Core hardness

[harley45]

I did a search and couldn't find an answer. For those of you casting from the Lee molds for cores what BHN are you using? Pure lead, range scrap WW?
Thanks
Eric

[DukeInFlorida]

pure lead and some range lead. it needs to be soft.

[williamwaco]

Stick on wheel weights are also pure lead.

[runfiverun]

depends on what i want the bullet to do.
you combine the core hardness with jaxket annealing for different on target results.
you can go from zipping through small game to scattering it around the countryside just by changing the core material and the anneal.
[how much of the case you anneal]
you can change it again by exposing lead at the tip.

[harley45]

I have pure lead and a lee 125gr 38 mold so I can start! I'm goanna order a BT die this summer when wedding season start. (Wedding photog) trying to decide if I want to use a torch or buy a small 4lb Lee pot for anealing. I'm goanna start out with some 10mm

[onomrbil]

A little antimony doesn't hurt... If you check commercial bullet cores you will find that they are NOT dead soft. A slightly harder core will squirt just fine and has the added advantage of helping brass-jacket bullets stay together better at higher velocities with tighter twists (moly plating helps too). This being said some alloys that seem to be soft are actually tough and getting consistent core weights is difficult, some that seem to be hard squirt just fine, like those made with a bit of linotype or even lead-free solder from the plumbing supply store. But all in all, soft lead is easier to work. Alloys can be difficult to adjust. Try anything and everything you can get hold of and see what results you get.

[SquirrelHollow]

Pure lead.

I've experimented with other alloys, but pure lead is best.

[warf73]

I personly use WW's for cores, but I also melt the core into the jacket and form the same day (once core/jacket is cool enough to hold). I use my bullets for paper punching and hunting small game (40 S&W) at 25 yards or less and mid size varmits at less than 50 yards.

Get the torch you can annel jackets and melt cores into the jacket if you wish.

[Lizard333]

Stick on wheel weights are also pure lead.

This is what ended up destroying my shoulder. I use a walnut hill press and was using SOWW for cores. I was using this lead in a 180 gn 40 cal mold for my 44 mag HP bullets with BT's dies. Turns out, this lead is really between 8 and 9, using my cabin tree tester. There is a WORLD of difference with pure lead and SOWW.

My advice would use pure to maybe 6.5 hardness. Any harder and your dies are going to be going through a world of hurt. Just ask my shoulder. I just had surgery Thursday and I am going to be up for 6 weeks. Keep in mind, I was using a press DESIGNED for swaging. 22 cal bullets are pretty easy on the press, with the exception of derimming.

Bottom line, sticking with pure lead is the safest bet, for you and your dies.

Just my two cents.....

[runfiverun]

lead with antimony is fine it's when you start adding tin you have the problems.
hornady's swaged "super soft" knurled target bullets are 5% antimony,and many lead pipes are actually called chemical pipe and are 3-5% antimony
they are swaged also.

[BLASTER62]

Lizard has it right, I make my cores up to 9 Brinell for swaged lead boolits Jacketed 5 to 8 for fast turning bullets.

[DukeInFlorida]

What's equally important is to possibly segregate some "CORE LEAD" and use only that lead for cores.
That way, you'll always be hitting same bullet weights when making bullets in the future.

I have about 200 pounds specifically marked as core lead.

[fredj338]

My first run was pure lead. My next run will likely be range scrap, jsut to see if there is much diff.

[Reload3006]

if you separate your range scarap jacketed from cast and smelt them separately. The jacketed ones will be what you want to use for your own core lead. Remember depending on what dies you have you can sure ruin a core swage or core seat die using the hard stuff. I have broken 3 M class dies swaging cores and seating cores. If you have M class dies I would not ever use anything but pure bnh5 lead.