How Long to Wait?

[LubeckTech]

How long should I let bullits cool after casting and water quenching to load and then shoot??

[cbrick]

No single/simple answer to that question. What alloy? To be shot out of what? At what velocity/pressure?

I have bullets that I cast, size/lube, pop into a case and head to the range. Others at very different velocity/pressure that I allow to age harden for a few days and others that I oven heat treat. All different times for each.

Rick

[montana_charlie]

How long should I let bullits cool after casting and water quenching to load and then shoot??

I think that after being water-quenched they will be cool enough to load.
CM

[geargnasher]

I think that after being water-quenched they will be cool enough to load.
CM

Gear

[williamwaco]

I know I will catch hell from the techies for this statement but here it is:

If they are cool enough for you to pick'em up, they are ready to size and shoot.

Been doing it that way for over 50 years.

[nes4ever69]

me, about a week. cast, drop in water, let dry, sort, lube with lla and let dry, size and sort, lube with lla, let lube dry, load. im not in a hurry so yeah about a week for that. some times i let sit for 3 months but when i get busy and its a caliber i dont shoot much of thats how that goes.

yeah i know im a speed freak with it.

[1Shirt]

I generally cast, (water drop everything), size,lube, (check if applicable), and am ready to load same day. Some of my blts. may sit for a year or two befor I load and or shoot them, but never have had a problem doing it this way, and have been doing it this way for years.
1Shirt1

[Huntducks]

I know I will catch hell from the techies for this statement but here it is:

If they are cool enough for you to pick'em up, they are ready to size and shoot.

Been doing it that way for over 50 years.

+1

[Cranium]

I guess I'm one of the techies then.

I am currently using 96% lead, 2% tin, 2% antimony alloy that I'm mixing up. Final BHN of my last, air-cooled, batch was 12.1. In my case, I tested a bullet or two each day to see how the hardness changed and I wish I had saved the post-it note I was writing on but didn't. The end result was that the bullet started out to be extremely soft right after casting (~8 BHN) and then within 24 hours got up to ~10BHN. It slowly increased over several days before finally reaching its final hardness level. A week is a good thumb rule but as cbrick eluded, it could take longer or shorter depending on your alloy and the method you used to cool it.

Take a look at the table in this article on how the BHN increases over time: http://www.lasc.us/HeatTreat.htm

[gray wolf]

Sure would be nice to know what they were going to be shot out off ???????
I see more and more water dropping when it's just not needed.
Hey if it works for you do it by all means.
But I just hate to see a bunch of new to the hobby guy's think everything needs a bath in cold water.

[stubert]

I cast everything from #2 alloy,(execpt muzzleloaders) air cooled, sized and lubed when I get some free time. I use lyman orange lube. Hi pressure loads are checked, I load 44 spec. to.458 Lott, light to my shoulder hurts. No leading and accurate, kills what it hits. I keep it simple.

[cbrick]

But I just hate to see a bunch of new to the hobby guy's think everything needs a bath in cold water.

Your a wise old gray wolf.

Too hard causes far more problems than it could ever cure. Why some people believe that everything needs water quenching and hardening is beyond me.

Rick

[gray wolf]

How long do I hold off before I shoot ?
Lets see, for ME with my pistol and my alloy

It's 10 miles to my range, I drive about 60 MPH. So if I do the math I guess I wait
about 10 Min.

[CWME]

To me water quenching boolits is another tool in the tool box. My little 22 boolits are easy to distort when sizing. Some of my 30 cals are the same way for that matter. If I have an issue with noses bumping up during sizing I can WQ and that helps fix the issue. My Saeco #315, Lyman 311284, and Saeco #221 are all prone to nose bumping during sizing.
I could use a Lee push through to help but that is not always the answer either.

Anyway thought I would toss that out in defense of WQ'ed stuff. It is a tool to be used not a end all solution. I think that is what GW was getting at.

For me when I am working on a load project they get cast, sized/lubed, and shot inside of a few days time depending on the mold. My 225415 is hard to keep up with 1 cav so those are loaded within a few hours of dropping from the mold. Where as my Saeco #315 4 cav makes a pile of extras that might take 3 months to load and shoot.
But again I WQ to solve sizing distortion. I don't use it to solve leading or accuracy issues. Fit, pressure curv(powder used), etc etc are the tools for those issues in my world.