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Cast Bullet
Notes |
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Page |
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At |
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(Pronounced
An-Gel-ees) |
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Full
range of dies - powders - primers - bullets - brass - tools -
supplies and much
more |
|
Everything for the metallic cartridge and shot gun
reloader - GOEX Black Powder in 2F & 3F in stock |
|
12651 Little Tujunga Canyon
Road - Lake View Terrace, CA 91342 |
| |
ASR Range open
7 days |
|
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818-899-2255 |
Where
Are We? |
| |
Reloading Store
Open 7 Days |
(Map) |
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|
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Hollow Point Bullet Mold Service |
|
Hollow points -
Alterations - Repairs |
|
<A link you may wish to book mark
for future reference.> |
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Have a mould you
wish was a hollow point design? |
|
Have a HP design
you wish you had a different pin design? |
|
Have a gas check
design that you wish was plain base? |
|
Driving bands
enlarged to cast a larger diameter bullet. |
|
Specializing in
Cramer style Hollow point conversions. |
|
Molds for sale plus . . . I always consider purchasing or
trades for Lyman, Ideal, RCBS, SAECO, or other single or
double cavity rifle and pistol molds. Contact me about
extra molds you have available to sell or trade. |
|
Contact Erik
Ohlen: M-F 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm and Saturdays
9:00 am - 8:30 pm, Pacific Time:
(541) 738-2479
erik@hollowpointmold.com |
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High
Praise for
Erik Ohlen's
Craftsmanship |
|
I have a handful of
moulds that Erik has converted to make hollow-point or cup-point
cast bullets. In every case, the workmanship is first-rate, and the
moulds cast beautifully. The HP pins are perfectly centered, they
release the bullets very easily, and casting with them is fast and
productive. He uses a very clever 2-part collar/pin design that
allows the caster to switch (or in some cases adjust) the HP pins to
vary the expansion properties of the resulting cast bullet. Several
of these moulds are 2-cavity moulds that have had one cavity
converted to drop HP bullets. This allows the caster to make both
the solid and HP version from the same mould (at the same time, if
so desired). Erik offers this service for both rifle and pistol
moulds -- I've had him make both types for me, and have been very
pleased with the results. Not only does Erik offer to convert moulds
to make "traditional" HP's (using a pin held in place with a
keeper/collar, along the lines of the classic H&G HP moulds), but he
is also the only service that I am aware of that works with the
Cramer system of making HP moulds (which uses 2 transverse pins
going through one of the mould blocks to keep the HP pin with the
blocks). He has repaired an old Cramer HP mould for me, and I can
testify, without any reservations, that the quality of his repair
work is significantly higher than the original factory HP
pin. Casting with the repaired Cramer mould is pure joy (the Cramer
design allows for a much faster casting cadence than traditional HP
moulds), and the bullets it produces are beautiful. I will gladly
work with Erik again (and in fact he and I are working on some
experimental ideas right now....). |
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Merry Christmas
everybody! |
|
Glen E.
Fryxell |
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Dec. 25,
2008 |
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Cast Bullet
Notes |
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Commonly Used Bullet Alloys |
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For an industry
description of common lead alloys use this link - Then Click on "Grades of
Lead" |
|
Alloy |
|
"Average" Composition |
Alloy |
|
"Average" Composition |
|
Wheel Weights, clip-on |
- |
| 1/2-1%
tin, 2-3% antimony, |
| 96-7.25% lead,
1/4%
arsenic |
|
Foundry Type |
- |
15% tin, 23%
antimony, 62% lead |
|
Wheel Weights, stick-on |
- |
Pure lead or
nearly so |
Scrap range lead |
- |
Could
be (and is) anything |
|
Linotype |
- |
4% tin, 12%
antimony, 84% lead |
Plumbers lead |
- |
99%+ pure lead. |
|
Monotype |
- |
9% tin, 19%
antimony, 72% lead |
Lyman's No. 2 |
- |
5% tin, 5% antimony, 90%
lead |
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Common Bullet Metal Melting
Temperatures |
| |
Metal |
|
Melting Temp. |
|
Notes: |
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|
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|
Lead (Pb) |
|
621
degrees |
|
Weight, ductility, obturation. |
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Tin (Sn) |
|
429
degrees |
|
|
Reduces surface tension
of lead alloy melt up to 750o, better mould fill-out. Reduces the melting
temperature of lead. "Slight" hardening &
strengthening effect. |
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|
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Antimony (Sb) |
|
1,166 degrees |
|
Hardens lead
alloys, extremely brittle. |
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Linotype |
|
464 degrees -
solid 465 degrees -
liquid |
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|
Casts very well with it's 4% Sn and 12% Sb, No expansion on game, poor choice
for steel targets. Poor choice for light and mid-range
loads. |
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Foundry Type |
