Is straight WW alloy all that bad?

[lefty_red]

Is it? I mean for larger bullets and weights?

I notice it sucks in mold fill out for a .356-.358 bullet. But in my .410 and .452 bullets, it works pretty good for me.

Jerry :castmine:

[TedH]

All that bad? Heck no! It's about all I use for everything from .38 wadcutters to heavy 45-70 bullets. I will on occasion add some tin or lino for certain bullets/loads. If you are having problems with some molds filling out, it is not likely an alloy problem, but a temperature issue.

[BruceB]

lefty_red, sir;

Another vote for wheelweight alloy.

My uses for it include just about everything, from 6.5mm up to the .416 Rigby and .45-70. As Ted mentioned, heat is a desireable thing. I run my RCBS furnace at its maximum temperature setting (about 870 degrees), and have no difficulty at all in getting excellent fill-out, even on the MANY-ringed Loverin designs.

I water-drop most of my rifle bullets, and often do the same with handgun boolits intended for autoloaders, but in this case it's more for good function than anything else. Harder bullets have somewhat less tendency to "stick" on minor roughnesses on ramps etc....at least, I THINK they have less tendency....

I've tried adding 5% of tin to WW metal, but found it made no difference to the end product and hence discontinued that particular addition. Of course, this also saves a bit of money, too.

Before trying higher-temperature casting, you may want to read the speedcasting article, accessed via the "Cast Boolit Articles" linked at the bottom of the page.

[Bucks Owin]

Heck no, straight WW is just about right hardness wise IMHO. Biggest problem is finding a source! Sometimes I add some linotype if the mold isn't filling out properly but I'd probably get the same better results if I had some tin to add....

Dennis

[44man]

I can see you are using a bottom pour!
I use a ladle and hold it on the mould longer for larger boolits. You should not see a large amount of the sprue suck in. There should only be a little dimple on the sprue.

[rbstern]

Bucks, I find that wheel weights give me best fill out results with a bottom pour if I hold the mold close to the spout. Particuarly true for round nose and tumble lube.

[lefty_red]

Thanks guys, I was feeling like a "lone wolf" there.

Jerry

[snowtigger]

I use straight WW /2% added tin for most everything. I bought a couple hundred lbs of Lino a few years back, but have just about quit using it.
Iam currently trying half WW/2% tin and half pure lead, to get something a little softer for hunting. I was not thrilled with the super-hard bullet performance on moose. It killed him, but, I am used to one shot kills, and having him DRT. Mind you , in this case it was good that he ran alittle ways, as he was standing in belly deep water when I shot him. He almost made it to the bank, only had to winch him about 20 feet. (I LOVE that chainsaw winch). I just like to kill as quickly as possible. I don't like to see anything suffer.
I may even go to Barnes Triple-shock for hunting moose. They are thin-skinned and penetration will be through and through, anyway. Bigger hole, quicker kill..

[Leftoverdj]

I add 1-2% tin on general principles. I have had straight WW batches in the past that did not fill out well. I'd just rather add a little tin when making ingots than take a chance on having to redo the batch. Never had a problem with a batch with added tin and it's worth the money to me.