How to PC your cast bullets

Beef15

B or somesuch
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Because it was requested. Too easy, kinda time consuming method. There are others. Post any tweaks, especially faster methods. And of course everyone loves pics, which I never take.

Air Soft BB (ASBB) dry method. Some people say humidity ruins this method, I have not experienced any trouble.

Supplies:
Unlubed bullets, non food use oven, number five plastic container with lid, air soft BBs everyone says black found mine at Dick's, powder coat this is important RED from harbor freight or get some quality stuff Smoke on cast boolits or Randy Rat sell proven products, parchment paper or non stick foil.

Process:
Put two or three layers of BBs in your clean and dry # 5 container, if it is your typical Bojangles side sized put a tablespoon or so PC in, drop in 40/50 9mm size bullets don't handle them with your greasy hands, less bigger more smaller, put the lid on, swirl for 20/30 seconds, then give two or three good up and down shakes, remove lid, should have velvety bullets, remove with forceps or exam gloves tap on side of container to remove excess, stand on parchment or non stick foil on a tray then load in oven for a bake at 400ish for 20 or so.

Finished products should stand up to smashing with a hammer or vice and coating not flake. I find it adds .002 to as cast diameter and typically size them smaller than my traditional cast. I vastly prefer a push thru sizer for that.

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I have found that when using a quality pc, I do not need the bb's. I just shake, toss, swirl in a plastic bowl with lid for a few minutes.

I did make a screen basket to bake the coated bullets in.

image.jpg
 
I have found that when using a quality pc, I do not need the bb's. I just shake, toss, swirl in a plastic bowl with lid for a few minutes.

I did make a screen basket to bake the coated bullets in.

View attachment 16186
Someday I will buy quality powder. Have a very similar basket, had a hell of a time with bullets sticking to each other. Tried shaking mid bake, didn't really help. You just bust 'em up when done?

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I have found that when using a quality pc, I do not need the bb's. I just shake, toss, swirl in a plastic bowl with lid for a few minutes.

I did make a screen basket to bake the coated bullets in.

View attachment 16186
The coating doesnt get a indentation from sitting sideways on the screen?
 
Someday I will buy quality powder. Have a very similar basket, had a hell of a time with bullets sticking to each other. Tried shaking mid bake, didn't really help. You just bust 'em up when done?

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My quality powder was a pound from Smoke. Stuff lasts forever it seems.

When done baking, while still hot, shake the basket around to separate the stuck ones. What doesn't separate, I use my gloved hands to break apart.
 
Because it was requested. Too easy, kinda time consuming method. There are others. Post any tweaks, especially faster methods. And of course everyone loves pics, which I never take.

Air Soft BB (ASBB) dry method. Some people say humidity ruins this method, I have not experienced any trouble.

Supplies:
Unlubed bullets, non food use oven, number five plastic container with lid, air soft BBs everyone says black found mine at Dick's, powder coat this is important RED from harbor freight or get some quality stuff Smoke on cast boolits or Randy Rat sell proven products, parchment paper or non stick foil.

Process:
Put two or three layers of BBs in your clean and dry # 5 container, if it is your typical Bojangles side sized put a tablespoon or so PC in, drop in 40/50 9mm size bullets don't handle them with your greasy hands, less bigger more smaller, put the lid on, swirl for 20/30 seconds, then give two or three good up and down shakes, remove lid, should have velvety bullets, remove with forceps or exam gloves tap on side of container to remove excess, stand on parchment or non stick foil on a tray then load in oven for a bake at 400ish for 20 or so.

Finished products should stand up to smashing with a hammer or vice and coating not flake. I find it adds .002 to as cast diameter and typically size them smaller than my traditional cast. I vastly prefer a push thru sizer for that.

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The BBs make the dry powder stick? How does that work? Static?
 
I use HF black. I swirl them with a couple tablespoons of acetone and dump them out on foil when it flashes off. Guess I'm behind the times...
 
The BBs make the dry powder stick? How does that work? Static?
Rumor is the plastic BBs help with static generation. They stick to everything like packing foam when you get them from their container.

I've used metal BBs before too, and powder everyone said wouldn't work, worked great, once, humidity and everything was just right I guess.

Plastic BBs and red HF powder worked yesterday in a 90 degree garage with whatever the humidity was in the triad.

I believe like @Mike Overlay alluded powder is the most important component. And good stuff is still cheap in the quantities required. I only tried HF's cause I need instant gratification, and now my cheapness won't let me move on cause I still have this.

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Last edited:
I use HF black. I swirl them with a couple tablespoons of acetone and dump them out on foil when it flashes off. Guess I'm behind the times...
I tried that before, never got the mix and timing right and my results lacked consistency.

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Some important things about powder coating.

1- Get an oven thermometer and verify temperature settings on your oven. The dial is usually off. Test it out with a thermometer and then mark the right spot for the dial to sit at with a Sharpie. If the temp isn't right...the bullet will look coated, but will peel off and lead your barrel.

2-Must be in a well ventilated area. Powder coating smoke from cured bullets is really toxic.

3 - Flat powders like the Harbor Freight black will not tumble coat very well.

4 - When you coat and load your bullets...if you plan on storing them, store them upside down. If your powder has any nitro content in them it will eat the coating off the bottom of the bullet. The only powder that I know that doesn't is the new Alliant powder Sport Pistol; which Alliant claims was developed for polymer bullets.

