Who is a caster? Powder coating bullets

[dolomite_supafly]

I have been casting for a few years now. I cast everything I shoot now except 223 and I have pretty much quit shooting 223.

I currently cast for 9mm, 45ACP, 12 gauge and 300 Blackout. I use wheel weights only and that seems to be perfect for what I do. I make sure to remove the zinc wheel weights from the mix so it doesn't ruin my molds.

I have a Savage model 10 in 45 ACP I built for my wife. I have a Striker that shoots 300 Blackout. And one more Savage rifle in 223. I am waiting on my Form 1 to come back from the ATF then I will build a suppressor for my Striker. Hoping for similar results as my 22lr can I built.

I have always used Lee Alox for lube and it works well but you are still limited as far as FPS. Another problem, at least for me, is you are still getting exposed to the lead fumes when firing. I take precautions when casting but don't want to look like some crazy wearing the same gear when shooting.

I recently started tumble lubing my bullets with powder coating then baking them. It works better than anything out there. I even think it is cleaner than jacketed bullets. I am not getting type of fouling, unlike jacketed. I have personally pushed them to just over 2,000 fps and know people who are pushing bullets that have been powder coated to close to 3,000 fps.

It costs $6 for the Harbor Freight powder, $5 for the acetone and $30 for a toaster oven.

After two coats the bullets are .003" thicker and encapusulated. I am going to start using 3 thinner coats to give a better appearance. I have also ordered a bunch of other colors so I can color code my loads according to what they are. My supersonic loads for the 300 are going to be red, the subsonics are blue. My wife likes shooting so I am going to make some lightweight loads for her and they are going to be, you guessed it, pink.

I added enough acetone to barely cover the bottom of a gallon bucket. Then I dumped 5 Lee dippers that were .7cc full of powder coating powder. I swirled it up good until the powder coat disolved into what looks like the consistency of Testor's paint. Then I added about 50 bullets. I swirled them around until the acetone was almost evaporated then I dumped the bullets out onto a piece of hardware cloth with 1/4" opening. I dump them while the bullets are still shiny from being wet. Then I alllowed them to finish drying. Then I put them into a toaster oven at 400 degree for a little over 10 minutes. Then I open the door and alow them to cool. It bakes the coating on and it is tough stuff.

Initiallly I was worried about being able to size them down but the size just like a regular bullet. I also did a smash test and the stuff remains adhered to the bullet. They don't look as shiny as the others pictured here but I think for the $11 I spent on materials I will take a dull colored bullet.

I had done plenty of shooting with the same bullets, both before and after coating in my Savage. The are the NOE 200 grain "pointy" bullets. And after the coating the groups tightened up a bit. I coat the bullets with two baked on layers and they seem to add about .003" to the bullet. I do not size them and just seat them straight into the belled case. I haven't checked to see if they are getting squeezed down any but honestly I don't care because they shoot so well.

And before anyone thinks this is something new, it isn't. Coating bullets has been done overseas for a very long time. People here in the US have embraced it with stunning results. Here in the US there is a debate on which is better, epoxy two part paint with HBn or powder coating. I have not used the paint but I can't imagine it being any better than powder coating. Then there is a debate on tumbling the powder coat or spraying on the powder coat. Spraying on looks better but I don't think it performs better.

They look a little rough but it doesn't seen to affect the accuracy at all.

[Handloader]

I am going to have to start following your posts..........BTW just got in the NOE 5 bullet PB mould for the 247g whisper........
If you are casting "soft," say (25-to-1 alloy, [BHN of 9]), would this coating hinder expansion?

Nice cull bullet out of the pan (dropped too hot?....lol).

[Handloader]

Would these stop the leading of a non-jail broke suppressor?

[dolomite_supafly]

This will not hinder expansion at all from what I have seen from testing it. The "culled" bullet was a smash test to see if a hammer could seperate the coating from the bullet, it couldn't.

As far as the suppressor I cannot say with 100% certainty that this will not cause any problems. I would say that it will more than likely not cause any problems. I am waiting on the ATF to return my forms. When that happens I will know, without a doubt, whether it will cause problems or not.

The reason I am doing this is because I poisoned myself back in February and the only significant souce of lead I was exposed to when I didn't have protection on is when I shot. When shooting a 300 Blackout AR with cast bullets my face would have a significant amount of black soot on it. I would also have a sore nose, almost like being in a very dry enviroment. This lead me to try to find ways of reducing my lead exposure. ALmost with coating I am going overboard with protective measures when I cast. I wasn't unsafe or unprotected before but something exposed me to lead so I have to do what I can to prevent further exposure. My lead level was 10 and at 4 it is a concern.

BTW, look at Accurate mold 31-245E. That is my design to work with the 300. You will find that the NOE mold has some issues in the 300 Blackout. If you seat the bullet deep enough to feed from a magazine you will expose your lube grooves to the powder. Not an issue in the winter or if you are loading and shooting. It is an issue if they sit in the car during a hot summer day. My design basically removed the lowest lube groove and allows the bullet to be seated to 2.10" without exposing a lube groove. It can also be loaded to 2.26" for bolt gun users.

31-225B is also my design and I think it will work with AR's even better than the 245E design. I am going to be ordering it when I get my paperwork back for my can. Until then I am not going to because the flat points do not work so well with Savage bolt guns.

[craig]

I have cast bullets on and off for alot of years. I will have to give this a try. This is powder coating paint, tumbled, dried, then baked, right? When would you put an alu gas check on? Before coating or after?
Thanks
Gregg

[dolomite_supafly]

No need to run a gas check. People are supposedly pushing these to close to 3K without a gas check. I am pushing them just north of 2K without a gas check. I am not seeing any sort of deposits in the barrel and the powder seems a bit less than Lee Alox.

It leaves the bore very clean compared to lead or even jacketed. There is no fouling and after a patch or two the barrel is clean.

The powder coating paint dissolves in the acetone. Then you tumble lube just like when using Lee Alox but before the mixture dries you dump it onto a screen to allow it to dry. Then you bake it and repeat the tumble procedure a time or two more. The powder coat will set when baked and remains on the bullet during the next tumble.

There is no problem from haivng too much acetone but having too little can lead to a very clumpy finish. Also, after the acetone evaporates from the bucket the powder caot is still in the bucket. When you put more acetone in the bicket it dissoves again so there is very little waste. Just make sure to dump the bullets out while they still look wet. The first coat is very thin looking and you can still see the silver through the powder coating. The next coat or two is thick enough so the bullet becomes a solid color.

In the next day or two I will post a series of pictures with a much more detailed instructions.