|
619
degrees |
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Extremely brittle. NO expansion on game, shatters on steel targets. |
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WW (clip-on) |
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463 degrees |
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slushy
To |
|
505 degrees
molten |
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Contains enough arsenic/antimony to
enable hardening by heat |
|
treating. Heat
treating WW alloy with 2% tin added increases |
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hardness / strength without adding brittleness as in
high Sb
linotype metal. |
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Top of page |
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Lyman
Devastator HP 202 Gr. |
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45 caliber
fired into 3 feet of |
|
water at 800
fps - 11 BHN |
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Testing
Cast Bullet BHN
Tester's |
| |
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 |
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SAECO # 068
200 gr. 45 Caliber |
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SWCBB 5 BHN
fired at 800 fps |
|
into 3 feet
of water and hit the |
|
bottom
of the plastic drum |
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The 2008
Cast Bullet BHN Tester Experiment (The Results) |
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42 different testers
using a total of 47 different testing tools. |
|
13 were Cabine Tree,
8 were LBT, |
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12 were Lee and 9
were SAECO’S. |
|
Plus 4 other
brands of testers included. |
|
See how
these cast bullet BHN testers compare with the same
alloy lab tested for BHN? How does the people doing the
testing and reading the results effect the "usefulness"
of the different testers? Is there any consistency with these
testers and which brands faired best - worst? Are they a
viable tool for working up accuracy loads?
CB BHN Tester Experiment |
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Top of page
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Common Bullet Alloy Hardness |
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|
Alloy |
|
BHN |
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Lead |
|
5 |
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WW (stick
on) |
|
6 |
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Tin |
|
7 |
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1 to
40 tin lead |
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8 |
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1 to
30 tin lead |
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9 |
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1 to
20 tin lead |
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10 |
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1 to
10 tin lead |
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11 |
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WW (clip
on) |
|
12 |
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Lead
Shot* |
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13 |
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Lyman
# 2 |
|
15 |
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Water
quenched WW |
|
18 |
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|
Linotype |
|
18 - 19 |
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Monotype |
|
25 - 27 |
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Oven
heat treated WW |
|
30 - 32 |
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Antimony |
|
50 |
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*Tip:
Lead
shot has .5 to
1.0%
arsenic (As) (depending on the manufacturer) and
can be used as a hardening agent when heat
treating lead/antimony alloys.
1/4
of 1%
arsenic is all it takes. Adding
any more than this adds nothing & will not
further harden the alloy. Additional
hardening can be achieved by heat treating
when arsenic is present to approximately 30
to 32 BHN. |
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Approximate
"Maximum"
Chamber Pressure
For Lead Alloys (PSI) |
|
Plumbers lead, stick on
WW |
|
13,000 - (Black Powder
Only) |
|
Wheel weights / clip-on |
|
|
25,000 - Non-Magnum
handgun |
| loads, Rifles to 1,900
fps |
|
|
Lyman # 2 (alloy varies
in |
|
Lyman
cast bullet books) |
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35,000 - Magnum handgun
& |
|
rifles to 2,000 fps |
|
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Quench-cast WW (dropped |
|
from
mould into cool water) |
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48,000 - Magnum
handgun |
|
&
rifles to 2,200 fps |
|
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Oven heat treated WW |
|
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55,000 - Jacketed
velocities in handguns |
|
and
rifles with quality bore & balanced load |
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|
|
Bullet BHN /
"Minimum"
Chamber Pressure
For Lead
Alloys
(PSI) |
|
The formula (from the pages of HandLoader
Magazine) to determine at what pressure an alloy of given BHN will obturate the base of the bullet and seal the
bore. If the bullet is too hard to obturate, gas cutting
usually occurs on the base band on the non-driving side
of the rifling and barrel leading is likely. Simply
multiply the alloy BHN by 1,422. |
|
Example: Alloy BHN of 12
multiplied by
1422 = 17,064. An alloy of 12 BHN should be used with a
load that develops a "minimum" of 17,000 psi.
