I'm not sure I really understand all I have read on alloy makeup for our casting hobby.
For this discussion, just assume we'll be staying under 1650fps velocity. The guns in use will be the following
Marlin 336 rebored to 38-55, Accurate 38-250B, backyard gong at 1250 fps and deer hunting at 14-1600fps
Marlin '94 25-20WCF, Noe 260283 plain base- plinking, backyard gong and small game. Mostly 1300 fps
Marlin 30-30 for my young grandson. 165 Ranch Dog, practice and hunting
Many posters insist on having equal Tin and Antimony percentages or close to it, with both fairly low percentages for expansion.
Others, will tell you that lead/antimony alloy will flow well without the tin and that the equal percentage tin/antimony alloy will be more brittle than just the antimony or just tin added to lead.
Now I'm wondering which way to jump?
Where I'm at
I've got two main home mixed alloys I use, both have been tested by BNE.
1.3% SN, 2.1% SB, 96.6% PB Bhn=11 according to the calculator and pretty close by a Cabin Tree tester
1.43% SN, 2.43% SB, 95.7% PB Bhn=12 by the calculator
lots of Linotype, lead based Babbitt and some solder for mixing when I get my hands on more soft lead.
The 2nd one water drops to 17-18 Bhn after PC in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes and is what my grandson has been using.
Now, I know both of these work in these rifles at the sedate velocities I normally run. I'm not really new to this, I shot my first deer with a home cast water dropped ww 31141 nearly 30 years ago and have taken several in the time since.
If you had substantial quantities of these two alloys(not all that different anyway), would you cast bullets and ignore the detail chasers or start making changes?
edit to add: WW+2%Sn mixed 50/50 with PB shows 1.24%SN, 1.49%SB,
For this discussion, just assume we'll be staying under 1650fps velocity. The guns in use will be the following
Marlin 336 rebored to 38-55, Accurate 38-250B, backyard gong at 1250 fps and deer hunting at 14-1600fps
Marlin '94 25-20WCF, Noe 260283 plain base- plinking, backyard gong and small game. Mostly 1300 fps
Marlin 30-30 for my young grandson. 165 Ranch Dog, practice and hunting
Many posters insist on having equal Tin and Antimony percentages or close to it, with both fairly low percentages for expansion.
Others, will tell you that lead/antimony alloy will flow well without the tin and that the equal percentage tin/antimony alloy will be more brittle than just the antimony or just tin added to lead.
Now I'm wondering which way to jump?
Where I'm at
I've got two main home mixed alloys I use, both have been tested by BNE.
1.3% SN, 2.1% SB, 96.6% PB Bhn=11 according to the calculator and pretty close by a Cabin Tree tester
1.43% SN, 2.43% SB, 95.7% PB Bhn=12 by the calculator
lots of Linotype, lead based Babbitt and some solder for mixing when I get my hands on more soft lead.
The 2nd one water drops to 17-18 Bhn after PC in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes and is what my grandson has been using.
Now, I know both of these work in these rifles at the sedate velocities I normally run. I'm not really new to this, I shot my first deer with a home cast water dropped ww 31141 nearly 30 years ago and have taken several in the time since.
If you had substantial quantities of these two alloys(not all that different anyway), would you cast bullets and ignore the detail chasers or start making changes?
edit to add: WW+2%Sn mixed 50/50 with PB shows 1.24%SN, 1.49%SB,
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