Have a Mag-20 pot of unidentified lead

[Quigley_up_Over]

I have a full cold Lyman Mag 20 pot of various leads that I used when learning how to cast. Is there a way for me to somehow measure what the effective ultimate alloy has become?

If I want to blow through this pot making bullets, what is a good round to make that is not super alloy-sensitive? Thanks for any help here.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

You could cast a few Boolits and test the hardness, or just cast up some handgun Boolits with the mix.

Lee makes a hardness tester that works alright.

[AggieEE]

I've found that .45ACP and .38 Spec in standard pressure loads, about 800 fps, to be not too alloy sensitive. AggieEE

[Reload3006]

agree with the others most hand gun boolits dont care .. I would cast them up and shoot em.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Assuming that this is not dead soft or super hard it will make an alright Boolit for almost any handgun and work in most rifles 30cal or larger.

[mdi]

If you're lookin' to start alloying your bullet lead, you could either cast up a bunch of "mystery metal" bullets or cast ingots (or muffins) and lable them. "M" for Mystery, "D" for dunno, "UA" for unknown alloy, etc. I use a black marker and the marks last quite a while. The Lee Hardness Tester works, but it's a bit difficult to use the microscope, but not impossible (bunch of posts here about making the indentention measuring process much easier)...

[rr2241tx]

Take the mystery metal to the scrapyard and have them identify it with their x-ray if you don't have a need for low velocity pistol bullets.

[captaint]

Yes, most any of the lower velocity handgun boolits can be cast out of soft(er) lead. If you like, you could add a little soft lead to the mix and pour away. I would. enjoy Mike

[Rocky Raab]

Heck, "mystery" alloy is all I use. Haven't ever noticed a problem.

[Quigley_up_Over]

Thanks for all the replies. What is the general rule anyway..soft for handgun, hard for rifle? Sorry, I am still new to casting for the most part.

[montana_charlie]

Make an ingot with the mystery metal.
Make an ingot with clip-on wheel weights.
Place the two ingots in a bench vise with a ball bearing between them, and close the vise until the bearing sinks into one ingot a bit less than halfway.

This will give you a rough measure of it's hardness relative to wheel weights.

If the mystery metal came out with a much bigger impression, do the same test using pure lead instead of wheel weights.

CM

[runfiverun]

my general rule is take some ww's and "whatever those there are" mix them 3-1 add some tin if they aren't filling out very well.
then keep on casting.
i waterdrop the rifle stuff.
the only other alloy i use is a 4/6/90 and i use very little of that.

[10 ga]

"buckshot" hard or soft. really dosen't matter.

[looseprojectile]

the mystery metal with your thumbnail. It will probably be marked somewhere between soft lead and linotype. You can soften it with the addition of pure lead or harden it with linotype. "Use your brain to assertain"
I've been doing it this way for sixty years and my results have always worked to my satisfaction.
Maybe I am just easy to please.

Maybe I am just too freakin cool, skilled and deft. [smilie=1:.

I sometimes start my casting with mystery metal much like Rocky does and never have had a failure that could be attributed to wrong or bad alloy.
I have suspected at times that I have used too much or an unnecessary amount of tin.
Most of the time I cast boolits I start with either pure lead or wheel weights and adjust from there.
With mystery metal I test it first in the afore mentioned manner.
A lot of people think that everything they do has to have documentation and be repeatable. Casting boolits should be more laid back than that, in my opinion.

Most boolits should not be pure lead or pure linotype, somewhere in between is where I go. There are some exceptions.

"Understanding what you need and how to win with what you've got is how the game is won". Old football coach said that.


Life is good

[HangFireW8]

Thanks for all the replies. What is the general rule anyway..soft for handgun, hard for rifle?

Pretty much. Key word is "general", not "rule".

I just got started 3 years ago, so I still remember being hung up on this hardness question. Lee and LBT publish a formula, for each BHN there's a calculated "do not exceed" pressure. Trouble is, their formula has been violated again and again with great satisfaction by members here on this board. On the other hand, if you stick to that rule, you'll likely never have hardness related issues.

What's more different kinds of loads have different needs. For example, revolvers have a cylinder gap, which makes them a very different proposition than autoloaders. The little 9mm is loaded like a magnum due to high peak pressures. Two rifle loads with the same muzzle velocity may have very different peak pressures.

Boolit fit in bore is the most important. Start with a known, proven lube of well known properties suitable for your application. Use your softer alloys for lower pressure, lower velocity loads, and your harder ones for higher pressure/higher velocity loads. Don't go overboard on too much softness or hardness. Only muzzleloaders (and maybe paper patchers) can get away with soft pure lead. Get something working at typical velocities before going for the stratosphere with extra-hard lead.

Just my 2 cents.

HF