Need more info on minimum / maximum alloy BHN?
These Glen E. Fryxell articles explain alloy BHN
in easy to understand language. |
|
Cast Bullet
Alloys
And
Obturation |
|
A Few Comments On Cast
Bullet
Alloys
<>
Lubricating
Cast
Bullets |
|
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38 Special
and 358477 HP;
loaded round,
|
|
|
SAECO Lead
Hardness Tester
Conversion
To
BHN |
|
Certified Alloys |
SAECO |
Brinell |
|
Pure
Lead |
0 - 1 |
6 |
|
20 - 1 |
6 - 7 |
10 |
|
Hardball |
8 - 9 |
16 |
|
Linotype |
9 - 10 |
18 - 20 |
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 |
|
|
fired
into water, 1000
fps. |
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| |
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Alloy
shrinkage of cast bullets |
| |
| |
Composition,
% |
Brinell |
Shrinkage |
|
|
Type Metal |
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
Hardness |
Linear, % |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Linotype |
4 |
12 |
84 |
18 |
.65 |
|
Monotype |
9 |
19 |
72 |
26 |
.65 |
|
Lead |
-- |
-- |
100 |
5 |
1.13 |
|
Tin |
100 |
-- |
-- |
7 |
.90 |
|
Antimony |
-- |
100 |
-- |
50 |
.47 |
|
As an
example: the solidification of a nominally .357"
diameter bullet cast of Linotype could be expected from
the above table to be .0065 X .357" = .0025". In a
soft alloy of lead and tin, .01 X .357" = .0035". |
|
|
|
|
Shrinkage -
Bullet Diameter, Inches |
|
Alloy |
.308 |
.357 |
.452 |
|
Linotype |
.002 |
.0025 |
.003 |
|
Lyman # 2 |
.0025 |
.0025 |
.0035 |
|
Soft Lead |
.0035 |
.004 |
.005 |
|
| From the
above two tables it can be seen that the softer the
alloy and the larger diameter the bullet that more
shrinkage will occur. |
|
|
|
|
Bullet alloy
as-cast & final dia. sized (.308 sizing die) |
| |
|
Wheel |
|
|
| |
Lead |
Weights |
Lyman #2 |
Linotype |
|
As-cast dia. |
.309" |
.3095" |
.310" |
.3104" |
|
Sized dia. |
.3078" |
.3079" |
.3084" |
.3084" |
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Bullet alloy
contaminants, chemical symbol and sources |
|
|
|
Chemical |
Possible |
| |
Element |
Symbol |
Sources |
|
|
Antimony* |
> |
Sb |
> |
Wheel
weights, batteries, Cable sheathing, Type Metals |
|
|
Tin* |
> |
Sn |
> |
Batteries,
Wheel Weights, Type metals, Solder |
|
|
Arsenic* |
> |
As |
> |
Wheel weights, Lead shot |
|
|
Iron |
> |
Fe |
> |
Used type
metals |
|
|
Bismuth |
> |
Bi |
> |
Cable
sheathing |
|
|
Calcium |
> |
Ca |
> |
Batteries |
|
|
Cadmium |
> |
Cd |
> |
Batteries |
|
|
Copper |
> |
Cu |
> |
Batteries |
|
|
Strontium |
> |
Sr |
> |
Batteries |
|
|
*Antimony,
tin and arsenic are not contaminants but listed to
show their source. Battery lead should be avoided
because of the extremely high toxicity of elements such as
Strontium. All of the other elements listed in
addition to being toxic, cast very poorly, ruin a
pot of alloy they are blended with and should be avoided. |
|
|
|
|
Tip:
An additional use of the "stick-on" wheel weights. Cast
a few bullets for the firearm that you wish to slug the
bore of. Clean the bore and then run a clean lightly
oiled patch through the bore. At a BHN of 6, stick-on
wheel weight bullets make a great bore slug. Use solvent
to remove the oil from the bore. Always separate and
save stick on weights when processing wheel weights. Add
up to 2% tin when casting bore slugs from stick-on wheel
weights to aid in mould fill out. |
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|
|
The
180
grain RCBS GC Silhouette |
 |
 |
|
.357 Magnum |
|
|
|
|
|
What does bullet lube do? |
|
In
summary, bullet lube is pumped from the lube groove to the
barrel surface by compression, linear acceleration and radial
acceleration. In addition, lube is injected forward during the
firing process, as the result of high-pressure gas leakage
into the lube groove. This injection process forms a floating
fluid gasket around the bullet, and serves to limit gas
cutting and is a kind of ballistic stop-leak. |
|
|
Read the entire article |
|
|
|
|
Comments on Cast
Bullet Alloys |
|
A very common
