Randy Barnett
Power coating bullets
Monday, May 18, 2020, 16:29

99.99% of successfully coating cast bullets lies in the powder paint used. The Harbor Freight red works okay, stay away from the other colors. The different pigment in the paint determines how much static is required for complete coverage. Do yourself a favor and start with good paint. I had access to industrial quality paints from AkzoNobel when I started, but even then only a few colors provided adequate coverage without spraying.

Get a cheap plastic bowl from the dollar store, look for the number "5" inside the triangle on the bottom. Airsoft BB's can be added to increase static, but aren't needed with a good paint. Toss in a few bullets and paint, close the lid and shake/swirl for a few minutes. I dump out the coated bullets on a basket I made from 1/4" hardware cloth allowing the excess powder to sift through reclaiming it in the process. There is no waste if done correctly.

I can highly recommend the Ford Light Blue and Orange from Eastwood. They have several different colors that work well for cast bullets and many comments can be found on their website for each color. Smokes on the Cast Boolit forum sells high quality paint by the pound as well. I use a lot of his yellow-green. The main thing is to start with a good paint. The paint cost may look high at first, but a couple of pounds will coat thousands and thousands of bullets. I cast and coated over 5000 bullets a couple of weeks ago and only used a few tablespoons.

A cheap toaster oven is all you need, but be sure and confirm the temperature. My oven has a 50° discrepancy across the entire range. I cure at 350° for 15-20 minutes, them water quench upon removing them from the oven.

For simple plinking loads I size after coating using a LEE sizer although the majority of my bullets get run through a sizer before coating, and again after. I just want them to be the best I can get for accurate shooting. If properly applied and cured, the coating cannot come off. I have dug fired bullets out of the berm with the paint completely intact.

This is the 225 grain bullet I shoot out of my 300 Blackout after being smashed in a vice.

Accuracy with this bullet is 3/4" @ 50 yards out of a 10.5" AR, and 1/2" from a Howa bolt action.

I will never use traditional lube again.