Powder coating bullets

[Maximumbob54]

I realized that I never showed the hardware cloth covered pan just so everyone knows what I'm talking about



Also, I did a very small batch of the Lee 9mm mold that is the tumble lube groove version. This is a terrible bullet design for 9mm as the bullet is almost always too fast for the tiny little lube grooves to cut into the rifling and not shear. With regular lube methods this bullet is a PITA to not get leading in the bore. So I wanted to try some KK epoxy coating and some powder coated (did the cheap HF powder) to see if it would make the bullets from this mold work and worth continuing to use or if I just need to admit this mold is junk and buy the regular lube groove version that Lee also makes in a six cavity mold. The small batch of HF powder coated that will be tested next:



That's after two thin coats and they were baked in the pan shown above and not on the aluminum foil pictured. I just poured them into that pan for the picture as they were still hot and needed to cool and I wanted to dump another batch of boolits into the other pan for baking.

Ha, and I thought I was done testing and would just be using KK epoxy....

Edited to add: I also did two more for the .30-30 to test and I'm biting my lip and will gas check them. The goal was to not have to check them but I'm getting such dismal results with rifle from powder puff Trail Boss loads to real cast loads. A regular tumble in 45/45/10 works like a charm for these boolits but I did have the thoughts that at least if I coat them in epoxy or powder coating and check them then I still avoid build up in the seating dies and have the potential of them feeding through a bullet feeder. The build up isn't that huge of a deal as it's easy to clean the die but would be nice to avoid but the bullet feeder would be huge to me as I really want to set up a .223 ammo factory soon....

[Ranch Dog]

Looking forward to your test results for the TL356-124-2R. Personally, I think the bullet is a terrible design. It is under-diameter for every 9mm Luger I've looked at, it does a poor job of matching step and throat, and needs to be gas checked as the 9mm Luger is a high pressure cartridge (at least if you don't want it to be at 380 Auto performance).

[Maximumbob54]

I'm hoping the coating bumps it up in diameter enough and that was one reason I went back to powder coating as I think it builds up far more than the epoxy paint does. If my Checkmaker ever gets here then have a PB check factory waiting to get started that might also help. I really need to buy the 120gr regular lube groove version.

[donhuff]

Dang Bob, I did not know that you were doing this and posting on here. I dont spend much time on this site but a lot more on the rossi rifleman form. Guess I'll have to look around more on here! Thanks RD for telling me about this.

I went ahead and got the harbor freight spray(?) gun, cause I have always wanted to try powder coating anyway but never had a good enough reason. Now I have that reason....bullets. I have done a lot of regular paint spraying so I understand the prosses, just had to figure out the technique for the powder sprayer/duster.

Have you seen my post over there on the rossi forum? http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1695 I think that my first few batches turned out pretty good. Not what I would call 100% coverage of the color, but they are 100% covered with something slick. There must be some clear in the powder to make the shine. I think that it might be the fault of the HF powder, it's not cheap for no reason I'm sure. I ordered some "paint" from PBTP yesterday, so I'll find out if it is any better than the HF stuff probably by next week. I still have not shot one yet.

I found this http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthr ... checkmaker
and I have a 9x20 jet lathe, so I made one for 357 bullets and IT WORKS! So I made another one yesterday for 45s and it works even better. I'm using aluminum flashing from the hardware store and it seems to do ok. It's actually a little too hard I think. The checks want to spring back some on the 357 cause the way they said to make it, there is very little "sidewall" to the checks. When I made the one for 45s, I added more diameter than they suggest and that gave me a taller check and it holds on a little better. Also when you put them on powder coated bullets, they are so slick that the checks don't stick as well. They stay on a plain lead bullet much better. The checks in my pictures are from sage outdoors and are made from what I think is litho plate, but not sure on that. I see where you can order rolls of 3003 aluminum from a fellow named Yonky's. That would be a dead soft check and would hold on really well I bet. I also want to try some copper, but $$$. I'm gonna wait until I get better at making and using aluminum ones before I try it. In the past 30 years I was happy with my plain base bullets in pistols, but with these rossi rifles, it is so easy to push the bullets too fast and get leading that I figured I better learn about checks.

[62chevy]

Don do you have a Howto for that powder coating from HF with the gun. Those are some mighty fine looking boolits you have and love the pumpkin colored one best.

Maximumbob54 may have the easier cheaper way of doing tho.

[donhuff]

No I don't have a how to. I guess I could do one, but it's really pretty simple. I wash them off with toluene and then set them on a scrap piece of aluminum sheet with a piece of screen wire laying on it. Fog on the powder coat until you get an even coat, then bake till they look good. usually 15-20 minutes. Take them out and allow to cool. Then rap them on the work bench to knock them off onto a towel. size and load. Now the hard part......HOLD THE GUN STILL AND ON TARGET WHILE YOU PULL THE TRIGGER.!!
I could take a bunch of pictures and try to make some directions if it's needed.

I saw a picture on one forum where the guy mixed a little yellow with some black, those looked real good but then he mixed a little black and red in the yellow. Those looked like a metallic copper. Kinda silly when your just gonna blast them into the dirt.

I finally got around to shooting some today. Not for accuracy but more to see if they would lead or not. I went through 40 357s as quick as I could to get the barrel hot. NO LEAD! And those were loaded with 13.5g 2400 and 17.5 300mp and using the 358429 lyman 170 SWC. So they were magnum loads.

Also shot 35 -45 colts loaded to near 30k. Still no lead.Just about the time I was giving out of bullets it hit me...NO SMOKE... and my hands were still clean, just like with jacketed bullet. I recovered a few gas checks too, I was shooting at a steel plate, and they were laying in front of it. So they aren't falling off.

[62chevy]

Thanks Don that is what I wanted to know.

[donhuff]

After coating several batches yesterday, I need to change something in my "how to" report, as I learned a better way.
Do not let them sit and cool either in the over or out. Set the timer on the oven for say 20 minutes. But around 15 or so minutes, while the powder is still hot and soft, take the tray out and quickly dump the bullets into a 5 gallon bucket of water. All of them should just fall right off, if not you let them cool off a bit and now you'll have to knock them off. It's a whole lot easier to get them off while the're hot.

Now they are ready to run through the sizer "if they need it". I use a lyman 450 and leave the pin out of the center of the die. That makes it a push through setup and really speed up the process. BTW this would be a good way to save some undersized bullets that you hate to remelt. Say you have a mold that drops too small or a bore that's really big, coating some bullets could make them work. Looks like it adds .002-.005 to the diameter of the bullet, and if that's too much, just size them back to exactly what you want. From what I have seen and read, the coating is almost as strong as a jacket as far as sealing the bore goes. I'll try to recover some slugs out of the dirt bank next time I go to the range.

[62chevy]

Good info Don!

[donhuff]

I've been busy this weekend!