Help me get set up for bullet casting

AJC1 said:
#1 yes, a press mounted sizer like the Lee but has swappable sizing plugs that are cheap and easy to change...
#2 on YouTube check out Fortunecookie45lc. Not only does he explain pc, he also shows it on 500 and 600 45-70 bullets. He also explains casting of those same bullets, exactly what your trying to do... here is a link to one of his videos many will apply...

#3 yes I'm talking about mold materials. I prefer brass because they don't rust, but more importantly they are more mass giving better thermal stability for more consistent bullets.

Flux with saw dust.... it's easy free and plentiful.
Click to expand...


Thank-you for the link to that video!! I will watch (and probably re-watch) it! Looks very helpful.

And, I did not realize that bullet molds can be bought in 3 different materials. I will look for those variants now that I know they exist. Brass's lack of rusting and its mass sound attractive. I realize brass is very soft, but that should not matter on a bulelt mold if you are careful to never drop it!

Jim G
 
JimGnitecki said:
Thank-you for the link to that video!! I will watch (and probably re-watch) it! Looks very helpful.

And, I did not realize that bullet molds can be bought in 3 different materials. I will look for those variants now that I know they exist. Brass's lack of rusting and its mass sound attractive. I realize brass is very soft, but that should not matter on a bulelt mold if you are careful to never drop it!

Jim G
Click to expand...
Word of caution, if you get brass molds I don't go over 2 cavity. My brass noe molds are heavier than the Lee 6 hole.
 
AJC1 said:
. . .
Flux with saw dust.... it's easy free and plentiful.
Click to expand...

I am also a woodworker, so I have LOTS of sawdust. So much, that I need to always use strict measures to ensure that it stays OUT of my Aluminum TIG welding and other equipment and supplies! Good to find a good use for it!

Jim G
 
AJC1 said:
Word of caution, if you get brass molds I don't go over 2 cavity. My brass noe molds are heavier than the Lee 6 hole.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that warning - I would not have thought of that. I intend to go single cavity anyway, just to improve the theoretical consistency. My production volume will be low, as I doubt I would fire more than 30 to 40 rounds at a range session, except if at a match.

Jim G
 
Very much good information in this thread!
Just be aware that Lee molds often throw undersized. This can be mitigated by using aluminum duct tape judiciously placed to shim the molds. I’ve done this to several dies with good effect.
One was a .312” 185gr RN supposedly for .303Brit, 7.62Mosin Nagant, etc. It was under sized throwing.308-9” bullets (mismarked .309” 180gr mold?).
It now throws.313-314”. With near max load of #2400 it shoots better from my ‘43 Izvesk Mosin Nagant than milspec ball.

I’ve got a Lee 480gr Postell .458” I’ll send you if you’ll PM me your address. It tumbled from a NEF HandiRifle I had and won’t fit my two Marlins.

I prefer the NOE push through dies to the Lee’s. Plus they’re available in more diameters.

Added: I find that powder coating is good for blasting and plinking grade accuracy, but for higher velocities and superior accuracy, SPG with .001-.003” over bore sizing.
 
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My RCBS Lubri-Sizer is packed away since I tried powder coating. I tried Eastwood's red and have stayed with it since I have never had a failure. I size, coat, and resize unless my mold is throwing slightly undersized bullets. If so no second pass throug the resizing die. I have also sitched to Lee resizin dies. I first test the East wood powder by coating some .452 bullets and then smashing one using a 4# hammer on a heavy steel table which increased the diameter to about 3/4". The coating didn't crack or flake. Good enough for me. I have had no leading at all since going with PC coated bullets. This is a much simpler and cleaner process than with the old Lubri-Sizer.
 
My only cradle to the grave BPCR loading was .38-55.
I used a Lyman mould, started with melted birdshot + tin then 20:1 foundry alloy, and pan lubed with SPG.
No lubrisizer required, though you do need a mold that will cast at or a bit over groove diameter.

The common wisdom at the time was that an open top lead pot and a dipper gave better results with big bullets than a bottom pour.
I was using a friend's cheap Lee pot for which he rigged up a temperature controller.

I fluxed either with Marvelux or some homemade bullet lube that was not as good as SPG or our other mix.

