My first cast boolits and powder coating

TXCOONDOG

TXCOONDOG

Well-known member
Cast my first .357 Magnum boolits using clip on wheel weights mixed with 2% tin. The mold is a Lee six cavity .358" 158grain SWC.



Air cooled boolits have a BHN of 13.4 and the water dropped (cooled) have a BHN of 19.3 after 7days.

I powder coated the boolits using Eastwood Ford light blue powder coat baked in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for 20minutes.

Note: All boolits had to be resized to .358" because the powder coating added .003-.005"




Powder coating hammer smash test to see if the coating would flake/peel:




Now time to start working up target loads for my GP100.
 
Looking good! I haven't cast any bullets in many years. I have my gear packed away... somewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: GCNumber 1 Buck is my favorite of the large buck sizes! Gonna powder coat those?

I cannot use buckshot where I hunt. My son-n-law can and I believe he will use them "as is".

However, I may get bored one day so you never know and might just see how they compare to plated, etc
 
Originally Posted By: GCLooking good! I haven't cast any bullets in many years. I have my gear packed away... somewhere.

I made tens of thousands of cast bullets over a couple of decades. Mostly .44 caliber. Had a friend that was a manager of a Goodyear store and I got all the used wheel weights I wanted. 5 gallon buckets full of them. I finally got tired of doing it and after 20 years of not casting a single bullet I sold or gave away all my casting equipment. Gave all the molds to someone here in the forum in return for him giving me a new Hart barrel for my .223 AI. I was happy with that trade.

Casting WAS fun for a long time. I could load 50 rounds of .44 Special or .44 Magnum for $3-$4 back then. Good enough reason right there.
 
Rusty,
When high quality commercial cast bullets became available at very attractive prices I decided I'd rather be shooting or hunting/fishing than casting bullets. I do consider bullet casting as a fun and interesting part of reloading and good to know about. I like having the ability to make my own should the need arise. As things are right now I'll probably continue to buy what I need and put my time in pulling the trigger instead of melting alloy.
 
I cast for my 44 and 41 mag. I use the lee 310 for the 44 and a lyman 220 grain keith style mold that I hollow point for the 41. Plus the lyman 12ga slug 525 grain looks like a overgrown air gun pellet.
J
 
I do like a nice pile of cast boolits !!!! .44 mag, .44-40, 30-30, and .45-70 for me.

I would like to get a buckshot mold and do some experimenting.
 
I am not sure this applies to your coating, but maybe 6 years ago, I purchased some coated 45 cal. coated bullets from a company that marketed them a new alternative to plated pistol bullets. IIRC the company name was Precision Bullets, or something like that. I had no problem with them initially, but in a 2 day training class, where we were shooting a few hundred rounds a day, I did just a quick clean, where I brushed the barrel with Hoppe's #9 solvent, and wiped out the powder residue, on pistol parts, with clothes also loaded with #9. Midway through the second day the XD-45C locked up solid, with a round so tight, almost in battery, that neither I nor the instructors could clear the pistol. I had to disassemble it, and drive the round out of the barrel(pucker factor). Upon inspection, there was a bunch of that high-tech polymer coating built up in the chamber. I am guessing the hot barrel was softening the coating, causing the build up to thicken quickly to the fail point.

I had to bronze brush it out of the chamber, and when the last batch of bullets was fired, I did a final cleaning, and went back to plated bullets.

Something to consider it you use coated bullets...Periodically spin a bronze brush in the chamber to remove the coating build up. Typical solvents won't remove this residue.

Squeeze
 
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