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Absolutely. Tested and confirmed many times.
I Hi Tek coat, even full hour is no problem except the colours turn very dark.
I was suspicious about coating and hardening at the same time but there is no harm done. I'm sizing a batch right now,I then swirl a third coat,bake and drop.
They will be 14-16 BHN next week. For how long,that remains to be seen.
Well awhile back I started using 50/50 PB / WW's with a pinch of Tin as my go-to alloy. I've been water quenching after powder coating and using this alloy in all my magnum handgun and standard loads and rifle loads with excellent results, for bullets that I want some expansion I just let those air cool such as my 45 ACP and 38/357 HP's. I shoot a 170 gr. 50/50 gas check, quenched bullets up to 2300 fps. using 35.0 grs. of H-4198 in my 30-06 with excellent accuracy and not a trace of leading even after putting fifty rds. downrange in one setting, handgun loads give equal results. Leading was never an issue powder coating had to solve, so I figure it actually helps when using the softer alloy.
I have some bullets cast from 50/50 and quenched that I'm going to do a hardness test on that have been setting for over a month, but for my current applications and results using the 50/50 using it either air cooled or quenched and using a gas check when needed I seen no reason to do anything differently.
Ecxellent info res45,thank you.
You are doing exactly what I'm planning/trying to do. Now that the boolits go in the oven anyway, heat treating is no big deal at all. Saving WW is becoming important. I don't need superhard for anything either. My full 500 S&W is BHN 15 about. I use no gas checks any more.
And I think that with right size good quality molds we can skip sizing,too. I have a 358 mold coming for that reason.
My 15 min/ 200F 8 BHN alloy has gone to 10 in two days now.
Four days,still 10.
15 min isn't doing much like someone already said. I baked 30 min again just now to confirm 14 BHN,hopefully. All this is 400°F to keep things simple for now.
I dont know if this adds much but i cook pc 20min after melted then make sure the surface temp up to 425 with laser thermometer, the drop into 40-50f water bucket. I use heavy duty aluminum foil shiny side up, not non stick so they stick a bit, enough to not fall off the tray in water but still can be peeled off easy enough. I dont hardness test only expand test in paper mush, these are 250gr 44 mags at 1500fps.
1st is unfired for reference. 2nd ACWW. 3 WW cooked. 4 50-50 cooked FRESH. 5 50-50 cooked aged few months.
Bmortell,good info,thank you.
My 30 min cooked stayed in ice water overnight. They are 12-14 BHN already. I'll load some tomorrow.
So far all my recovered 50/50 quenched bullet are either bent or slightly deformed if they hit something hard but none are shattered into multiple fragments in rifle or pistol. The air cooled HP 38/357 and 45 ACP bullet expand nicely without loosing any significant weight loss if any.
Not sure exactly how many molds I have these days but it a mix of mostly Lee, a couple old Lyman/Ideal, Accurate, NOE and Arsenal.
NOE 360-165-SWC which is basically a clone of the Lyman 358156. I just leave the HP pins in this mold all the time since I have plenty of (FN) Lee molds for 158 gr. SWC bullets. I bought this mold a couple years before I stated powder coating.
NOE TL452-234-RF this mold will cast HP,FN or Cup Point bullets.
I know some don't always size there bullets but most all my molds cast oversized bullets an being that I PC them and fit individual bullet to my handguns and rifles I size them all.
Yeah,I was surprised to see a shattered 14 BHN bullet. They may be more fragile right after the oven,though? Until they settle down. I measured 36 BHN in one batch (440°F/One hour) but they went down to 20 after a few days.
And maybe there's more antimony than I think in this batch.
Anyway,this Mihec 180 NLG shot well and clean full power VV N110 load. Size was .359, throats are .3583. I have room to adjust and tweak the size for accuracy.
I'll put some on a shelf in a well marked box and check BHN/size next summer. I'd also like to know the exact alloy,time to send for XRF again I guess.
An update:
Those heat treated .359 bullets grew to .360 in a few weeks. I sized them all again yesterday.
This makes me think... size them to .358 before HT if I want .359.
I didn't expect them grow so fast.
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 |