Alloy experiments

[popper]

Tinkering with Pb/Cu/Zn alloy. Concocted some ? alloy and shot in 40SW at near jacketed load for 165gr PB - shot well @ 25yds. Then started with 5# Pb, added 0.3% Cu. Then added 0.15% Zn. Cast the Pb/Cu & then the Pb/Cu/Zn in Lee 175gr. WD some & AC the rest. All poured fine. Pounded all 3 version flat, Pb was dark ingot color, Pb/Cu was lighter and Pb/Cu/Zn is lightest. I'll size, BLL and load with 5gr. 231 (top end from Hodgdon). Get ~ 100 rnds to test, including the ? alloy. Don't think pure will do good @ 30k psi so didn't cast any of them to shoot. Using XD40 rested on a caldwell stand. Had my glasses on so I could see the front sight and my trigger finger tends to pull em left. Couldn't see where I hit till I pulled the target. Anyway all the holes are round. Interesting to see the new results with no Sb or Sn.
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[popper]

Tried my mystery metal in 30/30 - 185gr GC (recycled hornady) 15.5 gr 2400 BLL @ 50 yds, strong west wind. Looks decent. Then BO pistol @ 10 yds, R.D. sight 170gr PB 15 gr. 1680, my RD version - like the 185, mystery metal. 2 shots with seeall sight - had to stand back & kinda guess as I don't have a riser on it. Then switched to Cu/Zn in the 40sw, 5gr 231 180gr Lee TC, BLL 7 yds (really max load). I knew some were undersized when sizing and it shows, some sideways and some round. I'll beagle that mould for the next test but alloy seems to hold. Can't keep the sprue plate tight - which doesn't help.
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Edit: That 40 is a TC nose but leaves a rectangular pattern on the target so I see it still is a very soft (expansion) alloy. 9mm hard alloy sideways gives a nice TC with L.G. impression on the target. Next test is to increase Zn.
Edit: those were used hornady GC I expanded with the NOE tool, not josh's GC. I used Josh's GC on the 185 in BO pistol. Sometimes I get mixed up.

[popper]

Beagled the mould with painter tape, poured a dozen of the Cu/Zn and then added 1/4 penny weight Zn. Had to run up to 800F to get good pour, WD both. I'll load up a dozen of each and look at performance, later. Oh Lee 175TC mould but these drop 190. Need to drop the load back a tad.
Edit: the 800F was just measuring, pot was not under PID control as it was a fast experiment and the Lee spout was slightly clogged, mould wasn't really at the right temp, etc. Aka, just sloppy of me.

[popper]

Looks like gun cleaning day today. 40SW needed the choreboy - not too bad but undersized obviously stripped. BO pistol has a few spots (PB mystery metal). Both were shiny before. 30/30 I can see accumulation on the rifleing (GC mystery metal) but ~100 rnds since last cleaning, probably from the unique PB loads. Also need to do the 12ga.
Even leaded the 40 was decent, ~60 rnds after the 'testing'.
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Edit: BO & 30/30 cleaned up easily with bore snake and kroil.

[popper]

I experimented with bending (increasing order of tough to bend) Pb, Pb/Cu, Pb/Cu/Zn & mystery metal, cast & pounded flat. Hopefully I'll get to the range Tues. to test the Pb/Cu/Zn vs Pb/Cu/Zn+ in the 40sw using 4.5gr 231 as they dropped 190gr. Still should be in the 30K psi range. Also the 185gr over 16 gr 2400 and new GC in the 30/30 with ? metal, should be in the 35k psi range. Next test is to try the Pb/Cu/Zn+ in the BO @ ~55k psi. ? metal does fine in the BO but IMO has very low % Sb in it. Then I'll try 0.5% Cu and 0.25% Zn mix. Goal is to find an alloy that doesn't need to be WD after coating, is malleable (soft) and still takes the pressure without skidding.

[Adam20]

Thank you for taking the time post the information you gathered

[popper]

Didn't go as well as I'd hoped for @ 25. Really hot load with the 190, blobs of lead half way down the barrel after 22 rnds. Looks like the BLL gets blown off. Got 2 on paper, way up and left from the Pb/Cu/Zn, one round, one not. About the same with the Pb/Cu/Zn+ on the other target. Recoil was really stout. 30/30 185GC did fine, shot standing with foreend on my range box. I did get a lot of smoke from 3x BLL. Yes I puled one low and right.
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