Wheel weights and hardball alloy

[North Alabama Hunter]

Wondering if anyone has a good recipe for using hardball alloy with wheel weights to make a slightly harder bullet than just using straight wheel weights? I plan to water quench too (ex: 15 lbs WW and 1 lb hardball) Casting for 10mm/40 S&W and 44 mag. Thanks in advance

[Rickf1985]

What you are proposing will not gain you anything. Wheel weights are 12-14bhn and hardball is 16. Using the calculator that mix actually causes you to lose a little and come out at 11.7 bhn. This is where the calculator is not always accurate but no matter because the two alloys are soo close together you will not get enough gain in hardness to justify the cost.
The 12-14 WW hardness should be fine for what you want but I would add a tiny bit of pewter if I want harder. 15lbs. of WW amd 1/2 lb. of pewter will bring you up to 15.2 bhn.

[Soundguy]

Ww plus tin actually gains you a little hardness and pourability.

[MUSTANG]

Air Cooled Wheel Weight should fetch you 11-14 BHN.

Water quenched should fetch you 18 to 22BHN based on your heat of the boolit when quenched, your Wheel Weight alloy (Antimony content is most significant factor), and if you hold your mouth the right way and have the same level of air in your lungs when you drop the boolit into the water.

(North Alabama Hunter - Purple on this forum is used to cite a cynical or humorous content).

Temp and Antimony content DO MATTER.

A good information source on Water Quenching can be found at: http://www.lasc.us/HeatTreat.htm


Does Heat Treating only for Hand gun velocity boolits affect things? Yes it does. Back in the 1980's I got into heat treating cast bullets. A friend and I were out in the High Desert east of Carson City Nevada - some jerks had dumped a lot of trash/junk. An old Heavy Duty Water Pressure tank was there and we decided to do some testing since I had both cast Wheel Weight and Water Quenched Wheel Weight bullets for .45ACP. He had factory .45 ACP Hard Ball. We shot 5 rounds of each at the Water Pressure Tank = The .45 Hardball and .45 Cast Wheel Weight flattened and spattered barely made a dent in the Tank where they hit. The Water Quenched Wheel Weight .45 ACP's all penetrated into the tank. It was 20 years later before I acquired an BHN tester so do not know the BHN of those Water Quenched at the time.

[dondiego]

What is your purpose for wanting a very hard alloy?

[Soundguy]

What is your purpose for wanting a very hard alloy?

He said he is casting for these "Casting for 10mm/40 S&W and 44 mag. ".

That gets him to 37500 psi... Which is just under 2x the pressure of 45acp.. And still exceeding 357 magnum pressures.

I think he just wants to be safe vs leading. Can't speak about the 40/10.. But rifles in 44 mag are plenty common... Some like a little extra hardness. ( though size is also 50% or more of the equation too. ).

[fredj338]

IMO, just water quench the clip ww. Plenty hard for 10/44mag. If worried about leading, make sure you have good bullet fit. This includes those pesky cyl throats.

[dondiego]

He said he is casting for these "Casting for 10mm/40 S&W and 44 mag. ".

That gets him to 37500 psi... Which is just under 2x the pressure of 45acp.. And still exceeding 357 magnum pressures.

I think he just wants to be safe vs leading. Can't speak about the 40/10.. But rifles in 44 mag are plenty common... Some like a little extra hardness. ( though size is also 50% or more of the equation too. ).

Good explanation.......thanks.

[lightman]

Wheelweights work so well alone that I wouldn't add anything to them unless it was 1 or 1-1/2 % tin.

[243winxb]

Or to harden WW, just add some Rotometals Linotype & air cool. Has tin & antimony. Antimony makes harder & larger bullets.

[Soundguy]

Wheelweights work so well alone that I wouldn't add anything to them unless it was 1 or 1-1/2 % tin.

Many times that is what i will do, add a little tin, if I think I want something NEAR lyman #2,, but don't actually need lyman #2

[leadbutt]

Air Cooled Wheel Weight should fetch you 11-14 BHN.

Water quenched should fetch you 18 to 22BHN based on your heat of the boolit when quenched, your Wheel Weight alloy (Antimony content is most significant factor), and if you hold your mouth the right way and have the same level of air in your lungs when you drop the boolit into the water.

(North Alabama Hunter - Purple on this forum is used to cite a cynical or humorous content).

Temp and Antimony content DO MATTER.

A good information source on Water Quenching can be found at: http://www.lasc.us/HeatTreat.htm


Does Heat Treating only for Hand gun velocity boolits affect things? Yes it does. Back in the 1980's I got into heat treating cast bullets. A friend and I were out in the High Desert east of Carson City Nevada - some jerks had dumped a lot of trash/junk. An old Heavy Duty Water Pressure tank was there and we decided to do some testing since I had both cast Wheel Weight and Water Quenched Wheel Weight bullets for .45ACP. He had factory .45 ACP Hard Ball. We shot 5 rounds of each at the Water Pressure Tank = The .45 Hardball and .45 Cast Wheel Weight flattened and spattered barely made a dent in the Tank where they hit. The Water Quenched Wheel Weight .45 ACP's all penetrated into the tank. It was 20 years later before I acquired an BHN tester so do not know the BHN of those Water Quenched at the time.

Thats fine. Just go back and find the lead to test ������