Does water-quenching shrink the bullets?

[jayjay1]

Hello everybody,
unfortunately I have a mold which throws the bullets with a pretty small diameter.

Until now I´ve always been water-quenching the bullets, but because of that "small" mold, I´ve been thinking if dropping them not into water may size them bigger.
0,001" in dia. would be enough.

What do you think or have any experience in this?


Help welcome,
Jay

[Wrbjr]

I don't know the answer but have wondered the same thing. Interested in the answer to this one

[RickinTN]

I don't water drop but heat treat for the same effect. I haven't tested specifically for what you are asking but I think the answer would be no. I do know that some of my bullets "grow" a few 10/1000 for a period after heat treating.
Rick

[.30/30 Guy]

I cast some Saeco #270 this morning. Alloy is about half linotype and half wheel weights. I found 3 boolits that were in my sprue pile which means that they are air cooled and discarded because the mold was not completely up to temperature. This is a relative small boolit and a very small sample.
Anyway here is what I got:
Air cooled = 0.2786" average.
Water dropped = 0.279" average.
The different diameters may be because of the different mold temperature. DUH! I am guessing that there is no diameter change but others may get different results.

[woody1]

The best way I know to "grow" a boolit is to use a harder alloy. If you really want (need) it to grow, Beagle the mould. There's lots of info here on beagling or search on Castpics, it's prob'ly there also. Regards, Woody

To Beagle a mould: http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/MoldMods/BDE.pdf

[357maximum]

JayJay you have it just about 100% backwards :smile:

Waterquenching will make most lead/antimony/tin alloys grow a fuzz bit larger than if aircooled....how much growth is alloy%/time/mould temp/melt temp dependant. The fattest boolits I cast are made of Lead/antimony/tin/copper that have been waterdropped. Waterdropping is NOT gonna make a too small a boolit grow much and turn a too small a boolit into a substantially bigger one magically....even if purposely trying to make a boolit grow via alloy.....the most you will gain is 1 or 2 thousandths.