misconception is that leading is caused by the bullet being
too soft. Historically, tin
was used to harden bullet alloys. Today tin is used to lower
the surface tension of the molten alloy and allows it to fill
out the mould more completely. Antimony hardens lead alloys much
more effectively than does tin, in addition, antimony allows
the alloy to be hardened via heat treatment, something the
chemistry of tin doesn't allow (and arsenic is even better for
heat treating than is antimony). |
|
Read the entire article |
|
|
|
Cast Hollow Points - The Next Generation |
| It can be
argued that the hollow point bullet is one of the most important
advances in the development of modern handgun ammunition. Elmer
Keith recognized this early on, and around 1930 incorporated hollow
points into his pet CB SWC designs (Lyman 358439, Lyman 429421 HP
and Lyman 454424 HP). His detailed reports of their accuracy,
expansion and deadly performance on small and medium game
highlighted the shooting literature for decades. |
|
Read the
entire article |
|
|
|
Fluxing Bullet
Metal |
| Of particular interest to
the bullet caster are calcium, aluminum and zinc -- all of
which are difficult to reduce and all of which cause casting
problems. What we want a flux to do is to remove impurities
that affect the surface tension of the alloy and cause
problems during casting (most notable here are things like
calcium, aluminum, zinc and copper). In addition, we want to
remove any wettable particulate matter that might go on to
form inclusions in our bullets. Since tin is so valuable to
the bullet caster, it would be helpful if we could slow down,
or even reverse its oxidation. |
| Some
of the commercial bullet fluxes are formulations that have the
advantage of generating virtually no smoke or odor based on
borax, or other boric acid derivatives. The way these
commercial fluxes work is to combine with the oxidized
components of the alloy (including any oxidized tin) and form
an insoluble molten borate glass, which collects on top of the
melt as a dark molten crust. This process is smoke-free and
cleans the alloy very effectively, but the dark molten crust
must be removed to prevent inclusions in the bullets. |
|
|
Read the
entire article |
Top of page |
|
|
|
Available
Hornady Crimp On Gas Checks By Caliber |
|
22 Caliber |
|
338 Caliber |
|
243 Caliber |
|
348 Caliber |
|
25 Caliber |
|
35 Caliber |
|
264 Caliber |
|
375 Caliber |
|
270 Caliber |
|
416 Caliber |
|
7mm |
|
44 Caliber |
|
30 Caliber |
|
45 Caliber |
|
32 Caliber |
|
475 Caliber |
|
|
|
|
Available
Lyman Slip On Gas Checks By Caliber |
|
22 Caliber |
|
7mm |
|
41 Caliber |
|
243 Caliber |
|
30 Caliber |
|
44 Caliber |
|
25 Caliber |
|
32 Caliber |
|
45 Caliber |
|
264 Caliber |
|
35 Caliber |
|
|
|
270 Caliber |
|
375 Caliber |
|
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|
|
Tip:
The size and
weight of bullets of a given alloy will vary according
to casting temperature. Higher
temperatures will result in greater shrinkage as the
bullet cools and produce a slightly smaller and lighter
bullet than one cast of the same alloy at a lower
temperature. |
|
Top of page |
|
|
|
Heat
Treating Tips |
|
(From the pages of
HandLoader Magazine) |
|
The essential metals for heat treating are lead,
antimony and arsenic. Tin is optional; although it may
aid in an effort to cast more perfect bullets and
contribute to ductility.
To
obtain maximum hardness, a minimum of one to two percent
antimony is required in addition to a trace of arsenic.
Arsenic is the catalyst. Heat-treating cannot work
without it, regardless of the amount of antimony or
other trace elements present.
Webmaster Addendum:
The
above quote on arsenic from HandLoader "appears" to be
in error and should read: Arsenic is the
catalyst to a
greatly enhanced ability to heat treat. 4% antimony has
a much better hardening/time curve than 2% alloy. |
|
|
Tin has the effect of reducing maximum hardness from
heat treating as its ratio to other metals increases.
