rbernie
Contributing Member
How fast can I reasonably push powder coated cast bullets? I have been assuming that I can treat them as I would a plated bullet but I’ve not really ever pushed them...
Depending on the hardness you can frequently push then faster than plated.
You didn't mention what you were using them in, but a hard (say BHN 16-18) coated bullet can pretty much be pushed as hard as a jacketed bullet in 9mm, or .357 mag.
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I tested 124gr coated 9mm bullets and could not make them fail. I loaded them up with a high end dose of Longshot for velocities above 1200 fps and all was well.
I shoot a lot of coated bullets currently in at least 8 calibers that I can think of offhand (including 9mm). I have used Hi-Tek, Harbor Freight and several other brands of powder coat and have never had any residue of any kind. If I have any smoke it's extremely limited, whether on an indoor or outdoor range.Do you guys get alot of coating residue in the barrel and muzzle with powder coated bullets? I have been shooting some hitek coated bullets in 9mm and I get a white powdery residue in the barrel and all over the muzzle. Its not lead, its the coating. It brushes out easy enough but its kinds of annoying. When shooting indoors it makes a pretty substantial puff of white out the muzzle that hangs in the air, which I do not particularly like.
Perhaps your girlfriend/wife/kids/whoever threw some glitter in there when you weren't looking?It's hard to describe but the puff of material I get from my 9mm isn't really like smoke. It's almost like tiny particles of dust. You can kind of see it glint and glitter as it floats off. I never noticed it until I shot it indoors. I'm not excited about breathing it so I don't think I'll be doing any more of it in this gun. The barrel after a good bit of shooting looks like someone ran a brush of whiteout down it. It scrubs out fairly easy with solvent and clears itself out it I shoot plated behind it.