Preferred rifle bullet alloy/hardness for medium game?

[gpalma]

2/6/92?

9+1?

Lyman #2?

What is your preferred alloy for hunting deer/bear at muzzle velocities of 1300-1800fps for 100-250# critters within 100yds (and hopefully a LOT closer)?

[largom]

I use an alloy of 50/50 wheel weights and lead with about 2% tin added for most all of my hunting boolits.

Larry

[Larry Gibson]

What is your preferred alloy for hunting deer/bear at muzzle velocities of 1300-1800fps for 100-250# critters within 100yds (and hopefully a LOT closer)?

For those specifics I would use 16-1 lead/tin.

If pushing to 1900 - 2200+ fps I use OWWs + 2% tin and then mix 50/50 with lead as does Larry above.

Larry Gibson

[Djones]

95/3/2 air cooled Pb/Sb/Sn

[Blammer]

I like air cooled ww's in my 30-06.

[gpalma]

Have killed a ton of deer/bear/elk since '72 with muzzleloaders and most of those were with pure lead bullets from 45-58 caliber. If I were using one of those for big game, I can draw on enough field/range experience.

But, this whole cast bullet & smokeless powder thing is new to me. I do not cast bullets and likely never will. A friend makes 9+1 alloy bullets for my 375 Winchester in 250FB and 265CG varieties. I also have 265GC bullets from Montana Bullet (22Bhn - heat treated) and Western Bullet (have no idea of the alloy or hardness) as well as a 230FB bullet from BadMan Bullet (92/6/2 alloy at 15-17Bhn) that I would use strictly for deer/javelina. Somewhat undecided on which I want to sling at elk...but, it will be one of those 265GC bullets.

[TXGunNut]

I prefer ACWW's for simplicity's sake but most of my rifles seem to prefer a HT version of the 50/50 alloys listed above. I've used the HT'd 50/50 blend on critters with excellent results. Only reason I heat treat is to be able to (hopefully) break both shoulders on a big hog. Been working pretty well so far but I'm waaaay behind Larry in field-testing.

[williamwaco]

What is your preferred alloy for hunting deer/bear at muzzle velocities of 1300-1800fps for 100-250# critters within 100yds (and hopefully a LOT closer)?

For those specifics I would use 16-1 lead/tin.

If pushing to 1900 - 2200+ fps I use OWWs + 2% tin and then mix 50/50 with lead as does Larry above.

Larry Gibson

Larry,

What is an "O" wheel weight?

[725]

For ML's I us pure lead. Most everything else gets 50% / 50%, WW / lead. Sometimes I toss in a wee bit of linotype.

[MT Gianni]

50-50 lead/lino with lead/ww water dropped a close second.

[DLCTEX]

50/50 works for me in rifle and pistol.

[gpalma]

Larry Gibson, I was talking with my friend today and he says that he has some 20-1 lead/tin that he can cast for me. How could one expect that to expand (or survive) going through an elk shoulder or just the ribcage within 100yds, started out at say 1950fps?

[hickfu]

My alloy for the 45-70 is 3/1 COWW/Pure Lead with 1% pewter for fill out, Water quenched to 19 to 20 bhn, will take out shoulders on both sides and keep going... big hole in/big hole out and not very much meat damage.


Doc

[Changeling]

[QUOTE=The Real Doc Holliday;2666941]My alloy for the 45-70 is 3/1 COWW/Pure Lead with 1% pewter for fill out, Water quenched to 19 to 20 bhn, will take out shoulders on both sides and keep going... big hole in/big hole out and not very much meat damage.

I really liked the play on words "Pewter aka Tin", thats a Hard bullet and will devistate most all North American animals up to and including the bears and moose. Without BLOWING up complete shoulders/whatever with unneeded expansion.
There is NO way any animal with a 1 to 2 inch hole through its vitals can survive more than a minute or so. Blood pressure will go to "0", no oxygen/blood to the brain, so all normal functions will cease to exist!
Increasing descruction through HP's, will posibly hinder blood loss due to wound tissue slowing blood loss. However the shock factor that initiates miliseconds after the "Hit" can possibly cause a colapse of motor functions immediately putting the animal down.
I'll take a 25 yard run with a small amount of damage over a DRT with a completete shoulder wasted.

It will benefit all to really think about this.


On deer at the proper velocity I have no doubts it is extremely effective without massive meat distruction.
You know exactly what you are doing Doc, don't change!

[dragon813gt]

I use 96/2/2. But I start w/ 96/3/1 and don't have to add much tin to reach 2%. The 50/50 mix w/ 2% works out to 97/1/2. My alloy just has a little more antimony but it's not brittle and expands properly.

[taco650]

Read this thread by goodsteel. He posted pics of his results with 50/50.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...e-in-the-world

[Ktmrider]

I know I'm new to this but what would the best way be to add the 2% tin to the mixture be? I just found a guy that has many many pounds of WW's and I just bought some from him for $.50 last week and I would like to be able to replicate this and give it a try. Because of this forum I have made my first bullets and this past weekend I made some what I consider amazing bullets out of the 50/50 mix from my NOE 358 200g RG mold, these suckers are to pretty to shoot!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!

[largom]

Lead free solder is a good source for tin. You can strip off a piece and weigh it or just guess at the amount. Either way make notes so you can repeat later.

Larry

[Larry Gibson]

For ML's I us pure lead. Most everything else gets 50% / 50%, WW / lead. Sometimes I toss in a wee bit of linotype.

"O" or is that "doh"

My thumbs sometimes get crisscrossed on this smart phone. .......
Obviously supposed to be COWW.

Larry Gibson

[Larry Gibson]

Larry Gibson, I was talking with my friend today and he says that he has some 20-1 lead/tin that he can cast for me. How could one expect that to expand (or survive) going through an elk shoulder or just the ribcage within 100yds, started out at say 1950fps?

It will expand very well indeed. Question is; will it shoot accurately at 1900+ fps? Unless PP'd it probably won't unless the twist is slower.

Larry Gibson