More testing with the Lyman devistator and my ruger 77/44

[Tripplebeards]

Been testing on and off since last fall using water jugs to catch my boolits. My first try was using my 16 to 1 mix consisting of pure lead and pewter mix. It had a BH of 7.5. I tested this alloy with a Muzzel velocity at 1575fps. It made it into and stopped in the third small gatoraide bottle. (Updated)I just found the slug, weighed, and mesured it. I measured .645" and weighed 133 grains. I found another laying on the ground after my shooting session laying next to the bottles that weighed 110 grains. Both boolits looked the same accept for The overlapped pedal around the back of this boolit which accounted for the extra weight.

http://i.imgur.com/cnjrEhC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eef5Sy6.jpg

The next test was with. A 50/50 mix ACCOWW and pure adding 2% pewter to the mix. It had a BH of 10.5. I did not chrony the load yet but used 23.8gr of w296. I'm guessing it has to be between 1700-1800fps? It stopped in the 4th milk jug and weighed 124gr. It expanded to .780".

http://i.imgur.com/6PgAzhy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3frjzb2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UWqLptn.jpg


The last test I did today. Instead of milk jugs...because I didn't have any, I used totes filled with water. I tried four rounds into two totes I had lined up back to back. The totes were about 15 feet or so from my muzzle. I caught the first boolit and the front tote let loose at the same time and cracked so the other three rounds went completely through the first and second and into the ground. Needless to say I took a bath in the process. The alloy I tried today was a mix of 80/20 ACCOWW and pure. I added 12% pewter to the mix. It had a BH of 15.4. The boolit I recovered weighed 155 grains and had a diameter of .679". It made a nice looking mushroom.the boolit stopped in the opposite end of the tote and broke it on the opposite end and bounced back. Im guessing the tote it stopped in was as wide as 5 milk jugs, maybe more.

http://i.imgur.com/JtCxcM4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aTp5HQg.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ekfqy9n.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OOpgfXo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7M7vuex.jpg

[Tatume]

Very nicely done, and you appear to be enjoying yourself. Keep up the good work.

[Tripplebeards]

The PC shedded off all boolits while they were expanding. I never a any PB fouling in barrel testing any of the loads. Here is what was left of the totes. I shot four times. I have four holes but one stayed in the blue tote. One of the others went awol and you can see it curved and went out the upper right of the grey tote. I believe that was one of two Lee 245 gr HP I had loaded with 23 gr of w296 I let loose after the first two devastator loads. I was hoping to catch a Lee as well but gotta a feeling the smaller hp cavity helps it penatration further.


http://i.imgur.com/NCfjFvm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/L0h3dZO.jpg


And the test subjects...

http://i.imgur.com/pZ8qq2o.jpg

[W.R.Buchanan]

That last one is a good looking boolit. You couldn't wish for a more perfect expansion.

Can't wait until my Mihec mould gets here.

I will be powder coating mine as well. I'm thinking the pretty orange color. I love being able to color code boolits!

Randy

[Tripplebeards]

I know water is a lot harsher medium than a whitetail but figured if I hit bone I want some weight retention. I always Color code mine in 1 grain increments accept for this funky batch. The Last boolit of 80/20 mix and adding 6% pewter to the mix will be my go to deer load when loaded at max velocities. It mushroomed nice and reminds me of a Remington core-loct. I've seen some testing of ACCOWW on YouTube at pistol velocities with pedals shedding but no testing at rifle velocities so I wanted to have a little fun and try some alloys out with some stout loads. Been reading some of the old posts here with what alloy mixes works best with the 44 mag devistator for expansion and staying together on thin skinned game and put them to the test. I've been reading and seeing photos of using straight coww alloy (approx 12-13 BH)will cause the pedals to brake off making the boolit look like what's left of a nosler partition. I added some pure and a lot of pewter to my 80/20 6% mix per past readings and it made a nice looking mushroom vs what I've seen at less velocities using straight coww. I would assume at lower velocities I would get better weight retention and a nice looking mushroom to boot. I will slow this boolit down a little while load testing for accuracy and if I get a better grouping than my current 2.3" with 50/50 using 23.8 gr of w296 at a 100 yards I'll water test it again and see what I get.

