range scrap and hitek vs pc

[mike_kaleigh]

I have got lucky and found a good source for free range scrap. I have picked up about 200-300 lbs the last few trips. I have always use strait ww and hitek with no problems ever in 9mm or 300blk. I have 1000 lbs of ww but want to try to switch to strait range scrap for 9mm to save the ww for 300 blk. I load tons of 9mm and some 300 blk. I was wondering if hitek would work for strait range scrap in 9mm or would i be better if i switched to pc? Molds are noe 135 9mm and noe 225 30cal both are groove less. I usually cast 30 lbs or more at a time so tomorrow morning i am thinking of firing up the lead pot and getting her done. Thanks

[405grain]

I suggest that you cast up a whole batch of boolits, but only hitek a handful of them for testing. Try a few of the bullets with the hitek coating and see how they work. If you want to try powder coating, also do this on a handful of bullets to start with. Casting up 30 pounds of bullets and then finding out that they aren't going to work sounds like something I would do! If your test loads work good, then go ahead and coat all the rest of them.

[mike_kaleigh]

yea i will test 50 or so, i was just hoping someone had been down this road before. Best part is i am getting free lead. just have to pick out a movie and start casting tomorrow. My son and dad keep my rl1100 busy, one has a cz scorpion, the other ar9, and they can burn the rounds up.

[Recycled bullet]

I had serious issues with soft lead and high tek in 9mm, 38/357. Bullet coating would fail and lead the guns terribly. Powder coat does not give me that problem it seems that if it fits it ships. I have entirely stopped using high-tek except with some of my 208 grain subs for 300 blackout.
At this moment I load everything with lyman number two and blue, clear or chrome powder coat.

[ioon44]

I have used Hi-Tek for alloys from pure lead to 6-2-92 without any problems. proper bullet fit is the biggest thing to watch and the reloading dies swagging the bullets to small.

Range scrap really depends on the bullets that were shot and recovered, if you shoot ww bullets into a bullet trap then you still have ww alloy.

[Rich/WIS]

Don't powder coat, just size and lube, not set up for powder coating. Have gone through a lot of range lead in 45, 9mm, 44 Mag and 38/357 with no issues. However most of my loads are fairly mild as I'm just paper punching or ringing plates at 25 yards. If properly sized don't think you will have problem.

[mike_kaleigh]

I have used Hi-Tek for alloys from pure lead to 6-2-92 without any problems. proper bullet fit is the biggest thing to watch and the reloading dies swagging the bullets to small.

Range scrap really depends on the bullets that were shot and recovered, if you shoot ww bullets into a bullet trap then you still have ww alloy.

The lead is mostly fmj from other people, it has a little antimony in it but no were near ww. i also use lyman stainless pro dies so i do not swag the bullets down. I guess i will try hitek first. I am just real happy i got a good place to get lead even if i have to buy antimony to alloy it up.

[ioon44]

I use linotype or foundry type to alloy up pure lead, you need some tin from the linotype or foundry type to make it cast better.

[Recycled bullet]

I hope your bullets are really accurate and function great shooting pistols is the best! I went shooting this morning I love shooting pistols.

[Ia.redneck]

My experience is the same as recycled bullet. Had to use hard alloy in 9mm with HiTek or got bad leading (and yes they fit the bore and weren't made smaller by seating and crimping). Never had any leading with powder coat.

[P Flados]

I use 100% range scrap & PC for full power 9mm.

It took me a ton of time & effort to come up with the right technique and tools (custom oversized expander was final answer that worked) to get rid of leading, but now can use what ever led I have.

[kevin c]

Recycled bullet and Ia.redneck, about what BHN was that soft lead you had problems with after HiTek coating?

I’d think that each batch of range scrap might vary in content and therefore hardness. Depending on what you expect out of it that might be an issue. Generally, as pointed out, the antimony percentage will be less than hardcast so softer. My own alloy is 95-3-2 Pb-Sb-Sn, which is 11-12 BHN. I get no leading with HiTek, shot through my OEM Glock barrels.

While it’s not cheap, RotoMetals Superhard mixed 19 to 1 with pure, dead soft lead will get you to the equivalent of COWW 1:1 with pure, a very common pistol alloy when a little tin is added. Maybe a bit less might be needed with the scrap you have.

