Antimony/Tin ratio

[JohnH]

I read somewhere in past that the tin should never exceed the antiomny percentage, don't remember any more than that. Is that info correct? Why? Thanks, JohnH

[David R]

I see no need for more than 5% tin anyhow. Most people here use 2%. Its my understanding that too much tin will lead your barrel.

I was using the standard Lyman #2 alloy, 9 lbs wheel weights and one lb 50/50 solder. This comes out to 5% tin. There is only 4% antimony in wheel weights acording to the Lyman manual. I tried 2 1/2% tin, it worked well with only a few not filling out properly.

Enough tin to make the boolits fill out is all I use.

Hope I answered your question, the more in the know will respond I hope.

David

[Bass Ackward]

I read somewhere in past that the tin should never exceed the antiomny percentage, don't remember any more than that. Is that info correct? Why? Thanks, JohnH

John,

Yes. If the tin content exceeds the antimony content then you can and most probably will have soft spot formations. What does that mean? Well, if you water drop and the bullet eventually goes to 30 BHN, you will develop spots at uncontrolable locations and sizes after varying periods of time that could be as low as 8 BHN. That's the worst I've seen.

David,

You have to watch WWs today. WWs have a constantly declining antimony content over time because of cost. UP to @ 1970, WWs were .09% antimony. Then it dropped to .04. But if you are using WWs from today, I would say that antimony is closer to .02% antimony. When I hear someone complain about the inability to shoot HV or that they need a super hard bullet to do it, I actually wonder if this is not their limiter.

If I were using strictly WW from today, personally, I would limit it to .01% tin so I had no chance of exceeding this boundary. Fortunately my WW mix was made up to have .04% antimony because I had a 400# of .09% WW given to me.

[felix]

If you are going to exceed antimony with tin in terms of percentage content, then it has to be by a very great margin. I don't know the margin requirements. You have to be in the babbit business to appreciate excessive tin alloys. ... felix

[JohnH]

I'm starting to play with some different alloys to see what happens to my groups. I made some 20:1 last night, shot three groups today. Discounting the purging fliers from yesterdays shoot and my initial lubing of ten rounds with two grooves of FWFL, the groups seemed to at least stabilize from past. I could at least define the fliers as purgers. I had been having good results with WW+1.6% tin, but changed the lube amount to see if the cold shot flier would disappear, and the groups I was getting disintrigrated. OK, next step, softer alloy. I began with 20:1, I'm going to make some 75/25 WW lead/tin and some 50/50 lead/tin I was wondering what one would get by making 40:1 WW/tin. I also want to shoot some 30:1 and 40:1 lead tin. Prolly a project to develop over a few months, but I'll post as I go, Thanks.

[David R]

John,

whattyashootin?

David

[JohnH]

An NEF in 357 Maximum. Unfortunately, it is the later model rifle with the silly microgroove rifling and it started life as a 357 Magnum. Others tell me they are able to chamebr and fire 360 DW in their factory 357 Magnum chambers. I would not be surprised as before I rechambered to the Maximum, there was approximately 1/4" between the case mouth and the base of a Lee 158-RF. This rifle has turned into the most interesting inaccurate rifle I have ever had. All told, it will shoot 2" at 50 ayrds with most anything you put through it. A few loads will go 1.5", once in a while it will burp, fart and regurgitate 5/8" tp 3/4" groups, just enough times to make you think you've arrived in Nirvana. Then reality will return and we're back to 2" groups. ?????? %$@&^%#$&%@^ I think that the chamber is still not what makes cast bullets happy, but I'm always int he place of choosing between some Cerrosafe and primers. Since I can't shoot Cerrosafe, primers win out.

As a hunting rifle, I should feed it Hornady 180 XTP's and forget it. I killed one deer with that bullet in this gun, quite impressive I must add too. And since my groove diameter is 356, I could buy lots of copper colored milsurp 9mm pellets and drive the bejesues out of 'em. But I just can't seem to be able to give up on this one. I'll be doing my deer hunting this year with an NEF 38-55. That is the easiest cast bullet gun I've ever owned other than a Browning 1885 I once had. So I'm going to keep pluggin' away at this one. Figure if nothing else I'll learn a few more things about cast bullets and how to make 'em shoot.

[glicerin]

I believe Bass Ackward has slipped 2 decimal places. Antimony of present WW should be 4%, not .04%. By analysis in early 90's, I never got more than 3.5%

[David R]

If you are more comfortable using condoms, then do it. Its only one shot. Make it count.

I can throw lead at paper all day.

David