Wheel-weights, one to two percent tin, can be
heat-treated to a harder level than Lyman No. 2 with its
five percent tin content. Linotype, 84/12/4
(lead-antimony-tin) has the lowest hardening potential
when compared to other alloys commonly used to produce
cast bullets.
Webmaster Addendum:
In this reference from
HandLoader on the effects of tin in heat treating
linotype and Lyman # 2 alloys. Linotype and Lyman # 2
alloy's have the lowest hardening potential of common
bullet alloys because of the higher tin content (4% &
5%) and lack of arsenic. |
|
|
| |
| Webmaster
Addendum: In the above
two references from HandLoader the conditions of the testing
is not known but I cannot help but wonder if both conclusions
were drawn from heat treating non-arsenical alloys. It appears
that non-arsenical alloys such as linotype and Lyman # 2
alloys can be heat treated because of their antimony content.
Adding a trace (1/4
of 1% to 1/2%)
of arsenic in the alloy dramatically increases the hardness
that can be achieved by heat treating. The percentage of
antimony effects the hardening/time curve. 2% antimony will
take longer to achieve final hardness than 4% or 6% antimony
alloy. |
|
|
|
| Tip:
Wheel weights
(.5% tin, 1/4%
arsenic, 2-3% antimony,
96-7% lead)
will produce bullets
having the smallest diameter and heaviest weight of the common
bullet alloy's, With
such bullets running approximately
3/10
of 1%
smaller in diameter and
3% heavier than bullets
cast with Lyman
# 2 metal. Linotype
will produce bullets with the largest diameter and lightest
weights of the common alloy's. Linotype
alloy will produce bullets approximately 1/10
of 1%
larger and 3%
lighter than Lyman
# 2. |
|
|
Top of page |
|
RCBS 44 Cal. 240
Gr. Silhouette |
Expected (Approximate)
alloy weight variation from bullets cast of linotype |
|
|
Bullet
Weight |
Bullet
Weight |
Bullet
Weight |
Bullet
Weight |
|
Linotype
- No GC |
1 - 10 Alloy
- No GC |
Wheel
Weight - No GC |
Pure
Lead
- No GC |
|
53.0 gr. |
+
2.3 gr. |
+
2.6 gr. |
+
4.7 gr. |
|
93.0 gr. |
+
4.0 gr. |
+
4.6 gr. |
+
8.3 gr. |
|
118
gr. |
+
5.0 gr. |
+
5.8 gr. |
+
10.5 gr. |
|
147.0 gr. |
+
6.3 gr. |
+
7.2 gr. |
+
13.1 gr. |
|
165.0 gr. |
+
7.0 gr. |
+
8.1 gr. |
+
14.7 gr. |
|
177.0 gr. |
+
7.5 gr. |
+
8.7 gr. |
+
15.8 gr. |
|
237.0 gr. |
+
10.1 gr. |
+
11.7 gr. |
+
21.2 gr. |
|
401.0 gr. |
+
17.1 gr. |
+
19.8 gr. |
+
35.8 gr. |
|
|
Top of page |
|
|
|
Linotype - 5 pounds |
|
Linotype - 2 pounds |
|
Clip-on wheel weights -
20 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 5 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 5 pounds - 3% Tin |
|
Tin - 6.4 Ounces (2%)
(or 9.6 Ounce
3%) |
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
|
2.25% |
8% |
89.75% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
|
4.5% |
6.3% |
89.2% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Arsenic |
Lead |
| 2
1/4% |
4% |
1/4% |
93
1/2% |
|
|
1% tin can be added |
|
Nearly Lyman # 2 BHN. |
|
Oven heat treats to 30 - 34 BHN |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linotype - 3 pounds |
|
Monotype - 2 pounds |
|
Stick-on wheel weights 15 pounds
- Lino 5 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 9 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 4 pounds
/ lead - 3 pounds |
|
Lead Shot - 4 ounces /
Tin - 9.6 ounces |
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
|
1.4% |
6% |
92.7% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
|
2.2% |
6% |
91.8% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Arsenic |
Lead |
| 3% |
1% |
1/4% |
95 3/4% |
|
|
Add 2% tin. Close to Lyman # 2 alloy |
|
