Cast or Coated
- Thread starter 74shooter
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algaeguy
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I much prefer powder coating my cast to the lube. PC is quick, easy, cheap, no leading and doesn't leave the dies messy, the guns messy and the hands sticky. A plus is the coating really helps keep the boolit intact which equate to more penetration, although I have not tested this yet
I have no Ideal what kind of Lube you guy's are using, but in 150,000 cast Lubed bullets never had a mess like you all decide.
As far as speed you can't out run the Star Sizer setup properly.
Hi-Teck is a great coating and works well Shot about 18,000 bullets from Missouri Bullets, but it's a whole different coating than using powder coat paint.
I did try powder coating but if you are shooting 12,000 to 24,000 a year and already have the Sizer's powder coating is slow and inconvenient for me.
You mileage my very.
As far as speed you can't out run the Star Sizer setup properly.
Hi-Teck is a great coating and works well Shot about 18,000 bullets from Missouri Bullets, but it's a whole different coating than using powder coat paint.
I did try powder coating but if you are shooting 12,000 to 24,000 a year and already have the Sizer's powder coating is slow and inconvenient for me.
You mileage my very.
Coated bullets, IMHO was a game changer for many people.
Much cleaner for me personally, however, I pan lubed which admittedly is messier than a lubri-sizer and, less expensive than a lubri-sizer.
I powder coat and, honestly that's probably the most expensive component.
Harbor Freight powder is inexpensive but products from a company like Eastwood are so much easier to use that the added cost is worth it to me.
1lb of Eastwood powder (I don't even know how many bullets it will coat because, after a few thousand I still have a lot of powder left) cost me ~$25.
$10 for a toaster oven from Goodwill (ask if you can plug it in to make sure it works) couple of bucks for some non-stick foil, parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and you're well on your way.
Much cleaner for me personally, however, I pan lubed which admittedly is messier than a lubri-sizer and, less expensive than a lubri-sizer.
I powder coat and, honestly that's probably the most expensive component.
Harbor Freight powder is inexpensive but products from a company like Eastwood are so much easier to use that the added cost is worth it to me.
1lb of Eastwood powder (I don't even know how many bullets it will coat because, after a few thousand I still have a lot of powder left) cost me ~$25.
$10 for a toaster oven from Goodwill (ask if you can plug it in to make sure it works) couple of bucks for some non-stick foil, parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and you're well on your way.
algaeguy
Member
I have no Ideal what kind of Lube you guy's are using, but in 150,000 cast Lubed bullets never had a mess like you all decide.
As far as speed you can't out run the Star Sizer setup properly.
Hi-Teck is a great coating and works well Shot about 18,000 bullets from Missouri Bullets, but it's a whole different coating than using powder coat paint.
I did try powder coating but if you are shooting 12,000 to 24,000 a year and already have the Sizer's powder coating is slow and inconvent for me.
You mileage my very.
You got me there. I only shoot 30% of what you do. And yes pc would be time consuming at that rate!
algaeguy
Member
Exactly what I did! Mostly because I just started casting and do not have a lubrisizer. Money spent for that instead went to more lead for my 2 youngins that are starting to shoot. I had marginal success with the HF coatings (worked but ugly), then I found Smoke4320 who sells coatings on another forum. Wonderful stuff. Cheaper than Eastwood. Fast service. Maybe added 1cent more per boolit cost at the most
GeoDudeFlorida
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Do you cast your own or buy ready to load?
Definitely if I was starting now I probably would look at it differently, but I have 4 Sizer and 50 moulds. That's over the last 35 years also pan lubed too back in the day and I have humped over 3000 pounds of wheel weights. Now I buy my lead ready to go.
