Boolit natural age hardening vs precision vs accuracy 45-70 lighter loads

[TCLouis]

The plan was to make up a 50:50 alloy and let it gain hardness and they test it and have some for an upcoming hunt.
An encounter with some sort of critter took 3 weeks out of the time I had allotted to get this done.

Parameters 45-70
100 yards will be a LONG shot where I will set up
RCBS 325 gr RNFP PB
OLD COWW (truck) and PURE lead

Probably 24.5 gr. 5744 and 35 gr. 3031 so not hot loads at all. These loads are some of the best with that boolit cast from straight COWWs.

How much will their performance Precision and accuracy change as they harden over the next 3 weeks?

Should I just fall back to the COWW boolits I have now?
The 50;50 is made up with lead supplied by the landowner where I plan to hunt so had hopes of using it.

What's your opinion

[Winger Ed.]

Don't worry about it, accuracy won't change enough to measure..

[TjB101]

If you’re powder coating, quenching in water will increase hardness.

[JSnover]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong; I didn't think it was much of an issue with a 50:50 alloy of COWW and pure lead because the antimony is low.

[Hickok]

I am using the RCBS 300 gr with gas check in my Marlin 1895. Mine are 50/50, pc'ed and IMR 4198, loaded mild so I stand the recoil.

My loading in not much different than yours,...so I say use the 50/50 load. It would take a lot of shooting and comparison to tell any difference in the hardening process,... if there is any amount at all that would matter when hunting.

Hopefully, you will only need one shot, and that big 45/70 boolit will get the job done when put in the right place.

If it was me, I wouldn't even think about it, I would use it!

[gwpercle]

In the 45-70 my guess is you will see a slight improvement in accuracy with the 50-50 mix.

After my free unlimited COWW supply retired from the tire business I decided to start using the 50-50 mix to stretch my COWW supply ... Have plenty of soft lead .
I wish I had starting that mix years ago ... handgun loads were better and all my rifle loads improved . Now I only have 30 cal. rifles and every boolit wears a gas check ... but the softer alloy usually works better than straight COWW that I used for decades .
Boolit size is still most important ... I'm betting the 50-50 mix will be an improvement .
The 45-70 doesn't require hard boolits ... softer properly sized will win the day.
Gary

[TCLouis]

Thanks to one and all for sharing your wisdom.
Hickok, how much 4198 are you stuffing behind that boolit.
I am probably the only person on the site that has been loading since the 60s and has never owned any 4198. A fellow shooter gave me a 1 3/4 pounds the other day so I guess I will start using it.

I bought that GC mold and the 325grain plain base at the same time.
Cast up a bunch of each and realized at the velocities I was shooting, the GC was an extra step/expense.
GC mold along with some others has been in the "gonna sell it box ever since, but I never get around to putting it out for sale.

Going to test some in the morning and then decide what to carry to Missouri to hunt.

[Winger Ed.]

4198 is good stuff.

I've had great results with it using middle of the road and 10% or so under max. recipes
from any of the loading books both with cast and j-words.

[Hickok]

Thanks to one and all for sharing your wisdom.
Hickok, how much 4198 are you stuffing behind that boolit.
I am probably the only person on the site that has been loading since the 60s and has never owned any 4198. A fellow shooter gave me a 1 3/4 pounds the other day so I guess I will start using it.

I bought that GC mold and the 325grain plain base at the same time.
Cast up a bunch of each and realized at the velocities I was shooting, the GC was an extra step/expense.
GC mold along with some others has been in the "gonna sell it box ever since, but I never get around to putting it out for sale.

Going to test some in the morning and then decide what to carry to Missouri to hunt.

T/C, my load is moderate so I could keep the recoil down in my Marlin 1895. With 400gr+ loads the pain overcame the joy in the Marlin.

RCBS 300 gr GC, (327gr 50/50 ACWW/PB) 34gr/IMR 4198 3/4"x3/4" tuft of Dacron.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK, NOT RECOMMENDING THIS LOAD FOR ANYONE.

[TCLouis]

Shot them 11/8 and there may have be some difference in group/impact location, but not enough to determine.

I did run some with 4198 (less than Hickock's load) and got a nice group at the highest load.

The three best loads are going to Missouri with me next week. For the areas I will set up/shoot in, I can adjust for the changes in impact or pass the shot.

Going to carry a coated projie gun in case I hunt some shooting sites with greater distances.

[GregLaROCHE]

It shouldn’t make any difference, especially in a hunting situation. If you were in a bench rest competition, maybe you would want to do a test.