I inspected and weighed all bullets. Visible flaws went back in the pot with sprues. Bullets far off weight were remelted, minor spread went to offhand shooting. Match bullets were +/- 0.5 grain.

I used commercial cast bullets for my .40-65, mostly Montana Bullet Works for which they use wheelweight alloy and SPG. Said to be within a grain. I bought .411" bullets even though the Badger barrel had about a .408" groove. I assume the Browning had a large throat diameter and did better with a bullet that filled it and swaged down in the bore.
 
GooseGestapo said:
Very much good information in this thread!
Just be aware that Lee molds often throw undersized. This can be mitigated by using aluminum duct tape judiciously placed to shim the molds. I’ve done this to several dies with good effect.
One was a .312” 185gr RN supposedly for .303Brit, 7.62Mosin Nagant, etc. It was under sized throwing.308-9” bullets (mismarked .309” 180gr mold?).
It now throws.313-314”. With near max load of #2400 it shoots better from my ‘43 Izvesk Mosin Nagant than milspec ball.

I’ve got a Lee 480gr Postell .458” I’ll send you if you’ll PM me your address. It tumbled from a NEF HandiRifle I had and won’t fit my two Marlins.

I prefer the NOE push through dies to the Lee’s. Plus they’re available in more diameters.

Added: I find that powder coating is good for blasting and plinking grade accuracy, but for higher velocities and superior accuracy, SPG with .001-.003” over bore sizing.
Click to expand...

I know SPG is very recommended for black powder shooting, for its ability to soften the blakc powder barrel deposits. Do you use SPG in smokeless loads as well?

Thank-you for the mold offer. I sent a PM to you. :)

Jim G
 
doubleh said:
My RCBS Lubri-Sizer is packed away since I tried powder coating. I tried Eastwood's red and have stayed with it since I have never had a failure. I size, coat, and resize unless my mold is throwing slightly undersized bullets. If so no second pass throug the resizing die. I have also sitched to Lee resizin dies. I first test the East wood powder by coating some .452 bullets and then smashing one using a 4# hammer on a heavy steel table which increased the diameter to about 3/4". The coating didn't crack or flake. Good enough for me. I have had no leading at all since going with PC coated bullets. This is a much simpler and cleaner process than with the old Lubri-Sizer.
Click to expand...

That's a great testimonial. Powder coatings ARE known for their durability. That's why Toro and other lawnmower manufacturers use it on lawnmower decks (Grass is highly corrosive). Back in 1979, when I was a young Manufacturing Exec for The Toro Company, I designed and built a 150,000 sq ft production facility that was scheduled to include what was likely the largest and fastest powder coating production line anywhere. It ran dual lines, each at 40 feet per minute, and had a HUGE 400 degree baking oven designed into the roof structure, to save space and keep the heat away from the workers. Due to sudden economic and weather problems that year, the facility was never completed as a factory, and was instead ultimately used as a distribution warehouse, since I had designed it for very high throughput rates (40 receiving and shipping doors, which was a really big deal for a Toro production plant.

That powder coating system design attracted a LOT of industry attention. It was the largest system the seller had ever quoted.

Jim G
 
Jim Watson said:
My only cradle to the grave BPCR loading was .38-55.
I used a Lyman mould, started with melted birdshot + tin then 20:1 foundry alloy, and pan lubed with SPG.
No lubrisizer required, though you do need a mold that will cast at or a bit over groove diameter.

The common wisdom at the time was that an open top lead pot and a dipper gave better results with big bullets than a bottom pour.
I was using a friend's cheap Lee pot for which he rigged up a temperature controller.

I fluxed either with Marvelux or some homemade bullet lube that was not as good as SPG or our other mix.

I inspected and weighed all bullets. Visible flaws went back in the pot with sprues. Bullets far off weight were remelted, minor spread went to offhand shooting. Match bullets were +/- 0.5 grain.

