I just got a Lee BHN tester, and the instructions specify not to put the impression on the base of the bullet, as this will "result in a softer reading than the lead should show."
Anyone know why that would be?
Before reading that part of the instructions, I tested a couple of bullets that I cast from pure stick-on wheel weight alloy, expecting them to be in the range of 6-7 BHN. They came out to 8.7, using the base of the bullet. Does this mean my air-cooled SOWW alloy is actually harder than 8.7? Seems strange...