lbt bhn tester

[skimmerhead]

lbt bhn tester, is it worth the 100 bucks? is it as good as i've heard it is? anyone have used this tester? looking to buy but only the best. thanks skimmerhead

[sargenv]

Yes, yes it is.. it is the Simplest of the testers to use.. there are some cheaper, and some more expensive, and personally If I had to buy one again, this is the one I'd get. It's worth every penny I paid for it.

[Springfield]

I use mine all the time. If you follow the instructions it is very accurate, and extremely easy to use with a direct BHN readout, no guessing or converting.

[.30/30 Guy]

I have only had mine a short time. Very impressed about how easy it is to use.

[bobthenailer]

ive had mine for well over 10 years ! works excellent ! a fried had a saeco hardness tester that i used for awhile and i prefer the lbt

[skimmerhead]

thanks guys! i wanted to be sure before i bought it, i don't mind spending the bucks, i wanted what you guys just described, accurate and ease of use. i'll be ordering one shortly, thanks for the input.

skimmerhead:drinks:

[Firebricker]

I'm happy with mine definately worth the $ IMO. I like because it's fast and accurate with direct bhn reading. FB

[LAH]

The only BHN tester I've used is the LBT so I can't compare but I will say it works & is simple.


Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[dicko]

lbt bhn tester, is it worth the 100 bucks? is it as good as i've heard it is? anyone have used this tester? looking to buy but only the best. thanks skimmerhead

It seems I'm the only dissenting voice. I tried the LBT tester, and got widely disparate readings on bullets from the same alloy. Not just one batch but several. Using it wrongly ? Maybe, but I'm a commercial caster, respectably skilled machinist and ex gunsmith, so I don't think so.

But my main point is why bother with hardness testers when the reliable way to get any hardness you want is to get the antimony % right. To paraphrase Jeff Cooper "hardness testers are the answer to a non existent problem."

$100 ?? Crazy !!

[skimmerhead]

i have been trying out my tester on various known bhn. lyman #2 tested 15 on several samples, lyman#2 that i mixed useing lead boolit calculator, useing ww lino and tin. bhn 15 all samples. mixed a batch useing lasc formula for a harder alloy, i wanted 17 bhn. all samples tested 17. tested boolits i bought on gun broker, 7. emailed guy asked what bhn boolits were 12 -to-14 bhn. when i told him about the test he said he'd refund my money. i think i have a better chance of winning the lottery. i tested some boolits i got in nov. from going ballistic spec's were 16 bhn, when i tested every random sample was 16. now having said that this is the first bhn tester i ever used, i followed instructions and could not be happier, now i don't know how accurate it is compared to any other but i don't care! it is balls on accurate and repeatable, easy to use, now i know what i'm shooting! hats off to you VERAL SMITH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

skimmerhead :arrow::lovebooli it's worth every penny i paid! I MUST BE KRAZY

[skimmerhead]

THANK'S to all who have and use this tester your feedback helped me make the right choice. does that make ya'll crazy too?


skimmerhead :arrow: :cbpour: :veryconfu

[canyon-ghost]

That's good to hear. How'd that 41 magnum load come out? I saw it on Willy's side, Gunloads.com, and wondered if you'd had to chance to get a definitive load. It's been rainy all sping and summer here, so my load development has been spotty.
Bought a .413 WFN mold from Veral, haven't tested it yet. By the looks of it, that mold may be just the thing in my Blackhawk.
Good Luck,
Ron

[skimmerhead]

you ain't gonna believe this but i haven't shot it yet! nor my new ruger .44 flattop! i was working in my barn i was loading some boolits, my old lab laying on the floor next to me just loading some 9mm. well i dropped a boolit and it fell next to ole blue, now ole blue is blind and his hips are bad, kinda sounds like me well not wanting to disturb him i leaned over kinda backwards and flipped over and my knee landed on the cement first. i would have laughed but it hurt too much. but i didn't disturb blue. so thats how i been spending my summer, x ray's mri ortopedic surgeon man this been the most fun iv'e had with all my clothes on that i can remember! but i did not disturb blue. i'll let you know how that load works as soon as i'm finished having fun.

skimmerhead :castmine: :-D

[Tom Krein]

Thanks for the input everyone! Looks like I'll be ordering one too... :)

Tom

[skimmerhead]

you must be crazy to buy one!


skimmerhead :groner:

[Lloyd Smale]

I had a seaco then bought an lbt and liked it better. then i bought a cabin tree tester and it was cheaper and better then the lbt so i sold both of the other two.

[LAH]

I had a seaco then bought an lbt and liked it better. then i bought a cabin tree tester and it was cheaper and better then the lbt so i sold both of the other two.

If I didn't already have a LBT I'd go with the Cabin Tree...............Creeker

[damron g]

If I didn't already have a LBT I'd go with the Cabin Tree...............Creeker


i agree.I originally preferred the LBT because of it read direct in BHN,then i made a ring deal i stick on my Cabine Tree dial indicator marked to read BHN and it like them equally now.I get very repeatable results with both testers though they don't always agree with each other by a small percent.


