45 acp alloy

[turmech]

Up until now I have been casting for my 1911 with COWW. I know I don't need them that hard for the 45 acp but it was what I had.

Flash forward to now and I have way more soft lead than COWW. My question is to does anyone have experience mixing 3 part soft to 1 part COWW. I read that 50/50 is pretty standard mix.

I am shooting the 230 grain lee TC non tumble lube version. Lubed with TAC#1, sized 452, over 5.8 gr unique.

[Wayne Smith]

I'm trying to figure out the "COWW". Wheel weights are so inconsistent now that it's a guess how much tin and antimony you will have when you drop to 1/3. Even with straight ww some add tin. I'd guess you may have problems with fill out dropping to 1/3 without adding tin.

With a moderate load and a good fitting boolit and good lube you can shoot pure lead, so shooting it won't be the issue.

[Larry Gibson]

Add 2 % tin to the COWWs. Then add 20% lead and cast 25-50 for testing. Increase the lead to 30 % and cast another 25-50 for testing. Icrease the lead to 40% etc. until you find a 5 lead to the COWWs that is too soft for best performance in your .45s. Then go back to the previous % and that is as soft as you'll want to go with the COWWs and lead you have. The tin will make a better balanced alloy with the COWWs to begin with so don't skip it.

Larry Gibson

[turmech]

I should have mentioned I add 1.5% tin to all my bullets. I do it in the casting pot in the form of 50/50 solder. Well I should say I use 1/2 ounce to ingot (ingots are basically one pound). I think my math is right and it colse to 1.5% added.

[Grandpas50AE]

turmech, the 50/50 COWW and pure lead (with 1.5% tin added in) that I'm casting for my 1911's comes out to a measured 9 BHN, sized .4515, BAC lube, and gives great performance without any leading at all running a 200 gr. LSWC at 950. You could probably get fairly close to 25/75 and have no problems at that velocity either. There are other sources of alloy material than just wheel weights if you're having trouble finding them, such as pewter, Linotype, Monotype, etc. that can be used with your pure lead. Sometimes you can find some of that for sale in the Swappin and Sellin' section or even vendor sponsors for reasonable price, but sometimes it takes some extra effort to find a local supply - been hard to find here locally for me as well so I just have to range a bit further to find a tire shop that has them to sell to me. Good luck.

[turmech]

Yes, WW are getting nearly impossible to find around here. I was able to find around 200 Lbs when I first began casting (not that long ago) since then not a single one. I sometimes feel like I bought the last ones in the state back then.

As my WW supply demises my soft lead supply keeps increasing. I probably have 500 to 600 lbs. I seem to find more and more of it everywhere I look. I work in the HVAC and plumbing industry and find a lot of lead pipe and sheet lead on remodels.

I was just looking for good way to use it up. I have been keeping an eye out for lino. Trying to work a trade for some now. I need to do some detective work my self because I might already have some that I found in my grandfather garage (he is no longer around to ask about it). He cast sinkers and some of his lead is hard real hard but not in original form. I got several lead cylinder that look like window weights which way around 16 lbs each. I searched and posted about them here sometime ago. Some folks had seen them and used them but no idea as to original use or composition.

[mold maker]

Everything from pure soft to pewter is getting hard to find. I'm down to one source for WWs, and once in a while some plumbing lead.
Sure glad I had the foresight to collect vigorously over the last 20 some years.
I cast my lino into heavy 45/70 boolits as ingots for adding to 50/50 soft and WWs. It's a convenient way to cast for 45 ACP that don't lead, and are as accurate as my tired old eyes.
That's harder than necessary, but the same alloy works for 9mm, .38 .40 and .44, except for magnum loads.

[turbo1889]

Personally I have always found that just about any softish mystery mix works just fine for both the 45-ACP and 38-spl.

Thus all the towards the softer end of the spectrum mystery alloy I end up with tends to end up as 45-ACP and 38-spl. boolits and all the stuff that I know what it is I save to use for cartridges that are not near as forgiving as far as alloy composition.

If pure lead and clip on WW is all you have to work with then I wouldn't be surprised if the mix you suggest works just fine for you especially if you add a little bit of solder to the mix to increase the tin content slightly. But I would certainly use up any other salvaged mystery lead first since the cartridge you are dealing with is among the most forgiving for a wide range of alloys and save the stuff that you know what it is for something else.

[Wayne Smith]

Yes, WW are getting nearly impossible to find around here. I was able to find around 200 Lbs when I first began casting (not that long ago) since then not a single one. I sometimes feel like I bought the last ones in the state back then.

As my WW supply demises my soft lead supply keeps increasing. I probably have 500 to 600 lbs. I seem to find more and more of it everywhere I look. I work in the HVAC and plumbing industry and find a lot of lead pipe and sheet lead on remodels.

I was just looking for good way to use it up. I have been keeping an eye out for lino. Trying to work a trade for some now. I need to do some detective work my self because I might already have some that I found in my grandfather garage (he is no longer around to ask about it). He cast sinkers and some of his lead is hard real hard but not in original form. I got several lead cylinder that look like window weights which way around 16 lbs each. I searched and posted about them here sometime ago. Some folks had seen them and used them but no idea as to original use or composition.

Oversize window weight pieces with a loop/hole in one end are likely the ingots for a Linotype machine. Usually linotype, may be monotype.

[turmech]

I casted around 100 bullets with the 3 soft to 1 COWW with 1.5% tin added. I water dropped them. I loaded 25 rounds. I will let them age about a week and test them. I don't know if the water dropping or aging even applies seeing how little WW is in the allow. I will post results for anyone interested.

Thanks for all the input.

[fredj338]

My 45s happily run on 50/50 mix or range scrap. I imagine you could go softer, only way to know is give it a try. I don't think water dropping is getting you much.

[btroj]

I use lots of range scrap in mine. It seems pretty happy with it.

[Bomber]

I use range scrap exclusively. .45 acp, .45 colt, .38 special. Even some slow .44 mag. All good.

[Shiloh]

I use lots of range scrap in mine. It seems pretty happy with it.

Yep.
Works just fine for me.

Shiloh

[rexherring]

I've been shooting a 50/50 mix of them in my .45 with no leading. Sized .452, TAC 1 lube, 8 grs of AA#5.

[turmech]

Dickinson, MD ? Don't know where that is. I am in Cambridge, MD. Good to see I am not the lone member of the state.

[runfiverun]

he's in north dakota.

[nicholst55]

You might consider buying some of Rotometals Super Hard alloy to mix with your soft lead. You wouldn't need very much of it.

[turmech]

he's in north dakota.

Don't I feel stupid now. At least I only missed it by one. Kind of might explain why I never heard of it I guess.

Real sad part is wife was sitting on the couch while I was typing. Asked her “you ever heard of Dickson, MD” She said “yes”. I said “where is that at”. She said “I don't remember but I seen it somewhere”