First time using WW/lead mix!

[TexasGrunt]

Smelted my COWWs yesterday. Got 48 muffins and 6 mini loaf ingots.

Took half the lead out of my Pro-Melt today and added COWW ingots. Added six ounces of pewter and mixed it all together.

I got my Lee six banger hot and started to cast.

The first thing I noticed that this alloy cools a lot faster than pure lead. I have turned my Pro-Melt down about 40 degrees because the tin helps the flow. I also noticed I could cast some frosty boolits. Using pure lead or 98/2 I couldn't get frosty boolits.

I also noticed the sprue plate took very little effort compared to what I had been using. I did notice that I was getting some powder/dust when cutting the sprues using the alloy. Is this normal?

The boolits look awesome. Great fill out. Little bit of frosty look. The mold is supposed to be a 200 gr but they are coming out around 205 which is to be expected.

Thanks!

[runfiverun]

the little flecks are common.
if you look at the back of the boolit your probably getting a bit of a tear there.
now if your talking about a grey galvanized look to the boolits that's good.
if your getting a whitish look on them and the bands are a touch rounded your on the way too hot side.

[TexasGrunt]

Gray galvanized look. No white.

There's no tear on the base of the bullets. Actually looks like it was broke off.

[runfiverun]

that's exactly what you want.
that break is where the little pieces are coming from.

if it's a cherry cut mold you will be able to see the lines in the mold from the cherry spinning and cutting the steel.

[Phlier]

Your alloy has to have antimony in it in order to get the frosty look. When the antimony cools more slowly (hot mold), it gives you the frost. COWW's normally have antimony in them.

When you get a chance, check out Chapter 3 (starts on page 27) of From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners (http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_textonly2.pdf). Fantastic information about alloys.

[Strtspdlx]

not to hijack this thread but I have a lee mold and I'm having issues with it, I have heard about the galvanized look reference and thought I understood it. if anyone has a picture would they possibly post it so I can get an idea, I'm pretty sure I know what your talking about but id really like to be certain. thanks

[runfiverun]

I'd have to dig around the site.
when I cast from an aluminum mold the boolits actually come out of the mold shiny silver then turn grey as I am closing the mold to re-fill it.

if your running an alloy with 2+% tin you won't see them turn a grey color, the tin prohibits that.