10-1 Alloy

[PAT303]

I was just curious as no one seems to use or mention 10-1 as a good alloy,w/w seem to be the prefered base metal mixed with whatever takes your fancy. Is there anything wrong with 10-1?. Great site by the way!.

[ddixie884]

Elmer Keith wrote that 10 to 1 was for .45 acp.

[Firebird]

Tin ($9.50 lb*) is more expensive than lead ($1.50 lb*), and once you go past 20-1 ratio (5% tin) there isn't much difference in castibility or hardness, so why spend the money. If you want really hard bullets, you need 3-4% antimony and a touch of arsenic (0.1%) and heat-treating for up to 30 BHN; or >10% antimony alloys like linotype (22 BHN) or stereotype (28 BHN IIRC).
Remember when you read Keith, that he tended to just refer to both antimony and tin as "tin" when he talked about making an alloy for harder bullets.

(*Pricing is from The Antimony Man website)

[PAT303]

I've read and heard that more than a few % of tin is a waste so why does lyman no.2 and 10-1 have so much in it? Is it an old trend before anyone new any better.

[imashooter2]

Way back when, tin was "free" in old toothpaste tubes and such.

[DEVERS454]

Part of it is the availability of base components and their compositions.

Wheel weights are "SUPPOSED" to be 4-6% Antimony and a trace of arsenic. (maybe)

50/50 bar solder is readily available (still, but, at $5/lb) way back when.

So, the "basic" formula for Lyman #2 was 9lbs of W-W and 1 lb of 50/50 bar solder.

9 lbs * .94 = 8.46 lbs + .5lb lead = 8.96 lbs of Lead
9 lbs * .06 = .54 lbs Anitmony
1 lbs * .5 = .5 lbs of Tin

So, pretty much the magical 90%/5%/5%...

I have not noticed any value in more than 5% tin...

Why Lee uses 10:1 is beyond me.

[Paul B]

Why Lee uses 10:1 is beyond me.

Cuz Lee is a dummy.
I believe the general concensus of thought is that more than two percent of tin is really a waste of tin. I'm inclined to concur.
Paul B.

[Dale53]

>>>Cuz Lee is a dummy.<<<

Not necessarily. Lee has to use A standard. This is a standard that is easy to replicate. You can interpolate your sizes for about any alloy from that particular alloy. WW's come in all flavors - that would be a VERY poor standard. Lee probably has very good reasons for THEIR standard.

Hey, don't be bad mouthing our most active supplier - I LOVE my Lee Group Buy Moulds.:Fire:

Dale53

[StarMetal]

Dales right.

:castmine:

Joe

[PAT303]

Just while your all here, I drop quench my boolits out off the mold then pan lube them,would standing then in hot lube ruin the heat treatment?.I think they would be annealed. Any thoughts. Pat.

[Dale53]

Most lube will melt at 130-155 degrees. That is not hot enough to anneal heat treated bullets.

Dale53

[felix]

In fact, it will speed up the hardening process, or the softening process should the curve be in that direction. ... felix