This is going to sound really flippant, but it depends on how thick you coat them.
I cast to throat size and then coat, leave a week and then size and lube.
I’m casting my own bullets (.45-70 350 gn @.458) and I’m wondering how much the powder coating will increase the bullet diameter before I size them.
Thank you
CZ455 American .22LR, Marlin 1894 .357 and 1935 8mm Mauser K98k S42/G (RC), Remy .308 AICS, RPR 6.5 creedmoor, no4 1* LB 1943, NRA RCO
This is going to sound really flippant, but it depends on how thick you coat them.
I cast to throat size and then coat, leave a week and then size and lube.
CZ455 American .22LR, Marlin 1894 .357 and 1935 8mm Mauser K98k S42/G (RC), Remy .308 AICS, RPR 6.5 creedmoor, no4 1* LB 1943, NRA RCO
When I powder coat for shooting a light coat usually gives 2-3 thou increase , So after casting I size then powder coat and then resize to final diameter.
Could I ask where you get your powder coating powder from?
Thanks
Bill
on the bay about £10 a kg
I bought the gun from Electrostaticmagic and asked them the same question. They said thickness should only be 7-9 microns (1000ths of a mm) and this has been borne out from my testing.
They also supply the powder.
I looked at the "Wet" methods online and decided against it. From what I saw you often end up coating them twice and messing around with acetone didn't appeal either.
The gun works really well and produced perfect results first time of use. Of course you need a small compressor but definately worthwhile.
https://www.electrostaticmagic.co.uk/
And the bullets look SO cool. I use red or Nato green
Just been out and measured some 44-40 bullets uncoated and sized v coated unsized.
Uncoated sized .4291".
Coated unsized .4318".
Total size increase from a light powder coat is an increase in diameter of .0027" , 2.7 thousanths of an inch or 68.58 microns.
I have tried the wet coating method using Acetone and powder , What a mess that was and when baked it looked like it had been applied by spitting it on.
I use a piece of perforated steel. I pre bake to 140 degreed so the bullets are hot when I spray. Then I spray, turn up to 180 degrees and bake for 20 mins.
I use perforated steel because sometimes the bullets are stuck to the tray and they're easier to break off.
Apparently some people use a non-stick baking sheet but I don't really see how the earth connection is maintained.
The coated unsized only the coating has not been through the .429" die the bare bullet's have already beed sized to .429 before powder coating , The reason for 2 step resizing is that just to cast then powder coat before the sizing can be to big a step in size reduction , It can cause the bullet to smear going through the die so you size in stages.