FC , just found a $5 small oven at goodwill and am going to start powder coating. Thanks for the video. I already have the Lee resizer die and am all set to go. Caliber is 357. Your videos got me into melting range scrap, casting with the Lee 6 cavity, alox lube application, and now powder coating.
Thanks my friend I've been a high volume shooter for many years. But ive started wanting to cast and powder coat some bullets for fun your videos are awesome
I lubed my powder coated bullets with Hornady case lube, because I had a few cans purchased from Cabela's with a gift card. Works fine. Bullets look the same after sizing as they did before, with the exception of the base being a little flatter than as-cast. I can push the bullets through the sizing die with a Lee hand press while watching TV in the living room.
Bullet lubricants both inhibit leading the bore, and also leave a film that softens black powder fouling, making it easier to shoot over and to clean out. Powder coating can be better for smokeless powder loads.
I’ve also found they are game changers for another reason, you can load very soft lead alloys or pure lead and push them to very high velocities. I cast soft lead in 125 gr. 357 and because the powder is bonded to the lead there’s no leading even over 1500 FPS. out of one of my lever actions.
I really love the LEE equipment. That's mainly what I use pretty much. I have the breechlock vise, awesome. Just getting into making my own 223 bullets with powdercoat.Thanks for the vids
James K. - Just imagine how it would be if Lee did not exist...With Lee's low cost, high value strategy with American production (no mean feat), shooters bought more powder, brass and bullets. There would have been far fewer reloaders out there and the entire shooting industry would have been much lessened. Because of Lee, many shooters entered into the wonderful world of reloading and more shooting was done - this increased the number of shooters and led to much more of a shooting economy that benefited many companies as well. In addition, the cast lead bullet returned to its rightful place with the shooters of America. Best of the new year to ya, FC
Thanks for your videos. This weekend I took the plunge and tried my hand at powder coating. I bought a $25 toaster oven from Walmart, and a $5 mesh basket from the same. I got red powder coat from Harbor Freight. While I got decent results from just dumping them on a pan lined with no-stick aluminum foil, I got best results setting them all nose up so no bullets touched. This is much faster and less mess than Lee Alox, which I had used previously.
Ballan Sheldon - Congrats on taking that first step on powder coating (PC) bullets. The no stick foil works best with rifle bullets that won't stand up on their bases readily. Otherwise, bullets standing on their bases on non stick gives great results. Please avoid the HF White and Black or if you do try that, don't buy much of the powder to begin as they give uneven results. The HF Red is very good and the HF Yellow is OK to good. Later on, you will want to try Eastwood, Prizmatic or Powder By The Pound. The Eastwood Ford Light Blue, Aqua Blue, Periwinkle Gray, all the blues and grays and greens give great results as you've seen in my other videos...You might check out my other videos as well as videos from Elvis Ammo, Johnny's Reloading Bench (JRB), Thorsaxe777, Loads of Bacon and Full Lead Taco (FLT) for other ideas - see what works best for you in your hands... And please stay in touch as you go... Best Regards, FC
So after you powder coat you resize them. Got that. What happens if the resizer takes some of the powde coat off? Does this happen often? Do you need to recoat them? And thanks again for another great instructional video.
I've also honed a couple of my lee sizers. about half of mine were making bullets under the labeled size by a few thou. I used 1200 grit sand paper rolled on a rod in a drill to make a flap hone, with a bit of oil and brought them up to spec in a few minutes each. They are noticably better polished inside too, which you can really feel if you size tumble lubed bullets.
-- That is pretty nasty to get sizers that don't size to specifications...My Lyman lubrisizer sizing dies are plenty accurate...All that means is that Lee is not replacing their cutters and wear is causing the smaller sizers. Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC Yeah. When I bought them, there was a run on pretty much anything firearm related, and Lee was far into backorder. Easier to hone them up to spec than wait potentially months for one. On the other hand, it could be that the dies were trying to allow for spring back. I trued them to the stated diameter by measuring slugged bullets, rather than mic the bore. Although IIRC that came out to the same, so spring back is negligible.
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 have been powder coating for a while and I would like very much to skip the Alox lubing operation. Is there a video comparing velocity and leading with and without lubing powder coated bullets? Enjoy your videos very much.
Thanks for all of the great videos. I’ve been casting slugs for a while and just started casting bullets, which I plan to powdercoat and use in subsonic loads. The cast surface quality varies from pristine to what I’ll call light frosting from cast to cast. Since these will be powder coated, I’m wondering if slight surface imperfections should be overlooked or whether I should give into my perfectionist tendencies and maintain my high cull rate?
am wanting to shoot a powder coated bullet thru my AR10, The mold I will be using produces a traditional lube groove design with the gas check on the bottom. If I powder coat them, I won't put the gas checks on. Do you think this will have a great adverse effect on the round. Also, If I did install the gas checks and size them, do I do that before or after I powder coat them?
carstensxdm45 - You can indeed try the loads without the GCs to see what kind of accuracy you get...Otherwise the gas checks can be put on after the PC at the same time you size the PC bullets. Most rifle shooters go with the gas checks... Best Regards, FC
FortuneCookie45LC, How well do powder coated bullets made in a GC mold shoot without a gas check? Or should you only cast PB bullets if you want powder coated bullets without gas check? I've heard lubed GC bullets without the gas check don't shoot as well as the PB version. Perhaps powder coat changes that?
