Must I water drop 3030 deer boolits?

[Elbow]

I am casting 50/50 ww pb from a Lee c309 170f mold and will be shooting them at about 1800 fps with a gas check From circa 1939 Winchester model 94. Do I need to water drop these or will they hold together and expand nicely for deer at this velocity? thanks Craig

[sixshot]

Where they are GC'ed you should be fine with air cooled alloy but you might have to test some both ways. I like to use water softner bags filled tight with newspaper/phone books etc, soak them overnight. Also you can place a water jug or piece of plywood on the backside to stop the slug if it exits. First you want accuracy, if your air cooled does that you're good to go because you will definitely get some expansion. I wouldn't be concerned with some minor leading, you won't be shooting very many. Your bullet should work great on deer.

Dick

[white eagle]

what Dick said
for example I use an alloy of 16-1 a/c for hunting in my 30-30 I also have a gas check on my boolit
I don't see any leading in the barrel at all... accuracy is what you should strive for if you current alloy give you that you are golden
if you want to tailor your alloy after you get the charge and accuracy you want you will have a benchmark to weigh against to see if water dropping actually helps or not

[Larry Gibson]

I do not WQ my hunting bullets. I use COWWs + 2% tin and then mix with lead at 50/50. I use this alloy for . 30, .31, 8mm, .35, .375 and .45 cal hunting bullets pushed from 2000 to 2200+ fps. For hunting I do clean the barrel every 7 - 8 rounds to maintain best accuracy. I also use 16-1 alloy for loads under 2000 fps, AC'd also.

Larry Gibson

[geargnasher]

I too prefer to take my stock alloy of WW+2% tin and cut it in half with pure lead. My guideline based on my own testing is to water quench for over 2K fps, air quench for loads that are slower (.30-45 caliber range). Unlike air-cooled straight WW or with tin, this alloy will hold together when it hits bone not shed the nose. It also tends to be more accurate past 2K fps in rifles than straight WW does.

That being said, I'd take advantage of the Winchester's rifling and go ahead and water quench the 50/50+1% tin and push them to 2100. You will still find accuracy fairly easily, will shoot to the sights, and almost mimic a jacketed 170-grainer's trajectory. I've found the extra velocity really helps that water-quenched alloy do the trick. For short-range work and a milder recoil and report, by all means stick with the softer metal. I'd even think about slowing down to 1700 fps or so, just find a comfortable accuracy load and go for it. A .30-30 will shoot through two deer lengthwise at 1800 fps, as will an arrow going much slower, so velocity isn't the whole deal if you know how to "lob" your boolits.

Don't forget to age your low-antimony boolits for three or four weeks before testing for accuracy or expansion.

Gear

[largom]

I do the same as Larry Gibson. All of my rifle boolits are cast from 50/50 wheel weights and lead with about 2% tin added. I cast for 22 cal. up to 45-70. All of the deer killed the past 5 yrs. have been with these boolits with no lost/wounded game. Performance of your boolits can be checked by filling a large cardboard box with rags and then placing 3 or 4 gallon milk jugs filled with water in front. The water filled jugs will simulate flesh and the box of rags will catch your boolit for examination.

Larry Miller

[DLCTEX]

Yep, 50/50 air cooled, gas checked at 1700-1800 fps. sized. 310

[Lonegun1894]

I don't water drop mine. Keep in mind, that if they get too hard, they get brittle, and act more like varmint bullets than game bullets. I don't know that a .30-30 is capable of getting them fast enough to shatter, but I have never had any trouble with them fairly soft, so not fixing something that works perfectly.

[btroj]

I water drop mine. I tend cast mine a bit softer and like the fact water dropping lets me get away with a softer bullet and still get decent accuracy. It doesn't change the way the bullet behaves on deer and doesn't make the bullet brittle.

[Garyshome]

I water drop mine, Just easier then to drop them on something hard. They cool off fast for a quick examination, If they are bad you can pull them real fast also. Oh and It doesn't hurt!

[gon2shoot]

I've dropped them in water, snow, mud, the out house and a creek. They all kill deer (except maybe the one in the out house, I didn't go in after it), but they started out as air cooled.

[Piedmont]

I don't water drop mine. Keep in mind, that if they get too hard, they get brittle, and act more like varmint bullets than game bullets. I don't know that a .30-30 is capable of getting them fast enough to shatter, but I have never had any trouble with them fairly soft, so not fixing something that works perfectly.

It is an increase in the percentage of antimony that makes them more brittle. That is why linotype is brittle. Water dropping 50/50 alloy won't make it more brittle, just harder.

[williamwaco]

I am casting 50/50 ww pb from a Lee c309 170f mold and will be shooting them at about 1800 fps with a gas check From circa 1939 Winchester model 94. Do I need to water drop these or will they hold together and expand nicely for deer at this velocity? thanks Craig

Quench NO never,

expand? Not much.

Kill deer, absolutely.

[MBTcustom]

(except maybe the one in the out house, I didn't go in after it)

I really don't want to know the rest of that story!

I water drop all of my boolits. I learned first hand what happens when you shoot a deer with too soft a boolit (even at sub 2200fps) see my sig line.
Nope. Never again. That deer was shot with 50/50 dropped on a soft rag. Very accurate. Too effective.