Coatings for cast lead bullets

[Gatorade]

Ok I have been doing some research about coatings for cast lead bullets, I want to be able to cast for some calibers that cast bullets may not work well. Specifically 300 BLK but also my auto loading pistols.

I don't want to go traditional powder coating. Too much equipment to buy. So I have been checking out the epoxy paint route.

So I have heard that the shake and bake process works pretty good. I could see trying it out but don't know if there is anything specific to look for as far as paint or technique. Paint and thinner in a bucket shaken like applying the alox. Dumped onto a metal screen and either re-coated or baked.

I was thinking if they are flat nosed to stand them on the nose and spray the bottom and sides. Then bake the paint on. As long as the sections of the bullet that contact the barrel are coated then I should be good to go. Similar to a jacketed soft point.

If anyone has any thoughts or input on coating cast bullets I would love to hear about it.

[AFJuvat]

I'm assuming that you are wanting to coat them to reduce/eliminate lead fouling.

Any coating that you apply will have to be flexible enough to stay put on the bullet while it is getting squeezed down the barrel, up to 0.004" of compression for a 30 caliber round.

It would also have to resist the temperature of the burning powder and the friction between the bullet and the barrel.

All of your suggestions cover one or two of the issues, but not all of them.

The cheapest and easiest coating would be electroplating the bullets with copper. All you need is a tank, a wire basket to hold the copper, a wire basket to hold the bullets, a conductive liquid (vinegar), and a low voltage power supply - a 6 volt battery or a 6 volt low amperage battery charger.

Copper plate, size, gas check, and lube.

[Lonestar grips.]

I just casted and powder coated a couple hundred boolits yesterday.

all you need is,

#1 a toaster oven. I got mine at Walmart for $20 but you can find them at goodwill for less.

#2 powder coating powder. a lot of folks use Harbor freight red cause it's cheap and works really well compared to other harbor freight colors. I ended up buying a pound of John deere green and a pound of dark blue from a guy on the cast boolits forum. I think it was $20 a pound and one pound will coat like 7000 boolits.

#3 a case tumbler or a cool whip bowl with airsoft bbs. I use a lyman case tumbler for mine. I just fill it with boolits, add a spoonful of powder coat and let it run for 20 minutes. dump the boolits in a colander and sift out the unused powder and save it for further coatings.

after that just put the boolits on a baking sheet covered in non stick foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. size the boolits, load and shoot.


it's not hard and you can get into it for less than $50.

[skosh69]

Bacon grease???

I'm guessing would use powdered sugar

[AFJuvat]

Originally Posted by Lonestar grips.

I just casted and powder coated a couple hundred boolits yesterday.

all you need is,

#1 a toaster oven. I got mine at Walmart for $20 but you can find them at goodwill for less.

#2 powder coating powder. a lot of folks use Harbor freight red cause it's cheap and works really well compared to other harbor freight colors. I ended up buying a pound of John deere green and a pound of dark blue from a guy on the cast boolits forum. I think it was $20 a pound and one pound will coat like 7000 boolits.

#3 a case tumbler or a cool whip bowl with airsoft bbs. I use a lyman case tumbler for mine. I just fill it with boolits, add a spoonful of powder coat and let it run for 20 minutes. dump the boolits in a colander and sift out the unused powder and save it for further coatings.

after that just put the boolits on a baking sheet covered in non stick foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. size the boolits, load and shoot.


it's not hard and you can get into it for less than $50.

Interesting.... the Airsoft BBs generate enough static to get the powder coating to stick?

[Lonestar grips.]

Originally Posted by AFJuvat

Interesting.... the Airsoft BBs generate enough static to get the powder coating to stick?

yes it does. while I have not tried the cool whip/BB method a lot a folks tell me it works really well.


some good info here.

http://singleactions.proboards.com/t...ating-question

http://americanhandgunner.com/homebr...-to-lube-them/

[sdmc530]

Originally Posted by skosh69

Bacon grease???

I'm guessing would use powdered sugar

I would hate wasting either on bullets......

[Gatorade]

I thought I replied the other day but looks like it didn't post.

Thanks AGAIN ! You always have the right insight and help for my questions!

I will check out the powder from Harbor Freight. if you could post a little more detail I would appreciate it. Like how you transfer the costed bullets without messing up the coating, and how long and what temp you cook at.

Being able to easily coat cast bullets so that I won't have lead building up in the gas port of my AR would be very helpful! Then also loading magnum ammo with no gas checks or barrel leadding and smooth feeding from auto loaders is going to be great!

[Lonestar grips.]

happy to help when I can.

how I do it is as follows.

#1 I first take say 250 .44 or .45 caliber unsized boolits and put them in my Lyman tumbler. (you can probably do around 300-350 of a smaller boolit)

#2 I then add a spoonful or two of powder coat and let it run for 20 minutes. powder coat sticks better when it's not humid so that may effect how long it will take you.

#3 I pick the boolits out one at a time by holding the nose and the base and place them standing up on a baking sheet covered in non stick foil.

a quicker/easier way to do it is to dump the boolits in a colander or fish fry basket and sift out the unused powder and then dump the boolits onto the baking tray. they can be laying over and touching one another but they shouldn't be double stacked. as they're cooling you can break up any that are slightly stuck together.

#4 I then bake the boolits for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees in a toaster oven. do not use an oven that is used for food. you will probably poison yourself or your family.

the baking process anneals the lead making it softer so you can water quench the boolits once the baking process is finished to slightly raise the BHN. I have not seen the need to do so.

#5 now you have to determine if you need to size the boolits.

my Ruger security six 357 has .358 cylinder throats and my NOE 360-180 WFN mold throws .360 boolits before powder coating. after powder coating they're probably .361-.362 so for the sake of accuracy, not blowing up my gun due to a pressure spike and getting them to chamber, I size them with a Lee push through sizer.

my Lyman 429421 and Lee C452-300 RF throw boolits that when powder coated fit perfectly in the cylinders of my 44's and 45 Colt so they don't need to be sized at all.

the next step is to load and shoot.



on a side note you mention not having to use gas checks?

that is something you're going to have to test in your guns to see what happens. powder coating isn't a replacement for a gas check and you probably won't get the same results as you would with a gas check boolit. some people have had great luck not using them but a lot of the time it's just not as accurate.

also, if you wind up still needing to use gas checks, put them on before you powder coat. once the boolit it powder coated it's much harder to add the check.

[Gatorade]

Well I cast some .356 158gr FN and .401 180gr FN as test bullets, I got the Harbor Freight Red powder. No luck on the first trip to Goodwill for a toaster oven. Still need the metal fabric and airsoft BBs.

I want to use the .356 for .357 Magnum and .38 so I will be happy if it works out.