[Recycled bullet]

The lead that was giving me fits with high tech was the Rocky mountain reloading lead noodles which according to them is lead with two or three percent antimony and no tin.

Same bullets if powder coated can be shot at 38 + p basically continuously and the cylinders and the barrels of all my revolvers stay clean. If I repeat that exact experiment with the same bullet metal except coated with high tech then after about 50 rounds the rifling is not visible and hitting the target becomes problematic and further than 10 ft away. There may be more than one issue happening as somebody else mentioned using the correct equipment for expanding the brass makes a difference. I have recently been using a RCBS 38 357 die set which has a much better expander than the lee set.

I am entirely uninterested in deviating from my powder coated course of action. I like my blue and clear gloss and Chrome hollow point bullets and that's just the way it is.

At the current moment I am shooting a 90/5/5 alloy powder coating them a nice gorgeous blue color and loading them on top of 16.5 grains of Hodgdon h110 in 357 Magnum brass and feeding my Ruger Blackhawk a hot lunch and I have not deep cleaned in close to a thousand rounds. Basically about every hour of shooting I wipe down the exterior with a rag to minimize the black hands from handling carbon. Give it a couple of swipes with a steel wool wrapped brass brush pass it through the barrel maybe five times pass it through each cylinder charge hole maybe five times to be completely straightforward I don't think that cleaning is really necessary if everything fits right. The results on target speak for themselves operator error in my case is most likely the biggest error that I have to compensate for. Accuracy is good I can hit paper plates at 50 yards as needed, the percussion therapy heals me in a good way.

I have a tendency to shoot about 200 to 300 357's per hour.

I probably should clean my guns for some sentimental reason however at the moment it is not a necessary thing for me to do when I am using powder coat and harder alloy and proper fitment to cylinders chamber throats. I have an SP101 that has undersized cylinder throats that no matter what I do it is a jacketed bullet only gun cuz it will scrape the coating off.

[Recycled bullet]

And I am entirely uninterested in hand loading jacketed bullets even though I still have some from 5 years ago they just sitting in that bag getting Dusty doesn't bother me at all.

My powder coated hollow point should be age hardened now so time to size then

[turtlezx]

if lead doesnt work out just mix it 1 to 1 with your ww should take care of hardness and water drop

[mike_kaleigh]

Thanks everyone, I have some ford blue powder and coated about 75 bullets, the lead is about 10 or 11 when water quenched. I can tell you it is usually so humid around here powder coating can be a challenge in the summer, but i got the wood stove going and dry air and was have tons of powder sticking. Going to load them up about med power this weekend and shoot them back where i got them. Then maybe try some hitek next weekend. Does anyone know a good copper colored power?

[fredj338]

As always I think it depends on how you load & what powder. I can get by with just range scrap & HT with something like WSF at modest pressures. TG & max, maybe not.

[fredj338]

Thanks everyone, I have some ford blue powder and coated about 75 bullets, the lead is about 10 or 11 when water quenched. I can tell you it is usually so humid around here powder coating can be a challenge in the summer, but i got the wood stove going and dry air and was have tons of powder sticking. Going to load them up about med power this weekend and shoot them back where i got them. Then maybe try some hitek next weekend. Does anyone know a good copper colored power?

A note; if you are water quenching while casting & then baking to PC, unless you like water dropping, you are undoing any hardness benefit. Instead, water drop out of the PC oven.

[rsrocket1]

I use Prismatic powder coat paint. Why? Because I went over to a powder coat shop asking to buy a couple of pounds and the owner was a shooter. When I told him what I used it for, he gave it to me for free.

For me, range scrap worked just fine.

[mike_kaleigh]

loaded up 50 hitek and powder coat, and upped the hp38 charge just a little, going to shoot them tomorrow, if the hitek works, I will probably be sticking with that. I water quenched out of the oven and I did notice I had to make sure my seating die was line up better or it would mare up the bullet a little. Never had that problem with quenched strait ww. My next issue is I just noticed I only have a pound and a half of hp38 left. let you guys know if i noticed any diffrence between the two.