Coated cast bullet velocities?

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rbernie

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How fast can I reasonably push powder coated cast bullets? I have been assuming that I can treat them as I would a plated bullet but I’ve not really ever pushed them...
 
I have read lots of success in the 2000 fps range up to 2400-2500 range with gas checks and scattered accounts of up into the mid 3000’s.

You are really going to have to test yourself to know the answer.

I can push a .22 caliber bare lead pellet to 2141fps and right after that it turns into a molten spray. Then there is the whole accuracy thing, if that is of any concern.
 
Another Each to His Own...

For me..I load my PC Pistol loads (9 MM, .40 S&W, and .45acp.) to close to max jacketed speeds..
My Magnum loads (.357 Mag.+.44 Mag.) Non-Gas Checked PC projectiles at Mid-Range Jacketed Mag. speeds.

My only PC rifle loads are 120gr. .311" RN, sized to .309" with Gas Check, that I use for 30-30 Win.,and ..308 Win. light (2000fps.) loads..

Like I said --Each to his own..
 
Seems to me this would be an application where the longer the bbl the better. I wouldn't be surprised if jacketed speeds could be approached with a Kentucky length bbl - they didn't make 'em long for nothing!
 
Depending on the hardness you can frequently push then faster than plated.
You didn't mention what you were using them in, but a hard (say BHN 16-18) coated bullet can pretty much be pushed as hard as a jacketed bullet in 9mm, or .357 mag.
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I tested 124gr coated 9mm bullets and could not make them fail. I loaded them up with a high end dose of Longshot for velocities above 1200 fps and all was well.
 
Depending on the hardness you can frequently push then faster than plated.
You didn't mention what you were using them in, but a hard (say BHN 16-18) coated bullet can pretty much be pushed as hard as a jacketed bullet in 9mm, or .357 mag.
.

I do not know my BHN, I just run straight wheel weights--Sometimes with some 99% pure lead added to the mix, but same results as you..

I tested 124gr coated 9mm bullets and could not make them fail. I loaded them up with a high end dose of Longshot for velocities above 1200 fps and all was well.

I'm with you Arch..I have NOT been able to leave any lead in my Glock or CZ barrels, at any speed with the 124, 124gr. 9MM's..
 
The coated "speed limit" is right around 2,600 to 2,800 FPS. You will not find issues at pistol velocities assuming the coating is intact and your barrel is in good shape.

EDIT: The important part of the coating is on the base of the bullet. There WILL be coating loss where it engages the rifling and possibly on the nose of the bullet itself.
20150827_171812.jpg
 
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I don't know, the fastest I have pushed them is 1250/1300 ish in .357 Mag.

I do have some for the .458 Win Mag, but haven't loaded any yet.
 
I have been to about 2000 fps with the 308 and 30 30 (and similar cartridges). Did pretty well, but was not near as accurate as the 1800fps loadings. The GC standard lube bullets do seem to be a bit more accurate and consistent at longer ranges at this speed. For my normal pistol purposes the coated are tough to beat!

If you size them properly and are careful loading the (as to preserve the coating) they can do an excellent job!
 
I basically treat powder coating as a form of lube with a couple added benefits such as better long-term storage in less than ideal conditions and much cleaner on the dies and handling. It's been my experience that with coated pistol bullets is that you can shoot a softer alloy a bit faster but not that much. If your noncoated bullets can handle the velocity/pressure then coating them isn't really going to be a big game changer.

When it comes to rifles an cast lead coated or not, bullet used, alloy BHN and load along with the bore twist is going to determine the velocity/accuracy threshold. Cast bullets are not perfect although they may appear so to the naked eye, their minor flaws accentuate the wobble, yaw an pitch of the bullet during flight and as the velocity increases so does the RPM's imparted on the bullet by a given twist rate an accuracy goes south. In generaly the faster the twist the lower the velocity/RPM threshold the slow the twist the faster the velocity/RPM threshold. A good expample would by in my SKS and Mosin rifle which have a 1:10 twist bore the highest velocity/accuracy range is usually in the 1800 to 1900+ fps. range depending on the bullet while in my 30-30 with a 1:12 I can shoot a Lee 170 gr. FN bullet at pretty much factory 170 gr. jacketed bullet velocity. The slow twist bore of the 30-30 allow me to push the bullet faster an still keep the RPM's in check so the bullet isn't overcome by defects that cause accuracy issues.
 