Orange turns out nice when you bounce it in purple and blue after tumbling to get the excess PC off...


http://i.imgur.com/uDUkXxf.jpg

[KVO]

If you can fabricate a pin for your devistator mold that has the dimensions of your Lee HP pin you will get much more retained weight in any test media, or game for that matter. It doesn't take much to get expansion at those velocities. I've found having a thick wall to a HP cavity with a round nose/ rounded ogive helps keep them together. SWC nose profiles tend to act like a stop shoulder and arrest the nose expansion. The HP nose will then either shear off or hold together depending on the velocity and alloy. Very cool and please keep posting your results!

[Tripplebeards]

Worked the powder up and down today and tried some groups at a 100 yards. My original load of 23.8 gr of w296 that I shot a 2.3" group last week grouped the best at 2.0"

I have put a vartquelsen trigger kit in it and floated the barrel. The trigger is still a little heavy for me. I plan on taking it out and working it little to lighten the pull. I think I'm going to acra glass the action as well. I also have some h110 and lil gun powders to try. H110 is the same as w296 so there is no need to waste time trying it. Dose anyone have any load data for lil gun? I don't think the gun is or will ever be capable of MOA but I'd like to to see if I can get 1.5-1.25" groups with cast at a 100 yards out of it. I have a 3x9 vx2 on it. If I throw a little higher magnification on it for testing I'm sure it would help. I tried schimming the bolt but it wasn't loose enough to need schims.

21.5gr /4.05"

22.0 gr/3.6"

22.5gr/3.8"

23.0gr/2.4"

23.2gr/3.1"

23.5gr/4.4"

23.8gr/2.0"

24.0gr/3.6"

http://i.imgur.com/0udV8nu.jpg

[cwlongshot]

Thank you for the well written reports! Great information!

CW

[fredj338]

I have the Dev mold. The key for me was another HP pin, shallower cup point for expansion w/o fragging above 1200fps. I only shoot lead-tin mix for my LHP & had the gc removed for that reason, plus now I am pcing them. The bullet wt went up to 270gr with the cup point & it doesn't frag. Accuracy is quite good but I only shoot them out of handguns.

[Larry Gibson]

That looks very good to me. I wouldn't modify anything until a deer or two is shot with it. That much water gives a lot more expansion than any deer will.

[W.R.Buchanan]

3 beards: One thing you can do to improve your group shooting is shoot at a different type of target.

Indexing on a specific point on a target as opposed to a Bullseye or Square is the way to close groups down.

Brian Pearce told me about the shooting he and his boys do for accuracy tests and load development for articles he writes for Rifle and Handloader Mags.

When they did tests on the Ruger 77/44 and 77/357 They used a NEGC Peep sight on the rear of the gun for all testing. They were getting consistent .75"-1" groups at 75 yds. with most of the rounds that they were shooting. Granted they shoot more in one week than all of us put together in a year, but it is where they aim that is the point.

For iron sighted guns they shoot at the bottom point of a diamond shaped target. This allows you to center the front sight on the bottom of the Vee and then index the sight for elevation by sitting the point of the diamond right on top of the front sight.

With a scope they shoot at the side points and center the cross hairs on say the left point and split the diamond up and down with the horizontal hair by picking up both side points wiht the hair.

With a red dot you put the edge of the dot next to the left point of the diamond.

The diamond has sharp points to index on, and it is much easier to index accurately time after time on a sharp point rather than a square or round bullseye.
With the other types of targets it is nearly impossible to index at the same exact point shot after shot because you can't visually discern the exact point you want to aim at. You are essentially aiming at an area, not a point.

Try it out with that 23.8 gr load that shot so well and see if it doesn't close that group down a little.

Randy

Has anyone gotten their Devastator mould from Miha yet? I am frothing at the mouth waiting for mine.

