It is a privilege (and a bunch of fun) to be allowed to hang out in your reloading room and listen to all of the new and exciting information that you have discovered about powder coated bullets. Thanks
Personally I think the data and videos you have provided to the community are priceless. Furthermore I feel very grateful for the education you've provided to me personally. I can not state that enough. Elvis Ammo, you're triple A+ rated in my opinion! Thanks for sharing your work with us all Elvis! You give awesomeness another dimension!
Yes I completely agree with Elvis instructions my knowledge on reloading has been super charged. To a 10 year veteran of reloading level I know things that I have tested and I know work. That I talk about with veterans of the hobby that have 0 knowledge of. Sometimes these older guys get mad at that but I say instead of getting mad listen learn and up your skills. Or just watch a few videos that Elvis has done.
Unbelievable. I've got from a complete novice buying boxes of Blazer, to feeling very confident about dropping real money on reloading gear. Your videos are stellar, friend. I appreciate and respect you for taking the time to share your reloading wisdom.
Bore leading is why I'm interested in powder coating. Specifically loading for CZ-52 7.62v25 Tokarev & 7.62x39. Theat require higher velocity loads. Great videos Elvis.
Elvis, Very good videos - they are fun to watch. I like the chickens in the background. I watched the powder coating 20 minute video where you heat the bullets for 4 minutes at 140 then apply the powder coat and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. That process works great. I offer a small wrinkle to speed up the batch processing. I use a second wire rack with a second 200 bullets and placed it on top of the toaster while the first batch was baking at 400. It is hot up there. I checked the temperature until they reached 140 (about 8 minutes) and then powder coated them so they were ready for the end of batch 1 and without missing a beat started batch two. That worked great. Tom
I have been shooting coated bollits since 2012 , but since they were cheap I never looked into the process of casting and coating. Well now in 2024 I finally did and I casted and coated my first batch with 45-70 and 10mm. They came out pretty good. Accuracy testing and chrono tomorrow! Thanks for all your advice and tips Elvis Ammo!!! 😬
Another great video! I have just started PC bullets. I had some hit and miss results with the vibratory tumbler method, the PC would not stick even after 3+ hours in the tumbler. I now have perfect and repeatable results by, first heating the bullets at 150 for 10 min then dropping them in to the running vibratory tumbler and run it for 10ish min. By doing it this way I end up with a bullet that has a a very durable dry layer of PC on it that won't come off even with very aggressive shaking. I have even dropped one on the floor and the dry coating was fine. Thank for all the awesome videos!
Thanks Elvis from New Zealand. You have been a great help. Could you please advise the lead hardness more often in estimated Bhn when discussing bullets and rounds. This is the main sticking point for beginners. Your rule of thumb of a bhn 4 to 5 lower than the fps is a major key and only found it in the comments. Was always unsure of how hard I could push the powder coated bullets. Thanks again Mike
I'll give my nutshell opinion. Jacketed bullets are great, but are about the most expensive bullets you can buy, and my range no longer allows them when shooting steel targets after one range officer took a trip to the ER after getting hit with a bullet jacket. Plated bullets, in my experience are tempermental - you will get huge groups if you don't flare the case mouth enough or the crimp cuts into the plating. Lubed cast lead bullets are fine and cheap, but if you rapid fire, you'll end up standing in a cloud of nasty acrid smoke, especially if you use a hot-burning powder like TiteGroup. Powder coating adds a little cost over cast bullets, but you don't get as much smoke, and I get 50 extra feet per second, plus you can use them in polygonal barrels without lead buildup in most cases. Coated bullets are kind of the best compromise.
I used to solely Tumble lube bullets. After I started powdercoating I will never go back. As far as data I load the a bit warmer than cast but not quite fmj velocity. But I have recently started pushing 9mm powdercoated 125 grain out of a AR at fmj velocity with 0 buildup or fouling. This was with Eastwood black,16bhn, and roughly 600 rds. With traditional Tumble lube I wouldn't be able to do half that without having to tear down and clean
Hi Elvis Curing of powder Coating is a compromise time VS temperature A powder Coating first melt around 100-120 then cures above 160 - 170 depending on the powder. There is no way that the Coating be cured at 120 if it has to cure at 200. Even with a longer curing time. That is why when you pass in the oven few minutes at very low temperature the Coating is not hard and the bullets can easily be splitted when attached together. You can find on the market high reactive powders curing at 130 for 10 minutes (object temperature). Check at Protech for example. Cheers
Hello, thank you for your videos! Did I understand that correctly? I use FMJ as the basis for my load? Ask for a short answer. Thank you and regards from Austria Markus
One possible disadvantage to shooting without a gsd check is as you note, some damage to the base of the bullet from powder. We need to remember that the base of the bullet is what steers it when it leaves the muzzle. Nose damage will have very little effect on accuracy but even slight damage to the base WILL degrade accuracy. So the big ? is how accurate do we want our loads to be?
Not to mention you can just use jacketed bullet data. Cast bullets have less friction than jacketed bullets so jacketed bullet max data is often well below the pressure limits. Most publishers like LEE post data well below the pressure limits of cast bullets because it is the typical accuracy limits (Lee wrote a lot about his theory on how pressure and cast bullet accuracy are related). Many handloaders mistakenly think these are pressure limits when they are not.
loaded 223 powder coated bullets with lee 55 grain cast bullets and 25 grains win 748 and i love them .acurate and function fine in my ar. cant wait to see how they do on coyotes this winter. I ve been looking for a bullet for my ar that expands at a lower velocity to avoid ruining hides. i will let you know how they work
This is 5 years ago, but I have tried hard to find out at what point do you know you have reached the max load as you are working them up? If you have covered it here or some where else I have missed it please guide me to it. I well be looking for it. I am very new still collecting my equipment trying to get it right. Thank you so much for all you have taught me the last couple months.
You bring up an excellent point on data Elvis........I always go to the jacketed soft point data for the lever guns........I think the first time out I flipped a coin on where to go but I consider the coating as a jacket and have never had problems. I shoot nothing but powder coated bullets in my 44 mag levergun and it has never had any leading in the barrel. Your vids are definitely educational for loaders of all experience levels. Keep up the great work.
hey BPCR Bigginer... Like you said ... Just knowing where a safe place to start is... all fun after that! Thanks for taking the time to comment and Happy New Year my friend!
Happy New Year Elvis........did you get a chance to catch my 38-55 review? I am heading to the range this morning to compare my cast lead bullets to my powder coated loads.
Will powder coating prevent leading using softer lead on the 9mm? I get free range scrap @ 9 bhn. Many 9mm pistols have oversized bores. If the powder coating works as a jacket, bore dia shouldn't make a difference. Thanks
Took the plunge to date I have made 150 308 round nose getting ready to powder coat them next week love the videos they are very helpful so glad you posted these videos I already subscribed to your chanel shoot straight sir God Bless
Elvis - It seems like you skipped over one of the most fundamental advantages - cost savings over jacketed or plated bullets. You gave us another great vide with many useful ideas. Thank you.
