Cabine Tree lead tester modification

[AbitNutz]

So a while back I was whining that small bullets would spin off the point of the tester and were impossible to get a good reading. I cast a fair amount of .30 cal 115gr NOE for my 300 GNR Ruger Blackhawk. It will easily throw a bullet in excess of 2100 fps so I tend to want hard bullets. To that end, I water drop them. Checking them for hardness is almost impossible.

Not so anymore...I sent the tester to Erik at Hollow Point Mold and asked that he cut off the probe/point and make it swivel. The idea was that once the pressure built up the tip would remain stationary while crank/bolt turned behind it. Erik made a new tip, actually two new tips, and added a ball bearing inside the bolt and inside the tip to rotate on. It works like a champ. It holds a bullet absolutely stationary. I even checked it with a .225 cast bullet I never use and it stayed put.

If you decide to try something like this. Make sure you get some baseline reading with previously tested bullets. They changed a bit so you may have to dial back in the reference chart. The pointed probe seems to be pretty close, the blunt probe is definitely in the weeds. I stupidly failed to send the dial indicator and mount with it so Erik couldn't get a base line.

This modification really took the frustration out of using this tester on small bullets. I think this is the way this tester should be made.

Here are a couple of pictures.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/AbitNutz/tester014.jpg[/URL]

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/AbitNutz/tester018.jpg[/URL]

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/AbitNutz/tester015.jpg[/URL]

[bangerjim]

A standard TEE nut works just as well.

bangerjim

[MT Gianni]

If you want to cast a 45 cal bullet out of your pot during the session it will easily test bhn for you on that one. Your pot is all the same alloy.

[303Guy]

Great idea!


If you want to cast a 45 cal bullet out of your pot during the session it will easily test bhn for you on that one. Your pot is all the same alloy.This something I have wondered about. I'm thinking that the heat treatment will differ on a different size boolit. That would be easy for someone with a tester and different moulds to test.

[bangerjim]

That is how I always have mixed my alloys......mix.....cast a 1/2# ingot.....test bhn.....adjust the mix, knowing the hardness will go up 3-4 units in a week.

And when I am done, I fill the pot to the mix I want and keep the 1/2 pounder and write the hardness on it and check it in a few days. That way I know what is in each of the 3 pots!

banger

[AbitNutz]

It's a lot easier just to pick up a bullet and test it.

[bangerjim]

It's a lot easier just to pick up a bullet and test it.

No.......I drop all my boolits in water to cool them....not to gain hardness. If I test them, they will be waaaay off. The ingot is cooled down slowly by putting the mold on a wet rag. Then I have a BIG sample to mess with and one I can keep on the bench to write the hardness on for reference the next time.

I PC everything so any WD hardness gained is gone. That is why I use the ingot method.

But do whatever you have to. This is the only way I do it.......logical and foolproof.

banger