Fastest, Easiest, Cheapest Bullet Powder Coating
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2021
- This is my bullet powder coat method, it is extremely fast and easy. It avoids a lot of the steps that others do that aren't necessary.
All of my equipment that I use for powder coating cost me less then $20 bucks, so it should fit just about any budget. - Навчання та стиль
The bullets need to come to cure temp (400) before you start the timing for 20 minutes (for a good full cure of the powder. Yes I have been a powder coater for 20 years.
Yes, that is true, thanks for mentioning it!
I did some experimenting a few years ago and found out with cold bullets 12 minutes was enough to activate and coat the bullets (200gr. 45acp). The curing suggestions are a guideline for steel, lead transmits heat energy much more efficiently and I've had no problems coating them from cold with the 20 minute guideline passing the "hammer test" without a problem. The aluminum foil is a good tip and have you ever tested the hardness of your bullets after letting them air cool ? I water quench on casting with scrap lead and after coating to increase or keep the hardness, do you know if air cooling after coating at 400* softens the bullets ?
@@hardball107 Yes it would reduce the hardness a little just like tempering a knife. You can bring a knife up to cherry red and quench in water and make it hard, but its brittle. After the quench put it in the oven at 400* f for about an hour and that will temper the metal.
@@williamcastleberry7338 I've found water quenching at casting and powder coating nets me a 12 Brinell average with scrap lead and I have no leading even out of my lever action carbines with velocity's in excess of 1900 fps. I've beaten the bullets down flat with a hammer and don't get any breakage so I figure I'm OK. I might try air cooling just to see where they end up.
@@hardball107
so 12 mins to get temps up, then 20 mins to cure?
Finally ! Someone who gets to the point and keeps it simple , but still explains all the necessary information. Thank you .
Your Welcome! Thanks for watching.
Talk about a no bullshit video! Thank you! Spread the word to other UA-camrs!
Thanks! If I ever get to "wordy" keep me honest and let me know.
This is the BEST video of many-many I have watched
Thanks! I am glad I could help!
Great video! Short and to the point. Nicely done!!!
EXCELLENT video young man!!!! One of the better videos out there. Keeping it simple. Less is more! Thank you for sharing!
Your welcome. Thanks for watching!
Well set-up.
One of most effective and efficient I've seen.
Thanks!
@@TheLarkinsLair no problems.
Thank you for posting that video.
Awesome video! Direct, to the point and exactly the info that I needed. Thank you! 👍
Glad it was helpful!
I use my oven for toast also. Makes such pretty colors!!
I just dump them in a cardboard box and shake them around while they're still hot. I can't remember who I learned that trick from, but it works great for separating any that are stuck together.
That is pretty much what I do, just on the tinfoil they come right apart, but like you said while they are still hot.
Good info. Tks. I learned the hard way about heating up the bullets too much before the paint. On a bunch of .32 cal buck shot pellets.
Man, I'm sorry. That sucks. I know exactly what happens. 😟
Great video thanks for sharing it.
Great video, short and to the point. Thanks for some good information.
Glad it was helpful!
Great job , you’ve made it clear and simple. I thought I needed the plastic bb’s but I will proceed without them. Thank you for this video sir!
Glad I could help!
Outstanding!! Great information & presentation! Very informative THANKS
Thanks!
I miss casting, powdercoating, loading and shooting. Hopefully someday I will have time to do things like that again, Very nice video!
I know right, life gets busy! Casting, powder coating, reloading, shooting are basically half of my retirement plans. Haha. Thanks for watching!
Sharing is caring. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
Almost looks too ez😉. Going to give it try this weekend for my 1st time at PCing. Nice video.
I hope it works well for you. The Non stick tin foil will really make your life not suck.
Great video and great information
Thanks!
Thanks for the tips.
Happy to help!
