What lead alloy for 9mm and 45acp?

[Lights]

I am just starting bullet casting. Been using some range lead mixed 50/50 with some old 18bhn bullets just for casting practice. I also have some wheel weights. But do not know if I really want to smelt them down or not. So I am looking to purchase lead alloys from Rotometals. I would like to know what alloy would be best to try for 9mm and 45acp? I need to make the 45 shoot about 850fps to make major power factor in USPSA. The 9mm does not matter how slow it is. What alloy would you try?

Thank's,
Mark

[slohunter]

Lyman #2, works for me!

[Bigslug]

I can't yet advise you on 9mm, but you don't need anything so hard as 15-18bhn for .45ACP. Lyman #2 (15BHN) or Hardball (16BHN are certainly good "One alloy for everything" metals, but the .45 will be quite happy with softer stuff. 20-1 (10BHN) or 16-1 (11BHN) would both be fine.

[smkummer]

I am water dropping wheel weight alloy for both. I get no leading in 45 handguns and only minor in 9mm. In submachine guns, I get little with 45 acp but moderate with 9mm subguns because I have to run them hot. If I clean the barrel every couple of mags (60 shots), then the final clean-up is doable.

[canyon-ghost]

It's possible to run wheelweight or range lead to magnum velocities, no worries on the 9mm or 45acp.

[wvmanchu]

Have been shooting water quenched COWW in my .38's,.357's,.45's and 9 mm's for about 20years with now leading problems.

[TheGrimReaper]

Me air cooled range scrap for 9MM and 45.

[b2948kevin]

Really? I have been having some serious leading issues with shooting 9mm WW air cooled. I have the diameter zero'd in and everything, but am still getting pretty substantial leading after about 10 rounds. I am going to be trying water quenched WW later today to see if that solves it. Sized to .358 and using Jake's Moly Ceresin lube even...

[bsgp8ntball]

I started with 100% air cooled COWW, then moved to 90%/10% COWW / Pure Lead and started water quenching. I just kept reducing my COWW% and raised my pure lead all the down to 60/40 water quenched and I'm still no having any leading in any of my 45acp's using Lee TL dies no sizing. I want to make the most economical lead alloy so the highest pure lead conent I can get is the answer for me.

[popper]

I get Roto high antimony & pure, mix 1:1 (WW - Pure/HA) or 2:1 for 40 which is about the same pressure as 9. 45 could probably go 3:1,4:1 with a good lube. As their pure is more $ than HA, it's lower $ than using their hardball & pure. I powder coat so the result is about the same as AC. I used to WD but didn't see any advantage. I loaded MBC 98/6/2 in 9 for SIL and his dad, XD & Glock, no complaints. I don't shoot 45 but save range brass to give away.

[Idz]

Soft range scrap (8-9 BHN) seems to work fine for my light load 45 acps. For the 9mm I get moderate leading with range scrap so I stick on a homemade aluminum gas check and have no problems at 1050fps. One thing I learned is that each gun seems to have its own personality.

[Echo]

Practically anything will work in the 45ACP, or the 38 Special. They are low-intensity cartridges. The 9mm may take a little more gumption, but I use WW+2%Sn for all pistol boolits (and most rifle boolits) with no drama. Forty pounds of WW's is 640 oz, so 2% would be 12.8 oz, or about $8 worth (I pay up to $10/lb for solder, based on Sn content, delivered), and that's about 1400 45 boolits.
If you are getting leading with the dimensions you cited, I suggest that you pull some loaded boolits to check their diameter - they may have been swaged down in the seating process.

[GabbyM]

Practically anything will work in the 45ACP, or the 38 Special. They are low-intensity cartridges. The 9mm may take a little more gumption, but I use WW+2%Sn for all pistol boolits (and most rifle boolits) with no drama. Forty pounds of WW's is 640 oz, so 2% would be 12.8 oz, or about $8 worth (I pay up to $10/lb for solder, based on Sn content, delivered), and that's about 1400 45 boolits.
If you are getting leading with the dimensions you cited, I suggest that you pull some loaded boolits to check their diameter - they may have been swaged down in the seating process.

DITTO that:
What lube and lube size equipment are you using.
Expansion neck die.
Crimp die.

With a 45 ACP or 9mm improper tapper crimp can crush a boolit. Same mistake in both calibers could be your issue./ 45 ACP is crimped. Off the top of my head I recollect a 45 ACP is supposed to be crimped at .469" to .471" at the case mouth. That's not a ball park or general dimension. Add to that your dies are not going to be perfect. Generally using the least crimp you can get by with to turn your flared case into the bullet to where any number under boolit diameter plus case wall thickness x2 and you're good to go. Sometimes you need to crimp in a bit to avoid case neck clipping on the front side of a magazine. In my forty years of loading ammo both recreation and commercial I've never loaded a 9mm or 45 acp with case necks flush to the bullet. Any tapper crimp die I've ever used would crush a boolit or bullet if you tried to crimp the neck O.D. flush or any where near that to the bullet diameter.

I'm a machinist by trade so some of the issues new loaders have seam rudimentary. Btu it actually is not all that easy to load quality ammo. We are not dealing with carpentry level measurements but machine shop level .001" measurements.