20:1 or 30:1 to get started with Sharps

[Flintlock Hokie]

I just got my Shiloh Sharps, 45-70. I've played around with wheel weights spiked with tin, but they don't cast all that well. I plan to buy good lead and blend it with tin. So what are the pros and cons of 20:1 versus 30:1?

I'm just getting started, so I'm really hoping the answer is NOT that I have to shoot both to see what works best. I'm not anywhere close to being able to do that. I probably won't be able to tell the difference on the targets... yet.

My interest is not (yet) serious competition, just having fun, hunting and probably an occasional match.

Am I right that tin doesn't increase hardness very much. So what differences can I expect to see between 20:1 and 30:1?

Thanks!

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I shoot a marlin 1895 in 45-70 and so far what I like is mix WW 50-50 with pure lead and I added just shy of 4lbs to about 80 lb, I think it ended up being around 25-1, I like it and it shoots/casts well. but if I could I would like to try pure lead/tin in 20 or 30-1 like you said to see the difference. the tin ,for me, is to help the boolit expand in game without fracturing, like antimony can make it do, that's why I diluted my ww 50/50 with pure. well hope I helped a little, good luck, casting and loading for these big cartridges is a lot of fun. what powder are you using?
Travis

[country gent]

Tin improved the flow of lead and fillout of the mould and slightly hardens lead. It also improves the mallenability ( allowing it to deform and mushroom better with out fracturing). There are 2 ways you can go with this quest between 20-1 and 30-1. First is to test both and see what works best for you. As to accuracy, expansion, fouling in the barrel. Second is to pick one and tailor loads to it for accuracy expansion and fouling. I use pretty much all 20-1 lead to tin in my rifles For targets and bpcr shillouettes in calibers 45-90, 45-70, 40-65, and now 38-55. Its working for me well. An easy way to test both is buy 20-40lbs of 30-1 alloy cast some bullets, start with attention to how well it casts, fill out of mould and consistency of the bullets size and weight. Melt a second pot and sweet with enough tin to bring it to 20-1 and watch the same things while casting. Then test for accuracy.

[Outpost75]

Are you going to be shooting black or smokeless?

If shooting black powder 1:40 tin/lead is the best approximation of the alloy used in traditional loads, and is less expensive to mix. Harder than 1:30 is completely unnecessary. I use 1:30 in my smokeless .44-40, .45 Colt and .44 Magnum loads up to 1200 fps in revolvers and 1400 fps in rifles with no leading issues, fill-out is superb and hunting performance is stellar.

Hard bullets and gaschecks aren't needed at traditional black powder velocities, regardless of the powder used.

[MT Chambers]

In my 50/90 Sharps, I use pure lead for my hunting loads to aid in expansion on big game, in the days of buffalo hunting most liked pure lead as it would expand so well that it didn't over penetrate and the flattened lead found still in the animal could be used over, something important on the prairie.

[Bent Ramrod]

If you plan to shoot black powder with traditional grease groove boolit designs, Outpost's advice is good.

The only exceptions I can think of are paper patched boolits and some of the more exotic modern grease groove target designs, which need a little extra hardness to defeat nose slumping. In these cases, 20:1 down to 16:1 might do you better.