[Tripplebeards]

Randy thanks for the tip! I took the rifle apart, polished the sear and repolished the trigger group along with removing a coil from the spring. It dropped my trigger pull down to a crisp 2-2.5lbs. It was a little heavy before that I felt like I had to give it a little yank to fire. I thought I free floated the barrel when I first bought it. It turns out I did not. The barrel wasn't touching all the way along the bolt face side but was touching and rubbing on the opposite side. When I grip the factory plastic stock I can see it flex and touch even more of the barrel surface. This would help explain why I get an occasional flyer. The 22.5 gr load had 2 boolits touching and the 3rd was 3.5" away from the other two...ill have to retest after I finish my mods. I just got done floating it all the way back to about and inch to inch and a half in front of the tang. I removed enough so when the stock flexes it dose not come in contact with the barrel. I'm going to acraglass the action in a few minutes. I do this by drilling little holes in the plastic first to lock the glass in place. I did the same operation on a savage 220 slugger a few years back taking it from a couple inch groups to a .7" all in one hole group at a 100 yards.

[Tripplebeards]

Cancel the acraglass. I just looked at how the ruger receiver is made and didn't realize that the glass will end up oozing above the front receiver block and lock it in place. I'm use to glassing 700's. I'll have to retest my load In the next couple days and see how the free floating affects the group. After googling it sounds like the flimsy stock is the leading cause of flyers with the 77/44 and floating it has been a good fix along with tightening up groups in the process. The action literally wedges in place so I don't think glassing it would help much.

[Tripplebeards]

Woke up this morning and couldn't help myself. I removed about another quarter of a coil spring and trigger is beautiful, light and crisp now. I've been googling all over the last couple days and no luck with any pics of someone bedding a 77/44 or 77/357. I winged it and went to town. I drilled a bunch of little holes in different directions and scratched the surface with a utility knife to lock in the acraglass in place in my synthetic stock. I've done it like this in the past with great success. I would have liked to go and inch and a half in front of the tang but the way the stock is designed I would need a ton of acraglass to fill in the cavity that sits in front of the tang. I put a couple coats of Johnsons paste wax on everything, dammed up the cavities with Plato, and applied a little painters tape for extra protection. I didn't want to overkill it with acraglass and just put in a modest amount in the front and rear mounting holes. I also stuck Plato in above the front tang so acraglass won't creep in and lock it into my rifle. It's drying as we speak.

http://i.imgur.com/kyRngbJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uR71Nnq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oFFSRvo.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

As I am waiting for my bedding to harden I do have another devastator 80/20 plus 12% pewter Mushroom to show. I did this at the same time I did the water test. I tested with 23.8 gr of w296. For this test I wanted to see how it would stay together if I shot something harder. I took a couple pales and filled and packed them with moist black dirt/sand mix from the garden. I shot one again from about 10-15 feet from the Muzzle. You should have seen the dirt fly! I was peppered by flying chunks. I found the slug in the first pale after I sifted through it like I was gold mining. I weighed 106 gr and expanded to .605". Even though it didn't retain as much weight as the water test I was impressed the boolit did not look like a deformed blob and mushroomed out instead of just shedding it pedals. After reading about so many shooters having their hp pedals brake off using coww with the same BH I'm using I would say the pure lead and pewter mix had got to be the magic ingredients to make this boolit expand instead of shedding its pedals.

http://i.imgur.com/GJXH9Bh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IYGekdU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RC3aiJq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aCNZ9Z4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/81QTT8d.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5lb8kxi.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

Tried out the rifle this morning with my new bedding job, free floated barrel, and trigger lightening. The 23.8gr w296 load that shot a 2" group last week shot a 2" group again. So no change in grouping after bedding and floating the barrel...Kinda depressing. I tell you, this stout load is not forgiving with a little flinching. I tried the 22.5 GR load that had two boolits almost touching last week with the third boolit 3.5" straight to the left. The first three shot group with this load measured 2 1/4" , the second three shot group with this load measured just under 2.5". My bedding and floating fixed the vertical stringing with this load. I had to quit after that. It was range day for hunters safety. I think my next step is to try a different optic. I'm using an old leupold 3x9 that I can't get focused and looks fuzzy at a 100 yards. I'm going to grab one of my Nikon 3.5x14's and throw it on and retest. Probably won't help much but worth a try.

