Cast Bullet Weight

[Kid Curry]

The cast in my Lyman .454 mold designated 255 gr puts out 240 gr with 50% WW and lino. The Lee .357 mold for 150 gr puts out 140 gr with the same mixture. I weigh similar factory jacketed bullets and they are right on target so the scale is not off. I understand mixture variation will differ in weight but certainly not to that extreme. Has anyone weighed their cast bullets and discovered the same? I am confused. Ed.

[EMC45]

Depending on alloy your bullets will vary. That said, I would not use a factory bullet of any type for a check weight. they are never exactly the same.

[Swamprat1052]

I think thats pretty common. I just loaded som Lee 309-113 Soup Can bullets that weighed out consistently at 122 gr. instead of 113. That was WW Alloy with nothing added to it. From what I can read the alloys with lino and tin added do weigh less. Most of the weights on the molds are with #2 alloy and that varies too. You can always get a set of scale check weights to be sure of your scales. I bought a set of Lymans and found my scales to be right on. I agree with Kid Curry about the factory bullets, some are right on and some arent.

Different alloys definitely weight differently.

Swamprat

[calsite]

I've checked a few of mine, though most are more concerned about diameter. They seemed pretty close.

[randyrat]

That how i keep my boolits consistant, wiegh them, add more or less WW/lino/soft lead.. Pure is soft and heavy,lino harder and light.For example.. I find a good boolit that shoots well i match the weight. Even 100% WWs will have slightly different composition over time and different manufactures. I've got some old WWs that i swear are hard as steal and cast nice also. I keep my scale right by my casting pot.

[Kid Curry]

I appreciate all the help. My first concern is making it hard enough to limit leading and that is why I went with a 50% mixture. I'll adjust the mixture and try to find the right combination. Ed.

[nagantino]

I was wondering about this as well. I cast from the Lee 401-175-TC. My boolits come out at 180---185 gr. I am using a WW and range lead mix. I don't mind but wonder why it's not 175 gr. What alloy would Lee have used to get a 175 gr boolit?

[randyrat]

I was wondering about this as well. I cast from the Lee 401-175-TC. My boolits come out at 180---185 gr. I am using a WW and range lead mix. I don't mind but wonder why it's not 175 gr. What alloy would Lee have used to get a 175 gr boolit?
Yours are heavier because your using 59/50 Try just WWs or WWs + linotype and you'll be close to 175 grs.. pure lead is heavier. Just water drop your cast WWs and adjust your loads accordingly if you don't have lino. You may even water drop your 50/50 and get by.. The forty cal needs somewhat hard boolits and try WSF you'll like it.

[nagantino]

Randyrat,
I can get WW but I swear, this side of the Atlantic, you cant tell what the tyre guy is giving you. Would an alloy made from range lead come close to the 175gr weight. Linotype, well I know what it is but have never seen it for sale or scrap.

[Possum]

I find that with straight WW I get heavier bullets and with Linotype added the weight goes down. I believe Lee used Lino when they put a standard weight on their molds. I always get a heavier bullet than Lee says because I use straight WW.

With that being said, I get different with some molds depending on the variables on a given day. Since I cast outside, the air temp, wind, the motions I use when I cast...all can vary the bullet weight. Usually it is a small amount of difference, but I do see a difference. I usually try to cast enough bullets where I can shoot a load quite a few times before I run out of bullets to load. That way they all measure about the same.

Also, I am using a WW alloy that has been melted with all different types of WW. I believe it averages out, but who knows exactly what the WW and stick on WW percentages were in any given batch. If you want exactly the same weight each time I think you have to cast in a controlled enviroment with exactly the same alloy time and time again.

[Kid Curry]

Having doubts about lead and bullet composition... Would a Lee Lead Hardness Testing Kit be a good tool to have? Ed.

[MtGun44]

"Hard enough to eliminate leading".

