BNH of cores

[jcw1970]

What's the highest BNH you can get away with? Running out of pure lead.

[goblism]

Depends on your press, a real swaying press can handle clip on wheelweights, reloading presses can't quite handle that hard of lead.

[BLASTER62]

What's the highest BNH you can get away with? Running out of pure lead.

With a corbin s press type you can go 8.0 to 8.5 bn

[williamwaco]

I swage .38 HPs with wheel weights in my loading press.
I start with a cast wadcutter as a core then swage it to shape.

Note that it is too hard to extrude excess lead so your die adjustment must be exact.

[onomrbil]

Richard Corbin explained it to me once. It's not how hard the alloy is, it's how "tough" it is. I can make cores from linotype and get great results as far as consistent weight is concerned. Some alloys just will not squirt consistently at all no matter what you do. That being said, the smaller the core and the closer to the finished weight the blanks are, it's a question of your squirt die being of sufficient strength to do the job. RCE dies should be able to deal with about anything you want to throw at them. Older and lighter dies such as B&A's, not so much. Wheel weight alloy is variable as to hardness but is "tough" no matter what. Keeping wheel weight core blanks to within 2 gr. of finished weight for 22 cal cores helps, maybe 3 - 5 gr for cores larger than for 22 cal. No matter what material you are trying to squirt DO NOT OVERLUBE and don't use swage lube.

[Smokin7mm]

No matter what material you are trying to squirt DO NOT OVERLUBE and don't use swage lube.

Curious as to your comment on "don't use swage lube". What is your reason for not using swage lube?

Bret

[MBTcustom]

I have sectioned and XRF tested cores from Hornady and Berger target bullets, and the cores were pure lead. Other target bullets were tested with a hardness tester, and if they were not pure lead, they were not far off. ie: very very soft.
Hope that helps.

[Utah Shooter]

Curious as to your comment on "don't use swage lube". What is your reason for not using swage lube?

Bret
Do not use swage lube! Lanolin and other "thick" lubes are not your friend when making cores. The bond between lead and jacket are to important to have even the smallest amount of residue from the "swage lubes".

I know I have heard from more than a couple of people who would argue with this fact. If you are making just "plinking" projectiles then you can get away with Lanolin based lubes. But if you are trying to make, "the best of the best, sir!" You would do well to use something that is easier to come off of your cores than Lanolin based lubes.

[bullet maker 57]

What would you use Joe?

[Houndog]

I use Water soluable cutting oil. Six drops per 500 cores is about right. Cleanup is easy. just wash them in Dawn dish soap, rinse them twice in HOT water and let them age about 3 days before use to get a small amount of oxide to grip your cores better.

[clodhopper]

I would like to learn more on this subject.

So, Houndog. using the water base oil and water to wash it off, does that encourage that little bit of oxidation to aid in grip?

And Rinfiverun, you commented in another thread, about my use of synthetic two stroke motor oil, do those oils (mobil 1 being the other) wash off ok with acetone?

And any body, Does acetone promote oxidation of lead?

UH OHH! thread hijack in progress........

[runfiverun]

I haven't tried the acetone with a synth 2 stroke oil. [modified poa]
I do know it will cut atf [modified poe] really well though.

I'm still using a lanolin/castor oil/neets foot oil mix.
but I use such a small amount that I can clean it off with mineral spirits, and then an acetone bath after that to de-grease everything.
the cores oxidize grey rather quickly [almost instantly from the mineral spirits]

[Houndog]

I would like to learn more on this subject.

So, Houndog. using the water base oil and water to wash it off, does that encourage that little bit of oxidation to aid in grip?

And Rinfiverun, you commented in another thread, about my use of synthetic two stroke motor oil, do those oils (mobil 1 being the other) wash off ok with acetone?

And any body, Does acetone promote oxidation of lead?

UH OHH! thread hijack in progress........

Using a water based lubricant makes cleaning it off VERY easy. As far as the oxidation, getting the cores squeeky clean lets them oxidize easier and also more uniform. That tiny bit of oxidation gives a little more "grip" to the core in the jacket so they don't slip as easily. Jef Fowler and Ed Watson (both premere Benchrest bullet makers) taught me how to make bullets and both men were adament about cleanliness of the jackets and cores as well as oxidizing the cores.

FWIW: I wash my jackets in Acetone or MEK before I do anything to them and I wash my finished bullets after I'm done making them. Uniformity and cleaniness IS the name of the game for accurate bullets!

[clodhopper]

Thanks Mike,
I do need to take the time to read about that process.