stick ons hard enough for .40?

[samwithacolt]

I just sorted and smelted a 5 gal bucket, more stick ons that clip ons. I want to save my clip ons if I can.
Can I use straight stick ons for .40? I'm running a light plinking load of Unique and water dropping the boolits.Also running a light load in the .38 too. Any reason I can't just use stick ons? I've been getting away with range scrap lead in these boolits til now.

[leeggen]

I run coww and pure base (50/50 mix). Air cooled or water dropped doesn't seem to make a dif. just as long as you have a good fit in diameter of the boolit to barrel. I run .002 over barrel dia. as slugged.
CD

[62chevy]

I use lead pipe which is 99% pure, as far as I know, in my 45 acp with just enough powder to reliable work the slide. No leading with as cast boolits. Your mileage may vary but what leeggen said too.

[petroid]

Try it and see. I for one water quench my COWW but fit is more important than hardness especially with lighter loads. Just make sure your expander is adequate. Most don't expand wide or deep enough and the stiff brass swages the boolit down when seated. Load a couple of dummy rounds with properly sized and measured boolits and pull the boolits and remeasure to ensure that they aren't getting swaged down when seated. I had a member make me a custom expander plug sized .401 that is also longer than the supplied Lee PTE plug which is too short and sized .398 which after brass spring back leaves a case mouth at .396". Much too tight for seating cast boolits. Pete

[cbrick]

Can I use straight stick ons for .40? I'm running a light plinking load of Unique and water dropping the boolits. Also running a light load in the .38 too. Any reason I can't just use stick ons? I've been getting away with range scrap lead in these boolits til now.

If your water dropping with the intent of hardening it will do no good to water drop stick-on WW. Not enough if any antimony (Sb) in stick-ons for quenching to have an effect.

The range scrap you have been using will have some Sb, how much depending on the range and what type of shooting is mostly done there. If mostly 22's there will be very little Sb.

Rick

[samwithacolt]

My range scrap is centerfire pistol boolits, mostly
cast with some J bullets. I will try a batch of
.40 and .38 with straight stick ons.
Is there any reason to stop water dropping, even
if it does"nt harden them?

[cbrick]

Not really, if your comfortable with quenching them it won't hurt anything, just get'em wet is all.

Should you need to harden them here's an article explaining one way to do it.

Blending Cast Bullet Antimony Alloys - Alloying with Roto Metals Super Hard

Rick

[el34]

Check into powdercoating them, it loosens up the concern about hardness. And you make pink boolits.