BJung
Member
PC was the game changer for me. I didn't want to purchase a sizing punch and use the wax lube. Decades passed and I went online and discovered that powder coating. Now I can use my tumbler to apply the powder paint and use a toaster oven some renter was throwing out as I was driving by. Old toaster ovens are inexpensive. Then, there's some styrofoam cup pieces to add to the bullets and powder paint for static charge, non-stick aluminum foil for the toaster oven, 400 degrees, and 20 minutes. I don't use Harbor Freight or Easton paint but powder paint that a local powder coating business hadn't used for a long time. And so, I got a good deal on the paint.
Cacas ex Fortuna
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- Oct 30, 2022
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Been pan lubing, we continue to pan lube.
AJC1
Member
Pc can be adjusted to requirements. If you shoot huge volume, basket coating is your game. Both loads of bacon and fortunecookie45lc cover it completely. I'm mid volume but spend the time to stand lhem up. Functionally they appear the same.
The op appears to be buying, so any coating is fine.
The op appears to be buying, so any coating is fine.
CQB45ACP
Member
Buying or making? Shooting indoors or out?
I’ve only shot uncoated cast once. It didn’t seem as accurate as the Acme and Gallant cast bullets I’ve used but that might not be the coating. It was noticeably smokier even outside. I’ve used Acme for 9mm and 30-30. I’ve been working through a box of 500 Gallant 38/357 I got on sale. Both shoot as accurately as jacketed in their respective calibers. The 30-30 is downloaded a lot from its full power loads so that may not be fair.
lordpaxman
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- Jun 4, 2011
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I’ve gotten coated SWCs from Bayou and Blue. They work as well as a SWC can out of a semi. The Blue are .451 and Bayou can size to whatever you want.
Smaug
Member
I started with jacketed bullets. Even though they're dirtier, I gave in and went mostly to lubed cast. That works fine, but is messy, as algaeguy mentiones in Post #3.
I tried my first box of HiTek-coated cast bullets a few weeks ago, and I don't think I'll be buying any more lubed. They're a game-changer. They give the better powder:velocity efficiency of cast, but with the cleanliness of jacketed or plated.
I tried my first box of HiTek-coated cast bullets a few weeks ago, and I don't think I'll be buying any more lubed. They're a game-changer. They give the better powder:velocity efficiency of cast, but with the cleanliness of jacketed or plated.
OP
OP
74shooter
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- Feb 22, 2020
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Buying and shooting outdoors
CQB45ACP
Member
The world is your oyster then. I love Acme coated but that’s because I shoot indoors and I can’t handle the lube smoke from lead ones. But I’d likely buy them anyway.
I tried using SnS lead and they’re great but again too smokey for indoors.
You’re going to get a boatload of suggestions. Enjoy!
lightman
Member
I'm still "old school". I size and lube on a Star and I use White Label Lube. Their shop is near me and I just ride up there when I need lube. I don't care for the hassle of pan lubing and I'm just not interested in learning to powder coat.
White Label Lube works great I ordered from them about every 6 months. Commercial Grade 160.
I make and shoot indoors during the week and outdoors on weekends.
GeoDudeFlorida
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I think he was referring to the OP? Or is this a thread hijacking?
For folks who buy, for a .45ACP because it’s such low pressure and low velocity, I like swaged lead for cost savings and plain cast with one of the hard waxes for lube. Outdoors Smokey isn’t a problem. Indoors the harder waxes like red/blue carnauba won’t smoke much. If the range owners complain, then Hi-Trek or PC are good ways to go but don’t expect competition grade performance. The commercial casters all use WAY too hard alloys and I’ve seen more bevel bases in the market than flat. Bevel bases don’t seal as well and combined with a hard alloy won’t obdurate to fit the bore. Bad juju for accuracy but fine for plinking and just messing around.
I like flat base lead lubed with a hard wax but I also don’t mind paying for what I want. Ain’t cheap so if cost is the #1 consideration, go with powder-coated, bevel based, mass-market bullets. There’s lots. Also plated. Same thing, different tune.
EDIT: I’m about fed up with this autoincorrect garbage. If the gun industry was like the computer industry there’d only be a dozen varieties of gun, all exactly alike, and they’d all shoot sideways.
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