Cabin Tree lead hardness tester

[vagabond]

There were rave reviews of the lead hardness tester formerly manufactured by Cabin Tree and I went in search of one. They sold that portion of the business to ST Machining Products. Does anyone have an opinion on the new model that they are manufacturing?

[hermans]

I was also wondering about the quality of the new models....my one is an original Cabine Tree and is very well made.

[Dog1]

Interesting I think I'm going to order one and see how they work. I'm a little tired of trying to use the magnifying thingamajig from the Lee testing kit.

https://cowboybullets.3dcartstores.c...ster_p_57.html

[John Boy]

First of all, a bullet base is where the test is performed
Secondly, this $120 tester doesn’t have a large enough opening & would not measure the hardness of an ingot
Thirdly, it’s a tool that has to be stored separately
So, with my Lee tester, permanently mounted on the turret with the universal deprimmer, immediate results in 30 seconds to determine a bullet hardness or an ingot up to 6 pounds

[Dusty Bannister]

When I melt scrap lead or other sources, I usually cast sample bullets with a bullet mold for a wide flat nosed bullet. That prevents an error in reading at a shrinkage void in a bullet base. It looks like the opening between the spring base and the indent point will take up to a piece 1 1/2" thick. That should handle most cast ingots normally used by bullet casters. I suppose it all depends upon what you need and how you plan ahead to use the tools.

Ingots and bullets may not give the same test results due to a different cooling rate of the sample.

[LenH]

Vagabond, I have one of the ST Machining testers, It is very well made and it gives pretty accurate results if I do my part right.

[vagabond]

Thank you for the input. I will put it on the "list" of approved toys.

[fredj338]

First of all, a bullet base is where the test is performed
Secondly, this $120 tester doesn’t have a large enough opening & would not measure the hardness of an ingot
Thirdly, it’s a tool that has to be stored separately
So, with my Lee tester, permanently mounted on the turret with the universal deprimmer, immediate results in 30 seconds to determine a bullet hardness or an ingot up to 6 pounds

I use a CT, test on the nose. Base testing is dubious if there is even a tiny void. I can test a pretty big i got, maybe 1"+ thickness? I don't make ingots bigger than that.