ACWW for hollowpoints?

[ScottJ]

I have a single cav 358156 I've been playing with as time allows.

Loaded up over 14.5gr WW 296 it averages 1120 fps at 5-ish feet from the muzzle from my 4" N-frame. And averages 974 from my 2.5 inch 66.

My goal is to have it hollowpointed to build cheap self-defense loads should off the shelf factory stuff get too expensive or too hard to find.

With those goals can I make it work with air cooled WW? At what velocity? I know hollowpoint design has much to do with it so I'm also looking for advice as to what sort of design to ask for.

[bhn22]

Perhaps your first issue is going to be that wheelweight alloys seem to vary in hardness. Personally, I'd be more inclined to cut your WW alloy about 50% with pure lead. I think you'll be better off with an alloy lower in antimony than pure WWs.

[ScottJ]

I also have quite a bit of range scrap at my disposal (not currently smelted). I was thinking I could use that.

But it sure would be nice to be able to cast up HPs without having to drain the pot from my solid casting.

Or maybe I use it as an excuse to convice SWMBO I need another pot :D

[cbrick]

At 1120 fps air cooled WW might be ok at the short range of a defense situation, At 974 I think I would also cut it 50/50 with soft. Logic would say that if your going to cut it anyway to use it for both.

Range scrap varies by the type of shooting done at the range but should be around 8-10 BHN and would also work well for both.

Rick

[TCFAN]

I had Eric at hollowpointmold.com HP a single cav. Ideal 358156 for me. Had him make several different HP pins so I could try different size cavities.
Now I have not shot any in a handgun so I can't say how they might work out of ww.

But I do use them in a Marlin 94C loaded to about 1700fps cast out of ACWW. At that speed they come apart like a bomb in varmints.
Here is a photo of a couple of different Hp one is a cup point that I thought might work for deer. The other is the HP I use for varmints.

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx200/TCintheOzarks/Cast%20Boolits/DSCN8256-358156.jpg

[RobS]

Straight WW will be a bit hard once aged if expansion is the intent if not it isn't a be a big deal such as in the case of running them on paper. Some rifle shooters prefer the HP design due to better accuracy and will shoot them in competition; expansion isn't the intent. A lot of other people use HP's for expansion as it relates to hunting or to self protection so running a full pot of a different alloy would keep a person going for quite a while since not to many of these boolits are shot. Many here will use a lead/tin alloy and as been already mentioned a 50/50 WW to lead with a pinch of tin works fairly well too for expansion. I've even seen 25/75 WW to lead work as well. The size of the HP also plays part in the alloy selection.

[JeffinNZ]

TCFAN: I shoot ACWW HP's at 1850fps from my .32-20 and .223 at 2300fps. They are like grenades!

[RobS]

TCFAN: I shoot ACWW HP's at 1850fps from my .32-20 and .223 at 2300fps. They are like grenades!

That is funny; I call this a bomb on rabbits with things running along out of my lever action around 1300 fps.

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/200gr805010BHNWW-1Sn.jpg

The pic above is from a 45 auto at around 830-850 fps. :bigsmyl2: The meplat on the boolit is .320 and the HP is running near the outer edges so it’s huge.

[TCFAN]

TCFAN: I shoot ACWW HP's at 1850fps from my .32-20 and .223 at 2300fps. They are like grenades!

Jeff you are right about that. Have you ever tried straight linotype in your 223?
I use it in my 222 with a 225415 again Hp'ed by Eric. They really do a job on groundhogs. My vel. for them is 2500fps......Terry

[cbrick]

Air cooled CWW +2% Sn. Fired into water at 800 fps from a 45 ACP. Yes, water is a much harder medium than flesh but my only intent here was to see if the bullet would stay together.

Rick

[geargnasher]

As has been mentioned, a "just barely" subsonic load with air-cooled 50/50-ish alloy or some weak-antimony range scrap (2% or less) with about 1-1.5% tin added to get you an air-cooled 10-11 bhn with some malleability to it will probably be your best bet. No need to go supersonic with SD ammo, the extra flash and bang are not desireable, and 160 grains of lead is going to do about the same damage at 1000 fps as it will at 1200. My philosophy with SD boolits is make them so they retain weight, whether HP or not. I keep my SD gun loaded with HP .45s that expand like crazy, I've posted pics a few times here. Even if a perp is wearing body armor the boolit will stay together and deliver all of it's energy to the target, and it's plenty to knock a charging 300-lb giant flat on his ****, which buys a couple seconds for accurate follow-up shots if necessary.

Gear

[Larry Gibson]

Gear is correct; I use the 358156 HP'd with a 1/8" Forster HP tool. Suggest you try 50/50 WW/lead with the tin added. For velocities from 1000 -1200 fps I prefer 20-1 lead tin and under 1000 fps I prefer 40-1 or 30-1 lead tin for best expansion and accuracy, especially in 4" or shorter barreled revolvers. For the longer 6 - 7 1/2" barreled revolvers of .357, .41 and .44 magnum persausion I prefer 16-1 lead - tin or the 50/50 WW/lead/tin alloy.

Larry Gibson

[63 Shiloh]

Gear is correct; I use the 358156 HP'd with a 1/8" Forster HP tool. Suggest you try 50/50 WW/lead with the tin added. For velocities from 1000 -1200 fps I prefer 20-1 lead tin and under 1000 fps I prefer 40-1 or 30-1 lead tin for best expansion and accuracy, especially in 4" or shorter barreled revolvers. For the longer 6 - 7 1/2" barreled revolvers of .357, .41 and .44 magnum persausion I prefer 16-1 lead - tin or the 50/50 WW/lead/tin alloy.

Larry Gibson

The 16-1 ratio as described by Larry works very well in my .357 and 45-70 Marlins.

I use Lyman's Devastator in the .357 and a HP'd Ideal 457 124 at 380gn.

Very malleable allowing the HP to mushroom very nicely indeed. Have had the .357" boolits break up a little when pushed over 1650fps, the 45-70 boolit sized at .460" has dropped everything with no fuss.


Mike

[fredj338]

IMO, ACWW are too brittle unless the HP design is just right. I prefer a 50/50 lead/ww mix. You can add 1% tin if it isn't casting well. For best results @ a wider vel range, remove the antimony all together & use 20-1 or 25-1 lead/tin alloy. Very ductile & rarely fragments, even at 1200fps+ vel.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/452-251.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/452-268-1K.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/44-272-1K.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/9mm-136-1200.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/45-215gr.jpg

[plainsman456]

I use range scrap for hollowpoints for a 357 and as was said add just a few inches of 95/5 solder if needed for fillout.
All these are air cooled.

[JeffinNZ]

TCFAN: I take it the lino fragments?

Here are the remains of ACWW bullets as mentioned above. 50m into wet phone books.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/DSCN2124_033.jpg

[USSR]

For best results @ a wider vel range, remove the antimony all together & use 20-1 or 25-1 lead/tin alloy.

+1. Eliminating the antimony and using 25:1 will give excellent results.

Don