How fast can I push 62.5% wheel weight/37.5% soft lead alloy?

[Willie T]

In my lead Ingot stock pile I have pound and a half soft lead ingots from sail boat keels and 2 1/2 pound wheel weight ingots. I only cast pistol ammunition. My unscientific alloy has been one Ingot of each. Molds fill out completely with sharp edges and clean bases and I just air cool. I cast for 38/357, 40S&W, & 45acp. I size with either an old original Lube A Matic or push through Lee sizers. I have never had any issues with leading but I have never pushed the 357 full tilt either. Only thing I gas check is some 158’s for 357. Cylinder throats in my 4” S&W 686 are tight with cast Bullets sized at .357. 4 5/8” Ruger flat top has generous forcing cones and I size at .359 for it. Both my tumble lube and gas check 158 molds drop 160-161 grains at .360-.3605 with that alloy at 715-730 Fahrenheit. My question is: will full house H-110 loads lead with that alloy sized appropriately? I already know loading and shooting a few cylinders full is the sure way to know.
I just found this forum and this is my first post so be gentle. Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.
Willie T

[fredj338]

Depends. It isnt so much vel as pressures. I shoot 350gr 45/70 running 1400-1500fps & they only run about 14bhn. Running the same alloy in 44mag at full pressure I get some leading. That is conventional lubed. I havent gotten around to trying coated at those vel/pressures.
Unless your Ruger bore is also tight, I would expect some leading sized at .0357". I have a Ruger BH in 45colt that had 0.450" throats. It leaded the first 2" of bbl with bullets sized to 0.452"> after opening the throats to 0.452", leading went away, even with soft 25-1 lead/tin HP @ 1000fps.

[megasupermagnum]

It's really hard to say for sure. You are definitely on the soft end of alloys, but nothing crazy. You can always water drop the bullets, and they will then be more than hard enough to handle the pressure.

[Froogal]

Pure lead has a BHN (hardness) of about 5. Not sure about the wheel balance weights, but those are NOT excessively hard, so I don't think you want to blend any of the pure lead into it. Use the WW just like it is.

The pure lead makes good round balls for percussion revolvers and muzzle loaders.

[Willie T]

I have already cast, sized, and shot several thousand of them. All have been loaded under 900 fps though.

[Harter66]

You'll have no problem with those .

I shoot 50/50 in all of the 45s and 38s , 75/25 for 9 and 357 , the 40 is weird and wants straight WW . All get water dropped as a standardized practice to suit my needs .

900 fps in 38/357 cases with 150-160 gr bullets is 14-16kpsi . If the chamber and barrel dimensions are even close to right you should be good .

If it leads at the breech it's sizing .
If it leads at the muzzle it's lube .
Some place in between is a barrel irregularity .
Sometimes it's alloy but most beginners go too hard so that generally isn't a pressure thing .

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP>>>

My question is: will full house H-110 loads lead with that alloy sized appropriately? I already know loading and shooting a few cylinders full is the sure way to know.
I just found this forum and this is my first post so be gentle. Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.
Willie T
I prefer 94-3-3 for 357M Hot loads, but it's more about accuracy loss from projectile distortion.

If you are shooting that soft alloy (62.5% wheel weight/37.5% soft lead) with Hot loads at under 25 yds distance, you won't likely notice loss of accuracy or tumbling boolits...but you might?

If you don't have lead fouling issues with lighter loads with your gun, you shouldn't have lead fouling issues with hotter loads.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd keep doing what you're doing.
That alloy should be fine until you get up past the low-teens.
Then, the gas check will take you on up from there.

[Willie T]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply to my post and share your opinions and insight. I started mixing the soft with wheel weights after realizing how much of the soft lead I have. The 158 SWC with this alloy shoot tight. Rather than open myself up for talking about internet groups, this is a wheel full at 25 yards. At 61 that is about all my old eyes are up to.
298125

[bisleyfan41]

Well, that's plenty good. Congrats!

[jaysouth]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply to my post and share your opinions and insight. I started mixing the soft with wheel weights after realizing how much of the soft lead I have. The 158 SWC with this alloy shoot tight. Rather than open myself up for talking about internet groups, this is a wheel full at 25 yards. At 61 that is about all my old eyes are up to.
298125

Thanks for sharing and welcome to the land of misfit children.

