powder coating gas check bullets

Has anyone used the Lee .476-325 gas check bullets without the gas check but powder coated instead? How does powder coating without the gas check work with gas check design cast bullets in general.

It's hit or miss with a gas check design & not using a gas check, sometimes it works just fine & other times the accuracy just isn't there. You'll just have to give it a "shot" & see how it works in your gun. I don't try it very often but some report that up to a certain velocity they've had pretty good success.
My buddy Callshot had real good luck in his 41 Redhawk with one cast bullet up to 1200 fps without a gas check.

Dick

I would wonder about the lack of bearing surface at the base of the bullet.

Looks like the 3 driving bands would more than support it. :?: I'm just looking for a lighter bullet than my 400 gr ones I cast.

sixshot said:

It's hit or miss with a gas check design & not using a gas check, sometimes it works just fine & other times the accuracy just isn't there. You'll just have to give it a "shot" & see how it works in your gun. I don't try it very often but some report that up to a certain velocity they've had pretty good success.
My buddy Callshot had real good luck in his 41 Redhawk with one cast bullet up to 1200 fps without a gas check.

Dick

Click to expand...

Were Callshots bullets powder coated? I was also wondering about milling the gas check section of the mold off and reattaching the sprue plate, creating a flat base bullet.

If you've got the tools to face off the gas check portion, you probably also have the capability to bore out the gas check shank a bit. I've done this with a couple Lee molds using reamers and subsequently lapped the cavities with good effect. If you're going this route, make sure your tool alignment is good and the mold is secure, or else you will end up with some chattering. You can size it off the resulting ugliness, but better to do it right the first time.

xtratoy said:

sixshot said:

It's hit or miss with a gas check design & not using a gas check, sometimes it works just fine & other times the accuracy just isn't there. You'll just have to give it a "shot" & see how it works in your gun. I don't try it very often but some report that up to a certain velocity they've had pretty good success.
My buddy Callshot had real good luck in his 41 Redhawk with one cast bullet up to 1200 fps without a gas check.

Dick

Click to expand...

Were Callshots bullets powder coated? I was also wondering about milling the gas check section of the mold off and reattaching the sprue plate, creating a flat base bullet.

Click to expand...

I have shortened bullet molds to aliminate the gas check area and have bored out the mold blocks to make them plain based. Both ways have worked well for me. Boring out the cavity to make it plain base requires accurate set up in the lathe four jaw to assure an accurate and true bullet. Don't rely on resizing to straighten a bad bullet.
I powder coat but have only used it in plinking ammo and CAS bullets. I can't say how they do for pure accuracy. That would depend on many factors that only you can discover in your gun and your mold and alloy.

Yes, Callshot' s bullets were powder coated.

Dick

I think that it's like anything else. Your gun may be different than others,, and only by testing will you determine which is best. I powder coat my cast bullets,, and so far,, the GC ones,, still require a GC.

But,, in general,, from what little I've seen about this,, is that most bullets that use a GC seem to still prefer a GC even when PCed.

And remember, a GC is there to assist in allowing you to speed up a bullet w/o undue leading. When you PC a bullet,, you are adding a coating to the bullet,, that may or may not allow much of a velocity increase.

Most of my cast bullets are kept in a velocity range to where a GC isn't necessary. But,, for the bullets designed to be pushed faster & harder,, and when they perform better at higher velocities,, I prefer to use the GC. Normally applied after I PC them. So far,, any testing I've done trying to run them w/o a GC,, haven't shown me any improvement in accuracy. In fact,, just the reverse,, accuracy has suffered.
BUT,, in other guns,, it may be entirely different.