First off you taught this old dog a new trick. I was using the acetone method for years I watched this video and others online. I kept coming back to this one. Your method is clearly the fastest but is not as fast as it can be lol. On your "First Press Single or Progressive???" video somebody asked about doing it wet and cleanliness. Well today I learned even though I need to learn how to deal with the dust from the powder and the mess. Your method is is faster and it appears to me on my first attempt a better quality coating. What I mean is the coating is smoother and more evenly applied and that should help me with my cast loads at distance. I use coatings from "powder by the pound" They are 400 degree 10 minute coatings. When I was doing them wet it took three times through the oven your method took 1 trip through the oven. You got me to up my game thanks. Now about your slow method lol. My grate thingy fits in my oven so no need to spend time buying and using tin foil. Thanks for the video.
Glad I could help! I thought about sticking the whole grate into the oven but I was worried about powder sticking to the grate. But it sounds like that wasn't really an issue for you. I'm going to go cut my grate and give it a shot. Thanks!
@@TheLarkinsLairhow did it end up working out?
Parchment paper works better than the foil, when done in over I just dump directly into a bucket of water
Get a big flat piece of aluminum to set your bullets on. Aluminum pulls the heat out pretty fast.
Very true, aluminum has a much higher thermal conductivity then steel.
Good video.
Very useful.
Thanks
Good work and very nice video 👍😎
Thank you 👍
Gotta try this. Will save me a ton of time compared to standing up each bullet!
100%
Love keeping things simple, life is already complicated enough!
Amen to that! I just got done moving all my stuff, hence the lack of comment responses lately. If you can do it simple, then that is the way to do that.
There’s another reloader/bullet caster who powder coats. He preheats his cast bullets to 140 degrees for 4 minutes, Dino’s them into his bucket/tub of powder coat swirls them around 3-4 times, dumps them on a pieces of tight woven chicken wire, pops them in the toaster over for the instructed time, and he said it works flawlessly. It’s ElvisAmmo is the UA-cam I seen do that method. He said it helps to heat them to 140 for that 4 minutes and causes almost instant adhesion of the powder coat and makes it way easier! I’ve yet to try any of these things yet as I’m just entering the hobby of casting. I’ve bought everything EXCEPT the powder coat!! Thank you for posting your knowledge to help the beginners like me!! Truly appreciate you tubers like you and Elvis Ammo!!
Woven Chicken wire, I never though of that, I'll have to give it a shot next time I powder coat. Thanks for the tip! Good luck casting, it is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
@@TheLarkinsLair your welcome!! And glad I could give you an idea!! And yea I love doing things like this!! Really anything where your “building” something from a bunch of scraps laying around and making it work is awesome in my book!!! I just tend to go whole hog when I do something!! So I tend to watch tons of content so when I inevitably spend a bunch of $ I can use the stuff with a decent “book knowledge” of how things work!! Cause there’s nothing worse than finding out you spend a grand in stuff you don’t want to use!!! But I can just tune the world out and focus on reloading!! So casting is just taking that sense of pride in doing something and pushing it a little further!!!
Loved the video. It inspired me to try this as I’ve wanted to try powder coat for some time. This weekend I finally did it! But I’m having issues with the bullets sticking together. They are definitely not on top of each other when in the oven. But even so when I take them out the are stuck. Just bumping them around with a knife isn’t enough to separate. I have to push the knife hard between the 2 bullets to pop them apart. Then there is a small section of exposed lead. Any suggestions? Btw. Using the same brand powder.
I am not sure on your whole process, but there are a few things you could try.
1st: Make sure you cook them all the way. If the powder coat hasn't cured 100% they will be more sticky.
2nd: After coming out of the oven you have to move them around immediately, or else they will stick together.
Even then you may have to separate a few a with a knife like I did in the video. And once in a while when they stick bottom to bottom I just stick them back in the lead pot and melt them down into new bullets.
Another viewer said they just put them on a wire rack and didn't even use the non-stick tinfoil. I haven't tried this yet but he said it worked out pretty good.
Even once you get it perfect you will still get some small amounts of exposed lead which is one sacrifice I am willing to make for my range ammo so I don't have to individually stand up each bullet for perfect coverage.
I hope this helps. If not I can make a future video covering it in more detail.
Well done.. to the point.
Thanks!
I will have to try that non stick aluminum foil again. I did it once and it was a disaste but maybe I used the wrong side. It's possible. I use silicon mat now and hit it with a little shot of silicone spray and that works real well.
