3
358156hp
Guest
And they were sized the same day they were cast. And they went "creak" too.
New alloy
- Thread starter Brad
- Start date
Ian
Notorious member
I tumbled some 20 bhn aged bullets in just a hint of Ben's liquid lube last night, let them dry for an hour, and they zipped right through my Lyman H-die in a Keith-the-Perfesser-special press adapter. Normally I roll rifle bullets on a case lube pad before sizing, or put them in a ziplock and spritz them with a little of my homemade spray-bottle case lube (lanolin and castor oil thinned out with lots of 99% isopropyl alcohol).
3
358156hp
Guest
I was originally running every third to fifth bullet through the die again to keep the taper at the leade lubricated. Finally I ended up using Imperial sizing wax on the bullets. Then I sold off the mould because it was a pain to cast with too. That mould had lots of bearing surface. I'm going to keep the 357 at or under 185 grains max. for my needs.
Today I will be heat treating some of the copper added bullets.
100 each will go to 450, 400, and 375 degrees for a full hour then get quenched.
I added a few 44 mag bullets I cast from my 310 Lee mould from the same alloy to each heat treat batch. These have a nice flat nose that is quite easy to check hardness on.
Time will tell what I get for BHn from these but the 450 degree group will likely go over 24.
100 each will go to 450, 400, and 375 degrees for a full hour then get quenched.
I added a few 44 mag bullets I cast from my 310 Lee mould from the same alloy to each heat treat batch. These have a nice flat nose that is quite easy to check hardness on.
Time will tell what I get for BHn from these but the 450 degree group will likely go over 24.
Today I will be heat treating some of the copper added bullets.
100 each will go to 450, 400, and 375 degrees for a full hour then get quenched.
I added a few 44 mag bullets I cast from my 310 Lee mould from the same alloy to each heat treat batch. These have a nice flat nose that is quite easy to check hardness on.
Time will tell what I get for BHn from these but the 450 degree group will likely go over 24.
100 each will go to 450, 400, and 375 degrees for a full hour then get quenched.
I added a few 44 mag bullets I cast from my 310 Lee mould from the same alloy to each heat treat batch. These have a nice flat nose that is quite easy to check hardness on.
Time will tell what I get for BHn from these but the 450 degree group will likely go over 24.
I think it is quite conservative.
Now I am changing alloy in the pot and going to the 3/1 alloy for some handgun bullets. These will be air cooled initially and heat treated later. I want to see what temp it takes to get into the 18 BHn area.
The PID sure makes heat treating easier. No more playing with the temp control and waiting 15 minutes to see where the temp stabilizes. Now I just set it and leave. In a few minutes it is stable at the desired temp.
Now I am changing alloy in the pot and going to the 3/1 alloy for some handgun bullets. These will be air cooled initially and heat treated later. I want to see what temp it takes to get into the 18 BHn area.
The PID sure makes heat treating easier. No more playing with the temp control and waiting 15 minutes to see where the temp stabilizes. Now I just set it and leave. In a few minutes it is stable at the desired temp.
Damn, that large a photo shows every little flaw.
These are cast from 50 pounds range scrap/5 pounds monotype. Air cooled. They will probably get some heat treating later.
This alloy sure casts a nice bullet easier than the range scrap all alone. Once I found the right rhythm they were just pouring out of the mould nice as could be.
The copper added alloy I heat treated to 450 F for an hour has already hardened substantially. It has been 6 hours or so and they are already reading in the 22 BHn realm.
The 5 pound monotype to 50 pound range scrap air cooled is running around 10 BHn for now. Will be interesting to see how it does when heat treated. I did some of those to 400 and 350 but not 450.
The 5 pound monotype to 50 pound range scrap air cooled is running around 10 BHn for now. Will be interesting to see how it does when heat treated. I did some of those to 400 and 350 but not 450.
Last edited:
F
freebullet
Guest
Who needs paper patching huh?
Ian
Notorious member
I like well filled-out
22 BHN in six hours? Good grief! Imagine what they'll be like in six months! How do the percentages shake out in this concoction?: "I used 50 pounds range scrap, 4.5 pounds of formula 0 babbitt from Rotometals, a pound of grade 3 babbitt from Rotometals, and a single 3/4 pound bar of 30/70 body solder"
22 BHN in six hours? Good grief! Imagine what they'll be like in six months! How do the percentages shake out in this concoction?: "I used 50 pounds range scrap, 4.5 pounds of formula 0 babbitt from Rotometals, a pound of grade 3 babbitt from Rotometals, and a single 3/4 pound bar of 30/70 body solder"
F
freebullet
Guest
What kind of tester do you use?