Sizing question with PC

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Do you guys presize bullets or PC and bake first, then size?
If you presize do you take thickness of the PC into account? Say I want to .432 bullet. Do I size to .430, then powder coat, then size to .432 allowing for .001 coating thickness? Presize to .432, then coat, then resize and let the coating get sized down more?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Ditto. Push-through and gas check (if doing that) the first time, then back through the same die after coating. If you want .432", size about .431" before coating and the final sizing will just barely smooth the surface out. Another tip, size right after casting and again soon after coating, while the alloy is still soft.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Depends. If sizing down a lot, size first (add GC if used) the coat, cook and resize to final finish size. Do not size bare lead if HiTek coating.
I just size after PC for pistol stuff as it's close range stuff - even side wise boolits hit the mark.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
here is another tip.
use a little lube,,,, and melt the bullets out of the sizer.

I do it both ways.
if I'm getting say 3565 and I'm targeting 358 I just go straight to coating.
if I'm getting 360 and want 358 I size first then again after.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Is the the point where I should begin timing? Powder looks to have melted.
20A8E69D-C85E-4BE9-B95F-908A6D33C1F5.jpeg

Is this enough powder for a good coat after baking? Looks almost thin to me.
906F30FF-E4F8-4000-868A-C0F2902E553A.jpeg
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Here is the first batch of 9mm. 27 min after placing in 400° convection oven to removal.
Coating looks a little thin to me.
41C68985-068C-4F3A-9C2D-38CF5F22ED4B.jpeg
 

Ian

Notorious member
Those will be fine for pistol work. Coverage could be better, but not bad for a first try not knowing what to expect. Next time, shake a little harder at the very end, about 10 times straight up and down and STOP on the down stroke, that will "set" the powder into the surface. Don't be skeered, you're not gonna hurt them. 27 minutes should be plenty of time, I do 45-230s for 25 minutes just to be on the safe side, it takes about 10 minutes for them to get up to temperature, but flow starts at 2-3 minutes.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I have some 45 200s in right now, timer was set for 30 min.
In looking online I found that pretty much all powders have a 200% safe zone.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Those ranged BB’s stick in my 1/4” hardware cloth screen. Dammit. Wonder if they make a 5/16” mesh? Might go 3/8” if I have to.
How much extra powder should be left in the container after shaking? Might be using too little at a time?
 

Ian

Notorious member
The idea is to have very little loose powder in the container, but I end up with about a teaspoon full left over at the bottom when I'm getting a good coat. YMMV.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Here are a few of the 200 swc after baking and sizing. Are the slight bare spots cause for a second coat?
I plan to work on getting a thicker first coat next time.

34C6B97E-AAF2-4316-B0E9-0DBC8817FD96.jpeg
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Will do. I did about 110 so I can load 100 for a trial run. I figure that if 100 rounds doesn’t show leading then lots more certainly won’t.

I would really like to eliminate a little leading in a few guns.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
quite often those 'bare spots' are full of a clear gloss part of the powder.
the brighter and flatter colors seem to show it up more, that's why they look splotchy.

put your mic. or other measury thingy on some of the coated ones.
did they get about .002 bigger?
yes? then they are coated.
no? you didn't do a good job.

as far as leftover powder.
if you keep on having extra, meter out your bullets, powder and BB's until you have a whiff left.
if you don't got no extra add some more.
IMO the powder breaks down and isn't as effective after a couple of shakes through the system so the excess needs to be discarded.
not putting too much in cuts down on the waste, and I feel gives a little better coat.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
oh those bb's are 243 or so in diameter.
add a little powder coat and 257 ain't gonna let them slip through.
take a drill bit or an awl larger than 260 and work some of the holes in the screen to a bigger size,
they just have to be small enough to not let the bullets go through.