I used commercial cast bullets for my .40-65, mostly Montana Bullet Works for which they use wheelweight alloy and SPG. Said to be within a grain. I bought .411" bullets even though the Badger barrel had about a .408" groove. I assume the Browning had a large throat diameter and did better with a bullet that filled it and swaged down in the bore.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think SPG lube is still maybe the only way the black powder shooters lube. They want the SPG because it softens the barrel deposits left by black powder. And yes, Mike Venturino says in his writing that dipping is a bit more consistent than pouring from the bottom of the pot, provided it is done in a consistent manner and rate. I think it is because (a) there is less turbulence than when pouring, and (b) the pouring rate and turbulence from the furnace vary with the depth of the molten lead in the pot at any point in time.

But, having been the manufacturing guy responsible for ensuring safety measures in production plants, I am VERY aware of the dangers in handling Lead, and want to minimize opportunities for breathing the vapors and spilling molten lead, so I want to see if I can get good enough consistency with the pour method.

Using a furnace that has digital target temperature and actual temperature readouts, one thing I CAN do to minimize variation in the pouring is to keep the level of molten Lead in the pot fairly consistent. That would require frequent but small additions of solid lead into the pot, which in themselevs interrupt a steady cadence, which is also a high priority for consistency. So, it can be a tradeoff . . .

Jim G
 
Dipper - not needed if using the MAG 25 furnace which drops the lead directly into the mold?

No, not needed. Big rifle bullets can be a little more difficult than average, though, and some people (me, for instance) have better luck with a dipper.

Lubricator Sizer - What brand and model recommended and available?

Star is widely regarded as the best. I use RCBS with good success.

Lubricator heater - What brand and model recommended and available?

Probably not needed. Soft lubes are better in almost every way, especially for your purpose, and soft lubes don't need - or even want - to be heated. SPG is very good, even with smokeless, but is a bit pricey. I do use it with blackpowder, but for smokeless loads I usually use LBT brand "soft" which always gives me perfect results.

Die for .459" bullet diameter - must be same brand as sizer & heater, correct?

No, just needs to be made for your brand of sizer. Lots of folks make them.

Top punch - must be same brand as sizer & heater, correct?

No, same as above. In fact, I usually buy my top punches from the mold maker.

Bullet lube or coating? Which is best for .45-70 500g .459" bullet traveling at no more than about 1200 fps?

To the best of my knowledge, nobody winning matches with these guns is using coating - but then, it may be against the rules. I have no experience with it, but certainly can tell you that properly made, sized, and lubed bullets will outshoot you, in your gun.

Flux?? Mike Venturino did not cover "flux" in the Lyman book articles. Why do I need it and how do I use it?

Flux primarily is intended to keep the bullet alloy homogenous. Tin, in particular, will tend to float out of the mix and sit on top. Flux reintegrates it into the mix. Lots of things work, more or less. I use paraffin. A piece the size of a walnut is dropped into the heated lead. It quickly melts into a smoky pool on top. It usually ignites by itself, or it can be lit with a match. The takes care of the smoke. While it is aflame, it gets stirred into the pot. The result - if your lead was reasonably clean to begin with - is a shiny surface with a bit of ash and gunk, which can be removed with a spoon. Then you are ready to cast.

Lead - What alloy and where do I buy pre-made the right composition for 45-70 500g .459" bullet with muzzle velocity of no more than 1200 fps? How much does lead or lead alloy cost these days?

Lead is pretty expensive these days. A lot of folks use wheel weight metal, but it's getting much harder to find than it was a few decades ago, and it's easy to get contaminates. Zinc in particular is quite common these days, and it takes very little to completely ruin your alloy. I still use quite a bit of wheel weight metal, but generally for handgun bullets. Precision rifle bullets are made with quite a bit more care, and I prefer to buy "virgin" alloys for the task. I often buy from Rotometals.com, and these days have been getting quite a bit from Buffalo Arms. I would use something fairly soft for your purpose. Certainly no harder than 1-20 tin-lead, and there's a good chance that 1-30 or even 1-40 would work well at your low velocities.

Ingot mould - Got that from Canadian dealer. I assume this is needed to pour remaining lead out of the furnace after completing a casting session?

I just leave the remaining lead in the pot.

Lead Hardness Tester - I assume this checks the accuracy of the hardness. What brands or models are recommended?

I only use them with "mystery metal" - usually wheel weights that I'm not quite sure of. Otherwise they are unnecessary.
 
.38 Special said:
Dipper - not needed if using the MAG 25 furnace which drops the lead directly into the mold?

