Any cast bullet shooters here

AJC1 said:

That green looks really good. I just got the dark green and it's a good powder as well.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing that you're a lot like me; I don't really care about the color, I just want it to work.

That being said, it is helpful to "color code" your reloads.

I just cannot endorse HF powders anymore (they were fine when this process was in its infancy) but the better powders are definitely worth the added cost, especially when a pound of powder will do, literally 1000's of bullets!

Y-T71 said:

I'm guessing that you're a lot like me; I don't really care about the color, I just want it to work.

That being said, it is helpful to "color code" your reloads.

I just cannot endorse HF powders anymore (they were fine when this process was in its infancy) but the better powders are definitely worth the added cost, especially when a pound of powder will do, literally 1000's of bullets!

Click to expand...

I have had one less than stellar process with Eastwood powders. The white did not give me the complete color covering I wanted. I observed no problem with accuracy or leading, it just looked like hell. I try and do my homework ahead of time and that was a buy I wasn't diligent. One thing I haven't seen is how many thousands of bullets one can coat with a pound. I've probably done at least 3k with Ford lt blue and have over half left.

savagelover said:

I just got the Eastwood red. Been using the blue. My question is,do you think it's safe to bake some indoors. Like maybe 50 bullets. I have read several articles and never really seen any caution except not to use the oven for cooking food..thanky

Click to expand...

I coat with only the small garage door open when doing hundreds. If your running a single test batch you should be fine. The MS might not like the plastic smell.

As far as Eastwood powders, I've never noticed any smell at all -- even baking in the kitchen area.
(and I have my wife's permission to say so...)

Y-T71 said:

I'm guessing that you're a lot like me; I don't really care about the color, I just want it to work.

That being said, it is helpful to "color code" your reloads.

I just cannot endorse HF powders anymore (they were fine when this process was in its infancy) but the better powders are definitely worth the added cost, especially when a pound of powder will do, literally 1000's of bullets!

Click to expand...

I use Smoke's powder from the cast boolits forum. Good stuff.

As for color, I don't think it makes a lot of difference. However, I supply a buddy with raw cast and he sizes and coats to his needs. I gave him some powder when he was getting started and I made sure to give him the pink stuff. Didn't say anything for a good year, but it always makes me laugh when he loads the Garand with the feminine bullets.

brewer12345 said:

I use Smoke's powder from the cast boolits forum. Good stuff.

As for color, I don't think it makes a lot of difference. However, I supply a buddy with raw cast and he sizes and coats to his needs. I gave him some powder when he was getting started and I made sure to give him the pink stuff. Didn't say anything for a good year, but it always makes me laugh when he loads the Garand with the feminine bullets.

Click to expand...

If my daughter ever decides to shoot I'll make pink and purple 38s it's fitting to the round anyway.

I’ve used green, pink, purple from Smoke. Good stuff. Eastwood ford blue is great as well.

I don't, but have always thought of, color coding my bullets; blue for testing or maybe mild, range loads, green for good 2 go, tested, known quality loads and read for hot, but good in my firearms loads...

Haven't done anything like that yet but it does "open the door" for possibilities like that.

It this point, I just like shooting clean, smoke free loads unlike Alox or traditionally lubed.

I've given away more than twice what I've made for myself to friends who have helped me out over the years.


In case you didn't realize, I like to cast and coat .

Color Code/All Eastwood:
- Pure Lead (Ford Light Blue)
- 30-1 (Mirror Green)
- WheelWeight/BN 10-11 (Purple)
- Lyman#2 (Mirror Red/Chrome)

saves a lot of guesswork/headaches

savagelover said:

I use a log book for everything,every firearm with all the loads I have tried,etc

Click to expand...

I do the same; Keep a log book (something I've done since before powder coat was a "thing") but color coding seems like it might make things easier at a glance.

MEHavey said:

Color Code/All Eastwood:
- Pure Lead (Ford Light Blue)
- 30-1 (Mirror Green)
- WheelWeight/BN 10-11 (Purple)
- Lyman#2 (Mirror Red/Chrome)

saves a lot of guesswork/headaches

Click to expand...

That makes sense!

I've only used Hi-Tek copper so far. I did buy 1 lb. of Eastwood's Ford light blue. I'll try that this coming spring.

Loaded up some 170 cast from a box I grabbed from my dad's house. I experienced a new and unexpected change. I almost never get to use the crimp in a rifle round and my cast boolits don't have a crimp groove. I seated the boolits to 2.525 matching my dad's previous loads. They were all almost exactly what they were supposed to be no measurable variation. I crimp the first one, and oal changed by .010. I did a second and exactly the same thing happened. I figured I must be getting seating stem contact so I completely removed the stem and tried again, the same exact thing happened. I finally figured out the crimp was levering on the crimp grove and they ended up exactly one thousandth longer than the book suggested oal. Can't beat things doing exactly what there designed to do.

AJC1 said:

I coat with only the small garage door open when doing hundreds. If your running a single test batch you should be fine. The MS might not like the plastic smell.

Click to expand...

Mine didn't... Good thing she loves me
I hated the smell more then she did. Definitely a do not repeat.

I have seen a few posts around the internet about a plastic smell when baking powder coat? I don’t think I have had any plastic smell while baking. Is it common for the smell?

a great resource:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com

if you haven't been there already.

Shooterbob said:

I have seen a few posts around the internet about a plastic smell when baking powder coat? I don’t think I have had any plastic smell while baking. Is it common for the smell?

Click to expand...

This is subjective as the senses are very individual to sensitivities. Exactly the same as discussing how much is a lot of recoil. If you have ever had a pregnant wife she could tell you the neighbors three houses down are having fried chicken for dinner, and she wants fried chicken.

savagelover said:

Well.. Did she gets the chicken or not. Please finish the story..

Click to expand...

I'm divorcing her end of story ....

Shooterbob said:

I have seen a few posts around the internet about a plastic smell when baking powder coat? I don’t think I have had any plastic smell while baking. Is it common for the smell?

Click to expand...

I haven't noticed a smell but, since having Covid (twice) my sense of smell and taste has been wonky.

My wife has never mentioned anything about the smell when powder coating but, the other day when casting, she asked what "stinks"?

The only thing I had going on was I put a pea sized piece of pure beeswax in my casting pot to reduce the tin back into my melt.

Even my kids said it smelled like a birthday cake candle but to my wife it was worse than a skunk!

I never noticed a smell either.I use a few thermometers in my powder coating oven . I hope I don’t get any aroma in the house or I may get scolded my the boss