another lead harness question

[Hasselbach]

first time post to this forum, my question is ive been casting for approx. 2 years and haven't invested much time in research of the proper process rather just local gun shop talk with others and trial and error (with safety first priority). My question today comes down to I use to purchase lead that I believe had already been processed and made into well large crude looking lead bars. I took the time to break these bars down into more manageable chunks that I could fit in my 20lb production pot which is a bottom pour. I noticed when loading these (.309 180gr lee mold) that during my seating stage of the bullet the bullet seating die inside the die would place a small cosmetic deformation (ring) around the first 1/8th in of the face of the bullet. I did call lee and told them my troubles and they said for 14$ I can send in a bullet so they can make me a seating die fit rather then using something that is more to be used for a spitzer type bullet. now my question is: is my lead just too soft? I did purchase it from the "dead man's" table at the local gun shop. should I invest in a lead hardness tester from lee and if I do find its too soft what's the next step in hardening it?

Also good to know I hooked up with the local indoor range and for 300lbs of range scrap cost me just 10$. would it just be advised that I start melting this range scrap on my propane burner, flux and skim the lead to form ingots and then place those in the production pot and just ditch the other lead? does anyone test range lead for harness?

[Grmps]

Hasselbach welcome to CB. If you decided to start casting to save money, forget it. You won't, you'll just shoot more.

What I do when a boolit seating die leaves a ring around the nose of a boolit is: I clean the seating stem thoroughly, lubricate the end of a boolit, fill the end of the seating stem with hot glue and press the lubed boolit into the glue. When the glue has cooled I carve/sand off the excess

Casting boolits (lead bullets) properly is a science, once you know the basics, not a hard science.
There is a lot of good information on CB. The Google search (top right of every forum page) is a gateway to all the knowledge on this forum. IF you can’t find your answer there ask the question (Please be as detailed as possible, pictures help http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...g-screen-shots I would be very surprised if there wasn’t someone on this forum that could answer ANY (firearm related) question you might have)
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
1. Boolits need to be cast .0005 to .003 (normally .002) over the slugged diameter of your barrel for accuracy and to avoid leading. If the fit is wrong nothing else will work right.
a. slugging a barrel (it is safer to use a brass rod or a steel rod with a couple of coats of tape to avoid damaging your barrel http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm
b. chamber casting https://www.brownells.com/guntech/ce....htm?lid=10614
or pound casting http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...rifle-chamber)
2. the right alloy needs to be used for the velocity and purpose of the boolit (don’t fall into the trap of going with too hard an alloy

Economical way to easily test lead hardness
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...rdness-testing

Some alloys harden over time
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chap...Metallurgy.htm
different alloy’s different end hardnesses


Lead alloy calculator
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/atta...4&d=1341560870
3. velocity the bullet needs to be pushed hard/fast enough to get the proper spin, have the proper velocity to accurately reach the target but not so hard as to be dangerous or strip the lead off in the grooves instead of spinning the boolit..
The boolit needs to be the right weight for the riffling/twist rate of your barrel
Powders range from fast to slow, you need to choose the right powder for your barrel length & application.
Loading manuals list the best powders for certain calibers and boolit weights.
NEVER use any posted noncommercial load data without first checking commercial load data to see if falls in the safe parameter for your firearm!! There are several firearms out there that can handle much higher pressures than others!!
Link to free online load data
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...online-sources

[Grmps]

Easier pencil lead hardness testing (economical way to test lead hardness)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...rdness-testing

range scrap can vary from 8 to 15 bhn depending on what is being shot.

I don't put anything in my casting pot that I didn't smelt myself (or know the history of)

I find that in smelting range scrap, fluxing with both pine sawdust and wax helps with a more complete removal of the lead.

$10 for 300 pounds a range scrap is a good price.

You'll see a search bar at the top right of each forum page. this is your gateway to a wealth of information.

If you can't find what your looking for just ask, I'll be surprised if there isn't someone here that can answer your question.

[Hasselbach]

Thanks Grmps for the charts, great information I really appreciate it, ive had some good success with my hand loads other then the cosmetic aspect of the projectile. can you post some pictures of your seating die? I will post some pics of my recent groupings with my hand loads.


this was at 150yds

[triggerhappy243]

Thanks Grmps for the charts, great information I really appreciate it, ive had some good success with my hand loads other then the cosmetic aspect of the projectile. can you post some pictures of your seating die? I will post some pics of my recent groupings with my hand loads.


this was at 150yds

In my book, that is an excellent group.

[lightman]

I would buy a cone shaped grinding stone and lightly work on that seating stem by hand. Probably all you need to do is to break the edge thats scoring your bullet. As to the dead guys lead, I would just cast a few bullets with it and see how well it shoots. 300 pounds of range scrap for $10 is a steal, I would keep getting it until that deal is gone. It will probably cast ok too.

[Hasselbach]

Ok thanks lightman. The range scrap fortunately will always be available as they do a weekly scrub of the range. Also hooked up with him that if I cast him ingots of say 100lbs and keep 200lbs for my self I won’t have to pay for the lead!


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[jsizemore]

You'll come out ahead paying the $10. Unless he finds somebody else that will. That's 200lbs for free or 3.333... cents/ lb. You'd still have to pay about 2 cents/lb. out of pocket for the lp gas to make his ingots.

[jcren]

Filling the seating stem with hot glue and pressing a bullet into it before it sets will stop the marking of the bullet. There is a guy on here somewhere that has access to a x-ray gun and will analize a piece of unknown lead for the nominal fee of 1 pound of good lead. Send him a scrap of unknown and a pound of good lead and a prepaid self-addressed envelope and he will send ya a printed analysis. But if it cast well and shoots that good I wouldnt worry much.