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Old February 11, 2016, 02:08 AM   #1
chris in va
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Coupla powdercoat questions

I'm going to try powdercoating soon, mostly 45acp and 7.62x39.

1. Should I resize again after powdercoating?

2. I'm currently using gas checks and running about 1600fps. Can I ditch the checks? Will the coating clog a gas port?

3. The x39 bullet won't stand on end, too narrow. Can they be laid on the side?
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Old February 11, 2016, 08:37 AM   #2
dahermit
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Quote:
Coupla powdercoat questions
I'm going to try powdercoating soon, mostly 45acp and 7.62x39.
1. Should I resize again after powdercoating?
2. I'm currently using gas checks and running about 1600fps. Can I ditch the checks? Will the coating clog a gas port?
3. The x39 bullet won't stand on end, too narrow. Can they be laid on the side?
1. powder coating will make your bullets over size. They should be sized after coating and baking.
2. Possibly. You may want to read the at the http://castboolits.gunloads.com/ gun forum they have an extensive amount of information about powder coating in their "Coatings and Alternatives" section. It is generally held that powder coating will not clog the gas port.
3. Gas checks and powder coating is problematic, especially with tumble powder coating. With my gas check bullets, I have (copied someones else's method), drilled gas check shank size holes into aluminum plates, covered with aluminum foil to transmit the electrical ground to the bullets and powder coated with an electro-static gun instead of tumble coating. This method leaves the gas check shank of the bullet bare, and then the gas checks are applied after the powder coat has been baked. Plate with holes drill into it to stand the bullets vertically: http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...pshrzafz2z.jpg
Plate covered with non-stick aluminum foil and the bullets in place, gas check shank down into the holes in the plate.

Coated/baked bullets with bare gas check shanks awaiting checks to be applied and sized:
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Old February 11, 2016, 06:20 PM   #3
chris in va
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Actually what I'm askng is, can I do away with gas checks for wheelweight alloy up to say, 2000fps if powdercoated? I'm not trying to powdercoat the checks.
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Old February 12, 2016, 06:55 AM   #4
dahermit
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Quote:
Actually what I'm askng is, can I do away with gas checks for wheelweight alloy up to say, 2000fps if powdercoated? I'm not trying to powdercoat the checks.
I currently only use gas checks on two bullets, a bullet for my .30 Carbine and a .357 120 grain round-nose for my .38 Super. I do not apply the gas checks until after powder coating (the checks do not get powder coated) and have not tried tumble powder coating with those bullets to use without checks so I don't know. However, there has been some discussion of shooting gas check style bullets, powder coated, without the checks over on the Cast Boolet forum sight. I suggest you peruse what information they have on the subject and see if they have the results you are looking for.
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Old February 13, 2016, 09:18 AM   #5
dahermit
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Quote:
...can I do away with gas checks for wheelweight alloy up to say, 2000fps if powdercoated?
The concensus seems to be that tumble coated bullets where the entire bullet including the base, is coated, the gas check no longer serves any purpose. However, the hardness of the bullet still is a factor in how fast a cast lead bullet can be pushed.

For instance, in my misspent youth, I experimented with how soft a bullet could be when fired at .44 Magnum velocities. I found that when I used a near-pure lead alloy, my recovered 429421 Keith-type bullets had mysteriously developed rifling marks on the forward (nose), of the bullets, indicating that they were "squashing" into more barrel-shaped objects than before they were fired. In other words, they were losing their shape because the lead was too soft for that velocity.

When I was (some years ago), obsessed with accuracy with cast lead bullets in bottle-neck, modern cartridges (30-06, etc.), The Cast Lead Bullet Association's (CBA), match data (and my results) indicated that best target accuracy was obtained at just a tad over 1,000 fps. with relatively hard bullet alloys (Linotype or heat treated).

Therefore, if seeking 2,000 fps., your alloy will I assume, have to be quite hard to maintain accuracy...there have been some posts at the Cast Boolit website that indicates it is possible with powder coat, but I do not remember what alloy they were using, or if they in fact listed the alloy in their posts.
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Old February 20, 2016, 04:48 PM   #6
rrruger
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I have pushed .357 158 grain lead round points using 15.5 grains of H110 that the chart list at 1400ft/sec plus. I used a dry tumble PC process and baked on a non stick tin foil base, so no gas check needed. after 100 rounds through a 20inch carbine I could find zero leading. Again, no gas check.
I have been told that pushing a soft lead bullet that hard will affect accuracy if the bullet doesn't turn into lead dust. I was shooting at 25 yards and consistently getting 1.25" groups. If the bullets were distorted it wasn't by very much. Cheap bullets, big punch! zero leading...win, win, win.

On another train of thought, I am trying a different baking surface for my PC bullets. I made Frozen Mac and cheese and the plastic container handled the heat just fine, what's more, the cheese failed to stick...Hummmm?
I ran the toaster oven to 275 and powder coated a couple of steel nuts for 15 minutes. The plastic pan didn't melt and the PC didn't stick. And, the nuts are now powder coated. The plastic is listed as "PETE17" and has a recycle number of "1". Non stick foil is three times the cost of regular foil, and I love Mac and cheese.
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Old February 21, 2016, 04:51 AM   #7
hartcreek
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I am using hard cast gas checked bullets up to 2700 fps with no leading. My melt is harder then wheel weights. You can just ad some tin as I do. I use the Lee Liquid Allox but apply it to the lube bands with a Q tip. The bullets stand up on my toaster oven tray just fine. I then bake the Allox at 200 degrees F untill dry.
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