Yeah, I have heard about the silicone mat, I haven't tried it, but I bet it works great. Honestly over the long run it is probably cheaper because you can use it a bunch.
I have to use acetone because of the high humidity where i live.
Yeah the first time I powder coated I warmed the bullets too long and ended up with a big ball of crap. Now I follow Elvis amo method 140deg for 4 minutes.
Sure is nice when others share their methods with us.
Yeah, I've had that happen as well from getting them too hot in the oven. I just re-melted the mass and pulled the powder coat off the top. Still sucked though.
Good Video!!
Thanks!
Great vid man, subscribed at once.
I really appreciate it! It is so hard to get people to hit that button. If you have any video ideas or things that you have been curious about post a comment.
Looks great I’m getting ready to try this… Where do you find your powder coat powder? Do you have a favorite brand?
I have always used Eastwood powders: www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-powder-coating/powders.html
You can also get it on amazon to save shipping, but it will cost more per lb.
Also you don't need a lot, one pound will go a long ways:
ua-cam.com/video/58nw53DmYyU/v-deo.html
OK, been shooting and reloading for a long time have not reloaded in a year to two.
Besides the aesthetics why do I want to power coat my bullets ? What benefits is there ?
Also, what harm if any will it cause to my barrel immediately or over time, like a build up of power coat ?
Even if you do not see an power coat in the barrel with cleaning could there be microscopic build up ?
Will it affect accuracy ?
Years ago we molly coated bullets and even barrels.
Thanks
I have watched several other bullet power coat videos. Yours is the easiest and best way I’ve seen and makes the most sense.
Again, thank you.
Ricky from IBM, Ret
Great question, I'll make a video on this in a few weeks, but for now here is the short answer.
Re-loaders that cast their own bullets need to do something to "lube" their bullets prior to shooting. You don't have to, but if you don't then you will lead up your barrel. Leaded barrels can be cleaned (difficult), and will reduce accuracy until cleaned. You can use bullet lubes and put them in the groove that cast bullets always have but I have found that to be harder, more expensive, messier, and take more time then powder coat. So essentially powder coat prevents leading and makes your bullets look dang good. I have shot thousands through my 9mm and it still shoots great.
Powder coating is super easy compared to pan lubing, barrel clean up is nothing but a few passes with a brass brush and a few patches, done. A side benefit is very little smoke when shooting. You can give your bullets the "Hammer Test" if you have any doubts about the coating, just take a bullet and smash it flat with a big hammer. The powder never comes off. As for effects on a barrel I shoot IPSC and PPC and fire thousands of bullets a year through my 1911 and Ruger GP100 and have done so for over 5 years since I started powder coating without any degradation in accuracy and I only clean once a season.
Hi been watching your video and found some very useful stuff 👍 do you sell these powder coated ammo? I would love to buy some look so cool👍
I actually do sell them but I have only done local sells. I am willing to ship, but it would be more expensive. You can get 1K rounds here americanreloading.com/75-9mm-38-super-380-auto-355-356 for less then 80 bucks shipped so it probably wouldn't be worth it to you to buy them from me.
Good video and was helpful for me, I have been powder coating for a few months now and I enjoy it now. The reason I say now is because the first time I used parchment paper from the Dollar Store. I sit my bullets on their base and bake them for 20 mins @400 degrees, every one stuck to the paper. I had to soak them in water and then scrap the paper off the base of all 288 of them. That paper said it was rated to 400 degrees, big fail. I bought Glad parchment paper that says it's rated to 450 degrees and I have not have 1 bullet stick the the paper out over 900 bullets. I have used the same sheet of paper up to 4 times and still no sticking. I did try the Reynolds non stick foil but still had a few stick to the foil. I bought #5 plastic containers at the Dollar store and they work really good, I have one for each color. I'm retired so I have the time to cast my bullets and powder coat them, it's a hobby that doesn't require a lot of money to get started. $20 for a toaster oven from Walmart and the paint. I use the Lee sizing dies.
That is a good idea, I will have to give the parchment paper a try. Thanks!