[Budzilla 19]

Personally, myself, I wouldn’t mess with the combination you have there!! That’s some great grouping at 25 yards! You got it figured out. Just my opinions, as always. Welcome to the affliction.

[Willie T]

Budzilla 19;5378995]Personally, myself, I wouldn’t mess with the combination you have there!! [/U] That’s some great grouping at 25 yards! You got it figured out. Just my opinions, as always. Welcome to the affliction.

Ive got over 1,000 pounds of the soft lead and a son in his last year of college…

[Larry Gibson]

If you add 2% tin to the COWWs before adding the lead the alloy will be a better. It will hold up with the GC'd bullet over a top end load of H110, 2400, Blue Dot or other magnum load powder. From the group shown obviously you can not only shoot but also load quality ammo.

The Lee TL bullet does not perform well with true magnum loads. Others report good magnum level reults with the TL bullet, I did not find it suitable. I use that bullet myself and have tried it with various alloys powders and lubes. With magnum level loads (1200 - 1450 fps) it always gave some fouling and leading, sometimes at 1400+ fps severe leading. It is an excellent bullet though when kept at 1100 fps or less. It has become my standard 38 SPL bullet at 840 fps and 357 Magnum mid range bullet at 1050 fps.

[Willie T]

For gas checking I cast 160’s out of a Lee six cavity 158 SWC gas check mold. Lubed and checked they are closer to 164 grains.

[gwpercle]

That group looks pretty darn good . Don't "fix" it !

I have used a gas check w/ #358156 , 50/50 COWW & soft lead , air cooled and sized .358 , lithium-beeswax lube , in my 6 1/2" bbl. Ruger Blackhawk , 357 magnum , up to 1,200 fps velocity with no leading .
That 50/50 alloy , a gas check , good boolit lube and a proper fit will let you get some decent velocities . I take plain based boolits to 900 fps but when going to 1.000+ fps ...I go to the gas check .

I see this is your first post ...
Welcome to the forum from Baton Rouge Louisiana !
:drinks: the first round is on me !
Gary

[Willie T]

That group looks pretty darn good . Don't "fix" it !

I have used a gas check w/ #358156 , 50/50 COWW & soft lead , air cooled and sized .358 , lithium-beeswax lube , in my 6 1/2" bbl. Ruger Blackhawk , 357 magnum , up to 1,200 fps velocity with no leading .
That 50/50 alloy , a gas check , good boolit lube and a proper fit will let you get some decent velocities . I take plain based boolits to 900 fps but when going to 1.000+ fps ...I go to the gas check .

I see this is your first post ...
Welcome to the forum from Baton Rouge Louisiana !
:drinks: the first round is on me !
Gary

Yes sir first post. I just recently stumbled onto this forum. It appears a lot of knowledgeable casters post here. Thank you for the welcome. I am a Texan.
Willie

[gwpercle]

Yes sir first post. I just recently stumbled onto this forum. It appears a lot of knowledgeable casters post here. Thank you for the welcome. I am a Texan.
Willie

We might be related ... My Momma was from East Texas , her daddy was a blacksmith in the 1920-1930's Oil Fields , he was sent to Baton Rouge to work at the Standard Oil Refinery ... then the Largest in the USA .
I could never figure out why they wanted a Blacksmith at a refinery ... discovered at the time most stuff was hauled around by mules and horses not trucks !
Gary

[Willie T]

Working some stuff out and feeding the addiction…
I cast and gas checked some with the same alloy. Sized to .357 for my 4” 686 that has a tight cylinder. The mix of sail boat keel and wheel weights casts a nice bullet in the Lee six cavity.
298391
I loaded them with H-110. Got them up in the 1260’s but settled on a load that is in the 1220’s that shot best.
298390
No leading with the gas checks and the soft alloy, shooting a wheel full of 3 different charge weights. Point of impact is a little bit left of the light 38 loads I like to shoot but it is manageable with adjustable sights and worth loading up 50 more to verify accuracy and that it does not lead.
298392
Willie

[Markopolo]

Them are some fine looking bullets.. looks like your doing good with your casting as well. What sort of lube are you putting on those purty bullets? Down there in the summer heat of Texas, your going to need a harder lube then we use up north.

[Willie T]

Carnuba Red. It is a hard lube and requires a heater to go through my lube-a-matic but it works in the summer.