Lead hardness & remelt

[sparky45]

So, I cast a batch of 45's with a 60/40 mix of WW & 50/50 Solder + I water dropped them to make a harder boolit. I have decided to shoot them at a slower velocity (600-800) fps. These boolits are hard, can't mark them with #2 pencil or my fingernail. My question: can I remelt and air cool for softer boolits ?

[zxcvbob]

Yes you can, but that's an awfully rich alloy you're using. You might want to cut it with some soft lead scrap or pure lead. (I would use your bullets a few at a time to sweeten the lead I cast from firing range sweepings.)

[bumpo628]

You've got about 20% tin in those bad boys!

I would consider that batch 20/80 solder and use it to mix with other WW lead.
The actual mix you have is 20.30% tin, 1.80% antimony, and the balance lead (with trace arsenic).

You shouldn't need more than about 2% tin, especially for 45 ACP. You can get by with much less.

Here are some possible mixes:
16 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 2.02% tin, 2.91% antimony
13 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 1.76% tin, 2.92% antimony
10 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 1.48% tin, 2.94% antimony
8 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 1.29% tin, 2.95% antimony
5 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 1.00% tin, 2.97% antimony
3 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 0.80% tin, 2.98% antimony
2 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 0.70% tin, 2.99% antimony
1 oz 20/80 solder + 12 lbs clip in WW = alloy with 0.60% tin, 2.99% antimony

Note: The calculations above were done assuming there is 0.5% tin and 3% antimony in clip on WW's.

[sparky45]

Thanks guys, I have more WW coming and will add them to the mix. I also have approx. 250# of Lead water pipe I will be using.

[bumpo628]

Thanks guys, I have more WW coming and will add them to the mix. I also have approx. 250# of Lead water pipe I will be using.

Mixing any of the first five recipes above 50/50 with the pipe lead should work well too.

[evan price]

WOW, way too hard for 45 acp. Don't need over 12 bhn for that...big +1 on remelting and adding your soft lead pipe to dilute about 10:1! My wild-***-guess is you are over 25 bhn on your solder bullets!

[sparky45]

Kinda what I thought Evan. I used what I had at the time. Probably shouldn't have water dropped them, just compounded the problem. Since I have a pretty much steady supply of Lead Pipe the "fix will be the mix" sorta.

[fredj338]

Agree, too hard & too rich for 45acp pressures. I use 50/50 clip ww & lead for a very good bullet in the 45acp. If you want to water drop that, it goes about like clip WW. Adding a bit of tin 1-2% is all you need, if any, for good casting. More than taht & you are wasting tin.

[sparky45]

Well, like I said earlier, I used what I had. I would have been o.k. if I hadn't water dropped the boolits. I remelted the boolits today and mixed with my Lead Pipe stuff in a 1 to 20 ratio. I'll test the boolits for hardness this evening.

[sparky45]

I can scratch the boolits with my fingernail and a #2 pencil will scratch the surface. Now I have to remelt approx 800 more boolits and I'll be in bidness..
.http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb351/glynnm1945/boolit.jpg
Just a pic to show a sample of what I cast today. Weighed and all 5 I weighed were 226.0 - 226.2 Me likey....

[evan price]

Still purdy looking...what mold is that?

[sparky45]

Still purdy looking...what mold is that?

That's a Lee 452-228-1R 6 banger.

[Sonnypie]

Same mold I'm runnin for my solids for my 45 ACP.
I have a TL two cav (http://leeprecision.com/xcart/MOLD-DC-TL452-230-2R.html) I made into an HP mold before it ever saw lead.

Just yesterday I melted down a furnace full of 45's I cast out of Lyman #2 alloy. I made the alloy back into my little ingots and repacked it in my box of Lyman #2 to save for my rifle boolits.


I have settled on Magnum Shot recast for my 45 boolits. I add about 24" of 1/8" Lead free solder to a full pot to give it a smidgen of tin.
I think Bumpo figured it at .31% (Note the POINT 31) LOL! Basically enough tin to taint the pot, but taint enough to do anything. :groner:


My air cooled ran 11.8 out of the shot alloy. Water dropped ran 12.1. Same everything except where they landed.
So far they shoot fabulously! But I have settled on water dropping for all my boolits.
My checks have not shown enough difference for me and my mediocre shooting to fuss about it. I like the WD because I think I get a little better consistency.

