Powder coat.... why so smokey

Old 454 · February 1, 2018, 12:51 PM

I shot some in my 9mm pc the other day.

Have mercy... looked like i was shooting black powder loads.

Whats your experience ?

Don Fischer · February 1, 2018, 12:56 PM

Until recently I liked to shoot cast bullet's from my 30-06. 180gr cast with just a bit of Red Dot and 1/4 sheet toilet paper to keep the powder up to the flash hole. No smoke but the TP didn't go far and made it look like it was snowing in front of the rifle! Kinda cool.

Got a new 308 I got just for cast and the 30-06 is my big rifle now!

reddog81 · February 1, 2018, 01:03 PM

9mm has been the most noticeable in my experiences also. I've shot 1,000's of .45 ACP and .38 Special loads and never noticed much smoke. I recently picked up a S&W 929 and have been shooting it quite a bit and have noticed significantly more smoke than before. I wasn't sure if it was just me.

T. O'Heir · February 1, 2018, 02:41 PM

Powder coating is paint applied with heat. Probably isn't causing the smoke. What powder you using?

**Unclenick** · February 1, 2018, 03:06 PM

Yeah. That's odd. Most PC advocates say less smoke than bullet lube is one of the attractions. That said, there are half a dozen different plastic resins available for powder coating, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was all about which one you have.

Chainsaw. · February 1, 2018, 11:19 PM

Heh?? I get ZERO smoke from all my PC bullets.

As said, what powder?

res45 · February 2, 2018, 06:41 AM

I get very little if any smoke from my powder coated bullets so little in fact I haven't notice it at all. I'm thinking it 's probably powder that producing most of the smoke.

Old 454 · February 2, 2018, 01:27 PM

Well all i have is harbor freight powder coat at the moment the flat black.... i also have red to.... but i was very disappointed with the shear amount of smoke.
They smoked more then my lubed bullets

What powder coats do you all use ?

Chainsaw. · February 2, 2018, 03:14 PM

I use eastwoods powder or, I just started using powdercoat from a guy that goes by "Smoke" over on cast bullets forum. Smokes powderis superior for shake n bake.

What GUN powder are ya using?

Tsquared · February 2, 2018, 04:03 PM

There are some powder coatings that are not well suited for bullets. All of the high polycarbonate powder coatings will have a lot of smoke. My brother-in-law tried a few different ones and settled on the Hi-tec coating he gets from Bayou bullets.

Eddietruett · February 2, 2018, 06:54 PM

I’ve been getting coated bullets from Summers Enterprises and SNS Casting. Both shoot very clean with every powder I’ve used and no noticeable smoke either.

res45 · February 2, 2018, 06:59 PM

I use Eastwood and Smokes from Cast Boolits, they are polymer based powders. The HF powders are Epoxy based so that may have something to do with the smoke maybe not.

condor bravo · February 3, 2018, 12:40 PM

The attraction to coated bullets is usually less smoke than standard lubes. Black moly coats in rifles do not produce any noticeable smoking, and the Hi-Teks from SNS produce only a trace amount of smoke. Shooting indoors without being embarrassed.

mikld · February 3, 2018, 01:13 PM

Hmm, all my home PCed bullets shoot about as clean (barrel and smoke) as jacketed bullets, even in my 125 gr. RNFP, upper level load, 9mms...

Old 454 · February 7, 2018, 02:50 AM

Gun is a CZ 75 B SA..
115 gr. Hollow point cast bullet Powder Coated
4.7 grains of green dot

Burns clean in fmj.....

reddog81 · February 7, 2018, 11:09 AM

Another thing to mention is that shooting indoors vs. outdoors makes a huge difference. I've never noticed any smoke from powder coat while shooting outdoors. There is a definite smell and small amount of smoke when I shoot .38's and .45's at the indoor range I go to. With 9mm the smoke is noticeable and will hang around for a couple of seconds or longer when doing speed drills.

The smoke is no where close to the amount from lubed bullets, but still noticeable. I'm sure different types of powder will have different results.

gwpercle · February 7, 2018, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old 454

Gun is a CZ 75 B SA..
115 gr. Hollow point cast bullet Powder Coated
4.7 grains of green dot

Burns clean in fmj.....

