Do you powder coat your bullets? If so how much of a PITA is it?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do you powder coat your bullets? If so how much of a PITA is it?

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:19:11 AM EDT

are we taking total PITA or something on the level of Bayou Bullet coating? Best place to get the powder?

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:20:10 AM EDT

[#1]

What the fuck?

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:21:59 AM EDT

[#2]

A couple of guy in my club does. Shake & Bake, and spray on. Seems like a lot of work when you can just buy Blue Bullets.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:23:58 AM EDT

[#3]

Its easy. BUy from powder by the pound, or Smoke on castboolits. I use a frankfort Arsenal tumbler I got off craigslist for $10, throw powder and bullets in and let them tumble for about 10 minutes while I heat up my toaster oven (another cheap CL find). Dump the whole thing into a wire basket I made from grill section at walmart. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Size after they cool.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:24:53 AM EDT

[#4]

Is there a point to powder coating outside of looks?

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:25:42 AM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Its easy. BUy from powder by the pound, or Smoke on castboolits. I use a frankfort Arsenal tumbler I got off craigslist for $10, throw powder and bullets in and let them tumble for about 10 minutes while I heat up my toaster oven (another cheap CL find). Dump the whole thing into a wire basket I made from grill section at walmart. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Size after they cool.

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dont need to stand them up?

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:26:12 AM EDT

[#6]

Dryflash3 appears to powder coating everything now.

I decided I don't have time.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:26:15 AM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Is there a point to powder coating outside of looks?

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yes it replaces the sticky nasty lube on cast bullets..

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:27:04 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Dryflash3 appears to powder coating everything now.

I decided I don't have time.

View Quote

so box them up and send to Dryflash for coating..

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:28:12 AM EDT

[#9]

Best place is Harbor Freight, use the red, it's the best.

It's not too much of a PITA from what I've seen, I have yet to get into though.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:28:44 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Is there a point to powder coating outside of looks?

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It is done in place of regular lube for cast bullets.

The general concensus is the powder coating reduces the leading and/or will allow you to drive them faster.
Another benefit is reduced smoke due to no wax based lube being burned off.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:30:07 AM EDT

[#11]

The technology will probably take over from plated as far as cheap practice ammo.

Not sure if it can be adapted to rifle ammo velocity.

Posted: 6/26/2017 11:30:11 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:

dont need to stand them up?

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You can pick them out of the powder with pliers or hemostats and stand them up if you'd like. When you dump them, they do stick to each other a bit and arent as pretty, but they shoot just fine. Just shot some 55gr PC GC out of my AR yesterday. 0 leading and had a good time.

Posted: 6/26/2017 12:17:46 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
are we taking total PITA or something on the level of Bayou Bullet coating? Best place to get the powder?

View Quote

Time spent on PC is less net time than cleaning a leaded barrel IMHO.

I've used Powder by the Pound for my PC. The "wet" series works best.

Posted: 6/26/2017 12:22:06 PM EDT

[#14]

I've been using Missouri Bulet Co Hi Tek bullets for years. Love them. Their bullets come in a very wide variety of hardnesses for whatever application you're interested in.

Posted: 6/26/2017 12:40:59 PM EDT

[#15]

I started a thread on it here a few years ago with a lot of photos.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/395802_Powder_Coating_Cast_Bullets_.html

I've moved onto using the Hitech Coatings from Bayou Bullets. A quart will coat many thousands of rounds. The Hitech coatings is a little quicker and sticks even harder than powdercoat.

Posted: 6/26/2017 12:59:59 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
I started a thread on it here a few years ago with a lot of photos.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/395802_Powder_Coating_Cast_Bullets_.html

I've moved onto using the Hitech Coatings from Bayou Bullets. A quart will coat many thousands of rounds. The Hitech coatings is a little quicker and sticks even harder than powdercoat.

View Quote

good to know.. I have a quart of it here.. and been using it..

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:11:38 PM EDT

[#17]

"You've got to be doing something..." I love shooting old wheel weights, I stick mostly to the heavier handgun loads 38, 44, 45.

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:30:03 PM EDT

[#18]

My brother powder coats 308 rounds in the oven, downloads the powder in the cases to subsonic levels, then shoots the shit outta his G.A. Optimus suppressed bolt gun.

That thing is so damn quiet and the group's are surprisingly good at 150 yards.

Things that make grown men giggle!

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:32:42 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
What the fuck?

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Moly coating, not powder coating...

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:35:51 PM EDT

[#20]

Is it worth it? Depends on how much free time you have and how much value you place on that time. I just buy Bayou Bullets

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:36:32 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:

Moly coating, not powder coating...

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Definitely powder coating. I'll never shoot uncoated lead again.

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:38:57 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
Dryflash3 appears to powder coating everything now.

I decided I don't have time.

View Quote

Guilty as charged.

Advantages, no lube mess on bullet, dies, or loaded round. No lube smoke when fired.

Bullet fit to bore is not a critical as with lubed bullets.

No leading. That's a biggie.

55 gr flat nose from a Lee mold, powder coated, gas check added. and sized to .225.

Yes they cycle an AR.

$20 oven from Wally world, Harbor Freight red powder coat. Air soft BB's and a Kool whip container to apply powder coat.

Size die from Lee $20. Gas checks are .03 each, the most expansive part of the bullet.

Yes you need a gas check for rifles. None needed for pistol bullets.

Cast Boolits forum where I learned how to powder coat. Link.

Posted: 6/26/2017 1:50:41 PM EDT

[#23]

I powder coat all of my pistol bullets. Extremely simple and quick to do. I do about 5# per rack, about 3 minutes in a small tumbler with 2-3 table spoons of PC then dump them onto a wire basket I made that is the size of my toaster oven rack that is sitting on a container to catch the excess PC, couple shakes to even the bullets out and knock off the excess coating, then 10-15 minutes in the toaster oven. I prefer to separate the bullets by hand about 1 minute after they come out of the oven.

For rifle I prefer the hi-tek coating. More consistent coating thickness that has less chambering issues with my 300bulk bullets and the bore ride design. Bit more time consuming to do though.

Do note though, different brand or color powder coats will net different speeds with the same load/bullet. I used to do different colors but have now settled on only useing blue PC from Smoke.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do you powder coat your bullets? If so how much of a PITA is it?

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