Fifty-fifty mix for the .22 caliber ?

[Jack Stanley]

I know some of you guys use wheel weights mixed with pure lead for a lot of things . I don't remember reading about any of you using it in the .22 caliber rifles . What would the hardness of that particular mix be ? , about seven or eight brinell ?

Thanks , Jack

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

That seems like a kind of soft alloy, unless you are loading to 22LR speeds?

I have a bunch of NOE 225-45 WFN cast/sized and lubed for 22 hornet. These are a plain base style. I used a fairly hard alloy that measures 16 BHN. The Alloy was suppose to be 94-3-3, but I mixed it too rich with foundrytype metal, so I don't know the numbers, except it measures 16 BHN.

I plan to load these from 1700fps to 2000fps and using two different lubes for some testing.

I started the brass prep today after work, and hope to get them loaded this coming weekend. Also, I finally got the T10 weaver mounted on my Ruger #3, so I'm ready for the range...suppose to be warm this weekend...suppose to get to 32 deg.

[John Boy]

Alloys I use:
* 22LR - Bhn 5.0
* 220 Swift - Bhn 18

[Calamity Jake]

I know some of you guys use wheel weights mixed with pure lead for a lot of things . I don't remember reading about any of you using it in the .22 caliber rifles . What would the hardness of that particular mix be ? , about seven or eight brinell ?

Thanks , Jack

My 50-50 mix of WW/pure is about BHN 11. It will oven HT to about 18

My 22 centerfire boolits are cast in 75/25 WW/Lino and oven HT'ed to about 22.

[Aliraza482]

I am using the Lee 160 gr RNGC in my Remington 308 at about that velocity and love it for accuracy. The powder I am using is 2400. Haven't hunted with it, however, but I am using the same boolit in my 30/30 at an MV of about 1600 and would not hesitate to hunt deer with it out to about 125 yards. Problem with 2400 powder is that it is so hard to find these days that I am switching other calibers to some other powder just so I can conserve the 2400 for the 308 and my 32-20.

[Jack Stanley]

Welcome to the forum Aliraz482 , glad you're here .

My past experience with twenty-two center fire has been with lead at nine or ten brinell and at a measured fifteen hundred feet per second . This mix has worked without gas checks for several thousand rounds now using 700-X powder and a minimal amount of 50/50 Alox .

The current batch of alloy I have just waiting for something to do has age hardened to about seven or eight brinell in four days time I could remix it adding a little tin but would rather not if it would work as it is . After all my target velocity is not much above rim fire velocity .

John Boy , Jonb , Larry ... what do ya think run it as is ? I'm leaning that way but I think I'll do some test casts and make sure it will fill out the cavities before I go after it full bore .

Jack

[Jack Stanley]

I think it's been five days now and it has hardened to eight brinell according to the LBT tester . I think maybe I'll warm up the mould and make a few and let them harden . I can test them when I get done fooling with these forty-five govt. loads and before I switch the press over to aught six ammo .

Jack

[gnoahhh]

I use the 50/50 mix (bhn 10-11) for .22 Bator bullets in a Hornet, driven with 6gr. 2400, and get zero leading. Linotype or quenching doesn't improve accuracy so I don't bother with anything harder. 1/2" 10 shot groups at 50yds. are the rule, with enough smaller groups to keep the sun shining in my life. I'll take a properly fitted soft bullet most any day over a needlessly hard one.