Hey Elvis. Just discovered you and Fortune Cookie here on You Tube. Figures that it would be the eleventh hour for reloading videos. I guess that it is time to regroup for all of us like minded people and find a home of our own on the internet. I am fairly new to computers as well. Anyway, your videos are top notch and i have learned so much. Don't give up. Keep fighting the good fight and God Bless ya brother.
One of the indoor ranges I use to go to in Florida did not allow non-jacketed bullets to be shot on their range with the exception of 22's. They said it was primarily because bare lead bullets would sometimes stick to their backstop/bullet trap, and they were afraid of it causing backsplash or ricochets. I wonder how well powder coat prevents the lead from clinging to metal backstops and or targets.
Was curious about powder coating, so watched your other video on how to, and now this video. Safe to say, most of my concerns have been answered. Thanks for the well put together videos.👍
great point regarding the gas check. Three reasons I reload, 1: it's fun, 2: I control quality of my ammo, 3: cost.. 2017 I'll start casting my own, you're tutorial videos will deff come in handy. Thanka and Happy New year's to all.
The powder coat missing from the bullets and assumed to have lost powder coat in barrel may have been lost hitting backstop. It has appearance of barrel scraping but just happens to hit backstop (dirt, whatever) and scraps off at impact. Fact would be that we don't know where the powder coat was lost.
They sell gas check die punches that you can install in your reloading press. Give or take they are expensive usually sitting at around $100 (picked up a 30 cal for $110), but you can take aluminum soda cans and punch your own gas checks at home. I'm definitely going to try both methods of PC and plain home made gas checks. I'd personally go with both and see what gives you the best results. I do like all of the colors you can get with PC and I'm thinking of making my casts purple because why not.
Hello, good afternoon, I just started doing my first powder coating but I don't know if before putting the bullets in the Lee Sizing Die I need to lubricate my bullets or not, if I need to lubricate them, could you tell me what lubricant I can use please. I would greatly appreciate your support and your experience. Thank you
I use color to differentiate between loads. I currently use red for most loads, and if I load the same bullet/same caliber with a lighter load, I use blue. One example - I load the same bullet for a top end 38 spl +P, and a bottom end 38 spl. The +P is red, and the mouse fart load is blue. I've considered using a third color for any middle of the road load, but haven't actually needed that yet. If I do, it will probably be green. Thanks for the great videos!
Hey trees.... you should try Eastwood Ford Light Blue. you can even turn your brain off while using it! (a no brainer) : ) Happiest of New Years to You and Your Wife....... God Bless
Hi elvis ammo. Do you have to size the lee cast 224 cal bullets or can we just cast, powder coat then re load hope you can help kind regards Mike bagnall
@elvis ammo just curious when casting boolits to powder coat what hardness do u shoot for? I'm new to casting, been reloading a couple years now and ur videos have lead me into casting lol. Just got started powder coating and have been casting handgun boolits between 14-15 Burnell. Wondering if using straight clip on wheel weights and powder coat would be sufficient?
Have there been any studies on powder coated bullets and barrel erosion? Wondering if it may lead to premature barrel wear. I have not seen a study on that is the only reason I have not tried it yet.
I am about to try this out for the first time. Before I take the plunge can you answer this please.....IF, after I finish the first session I find I got it wrong how do you recover the bullets. Do you melt then down, skim off the coloured dross and re-cast or is there another, less drastic way to recover the bullets? I am coating .312 for my SMLE.
Hey Elvis Ammo. Great explanation on pc bullets. Another good reason to shoot cast PC'D bullets is the fact that you don't have to pour down harsh copper eraser agents in your barrel as often that's another plus! I ended up making a video of cast PC 223 bullets shooting at 280 yards and the after math of 430 rounds thanks to your videos. Need some tips in getting W748 to work for me. Also has anyone tried NOE HTC 60gr 225 bullets? They are designed for PC
Hello sir, I have a question I'd like to submit to you about PC'd bullets : I am starting 100 meter shooting with an old Berthier carbine in 8mm Lebel, and I intend to cast my own bullets and powder coat them ; Now I'm all for reducing waste, so I also plan on reusing the scrap lead. The question I have is, how do you recycle the retrieved projectiles after a shooting session ? Do you just toss'em in the casting pot, let the plastic burn and scrape it off along with the dross when fluxing, or is there a different method to get rid of the plastic coat ? Thank you for your time
Elvis Ammo Dude ........... didya kick-the-bucket? Inhale too much heavy metal powder coat? What's new? Did you test how lubersizer wax's react to powder coat? I'm thinking of HP rifle bullets, powder coat then gas check and wax. Have you tried this?
Great video! Going to test a bunch of new powder coated loads this morning! First ladder loads for the AR .223, some .380, a couple new 9mm loads, a .300 savage load with the lee .312-160tl sized to .309, and a lee 312-185 in 7.62x39! After watching you and fortunecookie45lc I was sold. Really enjoying casting coating and shooting!
Elvis Ammo, this video , which I just came across today, answers numerous questions that I had and posted on the" Cast Boolits" forum just this past week. ONE question that I have , which I think you touched on, but I want to be certain - " Can a soft lead alloy be used if powder coated which would allow for better / greater expansion of the bullet upon impact while reducing / eliminating barrel leading ? " I have alloys which when tested with the Lee Hardness Tester registered BHN's of 6.0, 7.4 and 8.7 in addition to harder alloys which tested in the 14.3, 17.9 and 19.3 ranges. I would like to cast for the 9mm using the softer alloys and PCing using paint from " The Powder Coat Store " which they claim has a BHN of 22 when cured for 10 min @ 400*F. As usual your videos are treasure troves of information, and I wanted to say a most sincere " Thank You " for sharing your knowledge.
i had the experence of powder missing from my 22 hornet bullets. i found the cause. the case neck was too tight when i loading the bullet it was scraping the powder off.
Hello Elvis! Happy New Year! Couple of things. My brother shoots 32-20, and as many know there were two loads for it. One was clearly marked "rifle only", so that it wasn't used in handguns. He uses Nickel plated cases for his rifle loads, and brass cases for his revolver loads. So, clearly, color coding loads is a workable approach. Regarding gas checks, when I first started with your channel, I advised one commenter that gas checks shouldn't be needed with powder coating and explained that the purpose of gas checks was to allow for higher velocities without leading the barrel. Military 5.56 ammo averages 3000 to 3400 fps from a 20 inch barrel with bullet weights of 55 to 62 grains. Heavier bullets are slower than that. Also the powder coating is essentially functioning as a jacket. Now, you mentioned achieveing 2800 fps with just powder coating. I'm wondering now, if gas checks, just like before with cast bullets, could be used to achieve faster speeds - namely the above mentioned 3000 to 3400 fps with powder coated bullets, OR if they are still unnecessary? What do you think about this aspect?
hey Kirk Boswell .... good thinking on the nickel plated and brass,,,,, I don't really believe in just one good answer as you know... it's a bit of a lab when it comes to cast bullets,, I tested some ammo the other day, and compared gas checks to non gas checks. So when trying to go far and fast , it don't hurt to compare the differences. Most of the time I don't size 223. that seems to help in the bullet fit department. We can have plinking loads and high performance rounds. A gas check could help maybe on the high performance....?
elvis ammo - I'll anticipate seeing that video! 😁 BTW, I had to click on that stupid bell to be notified when you had a new video. Just subscribing isn't apparently enough anymore.......