5 - A couple places for quality powder are here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?323403-Powder-coating-for-sale
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?252509-VS-Hi-Quality-Powdercoating-Powder-For-sale
http://www.columbiacoatings.com/

6 - Do not store your powder outside during extreme weather months. Reputable powder companies tell you that hot weather degrades powder and will even delay powder shipments so they don't sit on mail trucks over the weekend during hot months.

7 - Not all quality powder tumble coats effectively. All quality powder coats with ease using the Electro Gun...like sold at Harbor Freight.

8 - Use Parchment paper to bake your bullets on. You can find it at any grocery store. It's cheaper than aluminum, and cleans up easier. Do not use Wax paper...unless you like fires in your oven.
 
What do you do about the increased diameter after you PC the bullets?
I size after PC, now with Lee push thru sizing dies.
On the plus side if you have a mold that drops undersize PC may bring it to required dia.

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ok, I'll have to check out that die, right now on have a 30 cal mold, but wanna get one for 9mm
I guess technically its the Lee lube and size kit, my experience and what I've read is recent ones size small like minus .0005 to .001 FWIW. NOE makes push thru sizers too. Lubri-sizers will work, but seem a bit slower.

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I recommend going with the Noe sizers if you want to size multiple calibers. If its only 1 or 2, the Lee dies are just fine.
 
@Starkherz199 I got some of Randy's powder. I tried no BBs like @Mike Overlay said. Out of the bowl they looked pretty spotty and thin. I cooked them anyway and wow, thankyou guys! Processing time is probably quartered.
I like how the coloring is similar to swaged lead.
bb3ee66e8d8c657ad2005c68f20505a4.jpg


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@Starkherz199 I got some of Randy's powder. I tried no BBs like @Mike Overlay said. Out of the bowl they looked pretty spotty and thin. I cooked them anyway and wow, thankyou guys! Processing time is probably quartered.
I like how the coloring is similar to swaged lead.
bb3ee66e8d8c657ad2005c68f20505a4.jpg


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Nice looking.

He has a limited supply from what I've read. Stock up.
 
I agree that any powder thru the ES gun works great. It's tedious and there's a lot of loss that way though. Shake and bake works well with quality powder. Black BB's do indeed work better than the red ones I tried once (and threw away).

A thermometer is great... even a ratty old toaster oven keeps a decent temp setting but it'll have little relation to any numbers on the oven dial. A thermo is your friend.

The things don't look bad after being dumped on the tin foil (no stick side up)... most you can hardly see that it was resting on the side when it reflowed.

I use a Star sizer after the PC.
 
89% humidity, no BBs, no problems, and here I used to think PC was to finicky and time consuming.
 
I always pulled my bullets with snips and stood them up. Got a stainless mesh drawer organizer on Amazon. Way faster. Some have indentions and bare spots but should function just fine.
22907232f955692442680c4e2270281f.jpg


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I always pulled my bullets with snips and stood them up. Got a stainless mesh drawer organizer on Amazon. Way faster. Some have indentions and bare spots but should function just fine.
22907232f955692442680c4e2270281f.jpg


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get two plastic shoe boxes. Set the basket in one, powder in the other. Add bullets to the powder, place lid, shake. Then pour into the basket set inside other shoebox to sift the extra powder out. repeat back and forth, lesson the loss of powder this way
 
I always pulled my bullets with snips and stood them up. Got a stainless mesh drawer organizer on Amazon. Way faster. Some have indentions and bare spots but should function just fine.
22907232f955692442680c4e2270281f.jpg


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Do you have problems with them sticking together? Also, did you powder coat the basket first?
 
Yes,they will stick together. I have two baskets and have one in the oven while the other is cooling. Once they are cool enough to touch they fall right out of the basket. Then I just kind of drop them onto one another in a box and they come apart. Some are a little stubborn and I have you bust them a part by hand. I was able to do 1700 of them in an hour 1/2. Most of that was waiting on the oven.
 
I bought the 6x9 drawer organizers on Amazon for around $8 each. The wife called me a dumb ass and said the Dollar store probably has them.
 
They barely stick to the basket, I just shake it til they all move free as soon as they come out of the oven. I get maybe two pairs stuck together out of 500.

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Well it's either been dark when I get home from work or the weather sucks when I'm off, so I've been casting a few bullets some new some old and doing some powder coating for when I can get out and do some shooting. Here are some of what I've been doing.

NOE 359 / 155 gr. clone of the Lyman /Ray Thompson 358156 HP I'm going to use the Carolina Blue for 357 Mag. loads and the Yellow Green for 38+P loads.
WOVOFd2.jpg



NOE 452 / 220 gr. Cup Points the mold also cast HP's as well as FN bullets, I did these in OD Green and Yellow Green for the Hi Point Carbine
S0XJfNd.jpg


Accurate 215 gr. .314" FN bullet I had cut for my deep throated 91/30 I coated these with Smokes Clear Gloss PC.
6aws8XO.jpg


Lee 185 gr. RN for my Mosin and SKS rifles. L to R Smokes Clear Gloss, Eastwood Med. Green. Smokes Carolina Blue and Eastwood Maroon Red for my Mosin and SKS rifles.
QByfevC.jpg


NOE 9mm 124 gr. TC coated with Smokes Yellow Green and Clear Gloss for my CANIK TP9SA
jtnbI9J.jpg

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