bullet alloys question

[catkiller45]

What alloy do you guys find works the best in your black powder rifles?
Have you found that the rate of twist has any effect on which alloy you
choose to use...I mean for the greased bullets now...Thanks

[45 2.1]

For 45-70 and 50-70, I found an alloy from 40:1 to 50:1 hardness worked out quite well for me, Black or White powder.

[Don McDowell]

It depends on the bullet and the rifle. Some of the 45-70 bullets I shoot work better with 20-1, some 16-1. Same thing with the 40-65.
I'm finding that going to soft with the paper patch bullet I have hurts more than helps so sticking with 20-1 with it works well.

20-1 is always a good place to start, and don't hesitate to go harder or softer, you never know what might work best till you try it.

[Larry Gibson]

The match shooters all seem to favor 20-1. Its pretty hard to go wrong with that alloy as it is the accepted "standard". The softer 30-1 and the 40-1 or 50-1 45 2.1 suggests are good if you are shooting lighter loads They also are better if your bullet needs to "bump up". Frankford Arsenal conducted extensive tests on lead tin alloys for the 45-70 cartridge in the 1880s for the 500 gr bullet. They found a 16-1 alloy to be best. I use that 16-1 alloy with my 460500 Rapine bullet to replicate service loads. Eccuracy is excellent in my target TD.

If you are just going to "jump" into BPRC loading the 20-1 alloy is the best choice. If you want the best accuracy your rifle will give then you must determine the fit of your bullet to the throat/bore, the velocity level and whether or not "bumping up" is in the picture. Then it is a matter of experimenting with the different alloys to determine which is best for your rifle.

Larry Gibson

[montana_charlie]

Alloy hardness also comes into play when you look at different bullet designs. A stout bullet like the 500 Government can probably be made of anything soft enough to match the throat.
But the slim-nosed designs...like the 'Money' bullet need harder alloy (like 16-1) to prevent slump.
CM