First PC attempt, mixed results

[chris in va]

I finally tried using the HF red and using my vibratory tumbler (bullets are in a freezer bag). It coated decently enough, but certainly not up to electro gun perfection.

Accuracy seemed decent enough but I couldn't verify as the wind and cold was absurd today.

I have a couple issues. Everyone says they don't get any leading with PC but my 45acp barrel had what appeared to be (plastic?) smears in the first inch. They scrubbed out with a brass brush with some effort. I also noticed some sort of large flakes spitting out of the chamber.

Am I doing something wrong? These are baked at 375 for 20 minutes.

[DerekP Houston]

perhaps a too heavy coat of the PC? I generally just shake em for 30 seconds and knock the loose powder off as I plate em up. I think the temp required for the proper cure is 400 but 375 should be close enough. Were the smears red like the paint?

[chris in va]

I honestly don't know, lighting wasn't very good...cloudy and getting toward sunset. It did look different from the usual lead smears.

Also, these aren't red, more of a clotted blood/brownish color. Hey are darker than the photo shows.

[acoop101]

Try baking @ 400, which is what my hf red calls for, it sounds like the coating might not be completely cured.

[Beagle333]

Agreed. Go with 400 for 10 minutes after they gloss over.
Also, the mechanical tumbling makes em darker. It wears some of the lead off the boolits and mixes it with the coating. I don't think it hurts anything, but your boolits will get darker and darker as you tumble more in the same powder.

[chris in va]

Gotcha, I will try that. I figured something was wrong.

[shoot-n-lead]

Just a thought, but I live in GA and we have high humidity all of the time. I cook mine at (verified with oven thermometer) 450 and that seems to get the best results, for me.

[chris in va]

These seem to be coming out a slightly lighter color after hand tumbling for 30 seconds in a #5 tub. They are a bit blotchy so I'll have to get some black airsoft bb's next chance I get.

Oh as for the barrel streaking, I wonder if it's from resizing them after coating. Maybe it was too thin and smeared the barrel? They will stay with the original first size and see how that works.

[Hickok]

Definitely get some black airsoft bbs and try them with the #5 container. You can order some BBs from Smoke 4320 and get some really good powder too. He is our "one shop stop" for PC essentials!

[Dragonheart]

Chris, your coating is definitely too thin and probably undercured. Get a good oven thermometer like a Taylor Glass Thermometer and put it on the tray where you can see it through the door. When the oven reaches 400 degrees start your timing and give it at least 10 minutes. Some powders spec 12 minutes, so it's better to err by giving it more time than too little, but 400 is the temp you need.

I don't use HF because I live on the Gulf Coast where the humidity is high most of the time. Tumbling I got a single thin coat like your bullets. Since I use a homemade tumbler I am able to preheat my bullets to 200 degrees and drop them into the tumbler, which causes them to take on more powder, but you won't be able to do that in a bag.

I would suggest you just plan on doing two coats if you want to continue with the same process. If you do two coats, then do a partial cure on the first coat. Cook the first coat to the point where the powder jells out and gets smooth, remove, cool down, then recoat and cook the second coat the full cure heat and time; this way the two coats will bond together.

Since 4 thousandths is the standard depth for rifling you want to get a coating close to that thickness. That way the bullet is riding on the tough powder coating. Measure you bulet before and after coating to determine the coating thickness.

[Hickok]

"Endeavor to persevere!"

Chris, keep right at it, you'll get it working.

[chris in va]

I went ahead and recoated them, coverage is better. I didn't resize this time, so hopefully the smearing won't happen again.

On a side note, I want to PC my 155gr bullets for my x39 bolt action. I have been using gas checks, can I just PC and not use them? They run about 1600fps.

[Hickok]

Chris is your previous picture there is a scale in the backround. Is that an old Herter's scale?

I would think you could shoot the boolits without a check and PCed @ that velocity.

What rifle do you have in 7.62x39? I have a Ruger Hawkeye Compact in this caliber and love it.

[NYBushBro]

Actually, the designer of the Freechex gas check making tool and I are doing some powder coat testing on the 7.62x39 right now, so the short answer is, Yes.

Please keep us in the loop with the results of your tests with 7.62x39 PC cast bullets... (one of my favorite semi-auto calibers).

[blikseme300]

Actually, the designer of the Freechex gas check making tool and I are doing some powder coat testing on the 7.62x39 right now, so the short answer is, Yes. The reason for a gas check is primarily to protect the base of the bullet to prevent gas erosion and blowby at higher pressures. Additionally, the gas check creates a flat base on the bullet. A bullet is steared from the rear and a flat base is a more accurate bullet. A properly applied and cured powder coating of sufficient thickness resists the high temperatures of gas erosion and blow by. If the bullet is cured base down the coating tends to fill in the imperfections leaving a flat base. However, a bullet designed for a gas check might not perform as well in accuracy.

As far as completely eliminating the need for a gas checks, possibly, but at this time we don't have enough data go that far.

I will be doing some testing using the plain base version of the 311041 vs the gas check version with GC. Early testing using the GC version and PC with a Marlin 336 revealed that care must be taken not to coat too thick as chambering becomes a problem as the nose diameter increases. I apply powder using shake-n-bake. I'll check back later and add pics.

[chris in va]

Hickok, it's actually an old Redding I found on Ebay a few years ago. $25, works great.



I cast up a few dozen Lee 155's last night and will coat them this afternoon. If I can do away with $40 gas checks, I'd be thrilled.

One thing I need to clarify, my CZ 527m isn't scoped. I have great satisfaction hitting a 1/4 size IPSC target at 100 yards, standing. If I were to do any accuracy testing it would be using the irons at 50 yards and I doubt that would really show it's true potential. If anything I just want to see if there is any barrel smearing or chambering issues.

[Dragonheart]

I will be doing some testing using the plain base version of the 311041 vs the gas check version with GC. Early testing using the GC version and PC with a Marlin 336 revealed that care must be taken not to coat too thick as chambering becomes a problem as the nose diameter increases. I apply powder using shake-n-bake. I'll check back later and add pics.

It depends on the design of the bullet. Too much coating in the throat with some designs and you can have chambering problems. But a good coating is needed in the area that contacts the rifling for higher chamber pressures. It appears that the PC resists the shear force that would otherwise be tearing at the alloy of a lubed bullet. Since the rifling typically is 4 thousands, a coating thickness in that range seems to be the answer.

[Hickok]

Chris I have an old Herters scale I still use, and it could be a near twin to your Redding!

[fredj338]

IMO, everything leaves some fouling in a bore. It just depends on how much & how easy it is to clean. Certainly get the temp to 400, I find 10min after the PC glazes to be fine, 13-14min total baking time.