Target pistol alloys...

[Martin Luber]

Thoughts and opinions on alloys for target pistol loads please. 38,-44spl,45etc

To the point: I suspect it doesn't matter

I have traditionally used wheel weight alloy with a measured hardness of 9 but those are drying up. For velocity around 800 max, l suspect the alloy doesn't matter as long as the as cast diameter is ok. Pure lead shrinks on cooling explaining some folks difficulty with it. Tin is available and it apears that about 1% helps properly fill the mould, gives a shiny "boolet" at bhn 11.

I have plenty of pure.

[Hossfly]

I use straight WW cause I have about a ton, and powder coat, this gives perfect size that can be adjusted with more than one coat to get good seal down the barrel. Don’t size just right from mould drop, skipped that mess of sizing and lubing. Shooting at low speed is a lot less chance of leading a Bbl and the PC seems to be less friction. Powder coating is not hard to do and to me makes boolit making more fun, with different colors for different speeds or power.

[Rcmaveric]

I use straight range scraps for that.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Rich/WIS]

Range scrap works well for me with 45 ACP at @750 fps in a tuned for light loads 1911A1 Range Officer. Same alloy works well in my sons 1911A1 with standard springs at @850 fps. When I shot 38 and 44 worked well in the same velocity ranges. A little tin can be added but did not find it necessary for getting good bullets. The mix of Sn and Sb in range scrap will vary based on what was used at your source but most seem to find it works well as is for light loads. Think of it as reincarnation, it was a bullet once and is a bullet again.

[lightman]

I use straight clip on wheel weights. They are still available around here and they just plain work.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I tried PC'd pure boolits in a Rossi 38 special. Most shot okay, but 1/12 or so would tumble. They cast fine with enough heat, but noticeably smaller than COWW. I bet the case was swaging them down as well. A little more powder may have allowed them to bump up, but I abandoned pure after I scored a nice pile of COWW. 50/50 COWW/pure was worked well for me and stretches the WW.

[gnostic]

Many years ago I read, 'the softest bullet that doesn't lead the barrel will be the most accurate.' I water drop range scrap and it shoots better than I do....

[ShooterAZ]

If you can find some Isotope Cores, they are wonderful for casting pistol boolits. The composition is reported to be 1/3/96, which is very similar to older Wheel Weights(WW), it's a very clean alloy. WW works fine too, but I have found that the newer stuff is only about 1/2 percent tin or so. Range scrap works very well too. Check the Swap and Sell forum here for vendors selling lead, I have bought nearly all my lead from right here on this site.

[dverna]

Unless someone has done extensive testing with a Ransom Rest, the answer may be elusive.

You will get a better answer from Bullseye shooters where 50 yard accuracy is important. Too many think a 1” group at 7 yards is accurate. So you need to define what you mean by accuracy.

When I shot Bullseye, my best accuracy was with the Remington 148 HBWC...2.5” for 50 shots at 50 yards. My best cast bullets were the H&G 50 with straight Linotype....3.5” groups. I could not match the Remington bullet and used the factory swaged bullets for 50 yards.

My opinion is you want an alloy that fills well and yields as perfect a base as possible. 92-6-2 alloy would be a good starting point. It is easily available as it is used by commercial casters. Good fill qualities and hard enough that bullets can take a bit of knocking around during sizing and storage.

[fredj338]

At 800fps you could run pure lead properly sized & lubed. It may cast better with 1% TIN.
Accuracy testing for me with service pistol is 20-25y. For hunting rigs, 50-100y.

[Martin Luber]

Hi Don, I know you from elsewhere...maybe trapshooters?

I am a Master in conventional pistol or precision as they call it now. I use soft swaged hp bullets for 50 yards or jacketed match. Either gives me groups under 2" at 50 yds. The big volume used is at 25 yards and l am working with other alloys for that. Finding soft cast fine but thet seem to need more powder, perhaps because they have less barrel resistance?

[Don1357]

Speed has nothing to do with anything, pressure is everything.