Before I waste a lot more time and energy on this a 44 magnum rifle capable of MOA with cast boolits?

[White Oak]

I look forward to getting my Group Buy mold and casting some of these.
Thanks for posting your findings.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Will it do MOA? Maybe.

2" at 100 yards is not bad for a gun like this. My Marlins shoot around that. On a good day a .44 Magnum rifle is a 200 yard gun at best, and realistically 150 yards max for ethical hunting. So will a 3" gun at 150 yards kill anything you need to shoot?

So 3beards,, did you try different targets like I told you?

Indexing on a "point" rather than an "area" is the key to tighter groups.

I talk alot on another site for Mini 14's about "Acceptable Accuracy." Everybody seems to think that they must have sub MOA performance from a rifle or else it is only good for a fence post.

My usual point is that most people couldn't even shoot a Sub MOA gun to MOA in the first place. It's not the gun, its the shooter.

I mentioned Brian Pearce and his sons shooting these guns with a variety of Handloads into .75" 5 shot groups with Iron Sights at 75 yards. That is MOA, but they are alot better shooters than most of us, mainly due to being young and shooting alot every single day.

So will the gun shoot MOA? Probably. Can you shoot MOA? Maybe?

Good Luck

Randy

[W.R.Buchanan]

Has anyone gotten their Devastator moulds frm Miha yet?

Randy

[KVO]

Randy, still waiting on mine as well. They'll be here soon enough.

[Tripplebeards]

Randy, I did use diamond targets this time. I aimed for for middle so the crosshairs would line up with the four points. I liked it! printed some up from uspalma.com. I agree most shooters cant shoot MOA or less. I have nine different rifles I can shoot clover leaves at a 100 yards. I even have a savage 220 20 guage slugger and Thompson center omega 50 cal muzzel loader that will both make one large hole with 3 shots at a 100 yards. My avatar is a 100 yard group from my 14.5" barrel P415 POF. I can shoot dime size groups at 200 yards with it. I realize every dog has his day but I'm capable of if my rifle is on most days. This rifle has just got me stumped. Its the second rifle/firearm I have tried with cast. The first being my Ruger american 450 Bushmaster. It was a brand new rifle shooting 1.25" groups with a lee 300fn pc and gc the first time out to the range. The second time out I lengthened the overall cartridge length and shot a 1.1" at a 100 yards with the same load and I ac the boolit instead of wq. I had a couple posts on it. I had seven other powder charges I tried that shot 1.5 to 1.8" groups. BTW that gun will shoot 100 yard cloverleaves with factory hornady Jwords by yours truly.lol

Anyways, I changed over the scope to one of nikon 3.5x14's pro staff 5's. Its the same optic I have on my P415. I also lightened the trigger a little more today I would have to say its at a crisp 2lbs...might be a little under. I dont plan on leaving the optic on it, but if it closes the gap I will get a Nikon 3x9 to replace it. That vx11 3x9 is foggy and blurry compaired to the pro staff 5. Just figured it was worth a try to rule out the optic idea. I dont think it will make much difference as I have the same leupold on my 7600 06' that I can shoot .4" at 100yds. I cleaned my barrel with shooters choice and scrubbed it with a brass brush pretty good. I have only shot cast through this rifle. I wonder if the bore is still a little rough and not broke in yet? Im going to brake down and try some J words I loaded up last fall for my ruger carbine and see if they group better. I have some leverrutions, 265gr hornaday soft points, speer 's, and 240gr and 300gr xtps loaded up. I've been reading that some shooters have gotten some tight groups after lapping the barrel on the 77/44 using j words. I wouldnt expect the gun to go from 2" groups to less than MOA with cast boolits by doing so with this type of rifle. Oh, and I did try the bolt schim thing when I bought it last year. My bolt was tight enough that it didnt need shims. With the thinnest schim installed it took alot of pressure to close the bolt without a round in it. Randy, were the boys shooting J words or cast? Do we have any members here that shoot moa at a 100 yards with a ruger 77/44 with cast boolits? Ive heard a few internet claims with j words. Just courious. well, I loaded up a few more devastators and will be off to the range in the morning to try the same load with a little better optic and a little lighter trigger. Fingers crossed, this the least accurate rifle ive ever owned...but i love it!...its been a fun project.

