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Thread: BruceB soft point method

  1. #1
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    BruceB soft point method

    I have read through the sticky, but kind of wonder what the recommended alloys for both the soft point and the main bullet body should be.

    Obviously, pure lead is going to expand well as the nose, but seems like it may shear away too quickly if the bullet is pushed very fast. Would you want the mani body of the bullet real hard? Seems like a Lyman#2 would be harder than you'd want.

    I have cast some like this, never used them on game. I'd like to hunt with the 311284 which is a round nose, and the old RCBS 7mm 165 grain bullet which has been discontinued. I've done pretty well using flat nosed bullets cast of the 50/50 wheel weights to pure with 2% tin added, was just thinking I could do this with higher velocities if I used the soft point method.

    I'd like to hear other's experience.

  2. #2
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    When I tried that method I got a parting line between the 2 alloy's, and there was some boolits that the nose separated, on some, but not all of the boolits made
    it is a lot of work and the end can be accomplished in a small quantity but it is a lot of work
    I have come to the conclusion that a hollow point with the appropriate alloy with a gas check seated would suffice for my needs
    but to each their own
    Hit em'hard
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    I lost a few when running them through a sizer but most of the ones I made held together. I never shot game with them. I have decided that meplate matters and if I need to push things faster because of range I should use jacketed. Mine were pure from purchased 32 RB's and clip on ww. The difficulty of keeping the mix line even enough made me think I may have had imbalanced bullets.
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  5. #5
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    If both the tip and the base are molten when you pour the base there should be no join line. That is the basic trick, keeping that tip molten while you switch over to pour the base. If you have a join line you did not accomplish this melting.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  6. #6
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    The late Frank Marshal used to simply use a flat punch with his sizer to make a meplat on the nose of the 311284. I would think that would be far simpler to do that than 2 quick pours of alloy.

    I simply chuck the Boolits in my lathe and cut .050 off the nose for a meplat and find no change in POI out to 200 yards. That is If I desire a meplat on any RN I have.
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by white eagle View Post
    When I tried that method I got a parting line between the 2 alloy's, and there was some boolits that the nose separated, on some, but not all of the boolits made
    it is a lot of work and the end can be accomplished in a small quantity but it is a lot of work
    I have come to the conclusion that a hollow point with the appropriate alloy with a gas check seated would suffice for my needs
    but to each their own
    Yep, keep it simple.

  8. #8
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    Most here don't seem to understand Bruce B's method, which results in perfect boolits with no line between the alloys. It's not simply 2 fast pours........

    I had good luck with pure lead noses and straight COWW for the base, water dropped from the mold. I never attempted any real high velocity though, 1500fps or so, max.

    Performed well on game, in my limited experience, a couple animals.
    I normally use soft, single alloy boolits, but if I was planning to push my luck with a marginal cartridge against a large critter, I think the 2 alloy boolits are advantageous for sure.

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  9. #9
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    I never shot any game with the ones I made, I had multiple structural problems with my back/ shoulder and knee right after I got started making them; I quit deer hunting then.

    I did have a few of the first batch pop the noses off after a few days. I had used some old swaged .375 Round balls (~81 grain?) for the nose of the Lyman 4524244. The next batch I made, I made sure to stir/skim the pure lead nose section before letting it solidify. Those ones have sat loaded for several years with nary a problem.

    As any plumber will tell you, "You cannot get a good solder joint unless all parts are clean." A solder joint in the boolit is essentially what we are making by doing this.

    If I were to use the 311284; I would get or cast some fresh pure lead .310-.320" round balls, or just weigh out 40-45 grains of pure for each nose.

    For the main body of the projectile, I would use my normal alloy whether that be Lyman #2, ACWW, or whatever. ACWW happens to be my choice.

    Yes it is a bit more work and fiddling than just casting; but just how many rounds are you planning to shoot at big game in a year?

    Robert

  10. #10
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    Years back, I hunted some with a two alloy Lyman 31141 at a muzzle velocity of 2400 fps. The tip was 20-1, lead-tin. The base was heat treated WWs. They made a mess of things. Lots of blood shot meat. Like jacketed soft points. If that works for you, they work. After shooting a few deer and antelope I went back to the same bullet all of heat treated WWs. At that velocity the meplat made a nice thumb size hole all the way through. It will leave a cone of slightly bloodshot meat about 3" at start tapering to the exit, but wouldn't ruin a whole shoulder if it got hit, or the whole side of ribs. If your shots tend to be in the 50 to 100 yard range, with a .30 bullet at around 1800 fps, then they might work okay. My wife tends to shoot whitetail with her .30-30 under these conditions and just plain WWs seem to work fine.

    I didn't use the BruceB method. Too slow. I used two pots at the same time, both bottom pours. One with the soft alloy one with the WWs. Cast some with just WWs to get the mold up to casting temperature and running good. Then go to the soft alloy. Put the mold under the spout and flip the lever up and down just about as fast as you can. Then immediately under the WWs and fill the rest of the cavity. You can cast these almost as fast as you can with a single alloy. Cast a bunch. Then sort them. The ones that didn't fill good, of course reject them. The ones that look to your eye to have the right amount of soft point, put in one pile. The ones with too little in a pile and ones with too much in another. Load 'em and shoot some groups on paper. See if you can tell which ones came from which pile. You'll have some fun shooting if nothing else.

    Yeah, I know you need two bottom pour pots for this method and not everybody has two pots, yet. My take on it, it's too much work for the best results, and way too much work for the worst results.
    Last edited by Doughty; 08-29-2021 at 07:16 PM.
    AKA "Old Vic"
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  11. #11
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    Interesting method Doug. I haven’t tried that. I have had success using two pots and a small bottom pour ladel with a valve that I cobbled together. Dip the first, push the button to empty ladel and get under the bottom pour to finish base. Still have to be fast and hot.

  12. #12
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    What Doughty said above.
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    Remember Lavoy!
    I'll cling to my God and my guns, and you can keep the "Change".

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check