I am tired of scrubbing lead out of my barrels using light loads. Further, I'd like to get away from lube. Plated bullets seem expensive but that may be the configuration I can find them in.
I've never tried powder coating.

Is it a more economical way to avoid having to lube? Is there a downside?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience !!

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

Go over to castboolits site on powder coating. I was slow to change but cant see going back to lubes. Almost no smoke, no leading, no sludge in your guns actions. There really is no downside to PC but a bit more time.
Its pretty economical. I can coat 300 9mm with a rounded tsp of quality powder usng shake & bake process. That is about 14,000 bullets for $14 of powder. Cheaper than lubes.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I have never coated any bullets but I have shot a lot of them. Assuming you are careful how you crimp them they, generally speaking, give good performance.

I had leading when I used store bought bullets. Then I started casting and haven't had to clean a barrel in 45 years. I use liquid alox exclusively. I have also bought hard cast bullets just to try out a particular shape before buying a mold, and they have also performed well.

Leading is usually due to too soft lead or too hard lead, too small bullets or a too large worn out barrel, lack of lube, pushing the bullets too fast or too light a crimp.

I usually cast a thousand or more during a sitting. Since the liquid alox only takes a minute to apply its just too easy a process.

I am very happy with the coated bullets I get from SnS and they are not much more expensive than regular cast bullets.

I'm a novice, by all standards, but especially in this group. These posts, along with the Cast Boolits forum convinced me to try and gave me all the tips to be successful. I bought good powder that was tried and true, rather than playing with the cheap stuff, and I picked up a toaster oven off Facebook Market for $15.00. I guess the powder will last me at least a year or two, so initial investment of about $42.00 and $27.00 worth of powder coat a year for at least 25,000 bullets.

Time wise, it costs me about 30 minutes or so per batch. I'm generally cooking about 250 at a time.

This photo is from my first batch. It has a couple of lubed ones tossed in for comparison.

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I just started PC'ing. Have had nothing but leading problems with my 40. I can lube and size bullets a WAY lot faster then PC. I'll PC all those from now on but not the 38's and 45's, have no problem with them. The only downside I see to it is the time it takes to do it. Everything you need to know is right here. Coatings and Alternatives I got the PC from the fellow named "smoke" and it works very good. Temperature is very important.

Just like any other bullet when you first try them......

Length of OAL, type powder and fps all needs to be tested for
your best results, since the POI might be different than the old lead bullets.

It might take a little longer to make them but the clean up time
and barrel cleaning takes less time and is easier.

I started looking into powder coating a few months ago then learned of he "hi-tech" coating. Just started doing that and the results so far are promising.

Missouri Bullet Co. sells cast bullets already coated.
Sounds like your current problem is that your bullets are too hard.

Most leading is caused by bullets that are too hard.

I started PCing out of curiosity as I had worked out the barrel leading problems with 12 out of 13 of my handguns. I started with "shake and bake" then purchased an electro-sprayer. I've PCed around 1,000 so far and they do everything they are said to do; good clean handling, good clean shooting, improved accuracy in some guns, and purdy. I treat them the same as my nekkid lead, sizing, brass prep, and load data. Works very well in my 9mm pistols and 44 Magnums, but I've only tried a dozen in my 30 cal rifles...

Most of my info/help getting started was from castboolits forum, sub-forum "Coating and Alternatives". Coatings and Alternatives

Same here. Using the Harbor Freight electroplating PC gun. I charge the lead bullets by standing them on a nail matrix wood block with the nails penetrating a piece of aluminum flashing. Put the clip on the flashing and all the bullets become charged and attract the powder. Quality has improved dramatically from the shake and bake. More time consuming, but worth it to me. No blisters on the bullets from sticking to each other or whatever you bake them on.

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What could possibly go wrong?

Leading is caused by
The bullets being too small (slug your barrel and be sure bullets are AT LEAST 0.001" larger than actual groove diameter).
The bullets being too soft for the velocity (leading will be along the leading edges of the rifling).
Lubricant failure (change lube)
So, what is the actual groove diameter? What is the bullet diameter? What is the bullet diameter of a bullet pulled after loading (it had better be the same as going in or you have a problem with expander die, seating die, or over crimping.

Thank you gentlemen for the wealth of info. I have come to expect no less from this forum. You all have given my lots of sources to read up on for further info. Sounds like the first step would be to buy some already powder coated and load and shoot them to see how I like them before investing in the equipment and materials.

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

If your cast bullets fit your gun and they of the right alloy for your load, you will not experience a leading problem. With regard particularly to handgun cartridges, the "right" conventionally lubed and sized bullets will be at least as accurate or more accurate than any other bullet, whether it's jacketed, powder coated cast, painted, plated, or what have you.

Powder Coating is not allows the total answer for the " lead " problem in a revolver . You can have internal dimension problems as much at fault as your cast bullets . Regards Paul

SNS Castings

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I think powder coated bullets are the greatest thing since carbide dies. There's good reason to use them even if you aren't having problems.

