Hardening bullets

[reloader28]

Been casting and air cooling pistol bullets several years, but new to rifle bullets. I like making my own stuff which is why I love reloading and casting.

I have a hard time finding all my answers in the old threads so I will probly tick you off with rerun questions I will ask in the future.

I aint got a BHN tester yet ,but have one coming.

What is the difference in hardness between water dropped and oven treated?

From what I've read the water dropped aint as hard as the oven treated, yet the lead pot is hotter than the oven. Seems like they would be close to the same or am I completely wrong?

I want harder bullets to run from my rifles for higher speeds than what I've been running. I use straight WW and have good luck in all pistols except my brothers 500S&W. I'm going to have to make those suckers alot harder and use a different lube.

Does the Lee pressure/hardness chart help you out alot? Seems like it would be very handy combined with a BHN tester.

Does any one have any good recipies for 257rbts with 257418 Ideal spitzer bullet? I can get it down to 1 1/2" moa at 1784fps with IMR 4198. Using this and Unique, I've been from 1702 - 2055 and 16.5gr 4198 was the most consistant with 7 shots in 1 1/2". I think my gun might be getting dirty now cause it opened to about 2 1/8" the last time I tried it.

Thought about tring IMR 4895 or Win 760 too. I found loads in the Lee book with Accurate 5744 and 8700, but I have never used Accurate powder or know anybody that does. I just got my Lee book a couple weeks ago and wish I would've years ago. Alota info thats not in the other books. They have a lot of Accurate loads in this book.

Anybody like them powders with cast loads?

Anyway, for those of you that respond to this, THANK YOU for taking the time. I will have more questions later coming.

For those of you that dont respond to this, shame on you for not helping a guy in need.:groner: Just kidding.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Hullo and welcome reloader28, I'll give you a short answer on water dropping VS heat treated in an oven... with wheel weights +2% tin WD'ed you should get somewhere between 18-21 BHN, oven treated say 24-26 BHN depending on your temp and time in the oven.

If you fo to linotype and oven treat it is possible to go up to 30+ BHN.
Go to the bottom of the page to the LASC site....Lots of good info there for you
:redneck: :cbpour:

[rob45]

reloader28,

Here are some links for more information:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=67128

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

http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_4-5_HeatTreat.htm


Much useful information can be gleaned from the above sources.
Check 'em out and let us know what you think.

Good Luck.

[snuffy]

Oven heat treating will be more consistent that water dropping straight from the mold. Why? Because the boolits will all be the same temperature, and so will the water. Dropping from the mold, sometimes you have a delay in getting the boolit to let go from the mold, it cools during this delay. Then, as you continue to drop hot boolits into the water, it warms up, unless you keep a flow of cold water going into the bucket.

I would say the oven treated will be harder, IF the temp you heat the boolits to is just a few degrees below the slump/melting temp of the alloy.

[Gohon]

Oven heat treating will be more consistent that water dropping straight from the mold.

Precisely.......... With oven heat treating you can control the BHN you want from 15-30 BHN. With water dropping you may or may not get the desired BHN and consistency does not exist.

[Echo]

And remember. the boolit has cooled to the point where it has solidified, before being dropped into the Agua, and will be significantly cooler than a HT boolit taken up near slump stage.

[pls1911]

50-50 WW and pure lead (roofing boots scrap) I get 21-24 BHN after oven HT 1 hour at 450 degrres max, and 24 hours rest.
Remember your oven will cycle up and down, and your thermostat will be notoriously WAY off.

Get a stand alone oven thermometer, and set your oven to about 430 and watch how high it goes... adjust the thermostat so it tops out at no mode thn 360..patince will pay uge dividends..
AND< make up some wire heat treating baskets to facilitate movement from oven to 5 gal quench pail.

Seee the RCBbs cast bullet manual for the design deatils.
I laughed at myself last month for geting sitracted, and ending up with 300 rather tired and slumpy .30 cal bullets.

These will penetrate a pig length wise and punch a clean hole in 1/4" steels plate at 60 yards

[reloader28]

Thank you much friends.
I got a basket made and am going to try 100 tomorrow and see what happens.
Working up a cast rifle load seems to be a lot more of a challange than a jacketed rifle or cast pistol. I'm having a ball.

[Shiloh]

I don't think you can ruin them unless they start to sag from too much heat. Most ovens don't get that hot though, unless you are right on the heating element.

Worse case scenario: you pitch them back int the pot and start over.

Shiloh

[runfiverun]

you wanna try a few rejects first to find the slumping temp then back it down25*
try a couple of rejects again,as your average oven heat cycles and don't maintain an even temp.
once you find the highest setting that'll work then you do the whole batch and let them soak up the heat.

[303Guy]

I tried annealing boolits in an oven by heating them and turning the oven off to let them cool slowly but they got harder instead!