Reloading EverythingMidSouth Shooters SupplyLoad DataWideners
Lee PrecisionPBcastcoRotoMetals2Titan Reloading
Repackbox Inline Fabrication
Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Monotype

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Grain Valley, Mo.
    Posts
    43

    Monotype

    Okay, gonna jump into it. I have read all over the place about: Monotype - linotype - pure lead - wheel weights etc.

    To sum it down for this village idiot's understanding, should I buy the 50lbs of monotype available at the recycle center for 40 cents a pound? Would it, by itself, make good cast boolits for .30 cal. rifles? As in .308, .30-06, .30-30, .30 Carbine, 7.5X55 Swiss, ETC ETC? And is that a good price?

    I have only shot .45-70 Lee Alox Tumble Lubed 500gr boolets cast in pure lead with absolutely -0- leading and excellent accuracy, so far.

    Thanks for any input.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy Bulltipper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Eagle Point OR
    Posts
    315
    WOW, grab it!
    Pure lead is $.75 a pound here in southern Oregon! Do a little research here to decide how you wanty to alloy that stuff with pure lead for those rifle boolits. I am sure you will get many suggestions but I would go 80-20 monotype to pure lead up to around 2000FPS
    "These are not hi-capacity magazines, these are standard capacity magazines. High capacity is belt fed from the can."

  3. #3
    In Remembrance


    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Michigan Thumb Area
    Posts
    5,948
    The only request that I have is don`t break the guys hand when slapping money into it!!! Yes, grab all that he has. Scrap wheel weights are going for .75 or so a pound around here. You can either mix this with pure lead for an alloy or sell it again to other casters that are looking for this gold.Robert

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,795
    That is a fantastic price if you are sure it is monotype. What shape/configuration is the material in?

    Yes it will make boolits for the calibers you listed but they will be large, light and HARD. Monotype has a BHN close to 30. If I were going to mix it with lead I would start at a low ratio, maybe 5% Mono to 95% lead and see how it performs. Others will disagree but I am not an advocate of hard boolits. I shoot 308, 30-30, 35 Rem., and 8mm Mauser from 1800 to 2000 fps with a BHN of 10 to 12.

    Larry

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    lwknight's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Fort Worth, Texas where the west begins
    Posts
    3,416
    Its a steal. It has $2.00 worth of tin and antimony in it. It would make entirely toooo hard boolits undiluted. You can resell it for about $1.25 per pound at the drop of a hat.
    Sent from my PC with a keyboard and camera on it with internet too.
    Melting Stuff is FUN!
    Shooting stuff is even funner

    L W Knight

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master



    cbrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Kalifornia Escapee
    Posts
    8,034
    NO, it will not make good bullets by itself. It's not so much that it's too hard (it is) but rather it's way too brittle. Mono is 9% tin, 19% antimony and 72% lead. 19% antimony is way past a lot and bullets cast with this much antimony are so brittle they can actually break in two by simply chambering a round or dropping one on the floor.

    It is a valuable find though and buying it at 40 cents a pound is about like making a bank withdrawal with a gun and you should wear a mask when you pick it up.

    As others have already said it is a perfect alloy for blending with lead, WW's and such. Congratulations on your find, grab it before it's gone or the guy realizes what he has and ups the price.

    Rick
    "The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke

    "Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams

    NRA Benefactor Life Member
    CRPA Life Member

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Grain Valley, Mo.
    Posts
    43
    WOW! Thank you guys. Did not realize monotype was that scarce or desireable. They also have wheel weights at 40 cents a pound.
    I have bought about 150 lbs of pipe and shower stall sheathing lead there also. All clean & new stuff. Already have it all cast in .458 bullets, 3,000 total rounds.
    Have another 300+ pounds of indoor range lead waiting to be smelted outside as weather permits. That cost 18 cents a pound.
    Boolet casting is addictive.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master



    Echo's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Tucson AZ
    Posts
    4,603
    My recommendation is 3:1 lead (or WW's) to Mono. Two/three percent tin is sufficient for mold fill-out, and the Sb will be about 5%, so you will have a good all-around alloy.

    And +1 on the mask & gun...
    Echo
    USAF Ret
    DPS, 2600
    NRA Benefactor
    O&U
    One of the most endearing sights in the world is the vision of a naked good-looking woman leaving the bedroom to make breakfast. Bolivar Shagnasty (I believe that Lazarus Long also said it, but I can't find any record of it.)

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Grain Valley, Mo.
    Posts
    43
    Picked it up today, Saturday, 27-Feb-10. 54 lbs of monotype and 10 lbs of wheel weights cost $22.00. Only the larger wheel weights were selected. They allowed me to 'pick & choose.'

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    862
    I suggest you dilute the monotype even more than Echo suggested. You can read something about the issues and the ideal alloy range in the "Toughness of Lead-Tin-Antimony Alloys" thread in Classics and Stickies on this site. I suggest 4 parts pure lead to 1 part monotype, to give you 1.8% tin and 3.8% antimony, or 5 parts pure to 1 part monotype to give you 1.5% tin and 3.2% antimony. Personally I'd prefer the latter alloy - it is closer to the optimum than the higher-antimony version is - but both are very good bullet alloys, and way better than most people are using.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

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