@@TheLarkinsLair Your welcome!
I always water quench my powder coated bullets to increase the BHN.
I do after I cast them, but after baking in the oven I haven't water quenched them again and I haven't had any problems in my pistols. Although one of my friends water quenches them out of the oven.
Hey man great video. A question I have had a difficult time finding an answer too is does it matter that on the side the bullets were touching the foil has some spots of bare lead. Will this cause leading?
The small exposed lead does not have any noticeable negative effects. I have not noticed leading with it even after hundreds of rounds.
what brand powder coating do you use?. BTW, Great video, Thank you
This is Eastwood powder coat.
Nice
Well done..!
What color are you using?
Thanks for the video...
www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-powder-cadillac-blue.html
I have a few questions. What gun do you shoot these out of,
How do these compare to ordering coated bullets online,
What is the cost effectiveness of doing this. Last does the sizing die pull the coating back off
Great questions, sorry for the long delay in answering. Life has been busy, you know how it gets. Anyway here is the answer:
I shoot these out of any 9mm firearm Mostly a P320 M17, or My hellcat, but I have shot them out of the PSA Dagger, Glocks, etc.
They are very comparable in function to ordering coated bullets online, just require time to cast and power coat.
For cost it depends on the lead you get. I have found it from a local recycler for cheep (~$0.75/lb) so for 1000 bullets I am in it about $15 with powder coating. (128g projectile * 1000 rounds) / 7000 (grains per lb) = ~18.2 lbs *.75 = $13.8 + powder coating).
So if you ignore the time it is quite a bit cheaper.
The power coating sticks so well to the projectile it does not come off through the sizing die.
Great Questions.
In your opinion, it's better powder coating or traditional lubing? Thanks for the video.
Powder coat all day long. Traditional lubing is messier, doesn't look as pretty, and honestly doesn't do as good of a job.
Please explain to me, why do you powder coat bullets?
Is this to prevent bullet residue from getting stuck in the barrel?
And the bullets you powder coated, where they just normal lead casts?
Thanks.
That is a great question answered in under 3 min here: ua-cam.com/video/fSk9s24PS24/v-deo.html
I just found ur channel but u should do a vid on casting ur lead if u haven't already or like the whole process
That is a good idea. I have tons on bits and pieces of the process, but nothing from start to finish. I'll add it to the list of vids I'll make. Keep an eye out for it in a few weeks. Thanks!
thank you sharing... How much smoke do they put out??? once coated
Not any more then a regular FMJ. Or at least not any more that I have ever noticed and I have fired thousands of these.
Can I use a #5 plastic container for any small metal pieces or is it only effective for powder coating bullets ? I never knew you can create an electrostatic charge without spraying from a gun
You can use it for small metal pieces as well but the gun will get you better results.
Aluminum plate to desperate heat better,non stick foil & number 5 plastic great advice thanks 👍
No problem 👍
Hi, i have a question about your video. I practice cowboy action shooting with low load charge in cartridges. so i wonder if we can use pure lead with powder coating for guns, or we have to use lead more hard? Thanks for your answer.
To be completely honest I haven't tested it so I don't want to give a false answer. My guess it would still cause some leading, but not as bad. Lead is so soft and if you have ever tried to pound a bullet through a barrel it is a TIGHT fit. So my guess is you would still get some leading. Powder coating is pretty easy, but I could see why you wouldn't want to do it if you didn't have to. You can always clean the lead out of the barrel but it is a pain in the butt.
@@TheLarkinsLair ok thank you for your answer ;)
How much Powder Coat residue gets built up on the inside of the Barrel Per X amount of shots?? How difficult is it to remove & clean that residue out of the Barrel & Rifling afterwards?? Thanks for the Info!?? 💪💪👊🇺🇲🇺🇲
Without the powder coat there is barrel leading an un-coated lead bullet. But with the powder coat, I don't do any special cleaning for my cast loads vs FMJs.
You size after powder coating. Does the sizing not remove the powder coating?
Not enough to be noticeable. And certainly not enough to effect performance. Powder coat is impressive stuff.
I have aluminum plate to dissipate heat.