[Tripplebeards]

Randy! thanks for pushing me. lol

I went back to the range this morning. I had to have a good 15 plus mile per hour cross wind. I didnt figure it would bother my 270gr boolits flight of path too much.

I loaded up some davastators with 23.8 gr of H110 to try since I ran out of W296 the other day. I also tried a group of the W296 23.8gr load. Lastly, I tried 21gr of H110 with a BH of 7.5 with a mv of 1675fps. This was the load/alloy combo that Larry gave me some good advise on last fall to use for black bear when I borrowed my rifle to a friends son. Well, the 7.5 bh load shot a .8". I could tell right away the optic I switched to was as clear as could be and believed along with the trigger being lightend helped alot. I would like the trigger a little lighter but realize this is not a varmint/target rifle. I did try the 22.5gr w296 load again that showed promise. First two shots touched dead center in the bullseye and then the third shot to the left about 1.5" away. A couple things I have to say is it was pretty hot today and after shooting a good fifty rounds and the barrel heating up I had three stuck casings using 23.8gr of w296. I had one last week do the same after about 40 rounds were through it and figured it was a fluke beng I shot another 10 through it afterwards and no sticking. I had to give the bolt a good hit with my hand to eject the casings. I shot out the last 7 today with no sticking after the last one stuck. I also can say that this little gun in not forgiving even when shooting off a rest. I also found my best groups came from putting a firm grip the the rifle and give a quick snap on the trigger. If I would just it lay there in the rest like my varmint rifles and giving a slow steady squeeze on the trigger it will make this little light rifle will buck and throw fliers. Oh, my eyes must like squares being the .8' group was group shot at a square target.



H110 21gr 100 yards...

https://i.imgur.com/5Ux6HKm.jpg

W296 23.8gr 100 yards...

https://i.imgur.com/FrVlEJF.jpg

H110 22.5gr 100 yards....

https://i.imgur.com/QkvF7Ok.jpg

H110 23.8gr 100 yards...

https://i.imgur.com/1QkBRJD.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

I just found this target in my back seat. It must have fell on the floor.

Another 100 yd group with either 23.8gr of w296 or 21gr of h110. Sorry i don't remember.



https://i.imgur.com/NsoeTKz.jpg

[OS OK]

It's more exacting and easier to measure from the edge of the hole to the other hole, just measure the same sides and that's the same as trying to estimate center to center.
Example...measure from the right side of the first hole to the right side of the next hole.

[Tripplebeards]

It's more exacting and easier to measure from the edge of the hole to the other hole, just measure the same sides and that's the same as trying to estimate center to center.
Example...measure from the right side of the first hole to the right side of the next hole.


Thanks for the tip.

[W.R.Buchanan]

So I guess it will shoot sub MOA. I'd be jumping up and down shooting a sub 1" group from a .44 Magnum anything. I shot a 1 3/8" group once from my S&W M29 back in the day but that was at 25 yards.

Brian's boys were shooting everything. It was all about load development for an article in Handloader or Rifle mags the guns were both 77/44 and 77/357.

The scope was good for seeing just how good the gun will shoot. I recently mounted a 3-9X scope on one of my pellet guns just to see how well it would shoot. I got one 5 shot group at .125" , with irons the best I could do with the same gun was about 1/2" at 10 yards. I shoot it mostly with the irons, but I now know for sure it is basically a laser. If I miss,,, it was me!