No, not needed. Big rifle bullets can be a little more difficult than average, though, and some people (me, for instance) have better luck with a dipper.

Lubricator Sizer - What brand and model recommended and available?

Star is widely regarded as the best. I use RCBS with good success.

Lubricator heater - What brand and model recommended and available?

Probably not needed. Soft lubes are better in almost every way, especially for your purpose, and soft lubes don't need - or even want - to be heated. SPG is very good, even with smokeless, but is a bit pricey. I do use it with blackpowder, but for smokeless loads I usually use LBT brand "soft" which always gives me perfect results.

Die for .459" bullet diameter - must be same brand as sizer & heater, correct?

No, just needs to be made for your brand of sizer. Lots of folks make them.

Top punch - must be same brand as sizer & heater, correct?

No, same as above. In fact, I usually buy my top punches from the mold maker.

Bullet lube or coating? Which is best for .45-70 500g .459" bullet traveling at no more than about 1200 fps?

To the best of my knowledge, nobody winning matches with these guns is using coating - but then, it may be against the rules. I have no experience with it, but certainly can tell you that properly made, sized, and lubed bullets will outshoot you, in your gun.

Flux?? Mike Venturino did not cover "flux" in the Lyman book articles. Why do I need it and how do I use it?

Flux primarily is intended to keep the bullet alloy homogenous. Tin, in particular, will tend to float out of the mix and sit on top. Flux reintegrates it into the mix. Lots of things work, more or less. I use paraffin. A piece the size of a walnut is dropped into the heated lead. It quickly melts into a smoky pool on top. It usually ignites by itself, or it can be lit with a match. The takes care of the smoke. While it is aflame, it gets stirred into the pot. The result - if your lead was reasonably clean to begin with - is a shiny surface with a bit of ash and gunk, which can be removed with a spoon. Then you are ready to cast.

Lead - What alloy and where do I buy pre-made the right composition for 45-70 500g .459" bullet with muzzle velocity of no more than 1200 fps? How much does lead or lead alloy cost these days?

Lead is pretty expensive these days. A lot of folks use wheel weight metal, but it's getting much harder to find than it was a few decades ago, and it's easy to get contaminates. Zinc in particular is quite common these days, and it takes very little to completely ruin your alloy. I still use quite a bit of wheel weight metal, but generally for handgun bullets. Precision rifle bullets are made with quite a bit more care, and I prefer to buy "virgin" alloys for the task. I often buy from Rotometals.com, and these days have been getting quite a bit from Buffalo Arms. I would use something fairly soft for your purpose. Certainly no harder than 1-20 tin-lead, and there's a good chance that 1-30 or even 1-40 would work well at your low velocities.

Ingot mould - Got that from Canadian dealer. I assume this is needed to pour remaining lead out of the furnace after completing a casting session?

I just leave the remaining lead in the pot.

Lead Hardness Tester - I assume this checks the accuracy of the hardness. What brands or models are recommended?

I only use them with "mystery metal" - usually wheel weights that I'm not quite sure of. Otherwise they are unnecessary.
Click to expand...

Thank-you 38 Special! That was a very nicely detailed reply. I appreciate it.

Jim G
 
Just for what it is worth, here is how I make big rifle bullets for long range shooting:

I use a 20 pound Lee pot with no pour spout. The Lee pots are cheap, so I keep a different one for each alloy I use. I like bottom pour pots for handgun bullets, but 500+ grain rifle bullets are much more consistent when I ladle them.

I use a ladle with a pour spout on the bottom. Mine is made by Rowell. The pour spout is important, as any impurities float to the top, helping ensure that only clean alloy makes it into the mold.

For subsonic rifle bullets I prefer 1-40 tin-lead. My current supply is all from Buffalo Arms.

I don't use "big name" (RCBS, Lee, etc.) molds for precision bullets. The small custom makers are simply doing it better, and for very little (if any) extra expense. Buffalo Arms is a very good source. (I know I keep mentioning Buffalo Arms. They really do a great job for this sort of thing.)