Hardness should be matched to velocity. Plain lead bullets are fine at low velocity but will lead like crazy if pushed even up to what most would consider mid-range. Low power loads and commercially cast bullets tend to lead as the pressure is too low to make the bullet obturate to the bore and you get some gas blow-by. Commercial casters tend to make their bullets hard for shipping reasons, they don't get beat up.

The PC coating has always eliminated the hard cast at low velocity leading problem for me. It also has a couple of other benefits, like reduced lead flashing on the cylinder face and never, ever, having to clean sticky lube out of your dies.

I'm a fan. I still shoot plenty of uncoated bullets in autos, but in revolvers I shoot coated except for some plain lead HBWC's.

They are more forgiving to crimp than plated though.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

You need a good technique & decent size oven. I have a conv pizza oven. Its two racks will hold 600 9/357. I shake & bake, using large tweezers to pull them out of the powder & drop them into a jig nose down that holds 150. Then invert that into a small wire basket.
Its pretty fast. I can load the trays on 11-12m each. So, while 450 are baking I am loading the next 300, repeat. Sizing is just as fast as lubed, so a bit more time but worth it to basically get free plated bullets, no leading or smoke or sludge in my gun.
Yep Smoke's powders are great.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I got started a few years ago and like most in here, I am still perfecting my technique. I used the 45-45-10 and Alox coatings without much trouble. It was just smokey and messy in my indoor range. It was dirtier in the barrel for sure but in all my handguns, leading was not a big issue.

I like trying new things and gave PC a try and have never looked back. The information on here is good, good to Cast Boolits and read up there. There are tons of youtube videos.nut don't try the exotic things much as preheating bullets right away. Get good powder for sure, I usmokes, find one that covers very well or you won't be happy, trust me. Get a good oven. I have two. Wife bought me a real cheapy that worked fine, single shelf and I have since given it to a friend a few hours away where I cost his bullets. My new one cost like $70 but is digital and has two racks. I stand mine up, I am that way although I have just dumped them in a tray no problems. My theory is the powder flows down so I like them standing up.

I use the lee push through sizers and I find they are never exactly the right size, that is a downfall. You will need to play with that for your different firearms.

Another benefit besides very clean barrels is a mold that drops small bullets is less of a problem because the PC will build up the surface.

Frankly, I enjoy the casting and coating as much as shooting. And further, I do not worry about lead hardness. I have three sources, soft, range and COWW. I mix them 2-2-1 with soft being the 1,.PC and shoot. Hardness is over rated. Size matters.

I do both. HT is easier but more time, double coating, also a bit more $$. So I pretty much do PC but HT once & awhile. Both work, though PC is a better bet for hiigher vel imo. I found HT accuracy starts blowing up after 1500fps, PC good to 2000fps.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I have more really good lube than I will shoot in my lifetime. I also have three lubesizers. I PC some but not much. I shoot cast in everything from 22 Hornet to 35 Whelen and 10 pistol cartridges. I don't recall the last time I saw leading. If you are scrubbing a lot of lead out PC won't fix it.
I use Smokes powders and shake and bake. I haven't needed black bb's or anything else. I have also mixed Harbor Freight red 50/50 with Smokes to get rid of it. It works OK. Surprisingly colors matter in ease of application.

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Front sight and squeeze

100% Leading isnt as much about lube as bullet fit. Though lubed lead does require more fussing to get the right combo is shooting higher pressures. Size is the key, alloy then lubes or coatings. Though with coated, alloy isnt quite as crucial.
With some barrels I find coated out perform lubed. In stock glocks, all mine shoot better with coated bullets.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

FWIW, one big reason shooting very soft lead bullets at a higher velocity and getting leading is "bullet skidding". Soft (swaged and near pure bullets) may not "grab" the rifling and skid down the barrel, with extreme leading. If a PCed bullet is very soft, small, and driven hard, it too will skid...

When the competitive cast bullet accuracy shooters start powder coating bullets, that would be a good time to make the changeover from conventionally lubed cast bullets.

This is true but alloy isnt as important with PC as it gives a surface hardness that resist ps deformation. So you can get by with a bit softer alloy. I run range s rap in 9mm & 40, PC, neber get any leading up to 32k range, based on book data. Again, more pressure issue than vel issue. The 45-70 is a good example. You can run a pretty soft bullet to 1500fps & no leading, low pressure rd.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

As a result of this thread I looked into powder coating. WOW, what a time consuming PITA.

I have no leading problems with my current properly sized liquid alox lubed bullets, but the engineer in me always likes to learn about different things.

It would be really cool to have fire-engine-red boolets, it isn't worth all that work.

Again, not really that time consuming if you have a good system. I can coat & size 1000 in about 90min. Yes a luber/sizer is faster but I still have smoky, sludge making lead bullets.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO