How many test boolit hardness?

[50/50]

I'm sure this question has been asked somewhere, some page before, but do most of you guys test for hardness when casting boolits, or do you just mix in some wheel weights and let it fly? I know that if I'm casting from soft lead, i.e.: old pipe, pure sheets, etc., I have to mix tin of some kind in the mix. Is the Lee Tester any good if I need one? A lot of the videos I've seen on casting boolits don't really show anything about hardness testing when they're done. Even MidWay USA only lists one brand of tester. All that makes me wonder if it's needed. Thanks

[btroj]

Needed? No. Nice to have? Yes.

I own one but don't use it a whole bunch. I use it to get a feel for things but generally let experience be my guide.

[Calamity Jake]

+1 ^^^^^^^^^

[mold maker]

The need for harder alloy is always determined by what your casting for, both caliber and purpose. For low pressure handgun, the 50/50 WW and soft will suffice. Harder alloy (plain WWs or added hardener) may be required for high pressure handgun and rifle rounds, depending on use and velocity.
If you know the hardness, determined by a tester, it is only a little easier to mix a useable alloy, for each purpose. Extra hardness is expensive and a waste.
I have a Seaco tester that won't work on other than boolets. I then bought a LEE tester that was impossible for my old eyes and shaky hands to use. Finally I got a Cabin Tree tester and it does everything I have found to use it for.
The problem is after I got all those testers, I found that I really had little use for them.
Like btroj said, experience is far better than all the money spent on perceived, necessary tools.

[Larry Gibson]

Concur with mold maker; if you know the hardness of the alloy it is easier to mi what you want/need for an alloy. I use the Lee tester quite often but have mounted the scope in a microscope so it is very simple, fast and easy to use with excellent repeatable results.

Larry Gibson

[osteodoc08]

I use my saeco tester to test batches of boolits and to determine how effective my heat and quench process is coming along. It's actually kinda neat to follow some quenched boolits over weeks and watch them age harden. Other then that, its another tool in the arsenal. It adds to my knowledge base. Now that I know what works, I dont use it much.

[bangerjim]

I own both the Lee and the Cabine tester. Use ONLY the Cabine now as it is accurate, easy and fast.

I ALWAYS test a sample of boolits I cast, but I already know the hardness of the feed stock I use. I mix my own soup in the casting pot and draw off a 1/2# ingot and test. I know the hardness will go up at least 4-5 units in a week, so I adjust accordingly. All my cast ingots are tested and marked 2 weeks after they are cast and stored so I know what I am working with. I am fortunate to have many many hundreds of pounds of hard alloys (lino, tin, WW's, hardball, etc) to mix with pure, so I can make anything I want, not relying on just old filthy WW's scrounged from tire stores the past week. I smelted hundreds of pounds of those years ago when they WERE widely available ....minus the zinkers!

I use ~9-10 for subsonic and ~14 for sonic and rifles. Then ES or DT PC everything.

Works for me. Necessary.....mabe not. But I like definitive and accurate info and answers! That is why I run 0.0005 or better tolerances on my lathe work.

But spend $$ and do what your feel necessary. But enjoy our habit!

banger

[freebullet]

I don't own one or have intentions to buy one. Never been an issue. You can get a feel for about what you have with experience. I've never had an issue that wasn't fixable without one. I'd buy more primers and powder before worrying about a hardness tester.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

How many test boolit hardness?
I'm sure this question has been asked somewhere, some page before, but do most of you guys test for hardness when casting boolits, or do you just mix in some wheel weights and let it fly? I know that if I'm casting from soft lead, i.e.: old pipe, pure sheets, etc., I have to mix tin of some kind in the mix. Is the Lee Tester any good if I need one? A lot of the videos I've seen on casting boolits don't really show anything about hardness testing when they're done. Even MidWay USA only lists one brand of tester. All that makes me wonder if it's needed. Thanks
I test every batch of alloy I mix up.
WHY ?
Because some of the alloys I use are unknown scrap. I have an idea what they are, and I have an idea/target of what the hardness should be when blending with other alloys...I just like to confirm the end result.

If you are casting with a known alloy, no hardness tester needed.

Also, some applications aren't to fussy with alloy hardness...Some are. Punching paper? vs taking out a whitetail? High pressure load?

[Clay M]

I cast for black powder cartridges, as well as smokeless. Occasionally I come across some softer alloys that I set back for black powder. For me it helps to be able to know what I have. I scrounge up lead from different sources.

[Toymaker]

I have a Saeco tester and love it. You don't need a bullet to test, any size sample that fits in can be tested. I smelt everything from one source or type of lead and then test one or two ingots from the lot. The BHN is scratched onto the bottom of the ingot and its stored. Everything about a bullet matters - weight, design, style, hardness, etc., etc., etc. It's not hard to find what works but once I do I want to be able to duplicate it. By knowing what I started with I can get really close when making another batch of bullets. Then I test a bullet or two to make sure. Duplication of results and consistency.