Add 1% tin. Good Magnum handgun alloy |
|
Possible to quench or oven heat treat |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linotype - 4 pounds |
|
Monotype - 3 pounds |
|
Wheel Weights - 9 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 6 pounds |
|
Wheel weights - 4 pounds
/ lead - 3 pounds |
|
50/50 bar solder - 1 pound |
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
| 2% |
7.5% |
90.5% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
| 3% |
7.2% |
89.8% |
|
|
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
| 5% |
3% |
92% |
|
|
1-2% tin can be added |
|
Medium hard alloy. Magnum handgun &
rifles to 2,000 fps |
|
Close to Lyman # 2 Alloy |
|
|
|
Clip-on
Wheel weights
- 10 pounds |
|
Clip-on
Wheel weights
- 9 pounds |
|
Clip-on
Wheel weights
- 10 pounds |
|
Stick-on
Wheel Weights
- 4 pounds |
Linotype
- 2 pounds
/ Virgin bar tin
- 7 ounces |
Stick-on
Wheel Weights
- 4 pounds
/
Tin
- 4 ounces |
|
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
Tin |
Antimony |
Lead |
|
.35% |
2.2% |
97.65% |
4.9% |
4.45% |
90.65% |
2.1% |
2.1% |
95.8% |
|
Trace of Arsenic - About 7 BHN |
Lyman # 2 Alloy duplicate |
Trace of Arsenic - About 7-8 BHN |
|
|
|
|
Article on cast bullet alloys:
Cast Bullet
Alloy / Alloy Maintenance |
|
Article on Roto Metals Super Hard w/recipes |
|
Top of page |
|
| |
|
Cast
Bullet Alloy
Sources |
| |
|
 |
Rotometals,
Inc. |
|
| Your
Source for
Super Hard |
| Non-Ferrous
Metals and Custom Alloys |
| Call toll free
1-800-779-1102 or visit us online |
| $99.00+ qualifies
for free shipping within the U.S. |
|
| |
|
|
|
The
Antimony Man |
|
Tin, lead,
antimony, equipment and alloys of lead/tin for BPCR and
Schuetzen shooting, Linotype, “Hardcast” handgun alloy
and special order alloys. |
|
| |
|
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| |
|
Bullet
Molds - Custom
and Standard |
| |
|
MP-Molds |
| In a
review
of MP-Molds Glen E. Fryxell made the following
statement, to realize what a powerful statement this is
consider that Glen owns over 450 molds.
< The mould he sent me is, quite simply, the most
beautiful mould I have ever had the pleasure of casting
with > |
|
| |
|
Mountain Molds |
|
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| |
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| |
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|
Tip:
The
cast HP is
one of the best hunting bullets available. Their
expansion properties can be tuned to one's wants and
needs. The
best way to cast high-quality HP's
is to cast hot, cast fast, and don't inspect your
bullets while you're casting (inspect after you're done). A hot HP pin is a happy
HP pin; you will
never get high-quality HP's from a cold HP pin. - Glen E.
Fryxell |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Tip: The RCBS
cast iron melting pot makes a great ingot mold. Filled half
full these handy cakes weigh 5 pounds with flat tops and
bottoms making for stable stacking & storage.
NOTE:
Filled full the pot will make 10 pound ingots but they WILL
NOT fit into the RCBS 22 pound lead pot for re-melting. |
|
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|
Top of page |
|
Cast Bullet Seating Depth |
Gas
Checks |
| Cast
bullets could suffer more from a longer free-bore jump than
their jacketed counterparts. Seating the bullet to engrave the
rifling in rifles and single shot pistols often improves cast bullet groups (not so long as to
wedge the bullet into the rifling, you don't want the bullet
pulled from the case when opening the action). Remember that
the OAL of the loaded round must function in your action type.