Kirk, thank you so much for typing about the "stupid bell". I was wondering why the heck I don't get notifications any more about new videos from subscribed channels. Now, hopefully I can go back to getting them in e-mail shortly after the awesome people like Elvis post them.
Elvis - I'm just learning about this, and am very interested. I am wondering if your molds are undersized to compensate for the thickness of the powder coat?
Yes I definitely agree I’m getting EXCELLENT accuracy from my Ruger Security six 4” 38 and 357 158gr SWC and 158gr RN powder coated bullets 25+ yards easy to hit a 8” circle 0 leading issues and I’m not a veteran reloader I personally have been collecting all my tools over the past 3 years finally with the ammo shortage I purchased my components such as primers powder and lead I bought 4 manuals including the Lyman cast reloading manual and just followed the data and Elvis ammo instructions easy peezy now I have quite a bit of ammo stashed away that I know is very capable
Hey Elvis, Great video, thanks for all the knowledge and the sweat and hard work that you share with us. Helps more than you will ever know. Keep up the great work and thanks again, Rodney
Hahaa you said “bullit points”😎 Btw is melting down a hardened powder coated bullet hard or any disadvantages or is it just like pulling regular slag from a mix. I ask because I saw the one bullet you showed that you melted with a torch and wondered if it just melted into itself would it change the composition of the lead any if at all. Thank you great vids you’re brilliant ✨
hello elvis , a factor called centrifugal force,can remove under certain circumstances the coating when its not at ful adhesive strenght ,same happens sometimes with thin wall jackets , when they shot over the advised speed . for example a 22 magnum rf bullet out of a 223 , happy newyear to ya
I'm just getting into casting bullets but not reloading. Can you push a powder coated bullets at 308win speeds w/o issues or just 300blk? I mean, can you go over 2000fps?? I need to look at more things but i'm considering bullet casting for pistols but also 308 win.
You mentioned the hard cast versus the softer cast bullets and showed the one that was nicely mushroomed. I'm curious, how soft was the lead you used to achieve that result?
James Vatter ...A pretty good rule of thumb from my experience is 5 bhn under fps. . for instance 2000 fps 15 bhn. this rule gives pretty consistent results. ..
There is virtually no wear from a powder coated bullet, just like a cast bullet. All you have to worry about is throat erosion from powder burning like with any cartridge, but this is not an issue unless you are a precision shooter (well under 1MOA).
Hi, I watched your video, and I want to ask if I should use gas checks or not for these bullets? and can you please, let me know where I can get the Eastwood powder?
PC provides less resistance traveling through the bore/barrel with its slick surface and its definitely a softer material than a copper jacketed one swaging its way down the barrel . Longer barrel life may result . I usually start my PC load testing with as similar a jacketed bullet as I can find and work up also . Happy new year to ya Elvis Ammo! Thanks for another good video.
Hey Buddy. Good Video, I like how you didn't go out like you were starting a war over Traditional Lubing over powder coating. The difference is small when compared to each other. also,,, You don't need Gas checks even with traditional lube bullets, I have tried them and they shot just fine without them with no leading or additional fowling. they provide a flat base for release from the crown of the mussel when shooting over long distances, Over 200 yards with a pistol and that type of thing. anyway, One thing that has been on my mind is, When you water drop your bullets, does heating them back up to powder coat them change the hardness taking out their temper from water dropping them? Dave.
hey Thorsaxe777 I like casting and shooting however I can coat them #1.... I just prefer powder coat coatings. ... ; ) Yea the reheating seems to be a subject for sure... I need to do some more testing for a good answer on that. .. But I haven't had any issue at all so it hasn't been on the radar for things to test... But it is an unanswered question we would like to know. .... your not the only one that has asked about it. .... Happy New Year my friend. ... God bless you and your channel! !!!! ; )
Thorsaxe777 I'm also curious what sitting in the toaster oven does to the hardness. I often water drop my bullets from the mold, and I also usually drop the bullets in the water bucket when coming out of the oven. This allows me to grab my freshly powder coated bullets moments after they are baked. Lots of things to consider...
I just let mine cool in the ambient air, I have a few theory's however nothing scientific about Heat and cooling for the material. Lead hardens with age and Yes you can make bullets harder with water dropping them. However I feel that above 16 bhn is as hard as they need to be for Magnum Pistol and above 20 bhn is plenty for rifle applications. The material needs to be soft enough to Obdurate within the Barrel to get good accuracy. we size our bullets 1-2 thousands above bore diameter for that reason. However the bullet needs to expand under pressure behind the bullet to make a solid seal. Like I said. I have theory's and opinions about this subject. I add antimony and Tin,, Tin being a gliding metal and antimony being what makes the bullet hard and adjust my material to the hardness that I want for the speed I'm shooting the bullet at. anyway, Good shooting to ya, Dave
I don't disagree. I usually end up water dropping because I have found it to be convenient, and the increased hardness has not caused any issues. I would air cool and pay particular attention to my alloy if I were casting for an intended target other than paper/cardboard. I would probably try to keep anything up to 1,000 fps around 8 bhn, the Magnum loads around 12 bhn, and a bit higher for the rifles. There is an outstanding discussion of hardness and alloys in the Fryxell/Applegate book, "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners" (www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm). I would recommend this book for anyone that casts lead, and the entire book is online and free. It's all just theory until you pull the trigger...
I forget who it was, but I saw another powder coating video where he water dropped after coating. It made them separate nicely, and they looked fine. I'm wondering how it affected bhn over air cooling. I would think it would add a little. Check out what lasc has to say about using a convection oven www.lasc.us/heattreat.htm. They do make convection toaster ovens.
Ok, powder coat bullets. Then size them and now you have raw lead sticking out in places. Size the bullet then powder coat and now you have a pregnant bullet. So Please explain.
Can you re-melt the powder coated lead? It mix with the melted lead or flows on top of the melting pot? I wonder if everybody start powder coating what is going to happen for who take and try to use the lead for more bullets.
What BHN is your lead on the 30 cals.... And What do you consider soft - med - Hard.. I just wanted to add I used a powder coated bullet to take a buck this year.... worked fine 30 yard shot, (short). Did not recover the bullet....
hey d Klawbohr.... About 4 or 5 bhn under FPS Is probably the best mix for great expansion and penetration... for rifle.....that seems to be a good sweet spot..... Nice to here you got the deer with a PC. bullet......I take it , the bullet went straight through? Happy New Year!!!!
Its the white powdery lead oxide, or fumes when casting that's to use caution with. People been reloading since round ball muzzleloader days and living to a ripe old age. Just wash your hands afterwards.
I've read through a lot of these comments (not all, they seem to go on forever), but I don't really see my only concern addressed: could this powder coating actually be harder on a barrel than the copper-nickle alloys used for jacketed bullets?
hi folks, I'm having an issue where after powder coating the bullets are having a hard time squeezing into the sizing die.... Lee 9 mm. 356-120 mold.... thank you.
