Does lead go soft?

[Tumtatty]

A local gunsmith told me that I should shoot my cast boolits within a couple months after I make them. He said that the antimony in them sinks to the middle and they go
"soft"

Is this true?

[44man]

Yes they will soften over time but it might take a few years to notice. Antimony does not move but grain structure changes.
Besides that, what difference does it make if a boolit is a few Brinnel points different? As hard as we try, there is no way to even make two batches of alloy close unless we have a lab and lab quality alloys.

[waksupi]

They will soften a slight bit, over time. As far as it sinking towards the middle, he is full of beans. I'm sure someone here will give you the full explaination.

[Dale53]

Last year I loaded some .45 200gr SWC that I had cast several years ago. They shoot absolutely wonderful. They were lubed with NRA 50/50 Alox/Beeswax and the lube was still sound. No leading and excellent accuracy. They had been stored in my unheated and uncooled attached garage.

Dale53

[454PB]

I recently did a hardness test on some .45 Colt boolits that I cast from WW alloy over 20 years ago. They tested 12 BHN. I didn't own a hardness tester 20 years ago, but I'd say they are as hard now as they were then.

[montana_charlie]

...the antimony in them sinks to the middle...
Wow! That means a guy should be able to carve off the outside layers of wheel weights to get pure lead, and trade off the antimony-rich 'cores' to hi-speed shooters...no?

I'm thinking of a new tool...kinda like a potato peeler...but tough enough for lead!
CM

[KYCaster]

So....if I turn them over every couplea weeks will the Antimony "sink" back to where it started from????

Is that what they mean by "rotating your stock"????

Learn something new every time I come here....WHAT A PLACE!!! :drinks:


Jerry

[Dale53]

Thanks, Jerry. I needed that...

Dale53

[felix]

The longer you wait to shoot, the more uniform the batch of boolits become. Nothing better than to shoot heat-treated 22's made in 2001. Down to my last couple of hundred now. I tend to make a pot full over several days time, never adding sprues or anything until the pot looses too much pressure to fill the cavities. Talking about making boolits for a gun that can shoot. My lever guns get shot with what is on the desk, a week old sometimes. Those guns are shot offhand for the most part at charging tin cans. ... felix