linotype for pistol bullets

[master caster]

So can one use linotype to cast pistol bullets? I know it will work to make the bullets but will they be able to shoot well.

[David2011]

Sure, many have done it including me. It's just a waste of valuable metals. They don't obturate as readily as softer boolits, they are unlikely to expand, some say they will shatter on hitting bone although it hasn't happened to me yet. I cast about 125- 150 250 grain Keith Types for my .44 Mag Contender and will make the boolits much softer next time. A mix of 25% lino and 75% WW or pure would be hard enough for most powerful handgun cartridges. Look up "Alloy Calculator" if you don't have a copy already and figure out what to do with your linotype from there.

David

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Yes you can, but why? If you want hard, mix it 1:1 with pure lead and you'll get hardball alloy, which is what many commercial casters use, which is still very hard for most pistol boolits.

So yes, it can be done, I'm curious why you ask?

[Lloyd Smale]

probably outshoot any alloy in a good gun but like was said not many here can afford to use it straight.

[Boyscout]

How about conserving the Linotype and create Alloy #2 with Linotype and WW? I air cooled some Lyman 250gn .429 HP last week and water quenched the same alloy for some .401 TC's. The 44 Cal. were 15.6 BHN and the water quenched 40's ended up at 22 BHN which I loaded and shot in a 40 S&W. I also did the same for some 170 gn 30 cal to shoot out of a Marlin XL-7 30-06(Micro groove). Are water quenched bullets more maleable than ones that reach the same BHN with Anitmony?

[master caster]

I was just curious how well they worked. I know it is hard i have a cabin tree tester and have posted a picture of the lino plates i have, or at least they test hard as lino. I need to smelt a plate into usable ingots. I have been wanting to see how well it casts with the tin content it has. I use ww but don't have any tin to mix in, but my bullets come out fine for what i have done. I haven't cast boolits since i was about 6 years old with my dad now he is gone and all my know how is limited to memory. Man i miss just shooting and not worrying about ammo, Dad i love you.

[Case Stuffer]

Over 30 years ago when Lino,Mono and other hot type alloys were common and less than 75 cents a pound delivered to my door I used it blended with COWWs,range lead,plumers lead when smelting up batches of ingots for my casting pot. I used a Seaco Hardness tester and target was 8-9 ,BNH of 17 right after casting.

I did cast straight Lino for a few customers I had that loaded really hot 44 mag. loads for their lever action carbines and Thompson Center Centers in .44 Mag and some of the really wild calibers.

It has been a long time but my guess is that 1/4 Lino with 3/4 CCWW wwould be plenty hard for most boolits.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Lino makes well filled out bullets and they are hard..at around 22 bhn (wheel weights are anywhere from 9-12). However bullets that hard are not really needed for pistol work as the velocities are low compared to rifle. It would be then a waste of primarily the tin which is expensive stuff. I use straight WW and have never had a prob in any of my pistols. Just for the record, bullets cast out of Lino are somewhat larger in diameter than non-lino bullets. Saeco used to publish a table of "Terracorp formula" which must still be around somewhere...which showed how much larger the bullets would cast out of Lino. It is of some interest to casters who discover that their mold (usually Lyman) is cut undersize and produces leading or poor accuracy. You can probably find some info on Terracorp on the net with a bit of searching. Good shooting. LLS

[Ozarklongshot]

I often mix something near 45% plumbers lead 45%WW and 10% lino. 19 years as a printer so I have a fair stockpile of foundry lino pigs. I have no idea why I mix like this, well nothing arguably better anyway. It works well in stuff over 1200 and it casts easy and consistent. Just working with what I have. I know the lino is a rare commodity so I try to not waste it and still get a good product.

[.22-10-45]

Hello, master caster..how well those hard bullets shoot kind of depends on the load. Years ago, I shot on a combat league..local commercial caster supplied the .38 wadcutters. These were light target loads using #231 powder. at end of match, revolvers were full of lead...Casters answer was to use ever harder alloy...just made things worse. That hard alloy wasn't obturating in cyl. throats to seal with those light powder charges. You must match alloy strength to pressure generated.

[fredj338]

Back in the day, I got lino for less than $1/# delivered, so I cast everything with that alloy, casting was soooo easy. Today, I use what is left for alloying pure lead or ww for higher pressure rounds.

[Lizard333]

My rifle boolits are cast with 9 pounds of COWW to 1 pound of Lino and I water drop them and they are around 24. Plenty hard. Save the Lino to sweeten your other alloys.

[Defcon-One]

I often mix something near 45% plumbers lead 45%WW and 10% lino. 19 years as a printer so I have a fair stockpile of foundry lino pigs. I have no idea why I mix like this, well nothing arguably better anyway. It works well in stuff over 1200 and it casts easy and consistent. Just working with what I have. I know the lino is a rare commodity so I try to not waste it and still get a good product.

Ozark:

Just a heads up!

You are basically casting with COWW lead. The 10% Linotype that you are adding to your mix is just enough to bring your plumbers lead up to COWW levels (0.50% SN, 2.5% Sb, 97% Pb). If you add the COWW to the mix it is really just all COWW.

You might want to try this (Just for fun!):

4.1 lbs. of COWW
4.1 lbs. of Plumbers Lead
1.55 lbs of Linotype
0.25 lbs. of 50/50 Solder

It will make you 10 lbs. of (2% Sn, 3% Sb, 95% Pb) which is my preferred PISTOL Alloy! Casts great, BHN of 12 without quenching, shoots clean and accurately.

[Lloyd Smale]

dont know but ive shot 1000s of 38 wadcutters and semi wad cutters, 45acp, 3840,4440 and many others using lineotype and never had a gun lead up because of it. At least not unless the gun was in need of work. If the bullet is sized to the barrel and the throat is cut to the right size and the barrel itself is decent and everything lines up right theres no need for a bullet to "BUMP UP" I dont ever recall a single one of my guns leading up so badly that shooting a jacketed bullet or two would blow it out. Ive put thousands of bullets through a gun without cleaning and without accuracy being effected. If your guns were leading id bet that he was either sizing them to small or using a hard lube or both. Either that or you had some guns that were out of spec. Bullets needing to bump up is something that came from back in the days when colt and smith didnt pay much attention to chamber and bore sizes and it was pot luck what you got when you bought a new gun.
Hello, master caster..how well those hard bullets shoot kind of depends on the load. Years ago, I shot on a combat league..local commercial caster supplied the .38 wadcutters. These were light target loads using #231 powder. at end of match, revolvers were full of lead...Casters answer was to use ever harder alloy...just made things worse. That hard alloy wasn't obturating in cyl. throats to seal with those light powder charges. You must match alloy strength to pressure generated.

[Case Stuffer]

Heare is tbeThings!!

There are post /thtreads here that prove that

Size Matter / Fit is King.
Hardness matters.
Powder burn rate mater cause hot powders melt the boolits base and slower ones do not.
Powder matters cause slow mean lower pressure which does not bump up the boolits base.
Do not worry so much about hardness cause a good lube can fix most problems.
Do not worry so much about lube cause a filler will fix that.
I know this works perfectly for me so it you tried and it di not work for you thn it has to be the gun,trade it to someone who shots jacketed only.

Link to a site sponsor whith Alloys listed and other links there also.

http://www.rotometals.com/Bullet-Casting-Alloys-s/5.htm