FortuneCookie45LC, I'm set up for the Lee .338 gas check cast bullet for a moderate-power .338 RCM. I want to powder coat before I apply the gas check. What brand/type of powder coat and what color do you recommend? Those red ones look great, i was wondering if any particular powder coat works better. Super appreciated, and keep up the good work!
I thought I heard you say before that tumble lube castings don't need resizing and tear up the lube risers or was that for non-coated? I having been itching to get into this hobby and trying to figure out a game plan
M.Azam Khan - Thanks for your good question. Here is a link to the Lee website - go to the catalog under 7mm for the Lee mold you might like: leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/rifle-bullet-molds/ Best to ya, FC
Great video going to try powder coating for the first time. I'm starting off with bullets sizes .452 for my smith and wesson 460XVR hope they turn out -thanks for the great videos, cheers from Canada :)
EXCELLENT VIDEO! You always do a great job of answering so many questions in your videos. I am a hobby reloader and I am learning everyday. Any chance you could make a video concerning powdercoated bullet sizing using the new Lee App press?
A question FC45, now that you powder coat your bullets and with the powder coating melting and filling in small imperfections do you find that you will let some blems pass that would have gone back into the pot before you powder coated?? Wrinkles, a lube grove that might not be as defined as you would have liked?? Thanks for your time and work.
ruiz212 - Here is the criteria on rejecting defects on our cast bullets...If the defect is a spot defect and not very deep, we can still shoot those...If the defect goes across two driving bands, it should be rejected. And when we have a big pile of bullets, if we intend to do some accurate shooting, we need to sort out the very best ones and then weigh them - if within 1 grain + and -, we can shoot them as the best of the batch. The minor defect ones can go for plinking and recreation shooting.... It's so easy to cast bullets that trying to save as many rejects as possible is not good policy...however, rejects make good bullets to do my thumbnail hardness testing as well as use for fouling shots and for zeroing. Have a great day, FC
I was telling you in another video how I have the .270 Winchester mold from Lee. It does the 135 grain bullet for use with a gas check. I see where you mentioned to another comment that the gas check isn't necessary but since I paid 30.00 for a 1,000 hornady gas checks, I want to get them used up. So how do I go about powder coating my 270's but then still be able to apply the gas check after they have been powder coated? Can the gas check be applied before the powder coating process and then just run the bullets through the bullet sizing die after the powder coating has been baked onto them in the oven?
Hi Master of the Hot Lead Zone! I finnaly made my first batch of powder coat today, I got about 10% bad (huge mistake of don't read the maximum temperature of the baking paper). can I remelt them again? what happens with that paint? floats on top of the casting pot and I can skim it? it mixed with the lead?
Hello my dear friend, time without consulting you. I started in the world of painting my tips for IPSC practices. I have a Lyman mold of 175 gr for size 40, I rectify them, I paint them with the Eastwood and when I am going to rectify them again the paint removes the die from the sizer that I have it in the diameter of .401 ". this cartridge holds diameters up to .402 "; .403 "and after painted they do not reach the .402 diameter". I ask you is it necessary after painting the tips to re-rectify them? I wait for your help. Greetings from Venezuela, friend. Sincerely, Edgar Croce.
270WeaMag - Hello, how have you been? Your 40 cal will shoot fine at .401” - .402”. If you have that, no need to size them any further. If they powder coat out to .403”, you might size ‘em to .401” if they don’t shoot well. Good shootin’ to ya...FC Steve
Good morning Steve, thank you very much for your response. With the cartridge 40 S & W you have to be very careful with your recharge, it is a critical cartridge, but if your protocol is respected there will be no problems. Greetings dear friend.
I slugged my 9mm barrel, .356. My Lee 356-120 TC mold drops .358 bullets. I plan to powder coat. I think my final size before loading should be .357 - .358. Is that about right?
-- Roger Jackson - I've always thought that the ideal 9mm barrel would be a .356" Then if .355" jacketed bullets are shot - they will just cleanly slug up and shoot fine. Any .358" hard cast bullet would be suitable as long as it fed OK. After you PC those nice TC bullets, .358" sizing will make them great for your 9mm and also any 38/357s in the vicinity. Or you could take those bullets as they drop, 45/45/10 'em and shoot the daylights out of 'em - no sizing needed (even if they are not perfectly round, they will shoot just fine- your guns will be the final sizing dies). Good shootin' to ya, FC.
FC45LC Funny you put this video out today being today is the day day that I shot my first IDPA match with my cast 125gn 9mm bullets that are powder coated. And guess what? They ran great and I have ZERO leading! Zip. Next up will be PC 255gn Lyman Keith style bullets out of a Smith and Wesson model 629 5" classic. Now obviously Ill be able to adjust velocities alot more with that gun but non the less I feel pretty comfortable jumping in. Thanks for your videos and sharing all your knowledge.
