favorite Alloy Recipes

[Sundogg1911]

I'm looking for some favorite recipes for bullet alloy. I have over a ton of WW alloy, over a ton of straight lead, about 500 lb. of Lino, and about 200 lb. of 60/40 bar solder (60 sn, 40 pb) I have my typical mix, but i'd like to do a little experimentin' what are others using, and in what application. (low velocity pistol, high velocity, magmum, refle, etc.) I'd like to stick to the ingrediants that I have. (Because im cheap) [smilie=1: I have some that i've printed up from other web sites, but i'd like to try some new things. Thanks! :drinks:

[Lloyd Smale]

high velocity and big bore (475 500line) i use mostly 5050 ww/lyno as i figure the gun may be called on to break big bone. Most other mag handguns i use #2. 1000 fps stuff i use alot of ww with a little tin added. Plinking ammo is usually range lead and ww and pure mixed at whatever ratio that the lead pile demands. My #2 ive been making is 60lbs ww 20lbs lynotype 5lbs 60/40 solder and 5lbs pure.

[357maximum]

For my 1.8 to 2.3k 35 cal loads a 50/50 mix of ww/purish and then waterquenched right from the mould seems unbeatable. In a week it will mature to 19 to 21 bhn and works right nice for accuracy and has dandy deerstopping qualities from what i have seen so far.


The same alloy in 444,280,30/06, and 30/30 seems to work alright too, may not be as perfect a match, and only time will tell for sure, but it does work. Something else may end up working better, but so far I cannot prove it. This worked out well for me as most my lead stash is ww's, and lead pipe. I recently traded off quite a bit of my lino for ww's...the exchange rate was too favorable to pass up...

[Bass Ackward]

Everyone's favorite mix will be the one they learned to use under the conditions they are loading it.

So as soon as you say Mix "A" is limited to "X amount" fps, you will use it in something else using different techniques where it works fine at twice the velocity under those conditions.

The more experienced you get, the wider range of stuff and the softer you can use because you will learn to use it. So if some part of your mix becomes unavailable in the future, you can adapt and move on. You won't be a hostage to .... availability.

I look at my favorite alloy these days with my memory being what it is, as anything I can make up in a significant quantity, so that once I figure out what it can do, then I can do it for the longest time without having to change lubes or sizers and other things. Plus, this is on one side of the garage and that is on the other. Simple.

Right now that is WW + 2% tin for rifle work and 20-1 for handgun stuff and BP.

[Sundogg1911]

The mix i've been using the most as an "all around" has been 7# WW, 2# Lino and 1# 60/40 Bar solder, but I have a ton of straight lead, that I'd like to start using. But I was hoping to not have to use too much lino in the mix to get something as hard or harder than number 2. I don't know why I hate using the Lino. I have a good bit of it, but that usually seems to bee the hardest to find for me.

[Lloyd Smale]

try mixing 2/3 ww 1/3 pure and oven heat treating. You should come out somewhere in the range your looking for while using some of your pure up.

[ANeat]

Like you I have quite a bit of pure lead as well as WW. I use a 50/50 mix for general handgun use and get great results. Water dropped they are plenty hard after a week or two. One thing you need to watch out for when you increase the lead% is your bullet size. If your molds are throwing them right on size with a harder alloy they will come out small with the higher % of lead. If they come out a little larger than needed you may be able to play with the % of lead and get real close to size as cast. Makes em go thru the sizer real fast:mrgreen:

[robert william]

I am sort of lazy, not to mention rather new to the game. In my front loaders I use pure lead. I have also had good luck using Pure lead to cast .455 255 gr bullets for my 25-5 S&W. I keep the velocity around 750 fps. I have been using straight WW in my .45-70 and have just loaded a batch of 30-06 using 174 gr WW lubed with LLA over 9.2 gr of Unique. Hopefully I will find out in the morning if it shoots.

[USARO4]

I've been leaning towards a softer alloy lately, as I shoot mostly handgun loads in the 800-1200fps range. I also have a large stash of pure lead from a hospital remodel. I mix 2 parts ww/1 part pure in a 20# pot with 6 inches of 95/5 solder wire to get the tin content up. I air cool it and it tests 10bhn on a cabine tree tester. I lube it with Johnson's paste wax. It bumps up real good in the bore and doesnt lead. It helps stretch out the pure lead and maximizes the use of ww which is most available to me. I reseve my precious stash of lino for special projects.

[3sixbits]

Can you say six, two, ninety two? 2% TIN, 6% ANTIMONY and 92% LEAD. Any more tin is a waste of money. Any more ANTIMONY does nothing for you. This is why Linotype that is 12% TIN, 4% ANTIMONY and 84% LEAD works out so well when cut with the same weight of pure LEAD. It does not get any better than 6,2,92! Remember the lowly WW with a 2% TIN addition makes for some really nice bullets and they will have from 3% to 4% ANTIMONY, tops. May I suggest a great book to you? Available from Magma Eng on commercial casting, is a book written by a guy that worked in the lead industry for Lawrence brand shot. "THE HANDBOOK OF COMMERCIAL BULLET CASRING" By Paul B. Moore. I have two copies, I keep one in the shop and the other upstairs for a quick reference. Vary dated as far as information about computers and programs, but fun to read for the nostalgia. The important stuff is right on the money and will save money and grief.:drinks:

[jhalcott]

3six, how fast can you shoot this 50/50 lead/lino alloy? I see a LOT of info on cast bullets here that only apply to hand guns. I know many of the posters here shoot rifles. I am interested in 2200+ fps loads for critter killing. ground hogs and even a fox or 2. I HATE it when the ground hog runs back down the hole and I have to guess if it will die quick or take a long time.

[3sixbits]

I have not gone over 1800 fps with it in rifle. It is a funny thing about my cast bullet experiences in rifle, I have always found the sweet spot to be in the 1100 to 1400 fps range. I really only care about accuracy and don't give a hoot about the hot rodding experience any longer(been there, done that). Strangely enough I've found that the loads that "go to sleep" buck the wind conditions a whole lot better. That has caused me no end of confusion over the years as to the why? I hope I don't offend jhalcott, but just shoot the ******** and don't worry about it, they are going to die if hit.

[leftiye]

jh, go big bore, they'll stop