Home spun 25# hardball will cost me 11 cents per shot

[nagant]

I have been casting .45 cowboy boolits with free lead/tin. Recently bought a Sako L461 .222 and thought i could just buy 5# superhard and mix it with 1/2 lb tin. Then add 3.5 pure lead to 1 pound of the superhard/tin alloy and end up with about 18 BHN. And i have no access to wheel weights, (I SAY AGAIN) no access to wheel weights. What is the most economic way to get 2100 fps boolits with free lead and tin? Math kicks MY spure, so no ratio/math calisthenics please. Thanks

[Artful]

Maximum hardness of lead/tin alloys is 17 BHN at 63% tin and 37% lead
You need to add something else to the mix, Arsenic/Antimony/Silver etc. to get to 18 BHN.
Then you can up the lead content cut back on the TIN and be happy.

http://www.lasc.us/castbulletnotes.htm

[nagant]

5 pounds super hard is my main ingredient and is 30% animony.

[Artful]

Is it this stuff?
http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/SuperhardAlloy.htm?gclid=CjwKEAiAtf6zBRDS0oCLrL37g FUSJACr2JYb_U7amCoRNdhrsu44yKLRaSF9F6F6gozf5vCZXxA 4zxoCtonw_wcB
Super Hard Alloy Ingot (30%-Antimony, 70%-Lead)

so if in my sleepless condition I follow you
your taking 5 lb bar of mix 1 1/2 lb antimony & 3 1/2 lb Lead
adding 1/2 lb tin getting 5 1/2 pound of your new mix
with pb/sn/sb

- then taking 3.5 lb pb to 1 lb new mix (1909 grn SB/636 grn SN/4455 grn PB)?

so total PB 28955 grn/1909 grn SB/636 grn SN) = 31500 bullet alloy with 6% Antimony 2% Tin

Is this correct?

If you want 18 BHN you really need to change the ratio
to equivalent of Lino Type Alloy 4% TIN 12% Antimony and 84% Lead.

Or to save the expensive metal you could Oven heat treat
like we do Clip on Wheel Weights
(1% SN / 3% SB / 95 1/2% PB / 1/4% AS)

in which case just add more PB to you new alloy mix
or cut back on you new alloy bar so 3 1/2 PB to 1/2 lb new alloy mix
will give you 3% Antimony and 1% Tin if I'm still on track - but I think I'll go to bed instead of checking my work - Nite

[nagant]

Thanks Artful, i was sleepy too. So i thought 92% lead, 6% antimony, 2% tin is equal to hardball. And that is supposed to be 18 bhn? I'm sure most casters here pull their hair out at these threads, sorry.

[C. Latch]

Before buying a mold, sizing gear, and special alloys, consider that the very accurate Hornady .224 55 grain FMJBT and SP bullets can usually be had for around a dime each when bought in bulk.

Just sayin'.

[nagant]

Well since i cast already and i have lots of free lead thought it would be easy:veryconfu. .45 boolits under 1000 fps are easy. now i just need a mix that will be good for plinking/squirrel rounds in .222. I have about 500 of those Hornady proojectiles too[smilie=1:

[Mk42gunner]

I see WW in the swapping and selling section quite often for a bit more than a dollar a pound delivered. I haven't bought any that way yet, I can still find it in the raw form occasionally.

Robert

[Beagle333]

There's always bartering and trading. Lots of folks don't have access to pure lead and tin but do have lots of WW. There are probably several who would swap you a box or two for some of your materials.
And there is always the option of just outright selling a couple of boxes of your metals and buying some WW ingots from somebody here.

'Not the answer to your question, but one possible solution.
Good luck!!! [smilie=s:

[nagant]

Just cleaning up a pile of lead water pipe in my garage. Usually i just add some tin and cast .45 colt cowboy boolits. Now got the sako .222 and jumped in and bought a 5# bar of superhard. Would like to duplicate the federal 50 grain .22 mag round in the 222. So after this is put up I'm going to wait until i can find some local wheel weights.

[Green Frog]

If we were closer together I'd be interested in doing some swapping... since I've been shooting a lot of pure lead in Civil War stuff, I seem to be tilting toward having more COWW than pure Pb in stock. Bet you can find somebody reasonably close by in the same situation!

Froggie

[nagant]

melted all i had today. made a 10 lb bar of Lino Type Alloy 4% TIN 12% Antimony and 84% Lead. Have about 50 lbs pure except 9 lbs that's 4% tin that was in my pot from last melt. I had a five pound batch that wouldn't stop producing dross and after it solidified has some coppery colored spots on top. Not sure whats going on with that bar. Fluxed with sawdust 3 times and finally just poured it to move on. May have been to hot but the never ending dross was strange.

[dondiego]

Might have had some zinc in the alloy.

[nagant]

Not sure what is was. Its old lead waterline that i get from contractors that replace it with copper. May have been a sweated joint that i didn't notice or something got in there after they pulled it.

[TCFAN]

Any chance you can get some Linotype or the individual letters? That is what I use in my 222 Remington 788 casting the Lyman 225415 HP for 2550fps using WIN. 748 powder.Kills groundhogs dead right now............Terry