A question on hardness and accuracy

[c1skout]

I recently got a Lyman 45 devastator mold and hurried up and made a buncha boolits. I water dropped and made a lot of them too hard to expand properly, and was going to just put them back into ingots, but then I thought " I could just use these to work up a load", so my question is..... If I work up a load with the harder boolits, will the softer ones still shoot to the same place? Will the alloy, or even just water dropping the same alloy, make a difference in the accuracy?

[tazman]

First question, are you using them in a revolver or semi-auto?

[kweidner]

How bout put em in an oven to heat treating temps but let slowly cool instead of quench? That would allow them to go back to original bhn. 400 or so degrees with a slow cool, and you will be good to go.

[c1skout]

Tazman
in a revolver, 45acp Blackhawk

kweidner,
I didn't know that was an option, I've got an old toaster oven down in the barn for just such a project!

[ejcrist]

The thing that would worry me with harder than desired boolits is that they wouldn't obturate and seal the throat properly which could result in gas-cutting. They may be ok though if sized .0005"-.001" over throat diameter. I believe I'd dump 'em back in the pot and re-cast them, but that's just me.

[odfairfaxsub]

Oven great them. Get em hot again and this time no water drop!!!!

[c1skout]

OK guys, had time today to heat up and cool these boolits..... my fingernail says they're softer now! Thanks again for the idea.