I'm loading the Lee .312" 90gr and 100gr RN and SWC bullets coated with Harbor Freight yellow and red, sized to .311".
I use them in my '43 Saginaw S.G. .30Carbine loaded to 2,000-2,100fps. They're more accurate than jacketed bullets from my gun. My BlackHawk .30carb and Single-7 in .327Federal likewise shoot them well.

I coat using airsoft bb's in Rubbermaid tub, and bake them in a toaster oven on non-stick aluminum foil at 400deg for 20min.
They do smell like burnt paint when I shoot them, like Aguila rimfire ammo.
 
I push a 164gr bullet right at 2000fps out of both my 16" 357 levergun as well as my 10" 300blk. Using the clip on ww alloy I have, both the lee 160gr 30 cal bullet and lee 158gr .358" swc drop right at 164gr. Powder coat them via airsoft tumble method with one coat of HF red. They don't leave any sign of coating failure behind. I have yet to recover a bullet to see how the coating looks but I guess it does fine enough!
 
I have powder coated a lot of bullets and have come to some conclusions. First, I have been able to drive them as hot as I safely could (max loads) without leading. Second, if you take an un-coated bullet and then coat that same bullet, it will NOT change the loads at which that bullet is accurate.

Lead bullets tend to have two points at which they are accurate. The first tends to be at the bottom of the load data and the second tends to be somewhere at the top. Where coated bullets make a big difference is when you have a bullet that you CAN achieve accuracy with at the high end of the load data but can't do without leading. If that same uncoated bullet isn't accurate at higher velocities, coating it won't change that.

Gas checks MIGHT but coating will not in my experience.
 
Do you guys get alot of coating residue in the barrel and muzzle with powder coated bullets? I have been shooting some hitek coated bullets in 9mm and I get a white powdery residue in the barrel and all over the muzzle. Its not lead, its the coating. It brushes out easy enough but its kinds of annoying. When shooting indoors it makes a pretty substantial puff of white out the muzzle that hangs in the air, which I do not particularly like.
 
Do you guys get alot of coating residue in the barrel and muzzle with powder coated bullets? I have been shooting some hitek coated bullets in 9mm and I get a white powdery residue in the barrel and all over the muzzle. Its not lead, its the coating. It brushes out easy enough but its kinds of annoying. When shooting indoors it makes a pretty substantial puff of white out the muzzle that hangs in the air, which I do not particularly like.
I shoot a lot of coated bullets currently in at least 8 calibers that I can think of offhand (including 9mm). I have used Hi-Tek, Harbor Freight and several other brands of powder coat and have never had any residue of any kind. If I have any smoke it's extremely limited, whether on an indoor or outdoor range.
 
It's hard to describe but the puff of material I get from my 9mm isn't really like smoke. It's almost like tiny particles of dust. You can kind of see it glint and glitter as it floats off. I never noticed it until I shot it indoors. I'm not excited about breathing it so I don't think I'll be doing any more of it in this gun. The barrel after a good bit of shooting looks like someone ran a brush of whiteout down it. It scrubs out fairly easy with solvent and clears itself out it I shoot plated behind it.
 
It's hard to describe but the puff of material I get from my 9mm isn't really like smoke. It's almost like tiny particles of dust. You can kind of see it glint and glitter as it floats off. I never noticed it until I shot it indoors. I'm not excited about breathing it so I don't think I'll be doing any more of it in this gun. The barrel after a good bit of shooting looks like someone ran a brush of whiteout down it. It scrubs out fairly easy with solvent and clears itself out it I shoot plated behind it.
Perhaps your girlfriend/wife/kids/whoever threw some glitter in there when you weren't looking?:D
 
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