I cast most of my own bullets and then copper plate them. It is time consuming but I find it fun.
Picture is some 308 150gr flat nose I just finished. I'm going to cast some 380 apc in the morning.
Paul
Very nice Paul.
Do you shoot those with or without gas checks? And what alloy(s) do you use?
I do some casting too, but not as much as I used to. The only plating I do is with moly, but I normally just shoot them nekid.
I would love to see your copper plating set-up.
p.s.
Is that a Garand en-bloc I see hiding behind the Sweet's?
(02-19-2014, 07:29 AM)Highpower Wrote: [ -> ]I would love to see your copper plating set-up.
Me too. I like casting bullets, or used to...Bob
OK - I have to ask - why copper plate them?
Hello Paul,
Very interesting, how do you proceed to the copper plating?
Friendships
Michel
Sorry haven't been around in a while, Been busy with other things around here.
Had a little finder bender yesterday and it seem like I have a thing for preachers wifes. Only two finder benders I've had were both married to preachers and I think there the best ones to have wrecks with because there always so nice.
Anyway I use zep root killer and vinegar, Heated and I'll get some pictures up as soon as I get the new pot setup my old one burned out the heater.
The reason I plate is because there is know leading that way and so far I don't see any copper fouling either. And you can load them a little hotter than the plain cast bullets.
I haven't used a gas check on these yet it doesn't seem like it needs it.
The only problem I've ran into with cast bullets is the load won't fully cycle auto so I add about 2 Gran's of powder till I get the results I want.
I mix my alloy its is a little harder than #2 but not by much. I test fired the 380 rounds Wednesday at a friends because I made them for my wifes father and I don't have a 380. They were pretty accurate for a gun with a 4 1/2" barrel.
Paul
Hello Paul,
Very happy to see you back on the post.
Can I rest my question: how do you deposit the copper on the bullets?
Thank you very much,
Michel
(03-02-2014, 08:59 AM)Old Iron` Wrote: [ -> ].....
Anyway I use zep root killer and vinegar, Heated and I'll get some pictures up as soon as I get the new pot setup my old one burned out the heater.
So, it's more of a chemical wash vs. an electrochemical plating system then?
Darren:
Another reason for the coating is to cut down on air born lead vapors and particles. Some
indoor ranges don't allow the use of plain lead (un-coated) bullets in order to keep the air as clean as possible, and to make cleaning out the bullet traps easier and safer for the workers.
On the flip side, a local
outdoor gun club here has a "cowboy" range with steel targets set up at short distances, where the only ammunition you can shoot MUST have plain lead bullets. Shooting copper jacketed bullets at close steel targets is a recipe for ricochets and injuries, as well as damaging the target plates. The ONLY exception to this rule is the use of copper washed .22LR rimfire ammunition.
I use a power supply and know more than 1.5 volts, You have to check the voltage about every 15 minutes as sometimes it will go up.
I try and keep it around 1 volt, If you leave them in for to long they get spikes on them. I only leave them about 1 hour and the coating looks and feels good.
I'll pickup what I need to get it running again and get some pictures. I'm changing some things on the tubing.
Paul
I got the pot up and running tonight, I only did 10 to try out the loads so here is the pictures.
#1 Pot heating up.
#2 After about 15 minutes.
#3 The power supply.
#4 10 resized.
#5 10 loaded with 6 in the gun.
Hope the pictures load in the right order. Any questions just ask.
I'll test them tomorrow and let you know what happened.
Paul