Need help with Range lead and casting

[TonyN]

Solder? How far does a lb go?

[Grmps]

40lb lead x 16oz =640oz / 100 =6.4 oz ( 1%) x 2 = 12.8 oz tin for 40 lb lead
3.2 oz for 10lb of lead
so 1lb of tin will be 2% in 50lb of lead

[blackthorn]

Tin dose not contribute much (some but not much) to hardening an alloy. Antimony dose much more. That said, the percentage of tin should never go beyond the percentage of antimony, but antimony can exceed tin and still be effective. If you have not already done so, you should download the free book "From Ingot to Target". That book has a huge amount of information on all aspects of our hobby. Have a great day!

[Larry Gibson]

"Tin dose not contribute much (some but not much) to hardening an alloy."

I have to somewhat disagree......in a binary alloy I would agree. However, in a ternary alloy of lead, antimony and tin the tin combines with the antimony and forms a submetal SbSn or intermetallic compound. The SbSn strengthens the ternary alloy more than antimony or tin alone. If you read Marshall's "Metallurgy of Molten Metals" in Lyman's CBH #3 you may get an understanding. It's rather dry and technical but what it reveals is the reason adding 2% tin to current COWWs most often yields an AC'd BHN of 13 - 16.....basically the BHN equal of #2 alloy. It's because the 2+% of tin forms the submetal/inter metallic metal SbSn which goes into solution and stays in solution in the lead instead of separating out during solidification.

Let me note that if one wants the best quality bullets (based on weight and size uniformity) that are the most accurate I've not found any alloy that does better than #2 alloy, not even linotype. However, an alloy of 94 - 95% lead, 2 1/2 - 3 % antimony and 2 t0 2 1/2% tin (your basic COWW + 2% tin alloy) will do for probably 95+% of most cast bullet shooters needs.

Larry Gibson

[P Flados]

My son has a glock 17. I tried high & low to get it to shoot cast. I had NO LUCK AT ALL. I did lots of reading.

Some people can get the oddball glock rifling to work with cast, but only with very hard lead. I do not have any reliable source of hard lead unless I spend way more than I am willing. Rember that this is for high volume shooting out of a semiauto pistol.

For me and what I tried, powder coat worked best with my medium hardness lead. Other lubes were miserable. 110 gr and 125 gr were both similar in performance.

Low power loads shot good with no leading, but would not cycle the action.

Medium loads would cycle the action, but would start a slow buildup of lead.

More than medium load performed terrible. I think that they were "stripping out" and not getting the right spin. Many would hit the target with the bullet sideways.

I gave up and went shopping. Found a replacement barrel for $90 with free shipping at Combat Armory. One is on the way as I type. I will update when I get it.

[DocSavage]

I buy no 2 alloy from Rotometals myself but the other day while in Home Depot I looked at a 1 lb spool of plumbing solder 95% tin 5% antimony was $ 16 a 1 lb spool. Someday I'll get lucky and get the lead from the indoor range at my club when it's scheduled to be cleaned and try my hand at casting with scrap lead.

[blackthorn]

Thanks Larry for that explanation. Always learning.

[truckmsl]

Sometimes I think guys are overthinking cast bullets. Granted, some calibers are more adverse to cast than others, but I have great success with .40, .357, 45 acp, and 7.62x39 with range lead mined from the berms. Its usually about 50/50 commercial hard cast and jacketed lead. With the right bullet diameter and lube I do not experiece leading. Its also important to find the right powder as well. For example, i can run plain base cast 162 grainers through my .357 lever gun up to 1600 fps with no leading, but only if I use 296 powder. High vel rifle is a whole different thing though.

[TonyN]

well I shot Hi-Tek and my 10 BHN Range lead out of my glock 17 and 21. My 17 didn't last long and my 21 had leading but not very bad. I could still shoot. I put in my lone wolf in my glock as it lead some but not bad at all. My Sig MPX lead but I think it was more gray powder color. I ran a bore snake thru it and there was very little leading. I think I need 15 BHN.

I need info on how to get my 10BHN to 15 BHN

[ioon44]

I use lino type or foundry type added to my range scrap or COWW until I reach 15 BHN.

[Shingle]

I am far from a expert but had similar experience when I first started casting. I use the same lead as you with HY-TEC coating, solved issue by sizing to .356 on plain base and leading stopped. I know this goes against everything you have read. I use that size in 5 9mm Glock's and 5 AR9's and whats left of a camp carbine. I have not scrubbed lead out of a barrel since. Good luck.