How well does Linotype match magnum shot?

[famdoc2892]

Good morning, gents! Thinking of pouring buckshot, likely 00 size. I have WW lead, and some Linotype. Not knowing the antimony concentration in hard/magnum shot, would you recommend WW, WW/lino 50/50, or straight Lino as the best approximation for water-dropped hardness?

[dRok]

WW would be plenty I would think, why do you need buckshot to be hard? Plan on shooting through armored glass?

[Defcon-One]

I agree that Buckshot should be fairly soft to protect your barrel. I'd use COWW Lead or maybe a 50/50 mix of COWW and SOWW Lead. Add a bit of Tin if the mold won't fill well, but round balls are not hard to fill-out and cast well.

To be honest, I'd have no problem with all SOWW for this application. Possibly adding a bit more Tin.

To answer your question, Magnum shot runs around 13 BHN, COWW Lead around 12 BHN!

[plainsman456]

The shot poured with linotype would be somewhat lighter than ww/tin.
I did some number 1 buck for my brother with ww and them suckers sure do penetrate.

[Defcon-One]

The shot poured with linotype would be somewhat lighter than ww/tin.
I did some number 1 buck for my brother with ww and them suckers sure do penetrate.

Yeah, Linotype will fragment on impact with anything hard. It will be hard on the barrel as well.

[famdoc2892]

OK, forgive the newbie, got some lingo to learn! Would someone review COWW and SOWW? I'd hate to make some killer shot and not give it the right name! ;-)

Thanks to Defcon-One, I really thought the magnum shot was described as being harder than that. Various alloy recipes calling for magnum shot to increase antimony content, etc. made me figure it was closer to linotype than that.

[pdawg_shooter]

Clip On Wheel Weight...Stick On Wheel Weight

[famdoc2892]

OK, at those BHNs, I can see using COWW, but wouldn't SOWW, what I'm thinking of as "soft lead", be too soft to make good shot? I would expect it to deform easily under discharge pressures, even rough handling of the shells, to the point that it wouldn't fly straight, but scatter more widely. Am I on the right track?

[Beagler]

I cast my 00 Buck outa Straight WW or what ever scrap I have at the time

[DLCTEX]

I cast mine from COWW, because I have plenty of it. I save my soft lead for alloying the COWW to soften it for hunting and hollowpoint boolits.

[Kskybroom]

Cast some today. I use range scrap an save the harder stuff

[35remington]

Defcon, the hardest lead you can cast or heat treat will not harm the barrel. Compared to steel shot, lead bearing shot cast from what you can obtain is much, much softer.

While linotype is a needless waste of expensive material when used for buckshot, it won't harm your barrel. I shoot buck heat treated to 27-29 BHN.....much harder than linotype, and it does nothing to the barrel, even if no shotcup separates it from the barrel walls.