Ive used tumble lube for years in my guns and no problem but i want to cast up more rifle bullets for 300 blk 450 bushmaster my Enfields and mausers most of the bullet price have been jumping so im just going to cast like i do my handguns
Hi elvis, HNY. I have been trying to transition to powder coating but have had disastrous results. The powder will not coat, I tried the vibrator tumbler, the projectile warming the hand shake in a container then went on to acetone all to no avail. The acetone set the projectiles in a messy goo. I really like the idea of powder coat but it would seem it is NOT that easy.
i had similar issues try different containers some wont allow the powder to build a charge also heating them in my oven i had to use a higher temp than elvis and leave them in longer also having the powder in a warm not hot enviroment helps to coat bullets it stops the cooling process from being so fast and allows it to stick more uniformly also you can coat them 2 or 3 time if yoy need to to get full coverage
hey there my 1956effie... I started to cry, and then I thought of a solution! order some Eastwood "ford light blue.... it's fool proof! ; ) man o man..... gotta be a trophy or something for that many fails!! : ) God bless
Hey there my1956effie.... Here's a link to eadccomponents in Australia. He's a great guy. Started powder coating not long ago. You can comment on his channel, tell him elvis ammo sent ya... he will help ya get the powder coat you need! th-cam.com/channels/U1tACFYQxoCb9GXwNp2SFg.htmlabout
elvis - excellent video from elvis ammo on this subject...watched it twice from beginning to end. And your work with gel and recovered bullets is extremely valuable. There are lots of PC bullets going downrange at our range, and I'm going to try harder to recover some bullets that have hit our armor plate backstops - you would think that I would have seen some from my range scrap. But thanks to your data, we have that for all to see...Happy New Year to ya..!! FC Steve
Thank you Mr Fortune Cookie! I don't know how many times I've looked through your videos over the year, To learn something new, to refresh my memory, To check out your style. Or to simply be entertained! Thanks for all you do! It is just now a new year here , while it is more than a couple of hours away for you! I'll tell ya you got something to look foreword to..... It's gonna be a good one! : ) Happy New Years my good friend!
Great video elvis.. Love revolver's and shooting cast bullets... Hate leading with a passion , but this is the ticket...Will not powder coat my self but will purchase powder coated bullets .. Thanks
Missing powder coat could simply be the method of resizing the bullet after powder coating making the powder coat a little thinner over the driving bands P.s. love your work Elvis
No, the powder coat stays on the bullet even into impact. The barrel is actually cleaner after shooting powder coated bullets than shooting jacketed. All you have to do is wipe off the burnt powder to effectively get a clean bare barrel (minus the copper fouling from previous shots, as powder coated bullets luckily will not touch that. The hardness of cast bullets you want will depend on the pressures/velocity you are shooting at. I don't test any of my lead for hardness. In my experience it does not matter, however I have relatively homogeneous soft lead as all my lead comes from jacketed bullets from the range.
Hey Elvis! Happy New Year! I love all your videos and now load exclusively pc bullets. Didn't know what we were missing. Thanks for all your knowledge and keep them coming.
I recently learned after casting several hundred high power 357 magnum loads with Book velocities of 1900 ft./sThat not all bullets are created equal. And my leg cast bullets will now have to be disassembled since their velocities Max out I’m guessing around 1300 ft./s
Man I have to tell you, you are one of the nicest people I have never met😀. Between yourself, FC45LC, JRB and many many more I have built great confidence in reloading. Thanks a ton my friend. So let me get this straight.....if I powder coat, I don't have to necessarily harden my alloy with linotype or use gas checks? I currently have a good stash of lead and cast some projectiles for 30-30 Win. that I haven't loaded or shot any yet. With the Lee hardness testing tools I have checked many and they seem to be on average of 10.4 to 11 bhn. What are your thoughts? Thanks, love all your videos, keep em' coming my friend.
Hey elvis I'm new to your channel, I've watched the videos from fourtunecookie45lc on powder coated bullets and now yours but I'm trying to get into the casting of my own bullets and do the powder coating mainly for pistol but I was curious on load data for these things do you use the same data for cast bullets when loading for powder coat. thanks elvis love your channel
hey grounds28. well, thanks for watching. ... for powdercoat bullets we tend to follow the data rules, more closely to fmj. but since there is no data. ( officially ) we should always work our loads up.. This is what we always do anyway! I don't tend to want hot loads for target practice anyway. ..less stress on brass and the firearms. I don't have any particular warning to give ya if you just follow those rules! happy loading and casting to ya my friend!
In case anyone else is wonder when he actually gets to the point, here ya go - 9:15
You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thankyou sir.
Seriously.
D. Van V. Thanks
thx i was wondering same thing
Use a clout nail in the bag of a bullet instead of a gas check
It is a privilege (and a bunch of fun) to be allowed to hang out in your reloading room and listen to all of the new and exciting information that you have discovered about powder coated bullets. Thanks
Personally I think the data and videos you have provided to the community are priceless. Furthermore I feel very grateful for the education you've provided to me personally. I can not state that enough. Elvis Ammo, you're triple A+ rated in my opinion! Thanks for sharing your work with us all Elvis! You give awesomeness another dimension!
Thank ya John Doe!!! : ) I sure appreciate having ya around!
Yes I completely agree with Elvis instructions my knowledge on reloading has been super charged. To a 10 year veteran of reloading level I know things that I have tested and I know work. That I talk about with veterans of the hobby that have 0 knowledge of. Sometimes these older guys get mad at that but I say instead of getting mad listen learn and up your skills. Or just watch a few videos that Elvis has done.
Unbelievable. I've got from a complete novice buying boxes of Blazer, to feeling very confident about dropping real money on reloading gear.
Your videos are stellar, friend. I appreciate and respect you for taking the time to share your reloading wisdom.
hey Gregory Towers.... that right my friend.... so easy even a cave man can do it...and even a cat! : )....Happy New Years.... And Happy Casting!
Thank you Elvis. You have been a big help to me! Your channel is one of the best classrooms I've been in.
Bore leading is why I'm interested in powder coating. Specifically loading for CZ-52 7.62v25 Tokarev & 7.62x39. Theat require higher velocity loads. Great videos Elvis.
Elvis, Very good videos - they are fun to watch. I like the chickens in the background. I watched the powder coating 20 minute video where you heat the bullets for 4 minutes at 140 then apply the powder coat and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. That process works great. I offer a small wrinkle to speed up the batch processing. I use a second wire rack with a second 200 bullets and placed it on top of the toaster while the first batch was baking at 400. It is hot up there. I checked the temperature until they reached 140 (about 8 minutes) and then powder coated them so they were ready for the end of batch 1 and without missing a beat started batch two. That worked great. Tom
It's actually easy to get to the point and make it more understandable. Thanks
I have been shooting coated bollits since 2012 , but since they were cheap I never looked into the process of casting and coating. Well now in 2024 I finally did and I casted and coated my first batch with 45-70 and 10mm. They came out pretty good. Accuracy testing and chrono tomorrow! Thanks for all your advice and tips Elvis Ammo!!! 😬
Another great video! I have just started PC bullets. I had some hit and miss results with the vibratory tumbler method, the PC would not stick even after 3+ hours in the tumbler. I now have perfect and repeatable results by, first heating the bullets at 150 for 10 min then dropping them in to the running vibratory tumbler and run it for 10ish min. By doing it this way I end up with a bullet that has a a very durable dry layer of PC on it that won't come off even with very aggressive shaking. I have even dropped one on the floor and the dry coating was fine. Thank for all the awesome videos!
hey josephhomen... Thats great that you found a solution and didn't give up .... thats how we roll! Happy New Years!