-- That's what PC bullets are all about and why the popularity is growing. Sure we may be getting a hair less accuracy at distance, but some report better accuracy with PC. Let's call the accuracy department even for handgun shooting. The other advantages are major. Thanks for posting, and Good shootin' to ya, FC
-- You won't find any - when companies like Lee, RCBS, Lyman, SAECO, NOE start making molds without grease grooves specifically for powder coating, then powder coating will have arrived. And if you want Lee to make you some custom molds, there will be special mold charges. One idea would be to get together with other casters for a group mold purchase, - like Cast Boolits. There may be enough of 'em interested to make the Lee break off rate. I asked Andy Lee once if he was going to come out with some powder coat molds and he said he didn't think they would sell enough to warrant putting them into the catalog. Best Regards, FC
Three years to late maybe but look up M&p molds, they are out of Slovenia. Free shipping to the US, VERY nice molds and they have a couple of options for no lube grove 9mm bullets.
hi I just got the lee TL430-240-SWC mold what do you do win you have birds on your mold, lee tries to over push the cutting bit, I was never good on deburring parts, I have a hammer?
Michael johnston - You have to do the Exacto knife thing - and magnification loops helps to see the fine work you are doing...try to removed as little as possible to get rid of the burr - no wholesale removal of aluminum is required. Best to ya, FC
thanks I need to order some exacto blade in the stores around here there are $20 and there is that 9/11 thing with BOX cutter the cashier what to see my driver license.
Michael johnston - a single edge razor blade can also be used, but it's not as handy...And the blades on the box cutters are a bit imprecise. And that magnification really helps... Best to ya, FC
-- It's like PC bullets and Lee sizers were made for each other - now if we can only get Lee to see the sizers without that bottle of Alox... Best to ya, FC
what kind of wax do you use on the green resizer? I have a similar one and I like to use it, I just need a wax recipe? I made some powder coated candies but I prefer with wax.
Hi Fortune Cookie, I've had my ingredients, and oven (OK, ya got me, 3 ovens) for a while. I cast some .358's yesterday, and decided to do some baking today. I used my fancy $10.00 convection oven. Wow! These came out great! Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to slam them into a steel plate.
Steven Rogers - Thanks to SAAMI, we can almost be certain that .452" will do very nicely for 45 ACP whether for auto pistol or revolver... Good shootin' to ya, FC
fortunecookie45lc, That's exactly how I've been powder coating and sizing my bullets ever since I learned how to do it from you. I finally got my problem fixed with uneven powder coating and having to coat 3 or 4 times, first I heat the bullets at 240 degrees for 15 minutes, then I run them through the vibratory tumbler for 1/2 hour, then bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I do that once or twice as needed and they turn out perfect every time. Thank you very much for all your help! Good shooting to ya!
+jungblud59 --Appreciate you taking the time to post this -- Powder coaters are now pushing the envelope and when everything gets compiled, we are going to have a huge bank of information and techniques - Good work on getting the results you want... Best Regards, FC
I hope you have had better luck since posting this, but if not...keep trying. You should be able to get a system down to where you can literally shake your tub for less than a minute and have a perfect coat, no pre heating, no tumbler, no second coat. A couple dozen steel, brass, or plastic BBs in the right plastic container with the right powder and it'll coat them almost instantly. If one tub doesn't work, try a different type of plastic. The tub can change the static buildup and give a poor coat. Eastwood ford light blue, powder by the pound durable wet black, and harbor freight red are powders I know for sure will work using this method. Hopefully that saves you some time if you are still preheating and tumbling for 20 min... I used to do all that too until I found the right plastic tubs and added the BBs.
Thanks for the video! I'm getting ready to try the powder costing method but first wanted to know if you have done a hardness test on your bullets before heating them in the 400 degree oven and then after you take them out of the oven. I noticed that my 16 BHN bullets dropped a couple points after having baked them in the oven. Has anyone tried water quenching the bullets after they have been powder coated and what are the pros and cons of doing it?
Jouney4Sure Knowledge-N-Wisdom - The thought is that if the bullets are PC, the heat cycle removes what was gained by water quenching the bullets at casting. My thumbnail test doesn't pick up any BHN difference between the bullets before and after PC. Since you are finding 2 BHN points difference, you can definitely do the water quench out of the oven if desired. I've done that, and there is more drying to be done of the cast bullets adding effort, but that's the only con that comes up... Best Regards, FC
-- That's a great price - drat just ordered a sizer from Midway USA $27... Drat!! Oh well, that's the way it goes...gotta go check out MidSouth Shooters Supply... Thanks for the post - FC
FortuneCookie45LC Do you quench Before or after the Powder Coating. alot of info out on the Internet debating the oven cooking the Power, will soften your lead, so some people quench after PC
Rangemosley7 - When bullets are cast and water quenched immediately, the starting temp is roughly 675 degrees. The oven baked PC bullets are at 400. I have quenched the PC bullets, and I have not quenched - the bullets all shoot the same in handguns...haven't done enough with rifle yet. Probably need to do a video on water quench PC vs no water quench PC... Best to ya, FC
Nucc's Garage - the PC has lubricity so that no lube is needed. However, a reloader can still add lube to the grooves if desired. This is the same as putting some lube on brass even though carbide dies don't need any lube there. Reloaders can do anything they want within the realm of safety. Best to ya, FC
Nucc's Garage - Thanks for your questions...all cast bullets need to be either lubed ( either by lube in the grooves or tumble lubed with liquid alox or 45/45/10 system) or powder coated. If powder coated, no other lube is required, but could be done if desired - most do not. Jacketed or plated bullets do not need lubrication, but could be done if desired-most do not. Best to ya, FC
Powder coated bullets have a tendency to wear out your barrel faster than normal. You can get Palmer coated bullets which preserves the barrel more than plain lead and are a much better choice for your handgun they are also very accurate. They also almost exclusively eliminate barrel fouling and smoke.
