Testing bullets with cabin tree

[drifterdon]

I am trying to test some 38 special SWC bullets with a Cabintree hardness tester but am wondering if the cross section is wide enough for this small diameter bullet to get an accurate measurement.
Would it work better to flatten one and measure across instead of on the end?

[runfiverun]

the bottom for sure will give a false reading.

[KYCaster]

The hardness of your boolit will vary depending on the cooling rate when dropped from the mold. The faster the quench, the harder the boolit.

Lead alloys "work soften", so when you mash the boolit it will revert to the basic hardness of the alloy which will probably be lower than the as cast hardness of the boolit.

As you've noticed, it can be difficult to get a good hardness test on a small diameter boolit. The best advice I can give you is....experiment with various alloys to find what works, then try to duplicate that with later batches of alloys.

Good luck
Jerry

[41mag]

the bottom for sure will give a false reading.

I was told this a few years back when I started out. I also was testing alloy that I had blended up myself so there was nothing really to say what it was going to end up being. As a result the best advice I was given was that I record the readings over several casting sessions to get a baseline, and then use that to determine about what I had.

I had also initially purchased a couple of Lee 2 cavity 452 RFN molds to try out. I ended up using these to pour up test bullets to measure on. Since I was using them to shoot anyway it worked out great. I took all of my measurements off the noses as they provided me a nice flat surface wide enough to center the pin up on.

I was told that as long as your in the ball park of where you wanted to be, not to worry about being a few numbers one side or the other as long as things were shooting like you wanted with no other issues.

To date this has worked out very well for most all of my alloy. I pour off a few into one of the 45 molds and set those aside. I will check one within 24hrs, then another a week or so later and then another a month or so later. This has given me all the data I personally need to craft up my alloy to get the end results I need to make them work.

Right or wrong you have to pick a path and go forward. Sometimes you find what you want, sometimes you have to go back and start over.

[Dusty Bannister]

I do what 41 Mag does, but use a 50 cal bullet mold. They are big so easy to find in the bag of bullets when I make a run so there is less chance I misplace the samples. And when smelting I pour a few samples and put them in the bucket with the ingots. I would also suggest that you file the base smooth so there is less chance for an error in reading due to "crush" of any irregularities of the bullet base (sprue nub). They are long enough that no spacer is needed to support the base as a shorter sample might require.

[Hickory]

Right or wrong you have to pick a path and go forward. Sometimes you find what you want, sometimes you have to go back and start over.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but, these are the most profound words I've heard in a long time and they can be applied to many things in life.

[drifterdon]

Thanks all for the input, I also got the suggestion for a larger sample from another member. I have a Lyman 54 cal Plains bullet mold I don't use any more that I can use to make the sample for testing. It has a nice flat front and is plenty big enough.