Thanks Elvis from New Zealand. You have been a great help. Could you please advise the lead hardness more often in estimated Bhn when discussing bullets and rounds. This is the main sticking point for beginners. Your rule of thumb of a bhn 4 to 5 lower than the fps is a major key and only found it in the comments. Was always unsure of how hard I could push the powder coated bullets. Thanks again Mike
I'll give my nutshell opinion. Jacketed bullets are great, but are about the most expensive bullets you can buy, and my range no longer allows them when shooting steel targets after one range officer took a trip to the ER after getting hit with a bullet jacket. Plated bullets, in my experience are tempermental - you will get huge groups if you don't flare the case mouth enough or the crimp cuts into the plating. Lubed cast lead bullets are fine and cheap, but if you rapid fire, you'll end up standing in a cloud of nasty acrid smoke, especially if you use a hot-burning powder like TiteGroup. Powder coating adds a little cost over cast bullets, but you don't get as much smoke, and I get 50 extra feet per second, plus you can use them in polygonal barrels without lead buildup in most cases. Coated bullets are kind of the best compromise.
hey Suburban... Very nicely said! Great break down... im glad you commented......
Thank you for your straight to the point response.... It's what I was looking for.
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I used to solely Tumble lube bullets. After I started powdercoating I will never go back.
As far as data I load the a bit warmer than cast but not quite fmj velocity. But I have recently started pushing 9mm powdercoated 125 grain out of a AR at fmj velocity with 0 buildup or fouling. This was with Eastwood black,16bhn, and roughly 600 rds.
With traditional Tumble lube I wouldn't be able to do half that without having to tear down and clean
Hi Elvis
Curing of powder Coating is a compromise time VS temperature
A powder Coating first melt around 100-120 then cures above 160 - 170 depending on the powder.
There is no way that the Coating be cured at 120 if it has to cure at 200. Even with a longer curing time.
That is why when you pass in the oven few minutes at very low temperature the Coating is not hard and the bullets can easily be splitted when attached together.
You can find on the market high reactive powders curing at 130 for 10 minutes (object temperature).
Check at Protech for example.
Cheers
Hello, thank you for your videos! Did I understand that correctly? I use FMJ as the basis for my load? Ask for a short answer. Thank you and regards from Austria Markus
One possible disadvantage to shooting without a gsd check is as you note, some damage to the base of the bullet from powder. We need to remember that the base of the bullet is what steers it when it leaves the muzzle. Nose damage will have very little effect on accuracy but even slight damage to the base WILL degrade accuracy. So the big ? is how accurate do we want our loads to be?
For load data just use the data from regular lube bullets. The pressures are well within safety limits. Thanks
Not to mention you can just use jacketed bullet data. Cast bullets have less friction than jacketed bullets so jacketed bullet max data is often well below the pressure limits. Most publishers like LEE post data well below the pressure limits of cast bullets because it is the typical accuracy limits (Lee wrote a lot about his theory on how pressure and cast bullet accuracy are related). Many handloaders mistakenly think these are pressure limits when they are not.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj thats interesting
loaded 223 powder coated bullets with lee 55 grain cast bullets and 25 grains win 748 and i love them .acurate and function fine in my ar. cant wait to see how they do on coyotes this winter. I ve been looking for a bullet for my ar that expands at a lower velocity to avoid ruining hides. i will let you know how they work
thanks jeff mikula.... can't wait to hear back!!!
This is 5 years ago, but I have tried hard to find out at what point do you know you have reached the max load as you are working them up? If you have covered it here or some where else I have missed it please guide me to it. I well be looking for it. I am very new still collecting my equipment trying to get it right. Thank you so much for all you have taught me the last couple months.
just getting into reloading and this was a great help as to what to do or not to do with powder coat and sizing, thanks
You bring up an excellent point on data Elvis........I always go to the jacketed soft point data for the lever guns........I think the first time out I flipped a coin on where to go but I consider the coating as a jacket and have never had problems. I shoot nothing but powder coated bullets in my 44 mag levergun and it has never had any leading in the barrel. Your vids are definitely educational for loaders of all experience levels. Keep up the great work.
hey BPCR Bigginer... Like you said ... Just knowing where a safe place to start is... all fun after that! Thanks for taking the time to comment and Happy New Year my friend!
Happy New Year Elvis........did you get a chance to catch my 38-55 review? I am heading to the range this morning to compare my cast lead bullets to my powder coated loads.
Will powder coating prevent leading using softer lead on the 9mm? I get free range scrap @ 9 bhn. Many 9mm pistols have oversized bores. If the powder coating works as a jacket, bore dia shouldn't make a difference. Thanks
I use to spry pam cooking oil on the bullet and them let it dry for a week or to before i shoot them
Took the plunge to date I have made 150 308 round nose getting ready to powder coat them next week love the videos they are very helpful so glad you posted these videos I already subscribed to your chanel shoot straight sir God Bless
Elvis - It seems like you skipped over one of the most fundamental advantages - cost savings over jacketed or plated bullets. You gave us another great vide with many useful ideas. Thank you.
Great video. Question can you reuse the bullets you dig up melting it back down.
When i was a new loader , early 70's, I was told gas checks were used to keep from melting the base of the bullet.
Hey Elvis. Just discovered you and Fortune Cookie here on You Tube. Figures that it would be the eleventh hour for reloading videos. I guess that it is time to regroup for all of us like minded people and find a home of our own on the internet. I am fairly new to computers as well. Anyway, your videos are top notch and i have learned so much. Don't give up. Keep fighting the good fight and God Bless ya brother.
One of the indoor ranges I use to go to in Florida did not allow non-jacketed bullets to be shot on their range with the exception of 22's. They said it was primarily because bare lead bullets would sometimes stick to their backstop/bullet trap, and they were afraid of it causing backsplash or ricochets. I wonder how well powder coat prevents the lead from clinging to metal backstops and or targets.
Was curious about powder coating, so watched your other video on how to, and now this video. Safe to say, most of my concerns have been answered. Thanks for the well put together videos.👍
great point regarding the gas check. Three reasons I reload, 1: it's fun, 2: I control quality of my ammo, 3: cost..
2017 I'll start casting my own, you're tutorial videos will deff come in handy. Thanka and Happy New year's to all.
Hey Aaron Arellano.... all good reasons ! Happy casting to ya my friend, Let me know if I can help!!! Happy New Year!