Nucc's Garage - Sorry for the delay reply - Whenever Google does not post a comment in my inbox, I won't see it to reply for months...Sizing is only needed 1) when bullets are too large to function or load into ammo or 2) when the reloader wants his / her bullets to be more consistent in relation to the dimensions of the gun. I have shot bullets without sizing to good effect. With powder coated bullets, the PC adds some thickness to the finished bullets often causing the reloader to want to size them - and PC bullets size very well not needing any lube to do that... Best to ya, FC
I've been looking into powder coating (and other methods). Originally, I was interested in powder coating then I talked to a materials engineer who expressed concerned about some of the abrasive materials in the powder and micro sanding of the barrel.
MNP67 - Increased barrel wear is a killer for any coating - that's what killed boron hex - nitride (Hornady calls their carbide dies nitride - hard). If barrels were wearing from PC, the word would get out very quickly. Turns out, there are some powders that do have abrasives...we don't want to use those. Someday, we will have a list of PC to use or not to use... Best to ya, FC
Nicolas - Lee did not make that as easy to do on the Loadmaster - reason is that avoidance of double charges is important. The 4 hole Turret is safer without the auto indexing because only one case is being handled at a time... Best to ya, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya..!! FC
Disabling the indexing on the LLM is easy, just flip the index rod upside down. Although if you have an LLM, get a single stage press or a classic turret, it is worth it to have a second press. Makes having the dies to fix errors or load small batch stuff much easier.
Nicolas - Couldn't agree with PineyJustice more - The Lee LoadMaster is a fine machine - takes tweaking at times, but once the quirks are handled, some good business can be done. As such, leaving it set up for mass production is the best way to go... Having a single stage handy is well worth the $70-$110 (or more depending on the manufacturer). We reloaders can always find chores to do with a single stage press. But if precision shooting is in your future, get a Forster Co-Ax. Best to ya, FC
lee makes there Bullet Mold 427 429 430 diameter I use a 429 powder coat and size with a lees 430 die 44 mag, Thanks, you-tube videos been real helpful
-- That's a very good size (.430) for most of our 44s. We run into some that need bigger bullets though - like the micro groove Marlin 1894s. .432" works for many of them, but mine needs .433s Best to ya, FC
Edad Martin - We can come close with the Star lubri-sizer or we could rig up something with the Lee size kits...but it's going to be a real trick - might be expensive also...Best Regards to ya, FC
Zoes Dada - Copper plating requires a lot of gear and chemicals, storage and hazardous waste, plus the expensive copper. With PC, there is minimal investment in equipment and supplies. Plus, no waste to deal with. There aren't many doing their own copper plating, but tons of shooters doing PC. Have a great day, FC Steve
You'd be hard pressed to find another TH-cam video that has the word "lube" said in it as many times as this one did, without involving vastly different subject matter.
joe orefice - great question - materials you will need 1) cast bullets no oils or lubes present 2) powder for powder coating - available on-line from a number of sources or a good workable powder is available from Harbor Freight for cheap - the red color is the absolute best to begin 3) toaster oven with timer and heat control to at least 400 degrees - $20 from WalMart. 4) used Cool-Whip container or similar to tumble bullets. That's it - watch the videos on powder coating with regular hand tumbling (there are several in the Hot Lead Zone), and if you run into trouble getting the powder to stick, you can give the Elvis Ammo 4/140 method a try - If you need to size the bullets afterwards, you can use your Lee sizing kits that you probably already have - and no lubes will be required. Best to ya, FC
FC , just found a $5 small oven at goodwill and am going to start powder coating. Thanks for the video. I already have the Lee resizer die and am all set to go. Caliber is 357. Your videos got me into melting range scrap, casting with the Lee 6 cavity, alox lube application, and now powder coating.
Thanks my friend I've been a high volume shooter for many years. But ive started wanting to cast and powder coat some bullets for fun your videos are awesome
I lubed my powder coated bullets with Hornady case lube, because I had a few cans purchased from Cabela's with a gift card. Works fine. Bullets look the same after sizing as they did before, with the exception of the base being a little flatter than as-cast. I can push the bullets through the sizing die with a Lee hand press while watching TV in the living room.
I am using the same method with my powder coated 9mm loads. It is working great for me!
-- Like I was replying to TRprepper, it's like the Lee sizers and PC bullets were matches made in heaven... Best to ya, FC
So do you lube powder coated bullets as you size them or just send them through?
Bullet lubricants both inhibit leading the bore, and also leave a film that softens black powder fouling, making it easier to shoot over and to clean out. Powder coating can be better for smokeless powder loads.
I’ve also found they are game changers for another reason, you can load very soft lead alloys or pure lead and push them to very high velocities. I cast soft lead in 125 gr. 357 and because the powder is bonded to the lead there’s no leading even over 1500 FPS. out of one of my lever actions.
Exactly what I wanted to know, the first video searched! Thank you!
