Do Coated Bullets Gum Up Dies?

[kbm6893]

I loaded up 500 230 grain .45 auto bullets I bought from Missouri Bullets. I usually load plated but of course they are more expensive. The inside of my seating and crimping dies had lead streaks and I cleaned them up with alcohol soaked Q tips. No big deal but never needed to do that with plated. So powder coated are cheaper than plated but does the coating or lead rub off in the dies?

 

[muddocktor]

I haven't had any problems like that with Hi Tek coated bullets from Bayou, MBC or SNS myself. My dies have stayed nice and clean. Sounds like the coating might not have been cured properly or something if you are finding coating and lead in your dies. Or the profile of the seat in your seating die is doing something to the bullets. Or maybe you aren't belling the case mouth enough and it's scraping the coating off the sides of the bullet as you are seating it.

 

[dmy]

I haven't had any problem with coating gumming up my dies, even though the Hi-Tek coating occasionally has a different finish. I can't say that it gums up my dies, but non-coated lead lube typically accumulates more on my seating die.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

The only coated bullets I have used are from Bear Creek and are Moly coated. Never any build up at 500 or 1000 rounds. I have loaded probably over 200,000 cast and lubed bullets, and the lube definitely builds up!

On your problem, I would start with a little more flare on the case mouth.

Ivan

 

[just plain joe]

I have loaded a large number of coated bullets in .38 Special & .357 Magnum cases. I have not experienced any significant build-up of lead or any other materiel in my RCBS dies. After I've completed the last seating/crimping, I put a little Hoppes No. 9 on a Q-Tip and twirl it inside the die.

If you do experience a pronounced build-up in your dies you may wish to consider separating the "seating" and "crimping" stages.

HTH.

JPJ

 

[jim lock]

I've tried quite a few different brands. Happily the Answer is no
Jim

 

[cowboy4evr]

I've powder coated my own , never noticed a problem . But -- but I did notice that I have to flare the case mouth more when using coated bullets . Regards, Paul

 

[kbm6893]

I have loaded a large number of coated bullets in .38 Special & .357 Magnum cases. I have not experienced any significant build-up of lead or any other materiel in my RCBS dies. After I've completed the last seating/crimping, I put a little Hoppes No. 9 on a Q-Tip and twirl it inside the die.

If you do experience a pronounced build-up in your dies you may wish to consider separating the "seating" and "crimping" stages.

HTH.

JPJ

I do seat and crimp separately. I might be exaggerating a bit. The .45 Missouri bullets were kind of greasy. It wasn't a ton of lead. Just some smears. But my 9MM dies are clean because they've never seen anything other than plated.

 

[Rule3]

I loaded up 500 230 grain .45 auto bullets I bought from Missouri Bullets. I usually load plated but of course they are more expensive. The inside of my seating and crimping dies had lead streaks and I cleaned them up with alcohol soaked Q tips. No big deal but never needed to do that with plated. So powder coated are cheaper than plated but does the coating or lead rub off in the dies?

MBC bullets are not "powder coated"

People need to get the terminology squared away
Powder coated is electrostatic powdered paint. Hi TeK coating is a different coating. It comes in either liquid or a powder then dissolved in acetone.


The answer is no.
What is the Hi-Tek coating and how is it applied?
The coating is made in Australia and imported here. We are currently lined to up distribute this coating along with unsized/unlubed bullets so that folks can apply the coating themselves. The coating itself consists of a catalyst which binds a polymeric colorant agent with acetone which is then applied in bulk to raw bullets and baked onto the bullets' surface at nearly 400 degrees. The coating is a polymer (bonded with metal) and forms an extremely tough new surface for the bullet. The application of the coating is repeated for an additional coat. The bullets are then sized normally but not lubricated, as the coating itself acts as bullet lube. Nominal bullet diameter is not affected.


Clip or magazine?

 

[SMSgt]

There is no reason a seating/crimping die should rub bullet coating off, whether the action is done in one step or two. The die should not be "sizing" the bullet.