Nice, much better then steel for thermal conductivity.
Do you think a non-stick tray would work as good as the non-stick aluminum foil?
I would imagine that as long as it is the same non stick stuff it would work. I kind of like the foil because I can bend it to get the bullets off, but it also only lasts 2-3 rounds in the oven before it gets torn. So maybe the try would be better.
I usaelly dump mine in bucket of water to cool
do you coat or would you coat bullets purchased on line ? Just ordered some to reload 38 spec and 357 mag. Thanks !
If they already have a metal jacket then no. But if they don't, usually cast rounds bought online will come with a lubrication grove that has some sort of lube in it. The lube will help reduce leading in your barrel just like powder coating does.
If I didn't cast my own rounds I would buy factory seconds from American Reloading they are super cheap and work great! Although I would probably buy new bullets if I was actually competing professionally.
@@TheLarkinsLair Thanks, got them today and yes they have the gas ring and seem to be coated
Seen some videos that the person uses acetone with powder. Does it help? Obviously you didn’t and it worked.
I'm not sure, I just go off of the instructions on the bag. I could give it a shot. If you try it make sure you don't mix it in an ABS container, because Acetone eats that stuff.
Water quenching the bullets makes them harder. If you are making your own from lead. Then powder coat them
Yeah I had a video on that... but it got taken down.
I bake mine 1000+ at a time in a fryer basket and drop them in a deep bucket of water straight out. Very few stick and they get a bit of hardening in the bargain.
I like it!
Do you have to lube the PC bullets before using them into the sizing die or just size them without lube?
No, the PC acts as the lube, and they go through the sizing die without any issues.
I found that spraying powder coated bullets and letting them dry for 5 minutes with a 90% or higher alcohol with a liquid lanolin (10 to 1 ratio) in a spray bottle makes it much easier to run thru the Lee sizing kit.
Can I shoot this on a Glock barrel without lead buildup?
Yes, when you powder coat there is essentially no leading of the barrel. I have shot nearly 4 thousand of these bullets through various firearms (Hellcat, P320, XDM, my cousins Glock) and I have had no issues, and have not noticed any leading.
I have used some without powder coat, and did notice some lead build up.
Do they have copper colored paint? It would be great if they looked and acted like real bullets.
Yes they do, although I have not used them. I have done a chrome powder coat and that looks pretty cool.
www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-powder-coating/powders/copper-powders.html
What about a rotating tank the time the bullets cool down ?
That might work, but it sounds complicated to set up, unless you could retrofit a brass tumbler or something.
Will they stick to those teflon non stick baking sheets ?
Good question. I have tried silicone, but not the Teflon stuff. I will give it a shot and report back. Although it may be a few weeks.
For powder coating a mass number of cast bullets I wonder would a plastic concrete mixer work and a house oven to cure them with.
A plastic concrete mixer would probably work, but you would want to do it in something that doesn't get airborne. Un-cured powder coat is pretty horrible for you. Also all the forms I read highly recommended getting a separate oven. I picked up mine for like 10 bucks at a second hand store.
Better to PC outdoors in a dedicated Toaster Oven, married men will understand the why's of this.
@@walksfletcher
🤣 well if you have the right wife to start with, there is no problem. My wife helps me do ALL the processes, right from casting, to shooting. Married 50+yrs, no issues!
Ah, just like mom used to make......
One question I have that my father raised when I mentioned this method.
How do you keep the powder coat even on the bullets? Wouldn't it be lopsided having them cure and cool on the tray like that?
Ans how do bullets like this shoot compared to factory made projectiles?
Honestly I have not noticed a difference in accuracy or performance. Especially since with pistols you aren't exactly doing ELD competitions. 2-3 MOA of difference from round to round even at 25 yards is only .25 to .75 inches difference and 25 yards is already a moderate shot for a pistol.
Although now that you mention it, I am going to test it (I'll post the video of my results).
Why powder coat the bullets? Is this a thing to help keep your weapon cleaner?
This video explains why: ua-cam.com/video/fSk9s24PS24/v-deo.html
Where do you get the coating from?