The powder coat missing from the bullets and assumed to have lost powder coat in barrel may have been lost hitting backstop. It has appearance of barrel scraping but just happens to hit backstop (dirt, whatever) and scraps off at impact. Fact would be that we don't know where the powder coat was lost.
They sell gas check die punches that you can install in your reloading press. Give or take they are expensive usually sitting at around $100 (picked up a 30 cal for $110), but you can take aluminum soda cans and punch your own gas checks at home. I'm definitely going to try both methods of PC and plain home made gas checks. I'd personally go with both and see what gives you the best results. I do like all of the colors you can get with PC and I'm thinking of making my casts purple because why not.
Hello, good afternoon, I just started doing my first powder coating but I don't know if before putting the bullets in the Lee Sizing Die I need to lubricate my bullets or not, if I need to lubricate them, could you tell me what lubricant I can use please.
I would greatly appreciate your support and your experience.
Thank you
I use color to differentiate between loads. I currently use red for most loads, and if I load the same bullet/same caliber with a lighter load, I use blue. One example - I load the same bullet for a top end 38 spl +P, and a bottom end 38 spl. The +P is red, and the mouse fart load is blue. I've considered using a third color for any middle of the road load, but haven't actually needed that yet. If I do, it will probably be green.
Thanks for the great videos!
Hey Elvis I am new to reloading so if I use powder coating I don’t need gas check
I'm glad I switched to powder coating, cuts the smoke down. Especially on indoor range. What are some other powder coating powders other than HF
Hey trees.... you should try Eastwood Ford Light Blue. you can even turn your brain off while using it! (a no brainer) : ) Happiest of New Years to You and Your Wife....... God Bless
Hi elvis ammo. Do you have to size the lee cast 224 cal bullets or can we just cast, powder coat then re load hope you can help kind regards Mike bagnall
@elvis ammo just curious when casting boolits to powder coat what hardness do u shoot for? I'm new to casting, been reloading a couple years now and ur videos have lead me into casting lol. Just got started powder coating and have been casting handgun boolits between 14-15 Burnell. Wondering if using straight clip on wheel weights and powder coat would be sufficient?
Have there been any studies on powder coated bullets and barrel erosion? Wondering if it may lead to premature barrel wear. I have not seen a study on that is the only reason I have not tried it yet.
I am about to try this out for the first time. Before I take the plunge can you answer this please.....IF, after I finish the first session I find I got it wrong how do you recover the bullets. Do you melt then down, skim off the coloured dross and re-cast or is there another, less drastic way to recover the bullets? I am coating .312 for my SMLE.
Hey Elvis Ammo. Great explanation on pc bullets. Another good reason to shoot cast PC'D bullets is the fact that you don't have to pour down harsh copper eraser agents in your barrel as often that's another plus! I ended up making a video of cast PC 223 bullets shooting at 280 yards and the after math of 430 rounds thanks to your videos. Need some tips in getting W748 to work for me. Also has anyone tried NOE HTC 60gr 225 bullets? They are designed for PC
Just starting out with bullet making. Is there anything special you have to do or can you make a video of melting down powder coated bullets.thanks
Just melt it like any bullet. The coat will disintegrate into the dross.
Hello sir,
I have a question I'd like to submit to you about PC'd bullets :
I am starting 100 meter shooting with an old Berthier carbine in 8mm Lebel, and I intend to cast my own bullets and powder coat them ;
Now I'm all for reducing waste, so I also plan on reusing the scrap lead. The question I have is, how do you recycle the retrieved projectiles after a shooting session ? Do you just toss'em in the casting pot, let the plastic burn and scrape it off along with the dross when fluxing, or is there a different method to get rid of the plastic coat ?
Thank you for your time
Would there be a benefit to powder coat slugs or buckshot
Could the powder rub off in the target? Or in the dirt when it hits the ground? Maybe it didn't rub off in a barrel at all...
Elvis Ammo Dude ........... didya kick-the-bucket? Inhale too much heavy metal powder coat? What's new? Did you test how lubersizer wax's react to powder coat? I'm thinking of HP rifle bullets, powder coat then gas check and wax. Have you tried this?
I shoot high power air rifles and powder coated bullets help quite a bit to bring up the velocity.
How about shooting a bullet without a gas check from a 223 (225) mold with gas check in them? Does that affect the flight of the bullet?
Great video! Going to test a bunch of new powder coated loads this morning! First ladder loads for the AR .223, some .380, a couple new 9mm loads, a .300 savage load with the lee .312-160tl sized to .309, and a lee 312-185 in 7.62x39! After watching you and fortunecookie45lc I was sold. Really enjoying casting coating and shooting!
Elvis Ammo, this video , which I just came across today, answers numerous questions that I had and posted on the" Cast Boolits" forum just this past week.
ONE question that I have , which I think you touched on, but I want to be certain - " Can a soft lead alloy be used if powder coated which would allow for better / greater expansion of the bullet upon impact while reducing / eliminating barrel leading ? "
I have alloys which when tested with the Lee Hardness Tester registered BHN's of 6.0, 7.4 and 8.7 in addition to harder alloys which tested in the 14.3, 17.9 and 19.3 ranges.
I would like to cast for the 9mm using the softer alloys and PCing using paint from " The Powder Coat Store " which they claim has a BHN of 22 when cured for 10 min @ 400*F.
As usual your videos are treasure troves of information, and I wanted to say a most sincere " Thank You " for sharing your knowledge.
Do you feel that you need to size your bullets after your powder coat them and you don’t use any lube either
i had the experence of powder missing from my 22 hornet bullets. i found the cause. the case neck was too tight when i loading the bullet it was scraping the powder off.
elvis, I love this channel! you taught me a lot ,thanks tref
hey tref 101... thanks for watching and letting me know how I'm doing! !!!
Do you have to use gas checks with powder coated bullets
Hello Elvis! Happy New Year! Couple of things. My brother shoots 32-20, and as many know there were two loads for it. One was clearly marked "rifle only", so that it wasn't used in handguns. He uses Nickel plated cases for his rifle loads, and brass cases for his revolver loads. So, clearly, color coding loads is a workable approach.
Regarding gas checks, when I first started with your channel, I advised one commenter that gas checks shouldn't be needed with powder coating and explained that the purpose of gas checks was to allow for higher velocities without leading the barrel. Military 5.56 ammo averages 3000 to 3400 fps from a 20 inch barrel with bullet weights of 55 to 62 grains. Heavier bullets are slower than that. Also the powder coating is essentially functioning as a jacket.
Now, you mentioned achieveing 2800 fps with just powder coating. I'm wondering now, if gas checks, just like before with cast bullets, could be used to achieve faster speeds - namely the above mentioned 3000 to 3400 fps with powder coated bullets, OR if they are still unnecessary? What do you think about this aspect?
hey Kirk Boswell .... good thinking on the nickel plated and brass,,,,, I don't really believe in just one good answer as you know... it's a bit of a lab when it comes to cast bullets,, I tested some ammo the other day, and compared gas checks to non gas checks. So when trying to go far and fast , it don't hurt to compare the differences. Most of the time I don't size 223. that seems to help in the bullet fit department. We can have plinking loads and high performance rounds. A gas check could help maybe on the high performance....?
elvis ammo - I'll anticipate seeing that video! 😁
BTW, I had to click on that stupid bell to be notified when you had a new video. Just subscribing isn't apparently enough anymore.......