Make sure you are getting the baking time and temperature correct , normally less smoke is one of the pro's of powder coating.
Give us an exact run down on what you do , how you do it and the powder you are using.
Does Harbor Freight make more than one powder ?
Gary

robhic · February 7, 2018, 04:22 PM

Just for knowing, is the home-brew (or otherwise) powder coat as durable and/or good as the commercial Hi-Tek coated bullets? (I'm thinking Hi-Tek might answer my question for me...) I use the Hi-Tek because BayouBullets is just about 15 miles up the road from me.

Just picked up 1000 bullets to use in my 2nd annual Mardi Gras load-a-thon. I have NO use for Mardi Gras so as it consumes the city and some surrounding areas, I hole-up and reload quantity. Last year I filled a 30cal surplus ammo can with .45acp rounds. Wanna try and do 1 in red SWC and 1 in green RN this year.

Chainsaw. · February 8, 2018, 02:00 PM

Yes, powder coat can adhere as good as hitek. Lots of folks use "the hammer test" to test theirs. Put a coated bullet on an anvil etc, smash with a hammer until the size of a nickle, if it doesn't flake off much you are good as gold. Very common it get these results.

Master Blaster · February 8, 2018, 02:51 PM

Who knows what you are breathing when you shoot powder coated bullets??

Is it better for you than lead vapor and burnt wax???

robhic · February 8, 2018, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Yes, powder coat can adhere as good as hitek. Lots of folks use "the hammer test" to test theirs. Put a coated bullet on an anvil etc, smash with a hammer until the size of a nickle, if it doesn't flake off much you are good as gold. Very common it get these results.

That won't be necessary.

The first time I went to BayouBullets (10-12 miles away) the owner did that to show me the durability of the coating. He convinced me!

Chainsaw. · February 9, 2018, 11:18 PM

Yup. Hi tek is good stuff. I simply prefer powder coat as it is a simpler process to adhear to the bullets.

armoredman · February 10, 2018, 03:02 AM

Been powder coating for a few years, never noticed any smoke. Now, watching my own videos I can see small puffs of smoke from the barrel, but not 100% that is the powder coating. Powder used is Accurate Arms #7 in 9mm, shot thousands of powder coated through pistols and Scorpion.

pete2 · February 10, 2018, 11:53 AM

Burning paint.

Old 454 · February 16, 2018, 04:02 PM

I coat using the ES gun.... pre heat toaster oven at 400 degrees. Set timer for 20 minutes and put in toaster oven. Take out and let cool.

I did have to set them a tad deeper in the case to get them to chamber.
Mold is a lee 124 gr. Converted to hollow point buy guy at hollow points.com. cast a really nice bullet.

February 1, 2018, 12:51 PM	#1
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Powder coat.... why so smokey I shot some in my 9mm pc the other day. Have mercy... looked like i was shooting black powder loads. Whats your experience ?

February 1, 2018, 02:41 PM	#4
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Powder coating is paint applied with heat. Probably isn't causing the smoke. What powder you using? __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

February 1, 2018, 03:06 PM	#5
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,057	Yeah. That's odd. Most PC advocates say less smoke than bullet lube is one of the attractions. That said, there are half a dozen different plastic resins available for powder coating, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was all about which one you have. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

February 1, 2018, 11:19 PM	#6
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Heh?? I get ZERO smoke from all my PC bullets. As said, what powder? __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

February 2, 2018, 03:14 PM	#9
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	I use eastwoods powder or, I just started using powdercoat from a guy that goes by "Smoke" over on cast bullets forum. Smokes powderis superior for shake n bake. What GUN powder are ya using? __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

February 1, 2018, 12:56 PM	#2
Don Fischer Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2017 Posts: 1,868	Until recently I liked to shoot cast bullet's from my 30-06. 180gr cast with just a bit of Red Dot and 1/4 sheet toilet paper to keep the powder up to the flash hole. No smoke but the TP didn't go far and made it look like it was snowing in front of the rifle! Kinda cool. Got a new 308 I got just for cast and the 30-06 is my big rifle now!

February 1, 2018, 01:03 PM	#3
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	9mm has been the most noticeable in my experiences also. I've shot 1,000's of .45 ACP and .38 Special loads and never noticed much smoke. I recently picked up a S&W 929 and have been shooting it quite a bit and have noticed significantly more smoke than before. I wasn't sure if it was just me.

February 2, 2018, 06:41 AM	#7
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	I get very little if any smoke from my powder coated bullets so little in fact I haven't notice it at all. I'm thinking it 's probably powder that producing most of the smoke.

