New Caster: How worried should I be about hardness with range scrap and 45ACP

[The4thaggie]

I'm getting into casting by taking advantage (hopefully) of an economical range scrap buy from this forum, and I've bought the Lee 230gr .452 TC mold. I' waiting till pay day to get the rest of the tools.

Looking to cast 45ACP and coat in Hi-tek or powdercoat (indoor range doesn't allow uncoated lead). I've done light searching and seen that hardness varies from range scrap to range scrap. I don't particularly care about accuracy at this point, but I do want to make sure I am not shooting too soft. I basically don't want to lead the barrel of my new M&P Shield 45 or have a catastrophic failure :D. A hardness tester and linotype (or a more purer source of antimony/tin) is in the future. I don't think I'll breech 900fps with the 230gr pill.

Provided I be more methodical in the near future, for my first (virgin) cast in the next few weeks, should I be too worried about the hardness of reclaimed range scrap lead?

[Ola]

NO. With those speeds absolutely not.

Make sure the boolit is BIG enough (the diameter) and blast away.

[shoot-n-lead]

NO. With those speeds absolutely not.

Make sure the boolit is BIG enough (the diameter) and blast away.

X 2

You are good to go.

[Echo]

X 2

You are good to go.

X3 - me too...

[runfiverun]

melt it down and mix it all into one big batch of alloy.
now you have the good enough close enough perfect alloy for casting boolits with. [pretty much the same as the rest of us use]
if 1% tin happens to fall into the mix then casting will be a little easier, if not just run the heat up a little more on the mold.

[popper]

Hardness tester is not needed. Check rotometals for superhard if you need Sb - a little goes a long way. Sn can come from solder, pewter, etc. I'd start with HF red PC tumbled. Smoke's powder is better but HF is much cheaper. Smoke does have a sample starter kit with the asbbs. HiTek works but a little steeper learning curve. If using a bottom pour pot, try NOT to recycle coated boolits in it. You probably need a smelt rig anyway to clean the range scrap.

[mdi]

I cast for almost 20 years before I got a hardness tester, I just mixes alloys to "feel" about as hard as wheel weights (could have been anywhere between 10 and 14 BHN depending on my "feeler"). For a new caster, concentrate on bullet to gun fit first, then find a good lune and worry about hardness later. BTW a coated bullet, Hi-Tek or PC shouldn't lead regardless of how soft/hard the alloy is, that's a major reason for coating...

[lightman]

Another no here. Your alloy will shoot fine. Size them .001 bigger than your barrel and you should be good.

[Yodogsandman]

All good advice above. Fit in YOUR gun is much more important than BHN hardness. Your range scrap will be fine.

[Bigslug]

Here you go. NOLLIJ!:wink:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?269789-Careful-Analysis-of-Segregated-Range-Scrap-Smelt

That'll give you some idea as to what's gone into the stuff you'll be dealing with, but the general consensus is that .45ACP is one of those cartridges for which you don't have to sweat hardness a whole lot. Look for a diameter in the .452 ballpark, lube accordingly, sleep easy.

[Wayne Smith]

Think of it this way, worst case scenario is that you will be mining lead out of your rifling. Been there, done that! Not in a 45, though. This result is typically the result of one or both of two things - 1) a boolit too small [fit is King!] or 2) pressure that over powers the hardness of the boolit, causing it to skid in the rifling. The only time you will see that in the 45ACP is shooting full power loads with pure lead!

[runfiverun]

^^^^^^ with fast powders.

the launch is critical, and kills you or makes you look the hero.

[1988-4551]

That lee 230 ft tc bullet was my first mold, still use it and agree that you are good to go.

[dikman]

You should be fine. I use range scrap that I recover from a pistol range, tested to 12-15BHN. I've used it with my .44-40 at approx 1200 fps with no issues (I use Hi-Tek coating). I've also used pure lead, Hi-Tek coated, with no problems. I'm currently mixing the range scrap 50:50 with pure lead to try and reduce splatter on steel targets.

[6bg6ga]

I don't worry about the hardness and I have shot bullets anywhere from 5- 15 for hardness in my 45acp. What I did learn is the diameter must be larger than the bore to eliminate leading. Yes, I have a cabine tree hardness tester but I seldom use it.

[6622729]

Good to go for that caliber at that speed.

[Yodogsandman]

Just got in the house from casting some Lyman 452460's for the 45ACP. I had left a full pot of COWWs and felt that was too good for the 45ACP. I drained off half the pot into ingot molds and refilled the pot to the top with SOWW. Plenty good enough, now! I didn't want to waste the better COWW using it for 45ACPs. I'll wait a few weeks for them to age harden before using.

That's the thing with the 45ACP. It will digest just about anything you mix up for it alloy wise. It just has to fit a little over the groove diameter by .001" to .002". I tumble lube with one coat of Ben's Liquid Lube (BLL) and size with a Lee .452" push through sizing die. Quick and easy!

Be sure to bell the case mouths enough that they don't shave the boolits when entering the mouth during seating. The case mouth bell should look like it's more than is really needed. Taper crimping in a separate operation from seating has worked better for me, too. I taper crimp so the mouth is .65"-.66" after. It normally has to be less than .70".

[wv109323]

I just add that some of the more accurate bullets in the .45 ACP are swaged from very soft lead. Examples are the Star (no longer made) and the Zero 185 gn. HP.

[Shiloh]

I shoot .45 and 38 with range scrap. No issues at all.
Every batch is different and makes no difference in performance with me.

In the .357 at higher velocity?? No leading at 1150. Fit is king.

Shiloh