+Kirk Boswell yea I just learned about the bell myself! funny huh..... waiting for the bell to ring! !!; )
Kirk, thank you so much for typing about the "stupid bell". I was wondering why the heck I don't get notifications any more about new videos from subscribed channels. Now, hopefully I can go back to getting them in e-mail shortly after the awesome people like Elvis post them.
Mise en Place - you're welcome.
I do powder coat to cut down on leading my barrel. Hard to clean if just sized and waxed lots of lead.
Excellent video. Great info and examples on your vids. Thanks very much for what you do. Helps us who are just learning and have tons of questions.
If you powder coat your bullet do you need to put a gas check on them still?
Have you shot them through a suppressed gun?
Elvis - I'm just learning about this, and am very interested. I am wondering if your molds are undersized to compensate for the thickness of the powder coat?
You size after powder coating the bullet will with or without coating lengthen very slightly.
Can I powder coat bullets that are lubed from the factory?
Info on the 300 blackout load? BHN? powder?
You should publish a book with powder coated cast data. You would make millions
How fast can you push them?
Yes I definitely agree I’m getting EXCELLENT accuracy from my Ruger Security six 4” 38 and 357 158gr SWC and 158gr RN powder coated bullets 25+ yards easy to hit a 8” circle 0 leading issues and I’m not a veteran reloader I personally have been collecting all my tools over the past 3 years finally with the ammo shortage I purchased my components such as primers powder and lead I bought 4 manuals including the Lyman cast reloading manual and just followed the data and Elvis ammo instructions easy peezy now I have quite a bit of ammo stashed away that I know is very capable
whats the hardness of your 9mm powder coasted bullets
Hey Elvis, Great video, thanks for all the knowledge and the sweat and hard work that you share with us. Helps more than you will ever know. Keep up the great work and thanks again, Rodney
thanks again Rodney Hardee... Thankyou for all your comments and questions.... my pleasure !!!!
Hahaa you said “bullit points”😎 Btw is melting down a hardened powder coated bullet hard or any disadvantages or is it just like pulling regular slag from a mix. I ask because I saw the one bullet you showed that you melted with a torch and wondered if it just melted into itself would it change the composition of the lead any if at all. Thank you great vids you’re brilliant ✨
hello elvis , a factor called centrifugal force,can remove under certain circumstances the coating when its not at ful adhesive strenght ,same happens sometimes with thin wall jackets , when they shot over the advised speed . for example a 22 magnum rf bullet out of a 223 , happy newyear to ya
Thanks again Peteralexben.... for your contributions to the subject... Happy new Year to you!
Since the powder coating increases the diameter of the bullet, did you have to adjust your powder charge (or die set-up) to handle the larger bullet?
I'm just getting into casting bullets but not reloading. Can you push a powder coated bullets at 308win speeds w/o issues or just 300blk? I mean, can you go over 2000fps?? I need to look at more things but i'm considering bullet casting for pistols but also 308 win.
Have you thought about copper plating cast bullets? I seen a few videos on how to do it but me personally i like the simplicity of powder coating
Hey Jose Guzman.. I might do it one of these days.. The PC is simple!!
You mentioned the hard cast versus the softer cast bullets and showed the one that was nicely mushroomed. I'm curious, how soft was the lead you used to achieve that result?
James Vatter ...A pretty good rule of thumb from my experience is 5 bhn under fps. . for instance 2000 fps 15 bhn. this rule gives pretty consistent results. ..
elvis have you ever scoped your barrel and looked at it to see there wear of the barrel from shooting the powdercoated bullet.
There is virtually no wear from a powder coated bullet, just like a cast bullet. All you have to worry about is throat erosion from powder burning like with any cartridge, but this is not an issue unless you are a precision shooter (well under 1MOA).
Hi, I watched your video, and I want to ask if I should use gas checks or not for these bullets? and can you please, let me know where I can get the Eastwood powder?
PC provides less resistance traveling through the bore/barrel with its slick surface and its definitely a softer material than a copper jacketed one swaging its way down the barrel . Longer barrel life may result . I usually start my PC load testing with as similar a jacketed bullet as I can find and work up also .
Happy new year to ya Elvis Ammo! Thanks for another good video.
thanks C Delo. ..I should have added that longer barrel life may result! good one! Happy New Year!
Hey Buddy. Good Video, I like how you didn't go out like you were starting a war over Traditional Lubing over powder coating. The difference is small when compared to each other. also,,, You don't need Gas checks even with traditional lube bullets, I have tried them and they shot just fine without them with no leading or additional fowling. they provide a flat base for release from the crown of the mussel when shooting over long distances, Over 200 yards with a pistol and that type of thing. anyway, One thing that has been on my mind is, When you water drop your bullets, does heating them back up to powder coat them change the hardness taking out their temper from water dropping them? Dave.
hey Thorsaxe777 I like casting and shooting however I can coat them #1.... I just prefer powder coat coatings. ... ; ) Yea the reheating seems to be a subject for sure... I need to do some more testing for a good answer on that. .. But I haven't had any issue at all so it hasn't been on the radar for things to test... But it is an unanswered question we would like to know. .... your not the only one that has asked about it. .... Happy New Year my friend. ... God bless you and your channel! !!!! ; )
Thorsaxe777 I'm also curious what sitting in the toaster oven does to the hardness. I often water drop my bullets from the mold, and I also usually drop the bullets in the water bucket when coming out of the oven. This allows me to grab my freshly powder coated bullets moments after they are baked. Lots of things to consider...
I just let mine cool in the ambient air, I have a few theory's however nothing scientific about Heat and cooling for the material. Lead hardens with age and Yes you can make bullets harder with water dropping them. However I feel that above 16 bhn is as hard as they need to be for Magnum Pistol and above 20 bhn is plenty for rifle applications. The material needs to be soft enough to Obdurate within the Barrel to get good accuracy. we size our bullets 1-2 thousands above bore diameter for that reason. However the bullet needs to expand under pressure behind the bullet to make a solid seal. Like I said. I have theory's and opinions about this subject. I add antimony and Tin,, Tin being a gliding metal and antimony being what makes the bullet hard and adjust my material to the hardness that I want for the speed I'm shooting the bullet at. anyway, Good shooting to ya, Dave
I don't disagree. I usually end up water dropping because I have found it to be convenient, and the increased hardness has not caused any issues. I would air cool and pay particular attention to my alloy if I were casting for an intended target other than paper/cardboard. I would probably try to keep anything up to 1,000 fps around 8 bhn, the Magnum loads around 12 bhn, and a bit higher for the rifles.
There is an outstanding discussion of hardness and alloys in the Fryxell/Applegate book, "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners" (www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm). I would recommend this book for anyone that casts lead, and the entire book is online and free.
It's all just theory until you pull the trigger...
