When You Cast What Alloy Formula do you use?

[bbogue1]

Thisis my first venture into smelting. I would like to make some ingotsthat are made of the bullet alloy recommended by Frexell'sbook ”From Ingot to Target”. Iam preparing to smelt some ClipOn WheelWeights(COWW)tomake ingots which will later be bullets. I've read Lymans, allofLees book and more than once read Fryxell. I only shoothandguns. My loads are light tomediumtarget loads (1010fps- 1148 fps, 10,000 – 20,000 CUPS) I am planning to usehis preferredformula of2% tin, 3% antimony, 95% lead whichshould produce a BNHof11.5.


Startingwith 12.5pounds of COWWwiththe alloy composition .5%tin, 3% antimony and 96% lead. In the COWW there is plenty ofantimony but not enough tin. I need to add more tin to the existingtin to increase the component from .5 to 2%. 12.5 pounds = 200ounces. .5% of 200 = .0625 pounds whichis1 ounce. The COWW has 1 ounce of tin already in it.


Toget the amount of tin to add to the mix I need to know how much is1.5% of the 12.5 pounds. 200oz times .015 = 3ounces. If I add 3 ounces of tin to the COWW I should have 2% tin.


Soundright to you?

​
Howdo you figure out your alloy mix?

[CraigOK]

I know there is a calculator on the forum somewhere...

[CraigOK]

Calculator- http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...oy-calculators

[hunter74]

2/3/95 would work great for soft to medium auto/revolver loads.

For simplicity reasons I use 2/4.5/93.5 for all loads except magnum revolver and rifle. (44, 454, 460, 45-70)and so on). For the latter I use 2/6/92 hardball alloy.

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[ioon44]

I mostly use 2-6-92 alloy for 9 mm and mag revolver and some times use straight COWW for 200 gr .45.

I mix foundry type with COWW until I reach a bullet weight in a mold that I know equals the weight from known 2-6-92 alloy, I am sure this is not precise but is close enough for me and I doubt that COWW is always the same composition from lot to lot.

[bbogue1]

As a paper hole puncher, I also understand that COWW varies in composition. I am not inclined to go to the extreme and mix alloy from scratch just to punch a hole in paper. I am inclined to think if the alloy is close from batch to batch that is good enough. After all the fun is in the construction of the rounds then checking your work with a bang, bang,bang.

[jsizemore]

You did fine with your calculations. That's how I do it. Cut that alloy with an equal amount of Pb and you have my go to for buckshot to 45acp.

[pjames32]

I use the alloy calculator posted above. That gets me in the ballpark. Few of us use lead with known content.

[Mitch]

the one on the rotometal site works good to.seems to be what the one here is based on

[Bookworm]

I've been using CCW cut 50/50 with range lead. It's been working fine for my handgun needs - 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 9mm.
I've run it from 700fps to 1250fps.
I'll add 2 -3 ounces of pewter if it won't cast well.

[Josh Smith]

Depends on what I want to do.

For muzzleloader balls and .45acp I might use on critters, I use pure lead with the pot cranked all the way up. I sometimes cut it with a little tin, but never enough to frost at my highest casting temperature.

For general range ammo, I use straight wheel weight. I crank the temp until it frosts uniformly. (High temp means excellent fillout, and since I tumble lube the Lee SWC boolits, I want 'em frosted. I think they hold more lube that way.

Regards,

Josh

[Hick]

I haven't been able to get any wheel weights locally, or other good sources of lead, so I've been using Lyman #2 from Rotometals. Certainly it is more expensive then smelting my own-- but its still relatively inexpensive from a cost per bullet standpoint (lots better than buying bullets).

[David2011]

Thisis my first venture into smelting. I would like to make some ingotsthat are made of the bullet alloy recommended by Frexell'sbook ”From Ingot to Target”. Iam preparing to smelt some ClipOn WheelWeights(COWW)tomake ingots which will later be bullets. I've read Lymans, allofLees book and more than once read Fryxell. I only shoothandguns. My loads are light tomediumtarget loads (1010fps- 1148 fps, 10,000 – 20,000 CUPS) I am planning to usehis preferredformula of2% tin, 3% antimony, 95% lead whichshould produce a BNHof11.5.


