Pure pb/lino mix for handgun alloy

[hunter74]

My standard alloy for handgun is 12 BHN. It works great in all standard pistol calibers. I've mixed this with with approximately 70/30 range lead/pure +2% tin. Water quenched.

My range lead stock is depleted so I'll have to use another alloy mix. Yesterday bought a ton of printers lead, mostly linotype.

So.... What would be a good mix pure/lino to get about the same hardness as before? I have played around with the alloy calculator, but my previous experience tell me that I get a lot more hardness than the output on the calculator suggests with water quenching.

I'm thinking about 2 lbs with lino to a 20 lbs pot with the rest pure lead and maybe ann a little tin. What do you experience tell you. Plinking loads for 38, 9mm, 45 ACP and 45 Colt around 12 BHN is the most used calibers.

For 357 and 44 magnum I add 4 lbs with lino to a 20 lbs pot with the rest of it pure and it works great, but this is maybe a bit too hard for plinking loads in the above mentioned calibers.

Thanks!

[Beagle333]

You could also swap or sell the lino for range lead (or cash to buy some range lead). Lino is worth about 1.5-1.8X range lead price. :coffeecom

[scottfire1957]

Youtube has some videos about a "chemists cross" or similar. You could also look under "bullet alloys" in your search. That Weiderlader guy has one also.

[Outpost75]

I blend 1 part linotype to 4 parts of plumber's lead for revolver bullets. It casts well and you don't need to add anything else to it.

[bangerjim]

My standard alloy for handgun is 12 BHN. It works great in all standard pistol calibers. I've mixed this with with approximately 70/30 range lead/pure +2% tin. Water quenched.

My range lead stock is depleted so I'll have to use another alloy mix. Yesterday bought a ton of printers lead, mostly linotype.

So.... What would be a good mix pure/lino to get about the same hardness as before? I have played around with the alloy calculator, but my previous experience tell me that I get a lot more hardness than the output on the calculator suggests with water quenching.

I'm thinking about 2 lbs with lino to a 20 lbs pot with the rest pure lead and maybe ann a little tin. What do you experience tell you. Plinking loads for 38, 9mm, 45 ACP and 45 Colt around 12 BHN is the most used calibers.

For 357 and 44 magnum I add 4 lbs with lino to a 20 lbs pot with the rest of it pure and it works great, but this is maybe a bit too hard for plinking loads in the above mentioned calibers.

Thanks!

The calc does NOT account for water dropping that I have ever seen. It does an amazing job for me for air cooled hardness calculating/mixing.

If you want to forget about hardness worries for sub-sonic plinking, cast and then powder coat as many thousands of us now do. PC even works great for sonic rifles!

banger=j