This is from Eastwood.
can you powder coat factory jacketed ammo? or only lead cast?
You CAN powder coat any metal, although there wouldn't be much of a point to it because the jacket does the same job as the powder coat.
Ok thank you!
Do you ever dunk em in a 5 gallon bucket of water after they come out of the oven?
My friend does because he wants to water quench them for maximum harness, but honestly I have shot over 5K of these in my 9mms and I have not had any issues without dunking them in water. That way I don't have to wait for them to dry and I size them while the next batch is in the oven.
Wondering if anyone has done this with a brass bullet. Trying to upside a 308 bullet to an ak bullet
I have not tried it, my guess is the powder coat would stick alright, but I am not sure how it would effect accuracy. I would recommend just getting the AK bullets. If you give it a shot let me know how it goes.
Cold water quenching once out of the oven..
I haven't done it, but I suppose you could. I find for pistol rounds I get little to no leading without the cold water quench after the oven.
Do you need to WAX libe, if you powder coat?
No, the power coat replaces the wax.
@@TheLarkinsLair sweet...(Thanks). Anybody want to buy my luber-sizer lol.
Do you size before or after the heating?
After
Yep, After
What’s the point of doing this? Novice here, is it to prevent rust?
Explanation here: ua-cam.com/video/fSk9s24PS24/v-deo.html
Who makes the best powder
I honestly haven't used a large variety of powders, but I do like Eastwood powders.
I bought the cheapest oven i could get and it keeps nelting my bullets no matter how low i set it😂 pretty sure the temp control knob is just for looks at this point
😂 Dang, that shouldn't happen, that oven is getting HOT! Haha, time to get a different oven. That sucks.
I didn't have the non stick so tried regular and the bullets stuck. I will get the non stick.
Yeah, the non stick is really a game changer.
one question .
while i shake my bullets for powder coating . powder does not stick to the bullets completely .
what could be the reason ?
Are you following all the manufactures recommendations? Temp, Time? Is your oven getting hot enough (it may have temp issues). Is your powder some cheap powder? Some powders work better then others. Even some colors don't work very good (I don't like white). Hope that helps.
@@TheLarkinsLair my issue is in shaking stage . i think i need to clean my bullets first .
@@bagheri4 Warm up your boolots first. It really helps the powder stick to the boolots better.
@@D70340Agreed. Best to powder coat right after casting them and they're still hot.
Where can I find this powder?
This powder is Eastwood powder, it has worked well for me.
Powder by the Pound on the Net or Ebay.
But the powder is a normal epoxy one ?
I use powders from Eastwood. They make good powders, I have just recently been trying out their Chrome Powder coat, it is pretty cool.
Do not use epoxy, polyester powder is what you want.
BB’s are an absolute waste of time
why would u paint a bullet?
2 min explication on why: ua-cam.com/video/fSk9s24PS24/v-deo.htmlsi=gNc5dciCnO8tuuPh
Why pc them
I explain that here: ua-cam.com/video/fSk9s24PS24/v-deo.html
20 minutes later…uses same knife to peel an apple. 😱
Why powder coat the bullets in the first place?
When you cast bullets and just shoot them raw they will lead up your barrel see: (www.1911forum.com/threads/leaded-barrel.501326/). Lead sticking to your barrel will decrease accuracy, bullet friction, back pressure, and is a pain to get out. So you have to "lubricate" your bullets. They sell fancy lubes and such but I have found that powder coat works the best, and besides who doesn't want read white and blue bullets. #murica
20 minutes later…uses same knife to peel an apple.
Mask up because powder coating is micro-plastic. Clean up your work area.
Yes, that is true. It is even worse then regular micro plastics, it is quite carcinogenic as well. PPE = 🙂
Do certain colors or brands of powder work better than others?
I have always gotten east wood powder coats and they have worked great. I can't speak to others. I imagine as long as the coat has good reviews in general it will work fine.
@@TheLarkinsLair Thank you!
would have liked to have seen a close up of the end product
I'll be posting a video in the next few weeks comparing powder coated bullets to FMJs and JHPs. I'll get some up-close shots and do ballistics gel penetration tests as well.