New to casting and looking for some alloy advice

[BlackIce05]

So, as the title says, I'm hoping to get a bit of advice from all of you. I'm as new to this as it can get, I've read the Lyman casting book and have spent a ton of time on here reading everything I can find. I am looking to make my first ingots and hopefully a few boolits this weekend. I have aquired 2 large blocks of alloy that I only know a little about, the one is what I think referred to as 20:1 lead and antimony, the other would be approximately 33:1. I assume they both have some tin and I don't know what else, I do know this is the exact mixture a large bullet maker uses, but I don't know if they make cast or jacketed bullets out of them. So, right now I have a mold for 9mm 125 gn SWC and am hoping to get a mold for 45 acp hollowpoints in the very near future. My question is, how do you guys suggest I use the alloy? Is one suited for either boolit over the other? Or would the difference be unnoticeable and I would be better off mixing it all together to have more of a single uniform alloy? As a side note, I have not been able to get a hardness tester yet, so I do not even have the slightest guess for a bhn on either, just that the 20:1 is noticeably harder than the 33:1. I currently plan on powder coating the boolits, and the shooting will mostly be plinking and the occasional opossum or raccoon.

[Vinne]

I'd say to start with the 33:1 and make 50 or so 9s and check them out in a day or two. If they seem too soft, make some with the 20:1 but if they seem too hard for your use then add some pure lead a little at a time until you get what you like. That's the fun with casting, you get to try different formulas and set on one that is right for YOU. Then you get to do it all over again with the 45s!!

[Yodogsandman]

20:1 or 33:1 would be the pure lead (Pb) to tin (Sn) ratio. The 20:1 would be about 11BHN hardness and very malleable. I would think that it would be a little soft for high pressure 9mm rounds. Maybe if you kept them to say 1000 FPS you'd be OK. Using PC with this alloy will certainly help prevent leading.

Maybe try to find some harder lead alloy in the "Swap and Sell" threads. "Clip On Wheel Weight" (COWW) will have more (3%) antimony (Sb) and (0.5%) Tin (Sn) with a trace of arsenic (As). I use water dropped COWW for 9mm because I'd just hate to have problems with it.

[runfiverun]

20-1 for the 9 and 30-1 for the 45.

[BlackIce05]

ok, I guess I put it wrong then, if the ratio is for lead to tin, these blocks are marked as 5% and 3% antimony.

[Gregg Gibson]

Honestly, neither alloy is ideal for the 9mm. With its shallow grooves the 9 requires something on the order of a 1/16 or chilled wheel weight. The bullet needs to be rather hard. If there is in fact antimony present in one or both of you alloys, then problem solved. Either will work when water quenched. For best accuracy, keep the bullet size around .358.

[BlackIce05]

I know for certain there is 3% antimony in one, and 5% antimony in the other. The guy I got it from was of the opinion the 3% was ideal for both 9mm and 45 acp, but he thought the 5% might be a little hard for them.

[wadcutter]

They will cast a lot nicer with a bit of tin. Add enough tin to bring the Sn percentage up to 5% and you'll be pretty close to Lyman #2, which is a great place for a beginner to start.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

So, as the title says, I'm hoping to get a bit of advice from all of you. I'm as new to this as it can get, I've read the Lyman casting book and have spent a ton of time on here reading everything I can find. I am looking to make my first ingots and hopefully a few boolits this weekend. I have aquired 2 large blocks of alloy that I only know a little about, the one is what I think referred to as 20:1 lead and antimony, the other would be approximately 33:1. I assume they both have some tin and I don't know what else, I do know this is the exact mixture a large bullet maker uses, but I don't know if they make cast or jacketed bullets out of them. So, right now I have a mold for 9mm 125 gn SWC and am hoping to get a mold for 45 acp hollowpoints in the very near future. My question is, how do you guys suggest I use the alloy? Is one suited for either boolit over the other? Or would the difference be unnoticeable and I would be better off mixing it all together to have more of a single uniform alloy? As a side note, I have not been able to get a hardness tester yet, so I do not even have the slightest guess for a bhn on either, just that the 20:1 is noticeably harder than the 33:1. I currently plan on powder coating the boolits, and the shooting will mostly be plinking and the occasional opossum or raccoon.


ok, I guess I put it wrong then, if the ratio is for lead to tin, these blocks are marked as 5% and 3% antimony.
I'd guess the bullet maker is makin' jacketed bullets. 97-3 is a typical alloy used in cores of jacketed bullets. I have no idea about 95-5, but at least you know what it is.

I'd try casting with the 97-3 and see how it goes. But I'd be looking for some Sn (tin) in case you have fillout troubles and some pure lead to blend with your 95-5

[BlackIce05]

Thanks for all of the advice, I was guessing they were headed for cores also, just didn't know if they would use tin for those or not. Thanks to a very generous person here, I now have some tin waiting at home for me for this weekend. So, sounds like I'll get to make a mess and try to figure things out a little. Probably be a few weeks before I actually get to shoot any of this, still have to get all of the PC stuff. But I think I'm pointed in the right direction. I guess we'll find out.