Long time reloader but new-ish to lead . I don't cast but have recently been buying a lot of lead bullets for shooting handguns ( 9mm , 357 , 45acp ) .
I think I understand the brinell hardness scale but don't have a clue how it translates to #2 alloy , Linotype or cast and I'm sure there are a hundred other terms .
Since I've been starting to load more lead I'm looking at more lead specific data and it seems to be all over the place . How do "I" test hardness ? I smash it with pliers and compare it to a known Brinell hardness sample and say well that's softer then try to load accordingly . I'm thinking that's not the best way to go about it and actually understanding the hardness and how it reacts in the barrel is likely a better way to go about this .
Example of my confusion
Right now I want to load a new to me 9mm 115gr lead hollow point which appears to be very soft . I don't remember where I bought it and transferred it to a separate container because they just came in a bag . I'd upload a image but this sight does not allow from third party like image shack it appears .
Anyways My Lyman cast bullet manual for the 120gr bullet ( closet they have to what I'm using . Says 2.9gr to 4.4gr of W-231 . However the Hodgdon website gives me 4.3 to 4.8 . Now I understand manuals will have different starts and stops but a full grain+ or 25% start difference in a 3 or 4gr load sure seems like a lot ? I see this with different lead data all over the place but when I ask on other forums there's nothing real specific as to why . I get anything from the softer lead has smaller charges to avoid leading to I never get leading no matter how fast I push my bullets . It's all about the fit and seal of the bullet to the barrel .
I Have soft lead I could swage my barrels with and I also have that casting stuff ( forget the name ) that I could melt down and cast a section of my bore/s . I don't however have the best tools to then measure the results , pretty much just some cheep calipers . I do have mics but find it very hard to measure inside the lands or get consistent readings period .
I know there's a lot there to unpack but let's just leave it there for now and ask
1) Is there a reference chart that shows the conversion of what each alloy is on the birnell chart and how that relates to how to load that type of bullet ?
2) Where would you guys start and stop your loads using that 9mm example above ( I want them as fast as I can get them using that powder ) I'm thinking 3.4 , 3.7 , 4.0 , 4.2 , 4.4
3) feel free to pick out any part of this post and explain further or correct in any way
Thanks MG