I forget who it was, but I saw another powder coating video where he water dropped after coating. It made them separate nicely, and they looked fine. I'm wondering how it affected bhn over air cooling. I would think it would add a little. Check out what lasc has to say about using a convection oven www.lasc.us/heattreat.htm. They do make convection toaster ovens.
Ok, powder coat bullets. Then size them and now you have raw lead sticking out in places. Size the bullet then powder coat and now you have a pregnant bullet.
So Please explain.
Can you re-melt the powder coated lead? It mix with the melted lead or flows on top of the melting pot? I wonder if everybody start powder coating what is going to happen for who take and try to use the lead for more bullets.
Angel Perez don't worry, the color flow up and don't mix with lead
What BHN is your lead on the 30 cals.... And What do you consider soft - med - Hard.. I just wanted to add I used a powder coated bullet to take a buck this year.... worked fine 30 yard shot, (short). Did not recover the bullet....
hey d Klawbohr.... About 4 or 5 bhn under FPS Is probably the best mix for great expansion and penetration... for rifle.....that seems to be a good sweet spot..... Nice to here you got the deer with a PC. bullet......I take it , the bullet went straight through? Happy New Year!!!!
Its the white powdery lead oxide, or fumes when casting that's to use caution with. People been reloading since round ball muzzleloader days and living to a ripe old age. Just wash your hands afterwards.
I've read through a lot of these comments (not all, they seem to go on forever), but I don't really see my only concern addressed: could this powder coating actually be harder on a barrel than the copper-nickle alloys used for jacketed bullets?
Appreciate all the information thanks
have you loaded for 30 carbine? Also, is it advisable to use 309 sized bullet as opposed to 308?
hi folks, I'm having an issue where after powder coating the bullets are having a hard time squeezing into the sizing die.... Lee 9 mm. 356-120 mold.... thank you.
Ive used tumble lube for years in my guns and no problem but i want to cast up more rifle bullets for 300 blk 450 bushmaster my Enfields and mausers most of the bullet price have been jumping so im just going to cast like i do my handguns
Hi elvis, HNY. I have been trying to transition to powder coating but have had disastrous results. The powder will not coat, I tried the vibrator tumbler, the projectile warming the hand shake in a container then went on to acetone all to no avail. The acetone set the projectiles in a messy goo. I really like the idea of powder coat but it would seem it is NOT that easy.
i had similar issues try different containers some wont allow the powder to build a charge also heating them in my oven i had to use a higher temp than elvis and leave them in longer also having the powder in a warm not hot enviroment helps to coat bullets it stops the cooling process from being so fast and allows it to stick more uniformly also you can coat them 2 or 3 time if yoy need to to get full coverage
hey there my 1956effie... I started to cry, and then I thought of a solution! order some Eastwood "ford light blue.... it's fool proof! ; ) man o man..... gotta be a trophy or something for that many fails!! : ) God bless
im ordering some too been wanting to try it just keep forgetting to do it
I would elvis only I am in Australia.
Hey there my1956effie.... Here's a link to eadccomponents in Australia. He's a great guy. Started powder coating not long ago. You can comment on his channel, tell him elvis ammo sent ya... he will help ya get the powder coat you need!
th-cam.com/channels/U1tACFYQxoCb9GXwNp2SFg.htmlabout
elvis - excellent video from elvis ammo on this subject...watched it twice from beginning to end. And your work with gel and recovered bullets is extremely valuable. There are lots of PC bullets going downrange at our range, and I'm going to try harder to recover some bullets that have hit our armor plate backstops - you would think that I would have seen some from my range scrap. But thanks to your data, we have that for all to see...Happy New Year to ya..!! FC Steve
Thank you Mr Fortune Cookie! I don't know how many times I've looked through your videos over the year, To learn something new, to refresh my memory, To check out your style. Or to simply be entertained! Thanks for all you do! It is just now a new year here , while it is more than a couple of hours away for you! I'll tell ya you got something to look foreword to..... It's gonna be a good one! : ) Happy New Years my good friend!
I've used Teflon coatings for many years , It's not just for Chinese Woks and frying pans . Gettum'
Great video elvis.. Love revolver's and shooting cast bullets... Hate leading with a passion , but this is the ticket...Will
not powder coat my self but will purchase powder coated bullets .. Thanks
Missing powder coat could simply be the method of resizing the bullet after powder coating making the powder coat a little thinner over the driving bands
P.s. love your work Elvis
When you clean your guns, do you ever see powder coat remnants on the patches?
Also, what hardness could you recommend for .223 bullets? Brinnel?
No, the powder coat stays on the bullet even into impact. The barrel is actually cleaner after shooting powder coated bullets than shooting jacketed. All you have to do is wipe off the burnt powder to effectively get a clean bare barrel (minus the copper fouling from previous shots, as powder coated bullets luckily will not touch that.
The hardness of cast bullets you want will depend on the pressures/velocity you are shooting at. I don't test any of my lead for hardness. In my experience it does not matter, however I have relatively homogeneous soft lead as all my lead comes from jacketed bullets from the range.
Hey Elvis! Happy New Year! I love all your videos and now load exclusively pc bullets. Didn't know what we were missing. Thanks for all your knowledge and keep them coming.
hey Steel Punisher 69... glad you chimed in... it is contagious! thanks for watching! Happy New Year. .
is the coating abrasive resistant? up to what point?
You can run it in a vibratory tumbler and it won't come off, but your brass will shine up.
Good stuff Elvis, thank you🇺🇸
hey Way2go Rule. .. thanks for taking the time to comment! Happy New Year
Grate video and information thanks
I recently learned after casting several hundred high power 357 magnum loads with Book velocities of 1900 ft./sThat not all bullets are created equal. And my leg cast bullets will now have to be disassembled since their velocities Max out I’m guessing around 1300 ft./s
Guessing kinda sucks.
Man I have to tell you, you are one of the nicest people I have never met😀. Between yourself, FC45LC, JRB and many many more I have built great confidence in reloading. Thanks a ton my friend. So let me get this straight.....if I powder coat, I don't have to necessarily harden my alloy with linotype or use gas checks? I currently have a good stash of lead and cast some projectiles for 30-30 Win. that I haven't loaded or shot any yet. With the Lee hardness testing tools I have checked many and they seem to be on average of 10.4 to 11 bhn. What are your thoughts? Thanks, love all your videos, keep em' coming my friend.
Hey elvis I'm new to your channel, I've watched the videos from fourtunecookie45lc on powder coated bullets and now yours but I'm trying to get into the casting of my own bullets and do the powder coating mainly for pistol but I was curious on load data for these things do you use the same data for cast bullets when loading for powder coat. thanks elvis love your channel
hey grounds28. well, thanks for watching. ... for powdercoat bullets we tend to follow the data rules, more closely to fmj. but since there is no data. ( officially ) we should always work our loads up.. This is what we always do anyway! I don't tend to want hot loads for target practice anyway. ..less stress on brass and the firearms. I don't have any particular warning to give ya if you just follow those rules! happy loading and casting to ya my friend!
They are very pretty!! As a tradition person, I still don’t see any advantage. Let’s see some 50 yard groups smaller than regular cast bullets.