 

[mikld]

No. I've PCed about 1,000 of my cast bullets, purchased mebbe 1,000 more Hi-Tek bullets and loaded them with my Lee a d RCBS dies. No fouling of dies. 9mm, 44 Mag/Spec., 45 ACP and a few 30 cal rifle bullets...

 

[kbm6893]

MBC bullets are not "powder coated"

People need to get the terminology squared away
Powder coated is electrostatic powdered paint. Hi TeK coating is a different coating. It comes in either liquid or a powder then dissolved in acetone.


The answer is no.
What is the Hi-Tek coating and how is it applied?
The coating is made in Australia and imported here. We are currently lined to up distribute this coating along with unsized/unlubed bullets so that folks can apply the coating themselves. The coating itself consists of a catalyst which binds a polymeric colorant agent with acetone which is then applied in bulk to raw bullets and baked onto the bullets' surface at nearly 400 degrees. The coating is a polymer (bonded with metal) and forms an extremely tough new surface for the bullet. The application of the coating is repeated for an additional coat. The bullets are then sized normally but not lubricated, as the coating itself acts as bullet lube. Nominal bullet diameter is not affected.


Clip or magazine?

I know MBC are not powder coated. I was considering them instead of buying plated since they are cheaper than plated.

 

[prairieviper]

No problems here with either Missouri coated bullets or Precision. To my knowledge, Missouri uses cast bullets with a Hi-Tek coating and Precision Bullets uses their own PolyLube on their swaged bullets.I like them both.

 

[Bugkiller99]

I've never had that problem with MBC coated bullets. Gone through a few thousand. Not sure why you are.

 

[LostintheOzone]

My seating die will build up the coating from Acme bullets which I believe is HiTec. It takes a long time but it's there. It isn't a big deal to clean a die so I do that once every few months.

I'm moving away from coated 45 ACP and going back to FMJ. The price difference is only a few cents and FMJ doesn't migrate in my 625. FMJ allows a lighter crimp that holds much better than coated. Somehow the coating makes the bullet slicker than FMJ or pain lead. Not sure why. Roll crimp shouldn't matter.

 

[Carrier]

The first powder coated bullets I had were some 38 caliber from a gun show. They not only left streaks on the die but also in my 686 that took forever to get out. But none of the ones that I powder coat myself with Eastwood powder leave anything in dies or guns.

 

[S&WIowegan]

Gummed up dies??

No coated bullets don't "gum up dies" but cast bullets with lube sure do! I shot 200gr lead, lubed bullets in my Limited gun for USPSA. Last time i set up to make more ammo the seater die and the crimp die were clogged with wax and lead shavings. I had to disassemble the dies to get the crud out. You're way ahead using coated bullets!

 

[linde]

I haven't had any problems like that with Hi Tek coated bullets . . . My dies have stayed nice and clean . . . if you are finding coating and lead in your dies . . . maybe you aren't belling the case mouth enough and it's scraping the coating off the sides of the bullet as you are seating it.

. . . I would start with a little more flare on the case mouth . . .

Having had a similar experience I found increasing the flare on the expander die solved the problem.

Good luck,

Russ

 

[kbm6893]

I've never had that problem with MBC coated bullets. Gone through a few thousand. Not sure why you are.

I guess I wasn't clear. The leading I have experienced was from regular 230 grain lead bullets. NOT coated bullets. I was considering using coated bullets because they are midway in price between the straight lead bullets and plated. I have never loaded a coated bullet.

 

[Harley Fan]

I think of all the ornery problems I had in the past with lead bullets. Keeping my dies clean, the lube burnoff smoke whilst shooting, and cleaning my Kimber .45 and my 686 barrels.

I load Precision Bullets now (Kemp TX) coated with what they call Gen 2 polylube coating, and am happy with them. They're uglier than a mud fence, but that's OK. No smoke, no crud on my Lee dies.


The other day, I went through 150ish rounds of .40 S&W with Precision 170 gr. RNFP, with Win WST powder, and when I dropped the barrel out of my ol' Glock 22, it was remarkably clean.

That bullet is a tic over 9 cents (in 1,00 lot quantity) with free shipping. I'm a fan.