February 2, 2018, 01:27 PM	#8
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Well all i have is harbor freight powder coat at the moment the flat black.... i also have red to.... but i was very disappointed with the shear amount of smoke. They smoked more then my lubed bullets What powder coats do you all use ?

February 2, 2018, 04:03 PM	#10
Tsquared Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2016 Location: NE Atlanta Posts: 337	There are some powder coatings that are not well suited for bullets. All of the high polycarbonate powder coatings will have a lot of smoke. My brother-in-law tried a few different ones and settled on the Hi-tec coating he gets from Bayou bullets.

February 2, 2018, 06:54 PM	#11
Eddietruett Member Join Date: June 15, 2017 Posts: 54	I’ve been getting coated bullets from Summers Enterprises and SNS Casting. Both shoot very clean with every powder I’ve used and no noticeable smoke either.

February 2, 2018, 06:59 PM	#12
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	I use Eastwood and Smokes from Cast Boolits, they are polymer based powders. The HF powders are Epoxy based so that may have something to do with the smoke maybe not.

February 3, 2018, 12:40 PM	#13
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	The attraction to coated bullets is usually less smoke than standard lubes. Black moly coats in rifles do not produce any noticeable smoking, and the Hi-Teks from SNS produce only a trace amount of smoke. Shooting indoors without being embarrassed. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

February 3, 2018, 01:13 PM	#14
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	Hmm, all my home PCed bullets shoot about as clean (barrel and smoke) as jacketed bullets, even in my 125 gr. RNFP, upper level load, 9mms... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

February 7, 2018, 02:50 AM	#15
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Gun is a CZ 75 B SA.. 115 gr. Hollow point cast bullet Powder Coated 4.7 grains of green dot Burns clean in fmj.....

February 7, 2018, 11:09 AM	#16
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	Another thing to mention is that shooting indoors vs. outdoors makes a huge difference. I've never noticed any smoke from powder coat while shooting outdoors. There is a definite smell and small amount of smoke when I shoot .38's and .45's at the indoor range I go to. With 9mm the smoke is noticeable and will hang around for a couple of seconds or longer when doing speed drills. The smoke is no where close to the amount from lubed bullets, but still noticeable. I'm sure different types of powder will have different results.

February 7, 2018, 04:22 PM	#18
robhic Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2016 Location: Outside of New Orleans, LA. Posts: 313	Just for knowing, is the home-brew (or otherwise) powder coat as durable and/or good as the commercial Hi-Tek coated bullets? (I'm thinking Hi-Tek might answer my question for me...) I use the Hi-Tek because BayouBullets is just about 15 miles up the road from me. Just picked up 1000 bullets to use in my 2nd annual Mardi Gras load-a-thon. I have NO use for Mardi Gras so as it consumes the city and some surrounding areas, I hole-up and reload quantity. Last year I filled a 30cal surplus ammo can with .45acp rounds. Wanna try and do 1 in red SWC and 1 in green RN this year. __________________ - Robert Last edited by robhic; February 8, 2018 at 10:47 AM.

February 8, 2018, 02:00 PM	#19
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Yes, powder coat can adhere as good as hitek. Lots of folks use "the hammer test" to test theirs. Put a coated bullet on an anvil etc, smash with a hammer until the size of a nickle, if it doesn't flake off much you are good as gold. Very common it get these results. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

February 8, 2018, 02:51 PM	#20
Master Blaster Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: One of the original 13 Colonies Posts: 2,281	Who knows what you are breathing when you shoot powder coated bullets?? Is it better for you than lead vapor and burnt wax???

February 9, 2018, 11:18 PM	#22
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Yup. Hi tek is good stuff. I simply prefer powder coat as it is a simpler process to adhear to the bullets. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

February 10, 2018, 03:02 AM	#23
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,295	Been powder coating for a few years, never noticed any smoke. Now, watching my own videos I can see small puffs of smoke from the barrel, but not 100% that is the powder coating. Powder used is Accurate Arms #7 in 9mm, shot thousands of powder coated through pistols and Scorpion.

February 10, 2018, 11:53 AM	#24
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	Burning paint.

February 16, 2018, 04:02 PM	#25
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	I coat using the ES gun.... pre heat toaster oven at 400 degrees. Set timer for 20 minutes and put in toaster oven. Take out and let cool. I did have to set them a tad deeper in the case to get them to chamber. Mold is a lee 124 gr. Converted to hollow point buy guy at hollow points.com. cast a really nice bullet.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search