I really love the LEE equipment. That's mainly what I use pretty much. I have the breechlock vise, awesome. Just getting into making my own 223 bullets with powdercoat.Thanks for the vids
James K. - Just imagine how it would be if Lee did not exist...With Lee's low cost, high value strategy with American production (no mean feat), shooters bought more powder, brass and bullets. There would have been far fewer reloaders out there and the entire shooting industry would have been much lessened. Because of Lee, many shooters entered into the wonderful world of reloading and more shooting was done - this increased the number of shooters and led to much more of a shooting economy that benefited many companies as well. In addition, the cast lead bullet returned to its rightful place with the shooters of America. Best of the new year to ya, FC
Thanks for your videos. This weekend I took the plunge and tried my hand at powder coating. I bought a $25 toaster oven from Walmart, and a $5 mesh basket from the same. I got red powder coat from Harbor Freight. While I got decent results from just dumping them on a pan lined with no-stick aluminum foil, I got best results setting them all nose up so no bullets touched. This is much faster and less mess than Lee Alox, which I had used previously.
Ballan Sheldon - Congrats on taking that first step on powder coating (PC) bullets. The no stick foil works best with rifle bullets that won't stand up on their bases readily. Otherwise, bullets standing on their bases on non stick gives great results. Please avoid the HF White and Black or if you do try that, don't buy much of the powder to begin as they give uneven results. The HF Red is very good and the HF Yellow is OK to good. Later on, you will want to try Eastwood, Prizmatic or Powder By The Pound. The Eastwood Ford Light Blue, Aqua Blue, Periwinkle Gray, all the blues and grays and greens give great results as you've seen in my other videos...You might check out my other videos as well as videos from Elvis Ammo, Johnny's Reloading Bench (JRB), Thorsaxe777, Loads of Bacon and Full Lead Taco (FLT) for other ideas - see what works best for you in your hands... And please stay in touch as you go... Best Regards, FC
FortuneCookie45LC If the bullets are stood up on end, what about the bullet bases not getting coated? Does that affect anything negatively? Thanks.
So after you powder coat you resize them. Got that. What happens if the resizer takes some of the powde coat off? Does this happen often? Do you need to recoat them?
And thanks again for another great instructional video.
Thank you. Just found your videos and learning a lot.
I like to powder coat and use the lee sizing dies. AND use some lapping compound to re-size the lee die/sizer to preferred size
I've also honed a couple of my lee sizers. about half of mine were making bullets under the labeled size by a few thou. I used 1200 grit sand paper rolled on a rod in a drill to make a flap hone, with a bit of oil and brought them up to spec in a few minutes each. They are noticably better polished inside too, which you can really feel if you size tumble lubed bullets.
-- That is pretty nasty to get sizers that don't size to specifications...My Lyman lubrisizer sizing dies are plenty accurate...All that means is that Lee is not replacing their cutters and wear is causing the smaller sizers. Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC Yeah. When I bought them, there was a run on pretty much anything firearm related, and Lee was far into backorder. Easier to hone them up to spec than wait potentially months for one.
On the other hand, it could be that the dies were trying to allow for spring back. I trued them to the stated diameter by measuring slugged bullets, rather than mic the bore. Although IIRC that came out to the same, so spring back is negligible.
-- Looks like we have to fiddle with almost everything to get desired performance...But that's OK as long as we can get there...Best to ya, FC
Pehaps we *get* to fiddle with everything. Best performance is a reward to the few who make it.
--Sounds like the makings of a great video from the GunFun ZS - "Valuable and Commonly Encountered Reloading Modifications" Have a great day, FC Steve
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 have been powder coating for a while and I would like very much to skip the Alox lubing operation. Is there a video comparing velocity and leading with and without lubing powder coated bullets? Enjoy your videos very much.
Thanks for all of the great videos. I’ve been casting slugs for a while and just started casting bullets, which I plan to powdercoat and use in subsonic loads. The cast surface quality varies from pristine to what I’ll call light frosting from cast to cast. Since these will be powder coated, I’m wondering if slight surface imperfections should be overlooked or whether I should give into my perfectionist tendencies and maintain my high cull rate?
Most important part is the base of the bullet. Let your perfectionist tendencies run wild there.
am wanting to shoot a powder coated bullet thru my AR10, The mold I will be using produces a traditional lube groove design with the gas check on the bottom. If I powder coat them, I won't put the gas checks on. Do you think this will have a great adverse effect on the round. Also, If I did install the gas checks and size them, do I do that before or after I powder coat them?
carstensxdm45 - You can indeed try the loads without the GCs to see what kind of accuracy you get...Otherwise the gas checks can be put on after the PC at the same time you size the PC bullets. Most rifle shooters go with the gas checks... Best Regards, FC
FortuneCookie45LC, How well do powder coated bullets made in a GC mold shoot without a gas check? Or should you only cast PB bullets if you want powder coated bullets without gas check? I've heard lubed GC bullets without the gas check don't shoot as well as the PB version. Perhaps powder coat changes that?
Which powder will give a bright red color and also give excellent coverage? Is there a powder that will give a good copper color and also coat well?
FortuneCookie45LC, I'm set up for the Lee .338 gas check cast bullet for a moderate-power .338 RCM. I want to powder coat before I apply the gas check. What brand/type of powder coat and what color do you recommend? Those red ones look great, i was wondering if any particular powder coat works better. Super appreciated, and keep up the good work!
I thought I heard you say before that tumble lube castings don't need resizing and tear up the lube risers or was that for non-coated? I having been itching to get into this hobby and trying to figure out a game plan
I'm relatively new to casting, could you please tell me which mold can i use to cast 7x57mm bullets?
