wheel weight cure time?

[ian45662]

I just cast some plain base 245 grain bullets for my 44 mag with just plain ole air cooled wheel weights. I will be shooting close to full power loads with these and I was just wondering how long I should let the harden before I go to load and shoot them?

[Echd]

I don't think ACWW are going to harden THAT much. I'd give it a week, maybe two at the most, but honestly, try them out right now. I've shot plenty loaded the day before or the day of with good results.

Remember, fit is always king over hardness!

[Stephen Cohen]

I don't think ACWW are going to harden THAT much. I'd give it a week, maybe two at the most, but honestly, try them out right now. I've shot plenty loaded the day before or the day of with good results.

Remember, fit is always king over hardness!

Loaded the day before you cast them, that's a cool trick. Just pulling your chain lol.

[DeanWinchester]

I've ran boolits through a sizing die that we're still warm to the touch. I've never seen that it means squat.
Cast 'em and shoot 'em!

[ian45662]

Ok thank you for the info. I can get to loading now!!

[geargnasher]

ACWW are between 7-9 bhn when cast. Usually takes about ten days for them to settle down to 13 or so, during which time they can grow. If you're sizing tight to the cylinder throats you might have a rude surprise if you load them right away but don't shoot them for a week or two. Growth, if any, is usually .001" or less for a .45 caliber.

Gear

[HeavyMetal]

I never really worried about cure time, mostly one weekend I'd cast the next I'd load giving them time to cure.

As I shot more I went to water dropping which ended any concern I had about age hardening. A process I highly recommend for volume shooters of cast boolits.

[Lights]

ACWW are between 7-9 bhn when cast. Usually takes about ten days for them to settle down to 13 or so, during which time they can grow. If you're sizing tight to the cylinder throats you might have a rude surprise if you load them right away but don't shoot them for a week or two. Growth, if any, is usually .001" or less for a .45 caliber.

Gear

Pretty much what I have found too. If I size and load a round the day after I cast them. If I pull the round to check the size after loading them. They will swage down .001"-.0015". If I wait a week to size and load them. They will only swage down .0005" at most.

[williamwaco]

I just cast some plain base 245 grain bullets for my 44 mag with just plain ole air cooled wheel weights. I will be shooting close to full power loads with these and I was just wondering how long I should let the harden before I go to load and shoot them?


If you can pick them up off the drop pad with your bare hands, they are ready to size, lube, and shoot.

If you want to check data on how they expand with age, See:

http://reloadingtips.com/pages/exp_110921a-cast-bullet-expand.htm

For experimental measurements of hardness vs age:

See:

http://reloadingtips.com/pages/exp_bnh-vs-time-1.htm

[Lights]

William, yes you can do that. But If you are looking for them to age harden. We need to WD them or wait a week to load them. I know, I have tested their hardness at work.

[Echd]

Loaded the day before you cast them, that's a cool trick. Just pulling your chain lol.

Whoops, now you all know about my Delorean...

[cbrick]

I've shot plenty loaded the day before or the day of with good results.

Sure must be a huge time saver. :holysheep

Rick

[jonk]

Shoot pure lead. You have bad luck with hard alloy (inside joke).

[w5pv]

I have shot plenty as soon as I could loob em and put into a casing.No adverse results.

[cbrick]

The answer to the question by the OP would depend completely on what your shooting and what your trying to accomplish, the OP didn't say. This is something that too many get wrapped around the axle over. For the majority of handgun shooting, cast'em, size/lube'em, load'em . . . Shoot'em.

Make sure they fit your firearm and worry over the little details with long range, high velocity accuracy stuff.

Rick