Most of it comes from FMJ bullets.  The lead encased in the jacket is usually very soft.



I have begun to powder coat the bullets.

Question. Does the PC work like a plated or a copper encased bullets. Or does it act more like a lead bullet which leaves lead in the barrel

If not can they be driven to velocities near FMJ bullets without leading?

They are lead treat them as such, I'm guessing the powder coating just cuts down on the smoke.

I read about that test here. Mine pass everytime once I got the temp and baking time down.  

I am going to load some up to standard velocity and see what happens.  I figure it is going to lead it should be within the first 50 rounds or so.

That is all I usually shoot for a range session. Maybe 100 tops

What happens to the powder coating? Does it burn off?  Powder coating is on my "To Learn" list.

I'm not sure you saw my part of the quote in red.  I meant when you remelt, what happens to the powder coating?  Does it burn off?

I messed up on my first try. Threw the PC bullets in my melting pot.  Huge mistake.  Stuff it like glue.  Floats on top but is was a pain to get out.

Now I do it in a pot on the grill if I need to.  Lucky I haven't had anymore problems since I read most of the threads about Coating bullets in this forum

So basically, they should go back in the range scrap bucket for the next smelting session.

Just keep it out of your casting pot.   It took awhile to get it out of Lyman cast pot.

Like dryflash3 I don't gas check any pistol bullets that I PC.

I'm currently using alloy that is between 12-14 BHN for ALL of my cast powder coated bullets. This includes 9mm, 38/357s, 41, 44, 45, and 500 caliber pistol. It also includes 30 caliber rifles and most recently 45-70 rifle.

The only thing I gas check is .223 (because they don't shoot accurately without it) and super sonic 30 caliber.  

To be honest I've never tried the PC in my super sonic 30 caliber loads without the gas checks but from what I've seen I don't think the PC would have any problems up to 2000fps but I can't say for sure because I haven't tried it.

I have shot the .223's (they cycle my AR-15) without the gas checks. The bullets and PC hold up fine they just ars not accurate. It has to do with the bullet's shape.

I was actually thinking about going to the range today to pick up spent slugs. It's raining here so there probably wouldn't be many people shooting plus the rain washes away some of the surface dirt which makes the bullets easier to find.

I buy Linotype and mix it with my soft lead to make it harder.

Making specific hardness alloy for specific loads is still needed at times but switching to powder coating has for the most part simplified it for me.

So before you ask specific questions about bullet hardness, gas checks and powder coating you really need to be specific about your intended use.

I've shot 8bhn lubed bullets in light 38spl without any issues. I have no doubt you could do the same with range lead powder coated. Powder coating does increase the versatility of your alloy but if you want to shoot anything that makes more pressure than a 45acp I say to keep your powder coated bullets at least 12 BHN.

I wouldn't be afraid to shoot a 16-18 BHN powder coated bullet without gas checks in pistol calibers.

One of my 440gr 500 S&W loads is published to make over 33,000 psi. I'm using 12 BHN alloy with Harbor freight red PC and no gas checks. PC works !!!!

Motor

Lol.

If you don't know (and you don't) don't comment.

Stop right here, this is not GD and you are not the mod. dryflash3

See, I never thought about that.  I really never knew PC were made for rifle. That opens up some new options for me.

I am currently just casting and PC 9mm, 38, 40 and 45.  Just blasting ammo, practice up close CCW type things.All of it so far is below factory specs.  I haven't seen any leading yet but didn't want to load up and find out that it is an issue.

When I smelt my recovered PC bullets I flux with a layer of saw dust or wood chips.
Stir with a wooden stick then scoop it off the top, never had problem with the burnt PC sticking to my pot.
It all comes out with the slag and dross.

dano with all respect I agree 100% with dryflash3. You simply could never make enough heat within a barrel to melt the PC.

Flame and pressure cutting the base when the bullet exits the barrel is a possibility. Before I started using powder coating my plain base lubed bullets used to spray paint my muzzle brake with lead.(500 S&W)

After switching to powder coating my muzzle brake stays clean. This is witb a load producing over 33,000 psi.  Before even my light 13gr Unique load lead fouled the muzzle brake.

If the powder coating can withstand this and it does there is nothing inside the bore that could ever harm it.

Motor

Left:
Coated bullet

Right:
Same coated bullets that were shot/recovered



As you can see the coating changed color but I have yet to see the pc coating "burn off" the base of the bullet. But then again I've only cast/coated/shot 40,000+ coated bullets.

More recovered bullets & the pc on the base of the bullet is still there.


More recovered bullet, these are pistol bullets that have been loaded/shot from mild to wild.


Lead alloys heat water:
Lead by itself can not be annealed with heat nor made harder by water dropping. The antimony and tin in the alloy can and will harden when water dropped or soften when heated. The pc process itself anneals the lead alloy of the bullets when the bullets are heated/baking the pc. This is a good thing!!! The pc'd bullets bring a lot to the table. The pc coating makes an excellent gasket sealing the bullet/bbl fit. The soft annealed alloy expands better to seal the bbl & has what's known as elasticity allowing the pc'd bullet to be more forgiving to such things as rotational torque and expanding/getting sized down to different diameters when fired.

I have powder coated with some success and some failure, and here's what I experienced. Not saying it is holy writ, just findings that I was able to duplicate for me so, take it for what it's worth.

1. The type of powder mattered to me. Harbor Freight red did not work. Poor coverage. I tried it several times. Maybe it's the humidity of south Florida- but I've heard from folks in Louisiana that it works for. Smoke's powder over at the Cast Boolits forum works well. I get much better coverage and can pick 20-30 out before I have to re-shake.
2. Even better coverage if I warm the bullets a bit by putting them in a metal coffee can on top of the toaster oven. Not hot, just warm.
3. In my 9mm HKs, hardness matters. If I used straight range scrap (tested with an xrf gun at 99.1% PB, .9%SB) + ~2% SN added, I got a build up in the grooves. Will that happen in a Glock? Don't know. It didn't really look like leading, but some sort of residue that was hard to remove. Going to 2.5% SB and giving them a month to age made that go away last I tried it. Should be able to report back if I make it out this weekend as I have about 200 to shoot up.
4. I did a comparison with a Lee 358-125 RF in 9mm with Power Pistol comparing 10 round load workup in five different charge weight with only variable being PC vs traditional lube. Average velocities were pretty much the same, but I got better accuracy with Ben's Red(homemade, traditional lube). Again, my gun, that bullet, that powder, that day. But no leading.
5. It's kind of a pain to pick them out of the tub(I use the Dry tumble, air soft BB method), but it does work. For me and my gun, it just didn't seem to work as well as traditional lube.
6. I've not had good luck with Hi-tek coating in 9mm. 38 SPL worked, but not so much in 9mm.

So, why am I giving it another shot? Because I picked up a 9mm PCC and a suppressor and I'd like to have one load for all and I don't want to run traditional lube through a suppressor.

I believe that. For those starting out, it's a fairly straightforward process, but there's some voodoo in the variables. I couldn't make HF red work, others in high humidity could. The powder I use now I've used with the door to my shed wide open, shaking everything right next to the doorway during a downpour. Go figure. Same airsoft bbs, same container. 

I would encourage anyone to give it a try, but it will not make up for poor fit. If you are undersized, I think you will still get flame cutting. If fit is right, coating passes smash test, you are likely to work fine. If not, try alloy.

It's cheap to try....