Powder coat varieties

Will

Well-Known Member
I just use caution when working around these things. Common sense goes a long ways when dealing with anything potentially hazardous.

But honestly I don’t get too worried about it. I work in the chemical area of a refinery around benzene toluene xylene naphtha and coal tar light oil every day. So I figure if I get cancer that will most likely be the blame.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Hawk - are you sure your PC is fully cured? What bothers me about your pic is the be86 sticks to itself. Solids just don't do that, but liquid or gas from decomposition could cause 'stickyness'. Have you shot anything with that powder - i.e. is it any good? Question - isn't a solvent used to 'dry' powder when manufactured? Some nook of my brain seems to remember reading that someplace. PC is solvent sensitive.
 

Hawk

North Central Texas
Popper
I assume the powder is fully cured. The powder was tumble coated in a cool whip tub and cooked at 400 deg. for twenty minutes in a preheated, stand alone, three rack, small convection oven purchased at a garage sale.

I used an oven thermometer to set the heat setting on the dial.

The PC is hard as a rock and does not smear or show any signs of distress or marks when resized in a Lee push thru sizer after coating.

I haven't shot this powder yet. I bought it because it has a flash suppressed coating and I'm looking for something to use in the .40 S&W and 10MM with PC boolits and less flash signature than Blue Dot. Blue Dot gives good velocity, but is a real flame thrower in the .40 and 10MM! Basketball size fireball. People at the range ALWAYS comment on that.

Looking at Alliant's reloading data for this powder, it should give great performance in the 9MM, .40 and pretty good performance in the 10MM with less powder charges and flash signature than Blue Dot.

I bought some Longshot for top velocities in the 10MM, but it seems to react with the PC also, although not quite as bad as BE-86 seems to.

I'm pretty confident in the PC curing, because I've got a lot of other powders covering boolits from this same batch that are not reacting at all with the HF Red or Smoke's Black PC. (Older Unique, Older Blue Dot, Older Universal, Older Red Dot & AA1680). Not a single flake of these powders have stuck to Smoke's Black, and these boolits have been soaking for six months or longer.

I don't know why there is a reaction with some of these powders. the layers of stuck BE-86 really shocked me.

The High Road has a good thread on BE-86. A poster claiming to be an Alliant rep. posted comments on the properties of the powder. Claims the powder has been around for 30 years and they have produced millions of pounds of it for use in LE rounds. Just introducing it to the public in the last few years (the thread started in 2014). Specifically, see post #2 and #153. It sounds like it is not a new powder. Maybe the flash suppressant is causing the problems.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/be-86.760289/

Sorry for any typos, I can spell, I just can't type.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
I pulled a few bullets for a friend to test hardness on last weekend. They were powder coated and loaded over Titegroup. I was able to scrape the powder coat off the bullet bases with my thumbnail, but the sides of the bullets were still cured hard.

"Houston, we have a problem"....
 
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popper

Well-Known Member
I shoot cfeblk & cfepistol that is suppressed and no problems with PC. I did shoot some PC overcoated with BLL and no problem, thought the BLL might effect the PC. Shot fine and no leading, 170PB from BO, >1600 fps, cfeblk. Might wipe some on the base & dry before loading.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
titegroup is rough on anything plastic, and it will tear up powder coat like nothing else.
leave some in a powder dump for a couple of months and you might as well toss the barrel if it's a lee plastic one just toss the whole thing.
 

Will

Well-Known Member
My hornady LNL AP’a powder measure got destroyed by tite group. I like to leave my progressive set up for 9mm and just load 100-150 here and there when I get a chance. I have since switched to power pistol. It is better than tite group as far as powder measure destruction but still tends to eat at the plastic some.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
If I were looking for a used portable or countertop oven to bake powder coated bullets….what type or brand should I be in the lookout for?
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I wouldn't worry as much about brand as I would be looking for a convection oven. The fan makes the heat far more even across the oven.
I got mine on sale at Menards for under 50 bucks.

Got a PID? Drill a hole high on the side of the oven and stick a thermocouple thru it. Set oven to max temp, plug into PID and set for desired temp. No more extreme swings due to on/off cycling of the oven.

Even the cheapest oven is made into an incredible device by a PID.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I got mine at the discount store, B&D airc, it saved me like 10$ over the walmart 40$ one which was exactly the same.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I got mine at chinamart, black &decker brand. I splurged and got the nicer, bigger convection one with rotisserie for $49.
 

Hawk

North Central Texas
Resurrecting an old thread.
I re-read this thread and could not find the answer to my question.
Has anyone noticed Reloader 7 having any reaction to PCed bullets or powder hoppers?
I was thinking about trying some RL7 in the 10MM.
It is supposed to be flash suppressed.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I think (hope) you are meaning AA#7

Not re7 as its FAR too slow for the 10mm.

I feel this whole deal with powders contaminating PC coatings is a cure issue for the PC applicator.

I have PCd countless bullets and with dozens upon dozens of powders a d never ever once seen it. Sure I have seen videos where the Pc is gummy. But again the application of the PC is not mine.

But one simple method is simply store bullet up as not many hand gun calibers are loaded to 100% powder density.

BTW I like #7 allot for 10mm.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
I use a fair amount of AA #7 in 357 SIG and for heavier weight 9mms. I've never had a reaction problem. Accurate #7 & #9 are flash suppressed.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
NO powder I know of eats a powder measure during the time it takes to use it.

In short & not being a smart azz ... if one has concerns... Empty the hopper.
 

Ian

Notorious member
NO powder I know of eats a powder measure during the time it takes to use it.

In short & not being a smart azz ... if one has concerns... Empty the hopper.

Let me introduce you to Hodgdon Titegroup. It will haze a new RCBS Uniflow reservoir in under ten minutes. All three of mine are that way and that's why. The last one I timed.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
My rcbs hopper has pits all over the inside from titegroup. I left it sit for a couple days. Well, forgot. I may get one of those replacement cylinders for it but forgot who it was that made them.