M.Azam Khan - Thanks for your good question. Here is a link to the Lee website - go to the catalog under 7mm for the Lee mold you might like: leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/rifle-bullet-molds/ Best to ya, FC
Very informative.
Great video going to try powder coating for the first time. I'm starting off with bullets sizes .452 for my smith and wesson 460XVR hope they turn out
-thanks for the great videos, cheers from Canada :)
Curious what you are casting for the 460? I am looking to start casting for 460. Mainly looking for bear load
Do you sell powder coated bullets to reloaders in 357 mag an in what grains
EXCELLENT VIDEO! You always do a great job of answering so many questions in your videos. I am a hobby reloader and I am learning everyday. Any chance you could make a video concerning powdercoated bullet sizing using the new Lee App press?
A question FC45, now that you powder coat your bullets and with the powder coating melting and filling in small imperfections do you find that you will let some blems pass that would have gone back into the pot before you powder coated?? Wrinkles, a lube grove that might not be as defined as you would have liked?? Thanks for your time and work.
ruiz212 - Here is the criteria on rejecting defects on our cast bullets...If the defect is a spot defect and not very deep, we can still shoot those...If the defect goes across two driving bands, it should be rejected. And when we have a big pile of bullets, if we intend to do some accurate shooting, we need to sort out the very best ones and then weigh them - if within 1 grain + and -, we can shoot them as the best of the batch. The minor defect ones can go for plinking and recreation shooting.... It's so easy to cast bullets that trying to save as many rejects as possible is not good policy...however, rejects make good bullets to do my thumbnail hardness testing as well as use for fouling shots and for zeroing. Have a great day, FC
Very informative thanks
I was telling you in another video how I have the .270 Winchester mold from Lee. It does the 135 grain bullet for use with a gas check. I see where you mentioned to another comment that the gas check isn't necessary but since I paid 30.00 for a 1,000 hornady gas checks, I want to get them used up. So how do I go about powder coating my 270's but then still be able to apply the gas check after they have been powder coated? Can the gas check be applied before the powder coating process and then just run the bullets through the bullet sizing die after the powder coating has been baked onto them in the oven?
Most helpful! Thank you
Aaronb2245 - And thanks to you for posting comment...Have a great day, FC Steve
Hello,
I have a question. When people speak on percentage in lead alloy, is it by mass or volume?
Thanks.
(double post)
I've always done it by weight, volume would be less accurate I think
+Savio Strawn Thanks.
B0obJunior - Yes on the weight...good castin' to ya, FC
Does the powder coating come off the bullet when sizing?
Hi Master of the Hot Lead Zone! I finnaly made my first batch of powder coat today, I got about 10% bad (huge mistake of don't read the maximum temperature of the baking paper). can I remelt them again? what happens with that paint? floats on top of the casting pot and I can skim it? it mixed with the lead?
peels off and floats.... skim as usual
Hello my dear friend, time without consulting you. I started in the world of painting my tips for IPSC practices. I have a Lyman mold of 175 gr for size 40, I rectify them, I paint them with the Eastwood and when I am going to rectify them again the paint removes the die from the sizer that I have it in the diameter of .401 ". this cartridge holds diameters up to .402 "; .403 "and after painted they do not reach the .402 diameter". I ask you is it necessary after painting the tips to re-rectify them? I wait for your help. Greetings from Venezuela, friend. Sincerely, Edgar Croce.
270WeaMag - Hello, how have you been? Your 40 cal will shoot fine at .401” - .402”. If you have that, no need to size them any further. If they powder coat out to .403”, you might size ‘em to .401” if they don’t shoot well. Good shootin’ to ya...FC Steve
Good morning Steve, thank you very much for your response. With the cartridge 40 S & W you have to be very careful with your recharge, it is a critical cartridge, but if your protocol is respected there will be no problems. Greetings dear friend.
I slugged my 9mm barrel, .356. My Lee 356-120 TC mold drops .358 bullets. I plan to powder coat. I think my final size before loading should be .357 - .358. Is that about right?
-- Roger Jackson - I've always thought that the ideal 9mm barrel would be a .356" Then if .355" jacketed bullets are shot - they will just cleanly slug up and shoot fine. Any .358" hard cast bullet would be suitable as long as it fed OK. After you PC those nice TC bullets, .358" sizing will make them great for your 9mm and also any 38/357s in the vicinity. Or you could take those bullets as they drop, 45/45/10 'em and shoot the daylights out of 'em - no sizing needed (even if they are not perfectly round, they will shoot just fine- your guns will be the final sizing dies). Good shootin' to ya, FC.
FC45LC Funny you put this video out today being today is the day day that I shot my first IDPA match with my cast 125gn 9mm bullets that are powder coated. And guess what? They ran great and I have ZERO leading! Zip. Next up will be PC 255gn Lyman Keith style bullets out of a Smith and Wesson model 629 5" classic. Now obviously Ill be able to adjust velocities alot more with that gun but non the less I feel pretty comfortable jumping in. Thanks for your videos and sharing all your knowledge.
-- That's what PC bullets are all about and why the popularity is growing. Sure we may be getting a hair less accuracy at distance, but some report better accuracy with PC. Let's call the accuracy department even for handgun shooting. The other advantages are major. Thanks for posting, and Good shootin' to ya, FC
Have a hard time finding good No Lube Grove 9mm 125gr cast molds. Any ideas?