I had the Lee and it was very accurate and seems to read closer to actual BHN when compared to a known sample. The SAECO was OK except sample size is limited by its design.

"But my main point is why bother with hardness testers when the reliable way to get any hardness you want is to get the antimony % right. "

Still its nice know where you are at and it's useful to see how much water quenching and stuff does.It also helps to see how soft or hard scrap alloy may be.



George

[damron g]

[QUOTE= To paraphrase Jeff Cooper "hardness testers are the answer to a non existent problem."


Whats the problem to knowing hardness?Some of aren't trying to get bullets harder,we just want to know what the BHN is.With plain base 30 caliber loads i learned a lot by being able to monitor bullet hardness.And harder wasn't always better.I don't NEED a chronograph either but i learn a lot from it at times

George

[canyon-ghost]

Not disturbing old Blue, priceless!

[Springfield]

dicko: so how exactly do I determine the exact antimony content? If there are any cheap testers for sale I haven't seen them. I could probably get by with "the ol' thumbnail test", but 100.00 isn't that much if you really care about what you are doing. If we expand your logic, I don't "need" to do any casting at all as bullets are available commercially. I certainly didn't "need" a 40 lb Magma lead pot, and I don't "need" 2 Dillon 550 reloaders or 3 Star lubrisizers. But they work well, they do what they are suppossed to do and I wanted them for my own reasons.

[skimmerhead]

A+ springfield its what you want that counts, even if it makes no sense to any one else. damron g A+ also never said i had a problem with bhn, just wanted to know what i was mixing and not guessing, now as far as the words of jeff cooper i have to question wether bhn is a non exsistent problem i guess it goes by how much you care about what your doing, in my case i want to know everything i can, but you must remember i'm crazy! i just wonder what i'd be called for the 10,000 bucks of equipment and supplies iv'e spent in the last year, or the 8 or 10 grand i'm getting ready to spend on a lathe and mill. do i need a lathe and mill? no!, but i want one. so i guess the best way to put this without offending any one is what's good for one person might look totally retarded to an other. and now for my buddy canyon ghost i hope my explanation of my summer vacation amused you! it a true story and still hurts, as far as blue i'm taking good care of him, iv'e had him when he was 6 weeks old. that was 15 years ago and he's been a good companion all these years, and i'm gonna miss him. i fear i'll have to put him down soon. now to make matters worse i got 2 mihec molds for my s/w 500mag i havent even cleaned yet, 3 lyman too. i'm going nuts over here! maybe i really am crazy? i'll ask my wife! a new .41mag a .44 flattop never been fired! i have them in a special place and late at nite when it's real quite some times i can hear them softly calling. shoot me shoot me shoot me, i think i really am crazy! i answer them, soon my little friends, soon. canyon ghost help i think iv'e gone over the edge! and thats all iv'e got to say about that. skimmerhead :veryconfu :veryconfu [smilie=w:[smilie=w:

[canyon-ghost]

:coffee: That kinda crazy I can fix. It's a little like not disturbing old blue, the pitfalls are right in front of you. With my 41 mag, I discovered that Ruger turns them out fast and, guess what, you get them dirty! If you haven't taken the time to find the right size screwdriver that sets inside the frame screws, consider having a gunsmith clean them up. Your trigger pull decreases dramatically when you take all that machine grit out of the action and trigger(mill & lathe, huh? Wanna clean up after them?).

Then, you may discover a lead bullet won't push through the cylinder- time to get Cylindersmith on the job. Had mine opened up to .4105 for lead, they are tight on tolerances and just plain too small. I used a mix of factory loaded and my own reloads to break it in. Cylindersmith uses a cold blue that needs shot and cleaned to polish off good. About the second time you shoot it, they look really good. I guess a bore brush completes the final finish pretty good.

That's two dates to initiate either gun, means you are going to spend time on them. Then you need new brass and 2400 powder. Since my Ruger measured out right, after having the cylinder opened up, it shot good. I was a little timid about putting a relatively hot load through it but, it takes it in stride, kinda easy. With the cylinder opened up, the forcing cone is smaller, and the muzzle is smaller yet. That's the whole purpose, to make the muzzle the final authority on a lead bullet, and accurately so. I tried the 210 SWC at 14.0 to 14.4 grains of 2400, it's alright. The best was a 220 grain Keith at 15.7 grains of 2400, this is a fine load for big magnum performance. That sounds like a heck of an increase in powder but, 2400 climbs the recoil chart slowly and incrementally. Not too bad to shoot. Still working with the TC and the Blackhawk.
But if you haven't had the pleasure of shooting the 41 mag, buddy, take a weekend off! Gawd, is it good! I've had 357s kick harder and complain more. You don't know what you been missing!

Ron

[skimmerhead]

had the pleasure of speaking with rocky rabb some time ago about making some .41spl, cutting down the cases and modifications to my lee .41 mag dies and load data that he's been working up. very interesting project, had some custom work done by lee to my specs on dies and case trimmers. won't be long before i start working on that. right now i'm looking for a ruger blackhawk in .357 so i can get the cylinders and barrell bored to make a dedicated .41spl. i'll let you know how that comes out'

skimmerhead :arrow: :veryconfu