I know you understand that the 77/44 was not designed to be a Varmint Rifle. It is a fast handling carbine with sufficient punch to serve as a backup gun or woods gun. I want one badly and it will get a Bushnell TRS-25 Red Dot Sight mounted atop the supplied rail as soon as I verify the zero of the iron sights. I can also see using it for short range silhouette. I would be very happy with a 2" group at 100 yards with the Red Dot. I just shot a 1" 5 shot group with my Mini 14 with a red dot sight last week, and no one, including myself, would have seen that coming.

I know you are trying to see what the gun will do, but at some point you will have to get rid of the scope and put a smaller optic or receiver sight on it so you can benefit from the handling of the gun. If you look at the gun in the context of how you will use it in the field instead of off the bench you will see what I'm talking about. Fast handling and target acquisition is where it is at for a close range hunting rifle.

Here's a pic of my Ruger GSR with the Red Dot mounted and one with the Scope. I can hit a man sized target out to 300 yards with every single shot with the Red Dot, and the gun handles so well it is pathetic. It is easy to carry and fast on target. Lots of joy in shooting that one! It is a good 3 gun rifle for me, and the guys who only have one rifle take notice when I show up with a different gun every month. The same gun with the scope will get me to 600+ yards easily. But of the two configurations which one do you think is more useful and more fun to shoot? Deer hunting with a Red Dot,,,, piece o cake.

The whole reason I got the Devastator Mould from Miha was for that gun. I don't have that gun yet but I am working on it. I'd bring the 77/44 to a 3 gun shoot in a heartbeat!

Randy

[Tripplebeards]

That 3x9 leupold was nice, compact, and light. I liked the weight and look of it. I didn't care for the bigger optic as soon as I installed it but the leupold was just too blurry. I have a Nikon rimfire 3x9 on my Walter talon 22 cal nitro piston pellet rifle. It might come off and go on the 77/44 after more testing. I'd really like to pop a few coyotes with it.

That is impressive shooting Randy since your trs-25 dot is 3" in diameter at a 100 yards.

[Tripplebeards]

Try the AT3 red dots if you like your trs-25. It's better quality with a 2 mm dot and lifetime warranty for about $15 more. Had one, it was nice. The only thing is inside the dot looked like a little starburst. Outside, a nice clear crisp round dot. My 5 MOA dot tascos and ultra dots are crisp inside and out. I've been running red dots since around 89-90'. Started with tasco pdp3's on my colt andaconda and browning buck mark 5.5 target. They are wearing match dots now. I still have the tascos along with a few camo pdp2's on my shotguns for turkey hunting. Forgot, I have a leupold delta point side saddled on my POF. Not a big fan of that one either.

I will end up putting a lighter, smaller optic back on when done with some more testing. I'd like to try a little harder alloy with the sub MOA load and 23.6gr of h110 with the 80/20 boolit. I didn't like the bugger optic as soon as I installed it but new it was temporary for testing. Now at least if I miss or flinch I know it was on me and not the rifle.

[Tripplebeards]

I think I have run my course with 100 yard testing H110 powder. I tried my 80/20 boolit along with 23.7gr of H110 this morning and shot a 1.7" group. Then I tried 23.6 grains of H110. Shot two, three shot groups measuring 2.2" and 2.3". Lastly I tried my 21gr sub moa H110 load with harder alloys. My gun likes the softer boolit at this load being I shot 3" plus groups with both 50/50 and 80/20.

I have some lil gun laying around. I'll have to find some load data for it.

[W.R.Buchanan]

3beards: Yeah that group from my Mini 14 was a gift, and the point of aim was the left point of the diamond. That group was essentially 1" high and 1"right in windage.

Right edge of dot on left point of black diamond.

Just realized I didn't post that pic here.

Randy

[Beau Cassidy]

Now you are getting there!

[Tripplebeards]

3beards: Yeah that group from my Mini 14 was a gift, and the point of aim was the left point of the diamond. That group was essentially 1" high and 1"right in windage.

Right edge of dot on left point of black diamond.

Just realized I didn't post that pic here.

Randy

That's awesome!