Startingwith 12.5pounds of COWWwiththe alloy composition .5%tin, 3% antimony and 96% lead. In the COWW there is plenty ofantimony but not enough tin. I need to add more tin to the existingtin to increase the component from .5 to 2%. 12.5 pounds = 200ounces. .5% of 200 = .0625 pounds whichis1 ounce. The COWW has 1 ounce of tin already in it.


Toget the amount of tin to add to the mix I need to know how much is1.5% of the 12.5 pounds. 200oz times .015 = 3ounces. If I add 3 ounces of tin to the COWW I should have 2% tin.


Soundright to you?

​
Howdo you figure out your alloy mix?

For normal plinking loads and plenty of good boolits you can figure adding 1.5 ounces of tin per 100 (technically 98.5) ounces of COWW. Scrap pewter is around 90% tin as are most Babbitt alloys.

I haven't been able to get any wheel weights locally, or other good sources of lead, so I've been using Lyman #2 from Rotometals. Certainly it is more expensive then smelting my own-- but its still relatively inexpensive from a cost per bullet standpoint (lots better than buying bullets).

And you miss all the fun of reducing COWW to ingots! Starting with truly clean metal is not all bad.


David

[lightman]

I use mostly wheelweights and have never been very concerned with mixing alloys. If it casts good and shoots good, thats all that I care about. I smelt in batches of 350 to 400# and I keep each batch together as a lot. Even though newer wheelweights have less alloy than older weights I still get good fill out. Using larger batches I find wheelweights to be pretty consistent. The alloy calculator is a nice tool for those that have to blend their alloys.

[Sasquatch-1]

Pure range scrap with maybe a little tin for fill out.

[rmark]

Either 1/2 COWW + 1/2 soft lead or my pistol range scrap, BHN 9-10 for either. I recently had a sample tested with a XRF gun and it matched bumpos alloy calculator quite well.

[Yodogsandman]

OK, you have 12.5 lbs of COWW and want to add 1 1/2% of tin to it. So 12.5 lbs multiplied by 7000 gr/lb is equal to 87500gr. 87500 gr multiplied by 1.5% (.015) is 1312.5 gr. Divide 1312.5 gr by 432.5 gr/oz equals 3.03 oz of tin.

Add 3.03 ounces of tin(1 1/2%) to 12.5 pounds of COWW (with .5% tin) for a total of 2% tin.


12.5x7000=87500gr 87500 gr x .015=1312.5gr 1312.5/432.5=3.03 oz

7000 gr = 1 lb

432.5 = 1 oz

[fredj338]

I haven't been able to get any wheel weights locally, or other good sources of lead, so I've been using Lyman #2 from Rotometals. Certainly it is more expensive then smelting my own-- but its still relatively inexpensive from a cost per bullet standpoint (lots better than buying bullets).

Well not a lot better. At $2.75/#, 1000 200gr/45 run you $80 sized & lubed. I can buy them already cast for less then $98. A lot of work to save $18?? I like casting but I use scrounged alloy or will pay $1/#, but not a lot more before I just buy blasting bullets.
I get by with range scrap for most handgun needs, 9mm thru midrange 44mags.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've been using CCW cut 50/50 with range lead. It's been working fine for my handgun needs - 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 9mm.
I've run it from 700fps to 1250fps.
I'll add 2 -3 ounces of pewter if it won't cast well.

I've been using exactly the same formula for all my handgun rounds as well as smokeless loads for my BPCR cartridges (.45-70, .38-55, and .32-20) for several years. No leading (properly lubed/sized or PC'd), no accuracy issues, and no feed problems with my autoloaders. Staying in that velocity range, I don't figure that a percent or so variance in the mix is all that critical.

Bill

[RogerDat]

• Muzzle loader soft plain lead, closer to pure the better.
• Pistol (in my case revolver) is 50/50 COWW/Plain lead plus tin to 1.4% Others use same for autoloader pistols. Tumble lube or Powder Coated.
• Rifle gas checked (303,8mm) Powder Coated 50/50 Lyman #2 / COWW's milder target loads.
• Rifle gas checked (7.62 Russian, .223, hot loads in 303 & 8mm) Powder Coated Lyman #2 (which comes in close to hardball mentioned above for BHN)

I would suggest checking the Swapping and Selling for COWW or plain lead. As well as pewter of solder. Should save you a good deal over Rotometals for general purpose lead. Rotometals can be good source for the higher end alloys such as super hard or Lyman #2.