A good ratio?

[ronterry]

Hey guys, have a question for you.
What is good ratio for #8 Lawrence Mag shot, and straight WW.

I understand WW have unpredictable hardness, but I can tell you the Shot has 5% antimony.

Also, how about Tin? You guys think any is needed for a better pour?
If so, where do you score it?

I'll be casting everything from 10mm to 458 WinMag/Lott (Only rifle I shoot lead in right now), from sub sonic to super sonic gas checks.
I do sometimes make 10's break the sound barrier without gas checks, but for the most part I try to keep those around 1000FPS 'ish

The 458 I'll shoot as low as 1600FPS on up to 2250-2300FPS with GC...

Thanks Fellows,:drinks:

BTW: I have to give credit to my pal ANeat for giving me a one time only deal on some WW. I just don't have the communication skills to get my own. They see me coming and through up the closed sign, and call the PO-PO?:???:

[Rick N Bama]

I can't tell you about using #8, but just this week I mixed in 1/4 cup of #4s into about 17# of WW alloy. I water dropped the boolits & 24 hours later, the two I tested showed something like BHN28.

The mold is a Lee 358-125RF for use in my 9MMs as they both like a hard boolit. I think these are the best looking to ever drop from this mold, also they seemed to just jump out of the cavities. I wonder if the shot had something to do with that?

Good luck in your efforts.

Rick

[ANeat]

Honestly Ron I think even straight WW might work for your needs.

The shot will add Arsenic which like Rick mentioned will really help in the heat-treat ability of the alloy, and it really wont need a lot of the shot to accomplish that


If you havent read it yet there is a lot LOT of fantastic ino on the LASC site

http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[Echo]

Right about the tin. Try to get at least 2% tin in your alloy. Any more than 3% is wasteful. Tin reduces the surface tension of the molten alloy, so it fills the mold with no rounded corners where sharp corners are in the mold. For 50 pounds of WW's, a half-pound of lead-free solder will produce something over 1% tin, and might be sufficient. A full pound will produce something over 2% tin, and will be sufficient.

And it doesn't take much arsenic or antimony to make harder, and hardenable, boolits.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I cast straight WW's and have been doing this for almost 20 years. Using a hot mold, 750 degree alloy and Bruce B's fast casting methods with Bullshop's Bullplate Sprue Lube along with a 5 gallon bucket of cold water I get excellent results and it is fast. Frosty sometimes but I do not care. This is for handguns.

Rifles take a more deliberate approach. I skip the cooling plate because I wait longer for the sprue to harden then I demold and drop into cold water. I wait until the lead cools and when the whole bucket is ready I size with a Lee Push Thru sizer die and lube the boolits with soapy water.

Rinse 'em all off with clean water and let them dry. They harden with time.
Recently I have been paper patching after sizing as above. Then when the patches are dry I lube with JPW lightly and run thru the final size I am looking for.
.310 in my M-1 and .314 for my Smle.

It is easier to size right after molding as I take them down to .308, patch to .317 and resize down to either M-1 or Smle sizes. The boolits will harden in time for about two months.

I suppose I could add some tin to the mix and get sharper and prettier boolits but all I can say is they work. The biggest improvement I have seen in the last 6 months has been with paper patching. My groups have shrunk and my barrel is clean as a hound's tooth and I like the price.

Seems the more I do this the more I enjoy all the aspects of casting and reloading. It used to be I cast to shoot............now I wonder about today?

[fredj338]

For hardening a bullet, water dropping or heat treating is the way to go. I do believe adding some tin to the mix makes the casting easier w/ better mold fill out. I use 25-1 for LHP w/ great success.

[ronterry]

This is some wicked data guys, I think you have showed me a new approach, and I going to print and save this thread for future ref. Thanks for sharing your methods, that I'm sure took many hours of development. Again Thanks!!!

BTW: Play along, it was requested that if I wanted some WW at the deal I'm getting I have to say the following. Adam is the Lead God, and is the master of all things reloading <hold on> OK, My knowledge on the subject is like bubble gum on the bottom of his shoe. He is the zen but-ta of all things lead, and in fact lead should be renamed adamite.
I hope I got it correct!

BTW2: ...and where to score Tin? Do you get it from Midway, or local?

BTW3: Looks like the 125# of shot I have is going to last a long time, cause I don't load for shotgun :)

[ANeat]

:roll:Easy there Ron;:mrgreen: I just got a little lead is all, some of these guys can put me to shame in the lead stash category......for real.

Ill try to remember to throw in a little tin in the care packages, like the guys said, it dont take much, works wonders

[ronterry]

You mean Adamite, no I dought it! I've seen pics of your stash!
You could pave my 300ft driveway with your stash.
I'm surprise your not cleaning house on GB. Once you sold it all you could buy a new Lamborghini or an 8# jug or Varget.
Personaly I would get the Murcielago in black!

[ept000]

Adam is definitely "Da Man". He has helped me countless times, and saved me a lot of head aches. Thanks Adam.

[Echo]

Check with Grainger - I bought lead-free solder from them (97% tin) for about $8.pound, delivered. 10 pounds that will last me the rest of my natural life. It will be more expensive @ Ace Hdw.
Or if you can scrounge some body solder, it is usually 50/50 tin/lead. Works great. Sometimes available at your local recycler in the lead bin.

[ronterry]

That's good to know thanks. I'll put that in my book. Yes I have this book I keep everything from how to capture the schema role from a dead domain controller to the best powder for 38 special.

However the super mac daddy of all lead gods IE Adam is hooking me up with da Tin in what he referred to as a care package. Care Packages are cool, especially when they come from deities! (Hey what starts with an O, and ends with an O and is Hi in the middle? You give up? Adams House!
Good Job Eric, we'll have Adam promoted to airman first class in no time!
Already been in contact with the scientific community about the probability for renaming Lead to Adamite. So far I getting some pretty positive feedback. You guys know how much a pain it is when you put Lead in google, you end up with links that refer to business leads in the work force. One word and two meaning, good old English language :)

Please stop me if I'm going OT [smilie=b: :killingpc

Seriously Adam and Eric are both cool, there dragging me to safety from getting shot in the butt by a stray GP bullet! Now they have to play rock-paper-scissors to figured out who's pulling it out...DOHHHH that was bad.
Real bad....I'm out....