Cast vs plated lead alloy

[dasbrow]

Just wondering if the lead in plated boolits is the same someone would us in Cast, I see a lot of casters use 92% lead 6% antimony and 2% tin. Would platers just use the same, or stock lead?

Thanks!

[runfiverun]

last I heard it was soft [read cheap] lead.
the plating protected it from the rifling and upped the bhn where it contacts the steel.
you run into velocity/accuracy issues cause the core bumped up and cut the copper against the rifling.

[fredj338]

No, swaged/plated bullets are almost dead soft lead to reduce wear & tear on the dies.

[tomme boy]

Some like rmr are using a hard alloy. not all are soft

[dasbrow]

last I heard it was soft [read cheap] lead.
the plating protected it from the rifling and upped the bhn where it contacts the steel.
you run into velocity/accuracy issues cause the core bumped up and cut the copper against the rifling.


So the copper acts as the hardness for plated bullets? would it still be better if they used hard cast even for plated?

Do you mean you run into velocity/accuracy issues with plated or unplatted soft cast? I take it because they are soft the shape changes when passing through the barrel?

I am really new to casting and want to understand the science behind it as well, anything you could point me to for reading would be awesome and I would be grateful.

[mdi]

I don't think run5run meant the copper hardened the alloy, it just provided a harder surface to engage rifling/stop leading, like a jacket would. Factory swaged bullets are soft because it's waaay easier to form/swage soft lead than harder lead. An automated swaging machine turning soft lead in to bullets would produce tens of thousands a shift, where harder materials would produce much more wear and tear on the machine. Wear and tear on dies is just a secondary aspect, not designed into the bullets...