Hollow Point Alloy question.

[antelope_sniper]

I just picked up a Lee .429, 240gr hollow point mold, and some Linotype.
I was thinking about mixing the lino 2 to 1 with some pure lead to create a mixute that was about 94.7% pb, 1.3% sn, 4% sb, and launch them around 1350-1400 out of my 44 Mag.
Does it sound like I'm on the right track, or did I missing something?

[Shooter6br]

Sounds like a 16-1 mix. Elmer Keith loves that alloy with mag HP. See Glenn Flyxell posts

[Shooter6br]

here is link Great info http://www.lasc.us/ArticleIndex.htm

[frankenfab]

Do you mean 2 lead to 1 Lino?

I was alloying 1 to 1 and the boolits still shattered to dust on steel. I think you might even go 3 lead to 1 lino, or more. I'm going to try 1 lead to 1 WW next myself, and save my Lino for rifle boolits.

[USSR]

I just picked up a Lee .429, 240gr hollow point mold, and some Linotype.
I was thinking about mixing the lino 2 to 1 with some pure lead to create a mixute that was about 94.7% pb, 1.3% sn, 4% sb, and launch them around 1350-1400 out of my 44 Mag.
Does it sound like I'm on the right track, or did I missing something?

If you want an explosive bullet that fragments quickly, that will work fine. However, if you want penetration and controlled expansion with a nice mushroom, then you will need to greatly reduce the antimony and increase the amount of tin.

Don

[fecmech]

That much antimony will cause the bullet to fragment and not hold it's mushroom. The mix you are talking about is basically acww+1% tin which is too brittle for HP's in my estimation. I shot that mix a couple years back in .357 hp's through water jugs. The bullet shed the mushroom in the first jug and penetrated like a nosler partition after that. I would recommend 15-20/1 lead tin and skip the antimony altogether.

[stubshaft]

Your mix could use a little more tin, but comes in closely to 20 to 1 and should work perfectly at the velocities you intend to shoot it at.

The rate of expansion is predicated on the striking velocity, as is the alloys propensity to fragment.

[bumpo628]

If you mix it in a 5 to 1 pure lead / lino ratio, your properties will be: 0.67% Tin, 2.04% Antimony.
The estimated Brinell hardness will be between 10 and 11.

That is a pretty good way to go, but for a HP mold, you might need to add a little tin.
1 oz of 50/50 solder per 12 lbs of the above alloy will give you: 0.93% Tin, 2.03% Antimony.

You can download a copy of my alloy calculator here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952
Be sure to get the 2/6/11 updated version.

[USSR]

When it comes to casting hollowpoints, you can't just go by the BHN. You can have a 9 BHN alloy which contains antimony and very little tin, and it will fracture and not expand. As a rule, I like to have twice as much tin as antimony, and keep antimony down to less than 2% if it is in the alloy.

Don

[bumpo628]

I did a little more checking and according to the Los Angeles Silhouette Club:

"Hollow points intended for hunting/expansion should be about 2% Sb and 2% Sn."

http://www.lasc.us/SuperHard.htm

[BorderBrewer]

Keep the antimony content such that the bullet will be hard enough to support the expansion, but not be brittle. Use enough tin to fill out the mold completely with well formed hollow points and that's enough. Keep tweaking the mix until you get the performance that YOU want. Once you have what you want write down the recipe, cause when you get old your memory starts to leak.

[GP100man]

If you want an explosive bullet that fragments quickly, that will work fine. However, if you want penetration and controlled expansion with a nice mushroom, then you will need to greatly reduce the antimony and increase the amount of tin.

Don

What Don said ^^^^^1.5%- 2% antimony anymore & ya gotta up the tin to get it to open up & hang together.I adjust antimony to the speed I need it to get the boolit to open , also ya have to consider the cavity !!

Remember though even Redskinned bullets fail !

[lwknight]

The only reason that you would need any antimony is to make the alloy hard enough forthe boolit to hold the riflings. The tin is what holds the boolit together when mushrooming.

Keep the antimony content such that the bullet will be hard enough to support the expansion,
The best performing boolits are pure lead in low velocities and with added tin , will hold together in higher velocities. The 20:1 or 5% tin and 0% antimony is a proven performer.

[antelope_sniper]

Thank you for all the help. The posts here are very educational. As most of you suspected, my intent is a nice mushroom, and good penetration, so I will be greatly reducing the antimony content. At somepoint in the future, it might be fun to play with the fragmenting front, penetrating rear concept. That could be fun in a carbine.

[zuke]

I have a ton of WW metal, what can I use to cut it so it'll make a great HP alloy?

[docone31]

Roof lead.

[Moonie]

I use 50/50 ww/pure in my Mihec 45acp HP's.

[onondaga]

The 2:1 mix you mention would be too hard to expand on game in my opinion. Here is what I use for hunting:

I mix clip on wheel weight : Linotype at 7:3 and get an alloy that tests BHN14. This expands a little over 100% on deer at 50- 150 yards and retains 100% bullet weight. My bullet is a 252 gr and .501" diameter truncated cone semi-wad cutter at 1885 fps. out of a NEF Handi-Rifle in caliber 500 S&W Mag. One frontal shot penetrated to near the anus and was recovered full weight and mushroomed to 1.06" diameter. Broadside shots pass through with large exit hole.

The Lee Hardness tester was used for testing BHN, nice, well worth it tool.

Gary

[fredj338]

The rpoblem w/ any alloy containing antimony is it is brittle & most LHP will fragment or blow the nose off. I use a 25-1 lead/tin alloy or 50/50 ww/lead alloy for best expansion. I only run them to 1250fps or so, but they expand well w/ little fragmentation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/452-251.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/44-272.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/452-268-1K.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/9mm-136-1200.jpg

[Larry Gibson]

I concur that the antimony is not wanted. I'd save the linotype for something else and mix the lead at 16-1 or 20-1 with tin. It will be "hard enough" at .44 magnum velocities of 1300 - 1400 fps with that bullet for excellent accuracy, it will cast well and it will give reliable expansion to reasonable ranges in deer and hogs. It also will give excellent penetration at that velocity level given proper bullet placemen.

Larry Gibson