-- You won't find any - when companies like Lee, RCBS, Lyman, SAECO, NOE start making molds without grease grooves specifically for powder coating, then powder coating will have arrived. And if you want Lee to make you some custom molds, there will be special mold charges. One idea would be to get together with other casters for a group mold purchase, - like Cast Boolits. There may be enough of 'em interested to make the Lee break off rate. I asked Andy Lee once if he was going to come out with some powder coat molds and he said he didn't think they would sell enough to warrant putting them into the catalog. Best Regards, FC
Three years to late maybe but look up M&p molds, they are out of Slovenia. Free shipping to the US, VERY nice molds and they have a couple of options for no lube grove 9mm bullets.
Is coated bullets better than fmj? And why?
hi I just got the lee TL430-240-SWC mold what do you do win you have birds on your mold, lee tries to over push the cutting bit, I was never good on deburring parts, I have a hammer?
Michael johnston - You have to do the Exacto knife thing - and magnification loops helps to see the fine work you are doing...try to removed as little as possible to get rid of the burr - no wholesale removal of aluminum is required. Best to ya, FC
thanks I need to order some exacto blade in the stores around here there are $20 and there is that 9/11 thing with BOX cutter the cashier what to see my driver license.
Michael johnston - a single edge razor blade can also be used, but it's not as handy...And the blades on the box cutters are a bit imprecise. And that magnification really helps... Best to ya, FC
thats for the help, took bout 200 bullets to break in the mold, I cast 500 very good filled out bullets.
Michael johnston - Well done - that's a good pile of bullets..!! Best to ya, FC
Yep the Lee sizers have all I have ever used and the powder coated bullets are slick and slide right through.
-- It's like PC bullets and Lee sizers were made for each other - now if we can only get Lee to see the sizers without that bottle of Alox... Best to ya, FC
what kind of wax do you use on the green resizer? I have a similar one and I like to use it, I just need a wax recipe? I made some powder coated candies but I prefer with wax.
Hi Fortune Cookie,
I've had my ingredients, and oven (OK, ya got me, 3 ovens) for a while. I cast some .358's yesterday, and decided to do some baking today. I used my fancy $10.00 convection oven. Wow! These came out great! Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to slam them into a steel plate.
Tried the lee lubersizer was very disappointed. Tried many lubes and cleaned it several times use all kinds of tricks with no luck.
Can this be used in a Hornady lock n load single stage press?
What should I size my bullets to if I am power coating for 45 ACP?
Steven Rogers - Thanks to SAAMI, we can almost be certain that .452" will do very nicely for 45 ACP whether for auto pistol or revolver... Good shootin' to ya, FC
Good Stuff FC !!!
fortunecookie45lc,
That's exactly how I've been powder coating and sizing my bullets ever since I learned how to do it from you. I finally got my problem fixed with uneven powder coating and having to coat 3 or 4 times, first I heat the bullets at 240 degrees for 15 minutes, then I run them through the vibratory tumbler for 1/2 hour, then bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I do that once or twice as needed and they turn out perfect every time. Thank you very much for all your help! Good shooting to ya!
+jungblud59 --Appreciate you taking the time to post this -- Powder coaters are now pushing the envelope and when everything gets compiled, we are going to have a huge bank of information and techniques - Good work on getting the results you want... Best Regards, FC
I hope you have had better luck since posting this, but if not...keep trying. You should be able to get a system down to where you can literally shake your tub for less than a minute and have a perfect coat, no pre heating, no tumbler, no second coat.
A couple dozen steel, brass, or plastic BBs in the right plastic container with the right powder and it'll coat them almost instantly. If one tub doesn't work, try a different type of plastic. The tub can change the static buildup and give a poor coat. Eastwood ford light blue, powder by the pound durable wet black, and harbor freight red are powders I know for sure will work using this method.
Hopefully that saves you some time if you are still preheating and tumbling for 20 min... I used to do all that too until I found the right plastic tubs and added the BBs.
Thanks for the video! I'm getting ready to try the powder costing method but first wanted to know if you have done a hardness test on your bullets before heating them in the 400 degree oven and then after you take them out of the oven. I noticed that my 16 BHN bullets dropped a couple points after having baked them in the oven. Has anyone tried water quenching the bullets after they have been powder coated and what are the pros and cons of doing it?
Jouney4Sure Knowledge-N-Wisdom - The thought is that if the bullets are PC, the heat cycle removes what was gained by water quenching the bullets at casting. My thumbnail test doesn't pick up any BHN difference between the bullets before and after PC. Since you are finding 2 BHN points difference, you can definitely do the water quench out of the oven if desired. I've done that, and there is more drying to be done of the cast bullets adding effort, but that's the only con that comes up... Best Regards, FC
MidSouth Shooters sell the lee push through sizers for $21
-- That's a great price - drat just ordered a sizer from Midway USA $27... Drat!! Oh well, that's the way it goes...gotta go check out MidSouth Shooters Supply... Thanks for the post - FC
FortuneCookie45LC
Do you quench Before or after the Powder Coating. alot of info out on the Internet debating the oven cooking the Power, will soften your lead, so some people quench after PC
Rangemosley7 - When bullets are cast and water quenched immediately, the starting temp is roughly 675 degrees. The oven baked PC bullets are at 400. I have quenched the PC bullets, and I have not quenched - the bullets all shoot the same in handguns...haven't done enough with rifle yet. Probably need to do a video on water quench PC vs no water quench PC... Best to ya, FC
Are any GLOW IN DARK powder coats available?
lol... awesome idea! ... add a little glow powder.....
do you have to lubricate cast lead bullets? why lubricate?