So I load up the pot with as much lead as will fit and crank the heat to max. It normally takes 20 minutes or so to fully melt. While it is heating up I lay the dipper and mold on top to preheat. (The mold, by the way, needs to be perfectly clean. I wash a new mold with hot water and dish soap until it squeaks. Then I dry it and coat the cavities with soot from a butane lighter. Once it is preheated I add a drop of lube to the sprue plate pivot - I like the stuff NOE sells for the purpose, but any hi-temp synthetic oil works well. Then the mold is just about ready to go to work.)

Once the alloy is up to 750 Fahrenheit or so - I consider a thermometer an absolute necessity - I flux it with paraffin. Then - and this is somewhat controversial - I get the mold fully up to temperature by dipping the front edge of it into the lead for about two minutes. You know it's ready to go when you can remove the mold without any lead adhering to it. Quite a few folks - including some mold makers - will tell you never to do this, as it can ruin the mold. I have been doing it for decades, with multiple brands and materials, and have never harmed a mold with the technique. The traditional way to heat up a mold is simply to begin using it, but you can pour dozens of useless defective bullets with it before it gets hot enough to get to work. Some people use a heat gun or a hot plate for the task, which is just more stuff to buy and deal with as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, the lead is fluxed and hot - and I find the big bullets are easiest with lead a little hotter than usual; I usually work at 800 degrees or so - and the mold is ready to go, with the dipper having been submerged long enough to be the same temperature as the lead. I hold the mold upright, over the pot, and then hold the full dipper about a half inch above the mold. I rapidly pour lead into the mold, a little faster than the mold can take, and when it is full I continue to pour lead into it so that it runs over the side and back into the pot, for a couple of seconds. This ensures that the mold is completely filled - as the lead in the mold hardens, it contracts slightly, and if there isn't a pool of lead on top, you can end up with a void or hollow at the base. Regardless, I find that my technique gives me the most consistent size and weight, and the fewest rejects. (It also gives me plenty of splashing. Wear long pants.)

Then I put the dipper back into the pot, allow the mold to cool for a five or ten count (with experience, you learn how long to wait, based on multiple signs: how long it takes for the sprue puddle to "freeze", how the sprue cuts (is it easy? Hard? Is it leaving a smear under the sprue plate?), how the bullet falls out of the mold (does it drop right out, or do you have to whack the handle hinge with your mallet?), and bullet appearance (shiny is good, "frosted" can mean the mold is too hot)) and then dump the bullet onto a soft towel in a cardboard box. I also dump the sprue into the box - I don't put anything back into the pot when I am trying for precision.

At the end of the session I turn off the pot and let the alloy harden in it. Once the mold is cool I coat it in Ballistol if it is iron. Honestly, my aluminum and brass molds just go back into their boxes.

Bullets get weighed and sorted. The great majority will be within a grain of each other. Any outside of that range will get dumped back into the pot. The ones no more than 0.3 grains away from the median are put into the "match" box, and the rest into the "sighter" box. They are all then sized - no more than .001", for "precision" bullets - and lubed in the RCBS lubrisizer.

Hope that helps!
 
.38 Special said:
Just for what it is worth, here is how I make big rifle bullets for long range shooting:

I use a 20 pound Lee pot with no pour spout. The Lee pots are cheap, so I keep a different one for each alloy I use. I like bottom pour pots for handgun bullets, but 500+ grain rifle bullets are much more consistent when I ladle them.

I use a ladle with a pour spout on the bottom. Mine is made by Rowell. The pour spout is important, as any impurities float to the top, helping ensure that only clean alloy makes it into the mold.

For subsonic rifle bullets I prefer 1-40 tin-lead. My current supply is all from Buffalo Arms.

I don't use "big name" (RCBS, Lee, etc.) molds for precision bullets. The small custom makers are simply doing it better, and for very little (if any) extra expense. Buffalo Arms is a very good source. (I know I keep mentioning Buffalo Arms. They really do a great job for this sort of thing.)

So I load up the pot with as much lead as will fit and crank the heat to max. It normally takes 20 minutes or so to fully melt. While it is heating up I lay the dipper and mold on top to preheat. (The mold, by the way, needs to be perfectly clean. I wash a new mold with hot water and dish soap until it squeaks. Then I dry it and coat the cavities with soot from a butane lighter. Once it is preheated I add a drop of lube to the sprue plate pivot - I like the stuff NOE sells for the purpose, but any hi-temp synthetic oil works well. Then the mold is just about ready to go to work.)

Once the alloy is up to 750 Fahrenheit or so - I consider a thermometer an absolute necessity - I flux it with paraffin. Then - and this is somewhat controversial - I get the mold fully up to temperature by dipping the front edge of it into the lead for about two minutes. You know it's ready to go when you can remove the mold without any lead adhering to it. Quite a few folks - including some mold makers - will tell you never to do this, as it can ruin the mold. I have been doing it for decades, with multiple brands and materials, and have never harmed a mold with the technique. The traditional way to heat up a mold is simply to begin using it, but you can pour dozens of useless defective bullets with it before it gets hot enough to get to work. Some people use a heat gun or a hot plate for the task, which is just more stuff to buy and deal with as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, the lead is fluxed and hot - and I find the big bullets are easiest with lead a little hotter than usual; I usually work at 800 degrees or so - and the mold is ready to go, with the dipper having been submerged long enough to be the same temperature as the lead. I hold the mold upright, over the pot, and then hold the full dipper about a half inch above the mold. I rapidly pour lead into the mold, a little faster than the mold can take, and when it is full I continue to pour lead into it so that it runs over the side and back into the pot, for a couple of seconds. This ensures that the mold is completely filled - as the lead in the mold hardens, it contracts slightly, and if there isn't a pool of lead on top, you can end up with a void or hollow at the base. Regardless, I find that my technique gives me the most consistent size and weight, and the fewest rejects. (It also gives me plenty of splashing. Wear long pants.)

Then I put the dipper back into the pot, allow the mold to cool for a five or ten count (with experience, you learn how long to wait, based on multiple signs: how long it takes for the sprue puddle to "freeze", how the sprue cuts (is it easy? Hard? Is it leaving a smear under the sprue plate?), how the bullet falls out of the mold (does it drop right out, or do you have to whack the handle hinge with your mallet?), and bullet appearance (shiny is good, "frosted" can mean the mold is too hot)) and then dump the bullet onto a soft towel in a cardboard box. I also dump the sprue into the box - I don't put anything back into the pot when I am trying for precision.

At the end of the session I turn off the pot and let the alloy harden in it. Once the mold is cool I coat it in Ballistol if it is iron. Honestly, my aluminum and brass molds just go back into their boxes.

Bullets get weighed and sorted. The great majority will be within a grain of each other. Any outside of that range will get dumped back into the pot. The ones no more than 0.3 grains away from the median are put into the "match" box, and the rest into the "sighter" box. They are all then sized - no more than .001", for "precision" bullets - and lubed in the RCBS lubrisizer.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Wow, yes that DOES help! LOTs of important details that the online articles and books don't include. Thank-you very much! :)

Jim G
 
I made a thread when I started powder coating but photobucket pretty much ruined it, didn’t help the one on Hi-Tek coating either but some of them are still there.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bullet-coating-part-ii.713642/

The Cliffs notes version is I cast then apply two coats, using two “baking” cycles and then a trip through the sizer, for the diameter I want.



If you are having a hard time finding an affordable mold, I have two different 500 grain Lee molds I have used for 45-70 and 458 socom, that were inexpensive but make bullets that work.

https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-459-500-3r
 
JimGnitecki said:
That's a great testimonial. Powder coatings ARE known for their durability. That's why Toro and other lawnmower manufacturers use it on lawnmower decks (Grass is highly corrosive). Back in 1979, when I was a young Manufacturing Exec for The Toro Company, I designed and built a 150,000 sq ft production facility that was scheduled to include what was likely the largest and fastest powder coating production line anywhere. It ran dual lines, each at 40 feet per minute, and had a HUGE 400 degree baking oven designed into the roof structure, to save space and keep the heat away from the workers. Due to sudden economic and weather problems that year, the facility was never completed as a factory, and was instead ultimately used as a distribution warehouse, since I had designed it for very high throughput rates (40 receiving and shipping doors, which was a really big deal for a Toro production plant.

That powder coating system design attracted a LOT of industry attention. It was the largest system the seller had ever quoted.

Jim G
Click to expand...

