-bore diameter pp alloy

[BRUCE MOULDS]

every now and again we see old packets of long range match ammo which contain bullets of 12:1 alloy.
current belief seems to be that 16:1 is as hard as you can go.
an interest in history overcame fear of leading and other unknowns, causing 12:1 to be tried today.
no dirt diggers, at 300 meters.
in fact the best average vert ever was observed.
the ODGs might have used these alloys for a reason.
keep safe,
bruce.

[BrentD]

Certainly, harder could be better. I've never felt the need to go there however. Maybe someday.

I wonder though, if one's groups are round, perhaps bullet hardness is adequate, if not optimal?

[country gent]

Would bullet shape and size also have a part in this? My 40-65 with the baco 430 grn PP does very well cast from 20-1 groups are round ( I only have 200yds to test at though) Smaller dia bullets, longer bullets and pointy noses may all have an affect on what alloy works best. We can make a educated guess as to what will work, but until some powder is burnt you dont really know.

[BRUCE MOULDS]

brent,
my groups are always wide!
if I could find a load that would make them narrower it would be good
country gent,
longer bullets possibly bump up better than short ones with hard alloys - who knows?
burning powder is the secret of testing. 21 shots in this case, and at close range, is really only an indicator.
hundreds of shots will be fired before a conclusion is formed, some of which will be at 1000.
keep safe,
bruce.

[Lead pot]

Bruce,

Nothing much wrong with wide groups when the wind is blowing. The high spread vertical groups are another story :)

[BRUCE MOULDS]

kurt,
now I don't feel as bad.
bruce.

[country gent]

Well the longer heavier nullets have more inertia to stay where they are at giving the pressure a few more milliseconds to work on them. the other thing Ive found is finding the correct match of paper and bullet dia to just lightly snug in the bore helps alot. When chambering a round just feeling the bullet slide into the bore is about right. My rounds are just enough neck tension to hold the bullet when handled carefully, Occasionally if I have to remove a loaded round the bullet stays in the bore. I only have about .180 of the bullet in the case. My Chambers are cut so the leade is off the case mouth ( no throat) and the Bore riding PP bulletys set into the rifling as much as possible. I think this helps to center the bullet in the bore better.

[BRUCE MOULDS]

country gent,
exactly as you say.
for shooting dirty possibly a smaller bullet would be better.
the smaller the bullet, the softer is the alloy requirement, as it has further to bump up.
this is not an issue, as that application is more for hunting.
for target shooting, harder bullets hold their nose shape better for higher b.c., and need to be a slight friction fit in the bore.
keep safe,
bruce.

[BRUCE MOULDS]

12:1 shot 5 points higher than 16:1 yesterday at 800 meters.
the trend is that 12:1 has less drop.
keep safe,
bruce.

[BRUCE MOULDS]

fired today at 400 meters.
no dirt diggers, so bullets are taking the rifling no probs.
time to reappraise hardness of alloy for long range bore diameter pp bullets.
hinman used 11:1, factories loaded 12:1, and we also read of 13:1.
have yet to read of anything softer than this.
keep safe,
bruce.