Nucc's Garage - the PC has lubricity so that no lube is needed. However, a reloader can still add lube to the grooves if desired. This is the same as putting some lube on brass even though carbide dies don't need any lube there. Reloaders can do anything they want within the realm of safety. Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC okay now that you are responding. how necessary is it to lube non coated lead bullets?
Nucc's Garage - Thanks for your questions...all cast bullets need to be either lubed ( either by lube in the grooves or tumble lubed with liquid alox or 45/45/10 system) or powder coated. If powder coated, no other lube is required, but could be done if desired - most do not. Jacketed or plated bullets do not need lubrication, but could be done if desired-most do not. Best to ya, FC
Powder coated bullets have a tendency to wear out your barrel faster than normal. You can get Palmer coated bullets which preserves the barrel more than plain lead and are a much better choice for your handgun they are also very accurate. They also almost exclusively eliminate barrel fouling and smoke.
So you don’t have to use cash checks no more?
is resizing the bullet really that necessary?
Nucc's Garage - Sorry for the delay reply - Whenever Google does not post a comment in my inbox, I won't see it to reply for months...Sizing is only needed 1) when bullets are too large to function or load into ammo or 2) when the reloader wants his / her bullets to be more consistent in relation to the dimensions of the gun. I have shot bullets without sizing to good effect. With powder coated bullets, the PC adds some thickness to the finished bullets often causing the reloader to want to size them - and PC bullets size very well not needing any lube to do that... Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC thanks brother
I've been looking into powder coating (and other methods). Originally, I was interested in powder coating then I talked to a materials engineer who expressed concerned about some of the abrasive materials in the powder and micro sanding of the barrel.
MNP67 - Increased barrel wear is a killer for any coating - that's what killed boron hex - nitride (Hornady calls their carbide dies nitride - hard). If barrels were wearing from PC, the word would get out very quickly. Turns out, there are some powders that do have abrasives...we don't want to use those. Someday, we will have a list of PC to use or not to use... Best to ya, FC
Can I do this with the LLM ? I mean disabeling the auto indexing rod..
Nicolas - Lee did not make that as easy to do on the Loadmaster - reason is that avoidance of double charges is important. The 4 hole Turret is safer without the auto indexing because only one case is being handled at a time... Best to ya, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya..!! FC
FortuneCookie45LC
Thank you and merry christmas to you too !
Disabling the indexing on the LLM is easy, just flip the index rod upside down.
Although if you have an LLM, get a single stage press or a classic turret, it is worth it to have a second press.
Makes having the dies to fix errors or load small batch stuff much easier.
Nicolas - Couldn't agree with PineyJustice more - The Lee LoadMaster is a fine machine - takes tweaking at times, but once the quirks are handled, some good business can be done. As such, leaving it set up for mass production is the best way to go... Having a single stage handy is well worth the $70-$110 (or more depending on the manufacturer). We reloaders can always find chores to do with a single stage press. But if precision shooting is in your future, get a Forster Co-Ax. Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC
Thank you, yes I will by a single Lee press too.
Lipstick bullets ftw
XvREByrd3vX - It's like the song If Ever I Would Leave You from Camelot ".....your lips red as flame..." She powder coated her lips..!! Best to ya, FC
lee makes there Bullet Mold 427 429 430 diameter I use a 429 powder coat and size with a lees 430 die 44 mag, Thanks, you-tube videos been real helpful
-- That's a very good size (.430) for most of our 44s. We run into some that need bigger bullets though - like the micro groove Marlin 1894s. .432" works for many of them, but mine needs .433s Best to ya, FC
Now how can we automate this step?
Edad Martin - We can come close with the Star lubri-sizer or we could rig up something with the Lee size kits...but it's going to be a real trick - might be expensive also...Best Regards to ya, FC
Why not just copper plate your bullets? I don't think it's very difficult.
Zoes Dada - Copper plating requires a lot of gear and chemicals, storage and hazardous waste, plus the expensive copper. With PC, there is minimal investment in equipment and supplies. Plus, no waste to deal with. There aren't many doing their own copper plating, but tons of shooters doing PC. Have a great day, FC Steve
No I got rid of my lyman luber
You'd be hard pressed to find another TH-cam video that has the word "lube" said in it as many times as this one did, without involving vastly different subject matter.
where can you purchase powder coating
joe orefice - great question - materials you will need 1) cast bullets no oils or lubes present 2) powder for powder coating - available on-line from a number of sources or a good workable powder is available from Harbor Freight for cheap - the red color is the absolute best to begin 3) toaster oven with timer and heat control to at least 400 degrees - $20 from WalMart. 4) used Cool-Whip container or similar to tumble bullets. That's it - watch the videos on powder coating with regular hand tumbling (there are several in the Hot Lead Zone), and if you run into trouble getting the powder to stick, you can give the Elvis Ammo 4/140 method a try - If you need to size the bullets afterwards, you can use your Lee sizing kits that you probably already have - and no lubes will be required. Best to ya, FC