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Thread: What alloy are you using?

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
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    What alloy are you using?

    Hello eveyone! I ordered a Seneca Recluse as my first pcp. But, trying to find what people might be casting for the big bore air rifles has been a challenge.

    I have ordered a few different pellets online to test, but I am also going to test some of my cast boolits as well, like 95 gr, 135 gr, and 158, gr.

    But, what alloy is everyone using? I don't have much (any?) pure. But I have lots of wheel weight and hardball. Am I just going to have to test when the gun comes in? Or do any of you have much experience with harder alloys in pcp?

    I think I am also going to test coated (powder and/or hi-tek) lead too.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy rsterne's Avatar
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    I use 40:1, ie 2.5% tin.... Wheel weights are generally too hard for airgun use, you want either pure lead, or a small amount of tin, and keep the BHN under 10....

    Bob

  3. #3
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    I'd scrounge for more pure Lead, and save the wheel weights to ally in and use just enough to get a good fill out.

    I've had some luck at the big box stores.
    The dept. managers have to keep their area clean and the roof flashings in the store that kids smash up get thrown away.
    I've had a few just given to me for asking.

    Depending where you are, scrap yards usually sell stuff for about 50% more than they pay for it.
    If they buy Lead for $1.oo, they'll usually sell it for $1.50.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Bub
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    Thanks guys. I guess more soft lead is in my future. If I find some good results with the hard stuff, I'll report back

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    air gun pure lead only

  6. #6
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by BLAHUT View Post
    air gun pure lead only
    I'm sure that's where I'll end up. But I'm also going to experiment with harder stuff. And some powder coated ones as well.

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
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    The soft lead is because the steel in the air rifle barrels is softer, so if you use harder lead (ww), then it will damage your barrel.

  8. #8
    Boolit Bub
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    From what I'm reading, it's not that the barrel is soft and the lead will damage it. It's that the antinomy will cause leading. Then trying to scrub it like a regular powder burner could damage it.

    But, hard projectiles I will be lubing or coating.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master elmacgyver0's Avatar
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    I think those little "Stick On" wheel weights are pure lead.

  10. #10
    Boolit Mold
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    Hey all. New guy to airguns and airgun "boolit" casting here so my response is not coming totally from experience, just what I have read recently on the topic. I am getting my feet wet next week casting some NOE 30 cal hollow point slugs from their 300-55-HP-BY6 mold. I will definitely be adding some wheel weight metal (actually wheel weights from the 80s and new Linotype metal at about 6:1) to my pure lead in order to get a good fill on the mold. It will be interesting to see if or at what ratio of wheel weight to pure lead, negative stuff starts to happen.

    It appears to me that the problem with the harder alloys in an airgun is that for one, they do not obturate the bore as well as pure lead. A traditional pellet design needs a flexible skirt that will expand to seal the bore. With Slugs, there is no expanding skirt, but they still need to be soft enough to be engraved by the rifling without too much resistance. Other than poor accuracy, the main concern as I understand it with hard alloy pellets and more so with slugs is that they could possibly get stuck in the bore. And, if a good seal isn't achieved, velocity will suffer. That said, I have some H&N pellets and slugs that are made of a harder alloy than some other projectiles I have shot. 1200 to 2800 psi is a mouse fart compared to even the very low pressures in some centerfire pistol cartridges.

    I don't think you need to be worried about damaging the barrel with wheel weight metal, or about an increase in leading. My experience is that leading is greater with pure lead than with harder cast bullets at any velocity. As the velocity increases, leading will be worse with pure lead vs harder alloys. I have found that some brands of airgun barrels are made of significantly softer steel than those in powder burning guns, but even the soft steel is still significantly harder than lead alloys. I avoid using cleaning rods in my airguns because I have seen bronze / brass tipped rods leave scratches in the bore. If you had an old school airgun with a bronze or brass barrel in it, you might want to stick to pure lead.

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
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    I finally got to play some more with this gun. I love it. And some of the stuff I cast with wheel weights and some unknown % alloy have done just fine. The stuff that was powder coated did great. This is a 158 grain Lee TL that was powder coated. I think the other one was a NOE 135 grain that I only tumble lubed in alox, and was softer lead.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  12. #12
    Boolit Bub
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    Oh, and it seems to love .360 round balls too!

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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