You seem to be laboring under the common misconception that
leading is caused by too soft a boolit alloy. This is somewhat true
at rifle velocities, but basicially opposite of true in more examples
in handguns. Typical commercial casters are always bragging about
their super hard boolits, and in many cases they are undersized to
boot. This is a perfect setup for leading.

If you shoot a good boolit design with a good lube the fits your
cylinder throats and/or barrel groove diameter plus about .001 or
.002" you will be very unlikely to get leading at any handgun
velocity.

Too hard and especially undersize and too hard will usually get bad leading
due to gas cutting. An undersized soft boolit will slug up to seal the
bore and may not be extremely accurate (but it might be, too) but is less
likely to lead - given a good design with a good lube supply and a
good lube formula.

Bill

[mroliver77]

Dont worry about the weight the mold is designed to drop. Adjust alloy to the pressures you will be using. Air cooled WW are plenty hard "strong" for most pistol loads. I have a lot of soft range scrap and find quite a bit of "pure" lead. Antimony is harder to come by so I use the least amount in an alloy I can and rely on tempering for added strength. It also has the added advantage of not shattering like highr antimony boollets will. 50/50 WW/Lino is way hard for most pistol. I really found Buckshots soft lead in the .38 S&W interesting. I had a 1917 S&W in .45 acp that has such large throats that boolit to fill throat made loaded round too large to chamber. I just went to softter alloy and bullseye powder and they upst to fill the void and shot well with no more leading. Very interesting reading in Lees "Modern Reloader 2" on alloy strength, pressures etc. All newbies at casting should read this. Jay

[Stevejet]

My first mold was purchased in 1971 and is a Lyman 452423 Keith design that by the Lyman 45th Edition Reloading Manual is listed at dropping a bullet of 238 grains. Using both Lyman No. 2 Alloy and other casts of just WW I get a bullet that pretty consistantly weighs 263 grains (?). I finally just combined a couple of hundres pounds of No. 2 Alloy with WW's and let it go at that. The bullets are hard and the melt pours very well with no significant mold problems, be they Lyman or Lee.

Additionally, I am surprised to read of so many methods of mold prep when all I have ever done is smoke my molds (steel & aluminum) with book matches. I get a good smoke/soot layer thru out the cavities and they drop well formed bullets all the time at about 650 to 700 from a Lee lead furnace, bottom pour. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[nagantino]

I am relieved to hear that others have the same boolit weight problem. Like I say, I'm not too worried as long as they are consistant at 180 gr. Very helpful.

[crowbeaner]

I sometimes use 5# of linotype to 15# of WW metal. It hardens them just enough without changing the as cast diameter. This is really important with itty bitty bullets like the 225415; lino makes them so large they have no lube groove left when sized in a .225 die. I had to use #2 alloy to get them right, and the above alloy works about the same without having to add tin. WW metal makes heavier but smaller diameter bullets; lino makes lighter but bigger ones. I've had a 15 grain variation with a 300 gr. 45 bullet so lino is definitely lighter. It also makes sizing a BI*** when you get to squeezing them down. CB.

[Kid Curry]

MtGunn44... After reading your post I decided to check my mold. All this time I thought it was a .454 but it turns out to be a .452. I looked at Cabela's and Midway and they only have one .454 and tons of .452 (Lyman). Lee is even harder to find. I discovered my Rough Rider, and many other 45 Colts, call for a .454. Guess I'll settle for a 250gr RF. Looks like there would be more of a selection. Anyone tell me where a better selection is?

[Kid Curry]

MtGunn44... After reading your post I decided to check my mold. After all this time I thought it was a .454 but it is a .452. That may be why I have a little leading problem I can't seem to solve. The Rough Rider, and other 45 Colts, call for a .454 but there aren't many out there. I checked Midway and Cabela's and they only have one Lyman (250 FN). Lee was harder to find more than one. Anyone know of a better source before I settle for that?

[38 Super Auto]

I am relieved to hear that others have the same boolit weight problem. Like I say, I'm not too worried as long as they are consistant at 180 gr. Very helpful.

I run the same mold and my boolits drop at about 178 with (WW+1% tin) alloy