And that nice Cheuuuuuuu...... :bigsmyl2:
Oh, and after almost not being able to get a 5 gallon bucket of water and boolits out of the shop to dump the water, I now use a large plastic coffee "can" for my water dropping. ;)

[sparky45]

How and what method do you employ in the process of lubing said boolits?


Same mold I'm runnin for my solids for my 45 ACP.
I have a TL two cav (http://leeprecision.com/xcart/MOLD-DC-TL452-230-2R.html) I made into an HP mold before it ever saw lead.

Just yesterday I melted down a furnace full of 45's I cast out of Lyman #2 alloy. I made the alloy back into my little ingots and repacked it in my box of Lyman #2 to save for my rifle boolits.


I have settled on Magnum Shot recast for my 45 boolits. I add about 24" of 1/8" Lead free solder to a full pot to give it a smidgen of tin.
I think Bumpo figured it at .31% (Note the POINT 31) LOL! Basically enough tin to taint the pot, but taint enough to do anything. :groner:


My air cooled ran 11.8 out of the shot alloy. Water dropped ran 12.1. Same everything except where they landed.
So far they shoot fabulously! But I have settled on water dropping for all my boolits.
My checks have not shown enough difference for me and my mediocre shooting to fuss about it. I like the WD because I think I get a little better consistency.

And that nice Cheuuuuuuu...... :bigsmyl2:
Oh, and after almost not being able to get a 5 gallon bucket of water and boolits out of the shop to dump the water, I now use a large plastic coffee "can" for my water dropping. ;)

[Sonnypie]

I tumble loob and currently us Lee Liquid Alox (LLA, as you will see many refer to it here).
I really like the method. But not the stickiness. Recently I loobed and sized 936- 45 cal- 2 groove solids just like you are casting.
Tumble loobing works for either types of boolits.

While processing my pile through my sizing die, I grabbed a small bottle of baby powder I had in my stuff from work. (High Voltage Electricians use it for rubber glove dust) And I dusted the boolits. Another poster here suggested it.
Lo and Behold! No more stickiness! And it is real slickery. I kind of wonder if it will have any ill-effects on the barrel.

But most likely, other shooters will be wondering what is down my pants when they smell it at the firing line. :shock: :oops: :lol:

Whether for my rifle, or my pistol, I always do a final wipe down with a solvented rag to clean my loads for any last loob or resizing oils.
So any remaining loob is in the casing and grooves, where it belongs.

I do not have a Lubersizer, or anything like that. I did try pan loobing, but it was a mess for me. And a LOT of smoke at the firing line. :oops: [smilie=p:
So I'm settling in on LLA tumble loobing.
I do use a thinned version, and that is proving to be an advantage. (Except for the wife complaining about the solventy smell in the garage.)

[bumpo628]

I tumble loob and currently us Lee Liquid Alox (LLA, as you will see many refer to it here).
I really like the method. But not the stickiness. Recently I loobed and sized 936- 45 cal- 2 groove solids just like you are casting.
Tumble loobing works for either types of boolits.

<>

I do use a thinned version, and that is proving to be an advantage. (Except for the wife complaining about the solventy smell in the garage.)

Have you tried 45/45/10? That should solve your problems (except the wife complaining part). :)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=67654

[sparky45]

Got a new mold this morning and had to try it out. I likey!! Both my XDM45 & my Blackhawks eat Truncated Cone Boolits with a huge appetite. These 4 weighed in at 229.2 - 232.0; supposed to be 230gr so I think the mix is what I am looking for. They pass the fingernail test as well as the #2 pencil test. Slip them into the Lubrisizer in a couple of days and I'll be good to go.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb351/glynnm1945/boolit2.jpg

[evan price]

I have the same Lee 6-banger 228-gr round nose, and my loob grooves are thinner and square-er than yours appear to be. Wonder if Lee made a change?