super hard and wheel weights

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06-13-2023, 03:50 AM
michael.birdsley

super hard and wheel weights

i’m looking to make bullets with BHN of 15 to shoot out of my mosin. starting out i want to try use unique first and stay between 1300 fps and 1500 fps. I have wheel weights, pure lead and 5 lbs of super hard alloy from roto metals. i have a 20 lbs lee pot. using the wheel weights i’m thinking if i used 19 lbs of wheel weights and 1.0 lbs of the super hard so i would think should be close to 15 bhn? if i was using the pure lead i would have to use 1.5 lbs ? does this sound in the ball park ?

i don’t have a lab top or computer and i can’t get the alloy calculator to work on my phone.

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06-13-2023, 09:05 AM
Rickf1985

The 19 to 1 will give you 12.7 BHN. 19 to 3 will give you 14.9 according to the calculator. Pure lead will take you in another direction.
using wheel weights and super hard and amounts that will fit in your pot you can go with 15 to 2.5 which will give you 15 bhn.
15 lbs. of pure lead to 4.5 lbs of Superhard will also give you 15 BHM but keep in mind that the calculator is using 8.6 as a figure for pure lead. I just discussed this in a recent post on here. So it will get you in the ball park and then you would need to modify that to meet your needs.
06-13-2023, 04:41 PM
michael.birdsley

super hard and wheel weights

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickf1985

The 19 to 1 will give you 12.7 BHN. 19 to 3 will give you 14.9 according to the calculator. Pure lead will take you in another direction.
using wheel weights and super hard and amounts that will fit in your pot you can go with 15 to 2.5 which will give you 15 bhn.
15 lbs. of pure lead to 4.5 lbs of Superhard will also give you 15 BHM but keep in mind that the calculator is using 8.6 as a figure for pure lead. I just discussed this in a recent post on here. So it will get you in the ball park and then you would need to modify that to meet your needs.

thank you very much. i know it’s not an exact figure as i don’t know what the exact composition of the wheel weights or the pure lead is. i think that point with the pure lead i’d probably just add the whole 5lbs stick of super hard.

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06-13-2023, 06:32 PM
Dom

For my casting I use straight scrap WW. My hardness tester is an LBT product. These bullets consistently test at 10.5 BHN. Bullets, with GC's are driven up to a max of about 1600fps with no problem. Some are powder coated , some are just sized & lubed. My plain base bullets perform at velocities of about 1400 fps , with great accuracy. From 25-20 to 45-70 , & many in between. Never a problem with the 10.5 BHN .. Hope this is helpful.
06-13-2023, 08:10 PM
michael.birdsley

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dom

For my casting I use straight scrap WW. My hardness tester is an LBT product. These bullets consistently test at 10.5 BHN. Bullets, with GC's are driven up to a max of about 1600fps with no problem. Some are powder coated , some are just sized & lubed. My plain base bullets perform at velocities of about 1400 fps , with great accuracy. From 25-20 to 45-70 , & many in between. Never a problem with the 10.5 BHN .. Hope this is helpful.

it is helpful. i was hoping to get away from gas checking untill i decided to cross the 1500 fps threshold.

i run around 1300 fps in my 325c 30-30 using missouri bullet company 160grain FP plain bass white tail bullet. i can do that with out a gas check

i may try with just WW. i’m assuming after i go above 1500 i’ll need a harder bullet and a gas check.

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06-13-2023, 09:50 PM
Rickf1985

You can water quench WW right out of the mold and get in the 20's.
06-13-2023, 09:57 PM
michael.birdsley

i need put a hardness tester on my want list. that would be awesome if i could water quench and get into the 20’s. i’d like to verify on a hardness tester though.

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06-14-2023, 12:39 AM
Huskerguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael.birdsley

i’m looking to make bullets with BHN of 15 to shoot out of my mosin. starting out i want to try use unique first and stay between 1300 fps and 1500 fps. I have wheel weights, pure lead and 5 lbs of super hard alloy from roto metals. i have a 20 lbs lee pot. using the wheel weights i’m thinking if i used 19 lbs of wheel weights and 1.0 lbs of the super hard so i would think should be close to 15 bhn? if i was using the pure lead i would have to use 1.5 lbs ? does this sound in the ball park ?

i don’t have a lab top or computer and i can’t get the alloy calculator to work on my phone.

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Here are a couple calculators you may find helpful. The second one is a new one that I have not used. The first one is very basic in that you find the type of lead you have, input the amount of it in the yellow cells and it calculates estimated hardness at the bottom.

Well, scratch that idea. I tried to attach the spread sheet calculators and the system would not allow me as it doesn't recognize the xls files. If I had a good email I could send them or maybe someone knows a work around.
06-14-2023, 03:31 AM
michael.birdsley

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huskerguy

Here are a couple calculators you may find helpful. The second one is a new one that I have not used. The first one is very basic in that you find the type of lead you have, input the amount of it in the yellow cells and it calculates estimated hardness at the bottom.

Well, scratch that idea. I tried to attach the spread sheet calculators and the system would not allow me as it doesn't recognize the xls files. If I had a good email I could send them or maybe someone knows a work around.

i can send you my email

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06-24-2023, 01:02 AM
Gobeyond

You don’t need a harder bullet with a gas check. The gas check is hard enough and takes care of the blow by. It’s a good chance to relax your alloy a little. I shoot a 30-30 and have used those bullets. But a medium grade is all you need. And not only that but hardball is a good 15 bhn bullet good for 1500 FPS.
06-24-2023, 10:21 AM
Digital Dan

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael.birdsley

i’m looking to make bullets with BHN of 15 to shoot out of my mosin. starting out i want to try use unique first and stay between 1300 fps and 1500 fps. I have wheel weights, pure lead and 5 lbs of super hard alloy from roto metals. i have a 20 lbs lee pot. using the wheel weights i’m thinking if i used 19 lbs of wheel weights and 1.0 lbs of the super hard so i would think should be close to 15 bhn? if i was using the pure lead i would have to use 1.5 lbs ? does this sound in the ball park ?

i don’t have a lab top or computer and i can’t get the alloy calculator to work on my phone.

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You don't need 15 BHN to achieve your objective. Straight wheel weights will work fine. I shoot in the velocity range you spoke of with BHN 9-10 alloy.
06-24-2023, 06:22 PM
RickinTN

Straight wheel weights will do what you want to do. A plain based bullet without a gas check is a whole nuther animal than a gas check bullet without a gas check. Softer is usually better for plain based bullets. I'm afraid you are trying to go the wrong direction with your hardness. The wheel weights should work very well for what you have described.
Good Luck,
Rick
06-24-2023, 06:55 PM
michael.birdsley

super hard and wheel weights

they shot pretty good today and zero leading. the boolets are gas checked and lubed. this was my first trip to the range.

i agree that for 1300-1400 wheel weights will be ok but, eventually i want to push these boolets a little harder. i’d like to eventually get to about 1600-1800 fps. in my mosin. i’d rather error on the side of being a little to hard than soft.

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