I just smelted my original 13 pound pewter batch of 3 oz blocks all together and poured back into 1/2 pound blocks. Im going to burn it all up on my 7.5 BH 16:1 boolits and 80/20 with 12% percent added. I smelted the pewter when I first started collecting SN and melted it at a couple pounds at a time. I wanted pewter blocks to all to be the same BH. Im sure there is BP in the pewter since I only ended up with 7.5 BH and didn't want to contaminate this batch with future pewter melts. In the future I will only use "pewter" stamped" items and not picture frames and leave the rest of pewter hallmarked items un melted till needed.

I don't have a mini 14 but now Im going to have to get one to throw in the mix. I have a first gen ruger carbine 44 mag and want the newer mini 14 version of it as well. They are just hard to come by.

[Tripplebeards]

Turns out I have 8lbs of the mystery pewter I used at a 16:1 ratio to get my 7.5 BH boolit. I used 2 lbs of it today. After I test the BH I'll burn up the rest to make another 96 lbs of hp's. I have a feeling this soft alloy is going to be explosive on deer. Guess I'm going to find out.

http://i.imgur.com/ZdJh6Mh.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

I went to mix up more 80/20 today and found my notes that I wrote down when mixing it. I added 3 bars of pewter to 4lbs of coww and 1 pound of pure lead. The average weight of My pewter bars I used were a tittle over 3 oz. Each closer to 3.2-3.3. Which means I added approx 12% plus pewter to the 80/20 mix(wholly ****!). I boo boo'd and didn't do my math that day. Well, no going back now. I mixed up 30 lbs of it today for future use so it's all the same BH and all I have to do is cast boolits. If anyone was trying to make this alloy I just wanted to give everyone a heads up so you have the proper mix ratio if trying to duplicate my alloy. I just made 40lbs of it this morning and another 16lbs of 16:1. That will deplete the original mixed up batch of pewter I used for these two alloys so I now can start dipping into my hallmark only pewter items to keep a higher tin content.

[cwlongshot]

question Tripplebeards,

Are those corn bread tray wedges?

I was given a bunch of "lead" last week and some labeled pewter is wedges like that. While other is muffin tin "coins" Then I have some other engraved TIN 1# in 2x4x1/4 "bars"... Its all is about 1/4" thick. The last & largest portion is in is labeled "WWT's" and is in "corn" trays about 1/2" thick.

I like the idea of the wedges and wondered what was used for that shape.

CW

[Tripplebeards]

Yes, I picked up the cast iron pan for around $6-10 if i remember at a antique store. They were sticking a little today so I sprayed some rock island arsenal mold spray in them. Ill post a pic of it in a little bit. I uses my number tap kit from harbor freight to label them along with a marker. Fyi, it takes a lot longer for the alloy to cool down and harden when using a cast pan and lead likes to stick in it so you'll need to either tap or drop the pan a few times to release them. Mold spray helped a lot yesterday.

[Tripplebeards]

http://i.imgur.com/L0k0ujS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gijCaeN.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

The ones on the left are my 80/20 mix. I made 3, 11 lb, 3.2 oz. batches which made 28 pie slices. I made three 16:1... 16lbs of lead flooring and a pound of pewter. I had some left over I threw in for the photo from my original mix. I can definitely tell the color variations between the two alloys. The 80/20 is a light foggy grey and my 16:1 shiny chrome colored. The 16:1 makes pretty boolits.

[Tripplebeards]

I Recovered another devastator in a fourth alloy mix for show and tell. I found another cast boolit...or what was left of it in the dirt pile behind my 200 yard target at the range when I was shooting the other day. This time the alloy was ACCOWW and 2% pewter. It was some of my left over test ammo. I think it was loaded with 22 gr of h110? The devastator sheered off its pedals like some of the ones I've seen recovered from our down under hog slayer. I realize dirt Is going to be harsh on boolits but my Pure and pewter mixes seems to expand a lot better than plain coww with a little pewter added.

http://i.imgur.com/Mpbi96A.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2vWKvh1.jpg