"Slump" test for bullet cores?

[pertnear]

Just thinking out loud here so bare with me...

Could a swaged bullet core be put in a long tube & a given, hard weight dropped from a certain height & the amount of reduction in core length determine the lead hardness? Not exactly but similar to a slump test.

Hmmmmm...

[Geppetto]

I don't see why it wouldn't work as a general comparative test. I.E. sample A deformed more, so it is "softer" than sample B.

But it may or may not correlate well to a hardness scale. You could some testing on known hardness samples to generate a correlation table, but at the far ends, either very hard or very soft, your correlations would likely start to fall apart due to inaccuracy of the various tests and measurements. Also, I would think that the compression of the core would vary depending on what alloying elements are present. If you have a core hardened with copper, it may deform and compress differently from a core hardened with antimony, even if they are the same hardness.

[Sasquatch-1]

For what we spend on swaging equipment you are better off to bite the bullet(pun intended) and buy a Cabine Tree ($120.00) or one of the other major brands. They are available at this site: http://www.cowboybullets.com/Lead-Tester_p_57.html. But do a little research and see the pluses and minuses of the ones on the market.

[aaronraad]

Have a look at some of the deformation testing done on the steelchickens forum. There is one seriously long thread on there that I recall which showed various testing set-ups using a swings hammer/weight to compare finished projectiles. I'm sure something similar could be adapted to a basic core.