Because cast bullets are softer than jacketed, zero free-bore
should not increase chamber pressures by any significant
amount. |
|
Revolver bullets should be seated so the front driving band is
started in the throat when the cylinder is loaded whenever
possible. Revolver bullets should be sized to a mild snug fit
in the throats. All the throats in the cylinder should hold a
sized bullet and be able to be pushed through with mild
pressure from a pencil. |
| |
|
|
There are two types of gas checks available to bullet
casters. They are the Lyman straight walled slip on
checks and the Hornady crimp on checks. Which type of
check you decide to use is probably a mute point but
with both, gas check fit is critical to accuracy. The
check must fit flat against and square to the base of
the bullet. |
| All
gas checks vary in thickness, hardness and dimensions from lot
to lot according to normal manufacturing tolerances. Lyman
checks average .015" thick. Hornady checks average thickness
is.020" and both can vary by .0005" to .0015 including the
side thickness of the cup. |
| A
common misconception is that gas checks prevent the heat
of the burning powder from melting the base of the
bullet. This is extremely doubtful as lead absorbs heat
slowly and the millisecond the bullet is exposed to this
heat could not melt off any lead. |
|
Top of
page |
|
|
|
Tip: PVC pipe cutters from your local home improvement center
cuts bar tin very easily & cleanly. A postal scale will weigh
your metals for accurately blending your favorite alloy for
repeatability from lot to lot. |
|
| |
|
Tip: When
heat treating lead / arsenic alloy's, the colder the
water the faster your bullets will harden. A block of ice in
the water to chill it while the bullets are in the oven will bring your bullets to full
hardness in 24 - 28
hours.
Room temperature water will take 48
to 72
hours to fully harden the alloy. (Addendum: It
appears this is not the case with convection ovens but
does seems to hold true for conventional cook ovens,
see:
Heat
Treating Lead) |
|
| |
|
Tip:
Bullets
in an oven pre-heated to 450
degrees for one hour will heat treat wheel weights (Lead
- arsenic - antimony alloy) to
approximately 18
BHN. One
hour at 475
degrees will harden the alloy to approximately 22 BHN. With
the oven just barely below the melting point the alloy
Will harden to 30+ BHN. Ovens
and thermometers vary as do all alloys, experiment to achieve your
desired results. |
|
|
|
RCBS Cast
Rifle
Bullet Ballistic
Coefficients |
|
Bullet |
B.C. |
Bullet |
B.C. |
|
22-055 FN |
.159 |
30-180 FN |
.255 |
|
243-095 |
.258 |
35-200 FN |
.243 |
|
257-120 |
.272 |
357-180 Silh |
.210 |
|
270-150 |
.327 |
375-200 FN |
.220 |
|
7mm-145
Silh. |
.272 |
44-200 FN |
.130 |
|
7mm-168
SP |
.306 |
429-240 Silh |
.186 |
|
30-115 SP |
.175 |
45-300 FN |
.207 |
|
30-150 FN |
.220 |
45-405 FN |
.303 |
|
308-165 Silh. |
.286 |
45-500 FN |
.365 |
|
30-180 SP |
.293 |
|
|
| |
|
Tip:
Accurate
note keeping is as or more important in bullet
casting as in handloading. |
|
| |
|
Tip: Magnum
shot is a good source for antimony
(4%) and arsenic (1.5-1.75%) for improving the age
hardening/time curve in heat treating. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Convection oven for heat
treating w/ 3 stacked trays & thermometer. |
|
Aluminum Spaghetti pans with holes enlarged for better
water flow. Each pan holds nearly 300 35 caliber bullets. |
|
|
Top of page |
| |
|
 |
Warning: |
|
|
|
|
Handloading and
bullet casting are safe hobbies but common sense
must
be used. |
|
lead, antimony
and arsenic are toxic. handling these metals / alloys
can be dangerous and are considerably more so when
heated to melting temperatures |
|
<<
NEVER USE BATTERY LEAD - IT IS EXTREMELY TOXIC TO
YOU AND OTHERS AROUND YOU >> |
|
<< Lead
is considerably more toxic to young children - Keep
children well away from casting areas
>> |
|
Use
all appropriate cautions published in current up to date
loading manuals !! |
|
|
|
All technical data mentioned, especially
handloading and bullet casting,
reflect the limited experience of individuals using
specific tools, products, equipment and components under
specific conditions and circumstances not necessarily
reported on this web site
and over which The Los Angeles
Silhouette Club (LASC), this web site
or the author's have no control. The
above has no control over the
condition of your firearms / equipment or your
methods, components, tools, techniques
or circumstances and disclaims all and
any responsibility for any person
using any data mentioned. |
|
ALWAYS |
|
consult recognized reloading manuals |
|
and follow all instructions |
|
for safely handling lead alloys |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Top of page |
Cast Bullet Articles of Glen E. Fryxell |
LASC Front Page |
Additional Handloaders References |
| |
 |
