolits is a awesome resource. It doesn't cost much to set up and the coated bullets can be sized with any common sizing system if needed. The Lee push through dies work great with PC, the only time I use the lubrisizer now is if I don't have the right size Lee die or for BP. Powder coating works with black powder but you still need to have a proper lube to keep the fouling soft or you'll have real trouble...
Feel free to get ahold of me if you'd like to try some I've made or I can coat some you've cast as well.
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Old 05-31-2020, 11:30 PM
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I have shot cast bullets for decades, and a lot of them in everything from .224 to 460 Bee. I have never used anything but normal lube. Never thought to try powder coated. I have never had leading or any other problems but I can't see any issue with powder coating outside of it building up on the bore. I did try Moly coated bullets in a few guns and I can tell you for sure that stuff is a son of a gun to get off after shooting it. If I always shot cast that wouldn't be an issue but if I shot cast and jacketed I don't think I would want that on the bore.
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Old 06-01-2020, 10:32 AM
Boogerfart Boogerfart is offline
 
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Powder coating properly applied leaves nothing in the bore unless you push it way too hard. At that point you get leading just like you would with any lube.
When loading coated bullets I use the same data as traditional wax lubed bullets and have never had any issues with leading or residues in the bore. Its way better than Alox or other tumble lubes for clean up. I've recovered bullets with their coating 100% intact- its tough stuff. I have a couple 200gr from a 45 Colt that sit on a shelf by my reloading bench, there is no exposed lead in the marks from the rifling.

Last edited by Boogerfart; 06-01-2020 at 10:47 AM.
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