I made my living as a code welder and retired from one of the largest oil companies in the world. Oil production has lot of water along with the oil and it ranges from corrosive to highly corrosive. Lots of it is used in water flood AKA secondary recovery. When I first started cement lined pipe was used to combat the corrosion in everything but PC began being used on finished piping that was ready to put into service and that is where I first encountered it. This was a green color and extremely tough and and soon everything I built that went into waterflood systems I sent to the plastic coaters. This cut down on my work load a lot. I was taking care of leaks on five widely separated fields and was sometimes loaned out to another area with two more. It was constant leaks at one or more as they aged. Of course cement lined pipe was still the means of distribution from water station to injection well and along with other construction projects and repairs of equipment I was always busy.
 
Jim Watson said:
Not allowed in US NRA BPCR but I don't know about DCRA. Doubt local shoots care.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that BPCR prohibition does not surprise me, for at least 2 reasons:

- SPG lube is VERY entrenched as THE product, because it softens barrel deposits left by Black Powder

- Powder coating would be VERY non-authentic, and that's important for the spirit of that game. Heck, those folks did not even accept authentically styled telescopic sights with external mounts, even though Mike Venturino and others have stated that there is good evidence that about 25% of the Sharps rifles left the factory with telescopic sights. BPCR only adopted a telescopic sight class after too many of the original competitors started to have vision issues with open sights (like I do). The players in BPCR would undoubtedly be very distressed if powder ocating was allowed, and someone showed up with lipstick red bullets. :)

Heck, on the Chevrolet Camaro forum I hang out on to stay current on Camaro technical issues, some of the guys got very incensed when my wife and I had a local upholstery shop match the factory "Redline" trim pieces with lipstick red leather seats front and back:

Lipstick red Camaro seats - 1.jpeg

Jim G
 
jmorris said:
I made a thread when I started powder coating but photobucket pretty much ruined it, didn’t help the one on Hi-Tek coating either but some of them are still there.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bullet-coating-part-ii.713642/

The Cliffs notes version is I cast then apply two coats, using two “baking” cycles and then a trip through the sizer, for the diameter I want.



If you are having a hard time finding an affordable mold, I have two different 500 grain Lee molds I have used for 45-70 and 458 socom, that were inexpensive but make bullets that work.

https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-459-500-3r
Click to expand...


Thank-you, jmorris! I should have figured that an experimenter like you would have already done extensive testing with powder coating! The video, and the 2 Cast Boolit links are very helpful. Couple of quesitons:

1. Why TWO coats?

2. How thick is your total powder coating on each bullet? (i.e. how undersize do you have to cast the bullets to end up with the finished powder coated bullet diameter be correct for the rifle?)

3. I notice you tumbled them using a special setup you built. Would vibratory tumbling work or does it need to be rotational tumbling?

4. Presumably if you just tumbled in a commercial hobby vibratory tumbler like i have with a PLASTIC bowl, IF the powder coating did stick to the bullets, it would make the tumbler unusable for tumbling cases because of the powder residue left in the plastic bowl. But, you know what a Bundt cake mold looks like:

Bundt Cake Mold 2 - 1.jpeg
The hollow middle would enable the Bundt Cake mold to sit inside the plastic tumbler bowl, and still allow clamping the plastic lid on to keep any powder dust inside the tumbler and not in the air. If I used the Bundt Cake mold as a "liner" to protect the plastic tumbler bowl, would the vibratory tumbler work?

5. I notice you made no apparent effort to "stand" the bullets upright on the cookie sheet inside the oven. You seem to have just let them fall wherever and however they may. This still made the final coating uniform all over the bullet (including the base)?

Favorable answers to all the above would make the decision for me that powder coating is the way to go!

Jim G
 
p.s. jmorris: I think I can buy that Lee 2-cavity mold here in Canada. Lee seems to be the most available brand here.

Jim G
 
Powder coating is different than Hi-Tek coating.

Two coats to ensure complete coating using the much easier method. You don’t cast them undersize, you just size them to the diameter you want after coating.

There are also “shake and bake” powder coat methods, castboolits has many threads on the subjects (both powder and hi-tek coating).

Yes, there is complete coverage. With Hi-tek you can actually melt the lead inside the coating completely and it will hold it until you poke a hole in it.

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