RCBS 148-DE-WC

[waco]

This is a two cavity mold. These are sized to .358” and PC jet black and will be loaded with 2.7gr BE and shot in my S&W 14-2

 

[Brad]

Question for you guys using PC.

Are you sizing after coating and baking? Are you using lube in any loads?

I noticed a couple photos by Ian that wpshowed lube but they were for a rifle.

Years back I had a guy PC some bullets for me and he used a gloss and a matte powder. The gloss was far easier to size than the matte.

 

[Ian]

I only put lube on screamers. Bama is shooting no-groove, no-lube .30 calibers to full copper jax velocities, but he does get a little fouling that must be cleaned every 20 rounds or so IIRC. I don't shoot much in the 1000-2000 fps range, mostly below or above, and I've tried with and without lube with varying results. Generally I lube if I'm installing a check, though for my .35 Remington I check them and size dry before coating, then lube in the same die afterward. Lube does increase velocity some so I have to think it's sealing better or adding some resistance.

For what Waco's doing there, I couldn't think of a better use for PC. No lube, just load and shoot. Size only after coating for two reasons: Smoother finish on the bands and the PC makes them slip through the sizer with no wear and no lube that you would have to remove before coating.

 

[waco]

Ian is right. PC size to .358” load and shoot. This is my method for all pistol stuff. I don’t mess around with PC in rifle stuff too much. Messes with the nose. I would have to nose size.

 

[Brad]

I can see the benefits for handgun use. Keeping the lube grunge out of the action of an auto would be a big benefit. I like the HT for that reason.

 

[waco]

Never tried the HT. Is it harder to apply than PC?

 

[Brad]

Think of it as a BLL like coating that needs to be baked.
It goes on in a pretty thin and even coating.

Advantage over PC is less fiddly as the bullets can bake laying down with no trouble. It also forms a far thinner coating so less fit issues.

Disadvantage is need for 2 or more costs. It is probably a bit more expensive but I can coat 20K bullets for 75 bucks so cost isn't really an issue.

 

[Ian]

Messes with the nose. I would have to nose size.

If PC messes with your nose size you should look at a different rifle bullet. Either one of the Arsenal ones like Bama uses or a self-aligning tapered bullet like the AM 31-188G. Tapered bullets only need to be seated a couple thousandths deeper if coated.

 

[358156 hp]

That particular RCBS mould is one of my favorites. I had a pair of them that I used a lot during my wadcutter addiction days. I sold them all off, and thought I was cured, but I had a relapse. Now I have an Ideal 358063 4 cav. DE wadcutter mould, an Ideal 358432 DC, and (of all things) a Modern Bond 358610 2 cavity that I bought because it looked like it accepted a gas check. It turned out not to be a GC design, but it does have a rebate at the nose with what appears to be a "DD" band. I politely listened to an old-timer rattle on about a bore riding wadcutter design long ago, and now I wonder if this is what he was trying to explain to me. A "DD" band is a small band cut into the nose of a mould to help keep the nose centered in the bore as the bullet enters the rifling. I've seen them on rifle moulds, but never on a wadcutter of all things. So far, I have been powdercoating my wadcutters too, primarily with Smokes "Carolina Blue", and I tend to push them a bit faster than most guys load their wadcutters, generally at full power 38 Spl velocities, or even at +P in some cases.

 

[USSR]

I'm more of a traditionalist. I use a very low antimony and relatively high tin alloy, and just lube them in the lower lube groove.

Don