If you have an accurate weapon. And if you have an accurate setup to rest said weapon. And if you have worked out the most consistent load based on the powder burn rate/bullet weight/amount of powder/primers/case prep/plus/minus variations between components/barrel twist rate/barrel length/chamber shape/pressure curve/bullet concentricity, then you also match the allow hardness to be within 10% of strength the maximum pressure your cartridge is generating. Going over distorts the bullet and accuracy goes south, staying under and the bullet doesn't achieve the utmost perfect engaging of the rifling.

I smirk at all that as I use my bullets for plininking metal cans. I know for a fact that when I miss chances are it wasn't any of the above but my aim :-\

[Bookworm]

I just cast my wadcutters from range scrap. It's soft, but I never had reason to send it in for analysis.

I shot casually, mostly out back behind the barn. I do have a boolit traps, so my alloy doesn't change as much as in other cases.

Mostly I use one of a few SW M-14 revolvers, or a PPC modified M-10. If I miss, it's me. Any if those revolvers are capable of greater accuracy than I can wrong from them.

[ABJ]

I shoot Bullseye also and on the 45 low pressure loads(200 with 3.0 grains of Bullsye powder) coww plus tin is perfect on the short line. That is close to 2% tin and 3% antimony give or take. On the long line with 3.9/4.2 Bullseye the 2% tin and 4% antimony seems a little better.

On 38 cast wadcutters the 2/3 alloy or a little softer is good. One thing we have noticed on alloys is that a 1.8% tin is about minimum and 2% eliminates the flyers. If you can afford it, 20:1 on wadcutters is tops, but very expensive. Probably wouldn't gain you many points but might gain you some x count at a master level.

Our test involved a machine rest, bench rest and match shooting.

Hope it helps,
Tony

[kevin c]

That's interesting, ABJ. Not shooting Bullseye, I wouldn't have guessed that different alloys would make a significant difference in the same gun (different load, I see; same bullet, I'm guessing?).

I think that implies being consistent on the alloy, either reproducible small batches from known component metals, or a large batch that'll last for quite a bit of shooting.

[Don1357]

That's interesting, ABJ. Not shooting Bullseye, I wouldn't have guessed that different alloys would make a significant difference in the same gun (different load, I see; same bullet, I'm guessing?).

I think that implies being consistent on the alloy, either reproducible small batches from known component metals, or a large batch that'll last for quite a bit of shooting.

The way to go about it is to invest in a good system to measure alloy hardness. As long as you can reproduce the hardness you'll end up in the same spot. This is actually rather easy with some pure lead to soften and some lino to harden.

[PBaholic]

I shoot Bullseye in my 45 as well (ACP=5.0, LC=7.0 grains), but went with the 230 grain Lee and Powder Coat (HF Red). I pour at BHN 10, and am VERY happy with how accurate it shoots. 20:1 Pewter or 10:1 Linotype both come out to around BHN 10.

I use Brinell's method of measuring hardness:



My Pewter comes from Goodwill. I try to buy at only $2/lb, and have 50Lbs on-hand. Those engraved Pewter mugs only contain 8oz of Pewter. Stay away from the candlesticks, as many of them are weighted, and contain rosen that is heavy. Start by buying only things marked "Pewter". Once you start looking for Pewter, you'll begin to spot it from 10' away. There's a nice sticky here where people show off their scores.

[kevin c]

PBholic, those two alloys you use to cast those 230's, do the casts of the different alloys weigh the same? Do they shoot to the same POI?

I'm curious to know whether the hardness being the same is more important than the weights being consistent.

[PBaholic]

The 10:1 Lino casts heavier than the 20:1 Pewter. I'm kinda saving the Lino, so I haven't made any for quite a while. I think the 10:1 Lino was casting my 230 grains at 245 or so, where the 20:1 Pewter comes in at about 236 or so. Since my loads are kinda stiff, I don't really notice any difference between batches.

I settled on BHN 10, as it was easily achievable and PC's well.

[kevin c]

Thanks for the reply. Something for me to think about.