lead chart??

[pastor]

hello, new to casting (very new) have ordered some lead and ordered some equipment, i have been reading the forum alot as well as anything else i can get my hands on, and finally feel im ready to give it a try

i reload and shoot a 45acp, thats really the only caliber i use, my son just bought a 9mm and i will be reloading for him too, this may be a stupid question but.....

is there a chart that shows the best hardness for different calibers??

i have looked and cant seem to find that info, i have read many people using different mixes for different calibers and sometimes its confusing for a newbe like me

thanks, this forum is great i have found lots of good info

[Grandpas50AE]

In the stickies for the "Cast Boolits" section is a thread titled "From Ingot to Target". The first post in that thread has a link to the book by Glen Fryxell that has an entire chapter on alloy and how to select an alloy for a specific purpose. Really good reading, and it will probably answer your question(s) better than long threads.

[Defcon-One]

Found this somewhere: According to Missouri Bullet, the optimum Brinell Hardness = CUP/1279.8! See your load data for the Copper Units of Pressure (CUP).

[runfiverun]

iv'e heard the formula from 12 sumthin th 1440.
it just depends on the alloy the writer is using.

read the article "is your alloy soft enough" by glen fryxell at the lahsc sight.
that has to be one of the very best ones ever.

ot just add a bit of tin to your ww alloy and make/shoot the boolits.....

[bumpo628]

Found this somewhere: According to Missouri Bullet, the optimum Brinell Hardness = CUP/1279.8! See your load data for the Copper Units of Pressure (CUP).

I ran a few numbers and it looks a little high on some of them.

For 45 ACP, 230 grn, W231
MIN: 12200 / 1279.8 = 9.5
MAX: 16900 / 1279.8 = 13.2

For 40S&W, 180 grn, W231
MAX: 23800 / 1279.8 = 18.6
MAX: 32900 / 1279.8 = 25.7

For 9mm Luger, 115 grn, W231
MAX: 28400 / 1279.8 = 22.2
MAX: 32000 / 1279.8 = 25.0

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

[pastor]

thanks for the advice! i found the article in "from ingot to target" it was good infromation the ranges were broad but a good starting point

the formula is great, using it should enable you to figure exactly where you need to be.

i have ordered the Lee hardness tester, i just need to figure out if i can use it on ingots or do i have to cast a bullet from it and then test the bullet

thanks again really appreciate it
blessings
tim

[fryboy]

you can test ingots with it , i like to test a wide metplat boolit ( dont have to file a flat that way lolz ) and it's also wise to test a fresh cast as well as a aged cast as some alloys age harden , most of my ingot molds need a flat filed as the surface isnt very smooth , your's may vary but i'd imagine that like mine they have a fairly rough ( semi figure of speech ) surface and wont leave a nice clear easy to read mark like a filed flat spot or the nice smooth metplat of a flat nosed casting would , the 45 acp isnt very demanding as far as alloy goes ... the nine however is a much higher pressure cartridge and is a bit more ( or can be ) finicky/picky