Long as we're OT our safety guy sent out a notice that We were having a shut down due to ice and snow. I couldn't believe it when his Apple iPhone subbed an "i" for the u in shut. Did it TWICE during separate storms.
Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris
For front stuffers (mostly musket and C&B revolver) and BP cartridge rounds I find even straight COWWs a little hard, but I like them with a little (1-2%) tin for "casual" shooting with cast handgun bullets. I don't even know what I would do with a treasure trove of nearly a half ton of Linotype like the OP has... I'm about as likely to have a half ton of GOLD! I use my rather limited stash of type metal mostly for hard mix for competition pistol bullets.
BTW, when the Earth was younger and Linotype was more available, the Lyman Cast Bullet books had a formula to mix Linotype to make their ubiquitous "Lyman #2" alloy for which most of their mounds were cut.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
I know but strait lead is hard to find here and I am very fortunate to have the Linotype I got when I was little my grandfather found it all at an auction if I remover right he got it for like .35 cents a LBS I know me and dad when's with him to pick it all up so we have been casting on it seance I was a kid I will buy some from time to time when I find it reasonable just to keep my hordes of it up I just bought some from rotometals because it was on sale I got 60lbs for 100 bucks
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Linotype + Wheelweight blends, to estimate hardness:
[Lino-Pounds(22) + WW-pounds(12)] / TotalPounds = BHN
1:10 linotype to wheelweights 1(22) +10(12) = 142/11 = 12.9 BHN
1:5 linotype to wheelweights: 1(22) + 5(12) = 82 /6 = 13.6 BHN
1:4 linotype to wheelweights: 1(22) + 4(12) = 70 / 5 = 14 BHN
1:3 linotype to wheelweights: 1(22) + 3(12) = 58 / 4 = 14.5 BHN
1:2 linotype to wheelweights: 1(22) + 2(12) = 46 / 3 = 15 BHN
1:1 linotype to wheelweights: 1(22) + 1(12) = 34 / 2 = 17 BHN
If you have MEASURED hardness levels for your source linotype, wheelweight or backstop scrap, make the appropriate substitutions in the above expressions.
For softer alloys linotype + plumber's lead blends work very well:
LinoPounds(22)+LeadPounds(5) / TotalPounds = EstBHN
A 50-50 linotype-lead blend at 13.5 BHN is slightly softer than commercial hardball or Lyman No.2 alloy. (22)+(5) /2 = 13.5
A 1:2 linotype-lead blend at "about 10.5 BHN" approximates 1:20 alloy and is well suited for revolver and black powder cartridge "smokeless" applications. (22)+2(5) /3 = 10.6 BHN
A 1:4 linotype-lead blend at 8.5 BHN approximates the hardness of 1:30 alloy and is best for black powder cartridges, in subsonic, smokeless revolver loads, or with plain based rifle bullets below 1300 fps and is satisfactory up to 1700 fps with gas checks in rifles for hollow-point hunting applications. (22)+4(5) /5 = 8.5 BHN
A 1:5 linotype-lead blend at 8 BHN approximates 1:40 alloy and is the frugal shooters best bang for the buck to make your alloy go far as possible in revolver, cowboy loads, black powder cartridge, and subsonic hollow-point hunting applications. (22)+5(5) / 6 = 8 BHN
Again, if you have MEASURED hardness levels for your source linotype or plumber's lead, make the appropriate substitutions in the above expressions.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
New boolit that is heavier and more bearing surface, drop the load a tad.
Whatever!
Outpost75 is that with the older COWW or the newer ones that require 2% more tin?
Back to the original title, my favorite recipe is 35 lbs WW ingots, 5 lbs monotype, and an additional 1% Sn. Makes an alloy with ~ 2.75% Sn, 5% Sb, 92.25% Pb. Use it for rifle boolits, and cut it 50/50 w/Pb and add anther 1% Sn for pistol boolits.
Echo
USAF Ret
DPS, 2600
NRA Benefactor
O&U
One of the most endearing sights in the world is the vision of a naked good-looking woman leaving the bedroom to make breakfast. Bolivar Shagnasty (I believe that Lazarus Long also said it, but I can't find any record of it.)
I have a half of bag of lead shot laying around. Don"t shoot shotgun
What is the make up of lead shot? How much to add to say a 10 lbs of COWW to harden it up?
Leadmelter
MI
Lead shot is widely variable depending on its intended use and its manufacturer. Further examination of the label on the bag. Otherwise I personally would regard that 10-15# of shot as about equivalent to range scrap and mix it accordingly. Others might have a different take on things.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |