Monotype to lead ratio for 38 +p and 357 mag?

[Sudsy]

The goal is accuracy, I'll be competing in shooting tree and cut the rope competitions
I'll be shooting them through a Ruger Vaquero and Henry Big Boy.

I'll be using an Arsenal 338-158 RF gas checked mold and will be powder coating.

What should be my fresh pour hardness target be ? (water cool or air cool?)

Wouldn't be terrible if it worked well for 38 spc but I realize that might be asking a bit much.
I'm going to assume that if I go 5 to 1 lead to mono for the +P / 357 I should go 6 to 1 for 38 spc ? Or is that to simple?

What I have to work with :
I have pure lead, 3 virgin linotype pigs, a 5 gallon bucket of mixed mono and lino (mostly mono), two 10 lb brick size blocks of pure tin (that I've no idea how to cut), about 50 lbs of old wire solder that was melted and poured into ingots, and about 3k lbs of hardened 7 1/2 shot that had been used as ballast but I use to load trap rounds.
I have no wheel weights, nor can I get any. Hard to come by here in NJ. My son's a mechanic and can barely get me any - it's all the zinc stuff now.

Lesson to learn - Make COPIES of your recipe. I did a pour a few months ago and everything worked out really well -and somewere between then and now I lost the sheet of paper I had written it all down on - now back to square one

I had used some leftover Hi Skoor 700, which worked well but I'm now out of. Any recommendations for a powder that's possible to find right now?

Thanks !

[hc18flyer]

For my .38 Special I have been using 97.5 % lead, 1.5% tin, and 1% antimony, comes in at about 10 bhn. You could simply match the tin and antimony at 1.5 or 2% as well. I powder coat and air cool my pistol plinkers. I use 'Bumpo's alloy calculator ( from this forum) for my alloys. It is easy to use and very accurate, when I have it verified.

[Sudsy]

For my .38 Special I have been using 97.5 % lead, 1.5% tin, and 1% antimony, comes in at about 10 bhn. You could simply match the tin and antimony at 1.5 or 2% as well. I powder coat and air cool my pistol plinkers. I use 'Bumpo's alloy calculator ( from this forum) for my alloys. It is easy to use and very accurate, when I have it verified.

I have no antimony except what might be in some of the things I do have - listed in the OP

[Gobeyond]

Theoretically 3-1 would be tougher then hardball, bet really about 2% too much tin for 357 mag. 4-1 would be good too. But I use my expensive stuff sparingly. If you could get 94-3-3 out of your monotype. But as you wish depending on your personality, any of these will work.

[Hick]

My data may be a little old, but my source says monotype is about 72% lead, 9 tin and 19 antimony. If you blend 1 part monotype with 3 parts pure lead you will have a little over 2% tin and a little under 5% antimony, which should get you to around 12 BHN

[Rickf1985]

I don't think you can get to where you need to be with what you have. What you have is all higher in antimony than anything else so adding tin will do nothing but help with fill out. And you will need no more than 2% tin to do that. But you do not need anything over 10 BHN, 12 max. And with what you have you are going to be in the upper teens and even in the 20's. You need a LOT of pure lead.

[Soundguy]

I have no antimony except what might be in some of the things I do have - listed in the OP

you have 12-18% antimony... plenty..plenty...

[Soundguy]

My data may be a little old, but my source says monotype is about 72% lead, 9 tin and 19 antimony. If you blend 1 part monotype with 3 parts pure lead you will have a little over 2% tin and a little under 5% antimony, which should get you to around 12 BHN

should be close with that alloy...

[Rickf1985]

If you go with 10# of pure and 3# of Monotype that comes up to 13.2BHN on the alloy calculator. Consider that the calculator uses 8.0 for pure and you say you have a mix of lino and mono then your BHN should be right around 12 with a good tin content.

I used the 10 and 3 so that would give you a good mix in a 20lb. pot. This way you can make a 13lb. batch and if it needs modifying you can do so on a usable amount until you get it right. KEEP NOTES!!!!! Once you get it dialed in then make up a 100 lb. batch and mark it well and keep notes with the batch and also keep notes in your reloading records.

[Sudsy]

This was PMed to me and seems like the way for me to go.....

If you blend 1 pound of pure lead and 1 pound of Linotype you will get 2 pounds of 2-6-92 (tin-antimony-lead) which is about 15-16 BHN after age hardening.
Mix 1 pound of 2-6-92 and 1 pound of pure lead and you get
2 pounds of 1-3-96 which is a little stronger than COWW. This will not contain arsenic, so the age hardening will take a little longer.
Same with quench hardening, it will work, but not quite as quickly.
Add a half cup of shot to a 10 pound pot if you really feel the need to add arsenic, it just takes care to get the shot pellets hot enough to be fluid inside the oxide shell, them mash them against the side of the pot.

[fredj338]

Running gc & PC, I dont think your alloy is really that important, especially if not running magnum pressures. I would try the 6-1 see what accuracy looks like. As usual, proper fit is the crucial part. Check your cyl throats, it is the important measurement in most revos. You dont want undersized throats. I water drop out of the PC oven for a little BHN bump. Water dropping then baking PC just undoes the water dropping.

[Sudsy]

This was PMed to me and seems like the way for me to go.....

If you blend 1 pound of pure lead and 1 pound of Linotype you will get 2 pounds of 2-6-92 (tin-antimony-lead) which is about 15-16 BHN after age hardening.
Mix 1 pound of 2-6-92 and 1 pound of pure lead and you get
2 pounds of 1-3-96 which is a little stronger than COWW.

Wait.... so in other words this ends up as 3 parts lead to 1 part lino/mono blend, right ?
I'm terrible at this.

I have a pot going of 48 lbs pure and 16 lbs lino/mono mix

[Rockindaddy]

What is the difference between monotype and linotype lead alloy??? I have melted a lot of linotype into pistol boolits! Usually add soft lead so it isn't too hard.

[Rickf1985]

Linotype is 4-12-84
Monotype is 9-19-72.
Monotype is more than double the tin and roughly half again as much antimony.

[Rockindaddy]

Thanks Rick! Did not know that.

[bruce381]

no flaming but powder coat is great fro softer alloy gas check is for high speed do not need both IMHO

[Rickf1985]

I do not powder coat so I am no expert there but I can see how PC might stop soft bullets from leading but I am positive the PC will not stop flame cutting from high pressure.