I'm through sorting wheelweights etc. What is a good source for Lyman #2 alloy?
I'm through sorting wheelweights etc. What is a good source for Lyman #2 alloy?
Rotometals?
Will check them out tanks. I've scored some ingots etc from members here and a few random places locally but think a more consistant alloy is my next step.
I was buying 60 lb ingots from SeaFab metals in Casa Grande Az.
I live not to far from there , so it was cheaper for me to drive 70 miles , than to pay the shipping.
I can't remember what I was paying for it , but it was under $2.00 a pound in the 60 lb ingots
Holy moly that stuff is almost 20 bucks for 5 lbs include shipping arahhh whats the point in reloading if it cost as much as store bought. Wonder if we can convince trump to bring some lead mines back to this country so china cant shaft us so badly
Those who would trade freedom for safety deserves neither and will lose both
Isn't 90-5-5 used pretty much only as a bullet casting alloy? I'm even not sure you can find it outside of foundry/commercial sources or mixing up your own. If you have the tin and antimony available in high enough concentrations in your source alloys, it surely is a big cost saving to prepare your own versus buying it, at the cost of your time and labor, of course.
It was designed for bullet casters but I'm unaware if anyone picked it out for other uses
Those who would trade freedom for safety deserves neither and will lose both
Do you really need pure Lyman #2
Is there a huge difference in the bullet end result between 2% and 5%
IIRC the alloy #2 and even hardball was developed to have been the best for commercial casting machines ?
My free time is still free and have plenty of it. If I was better at converting my free time to cash....I would just buy alloy.
While a lot of casters consider Lyman #2 the "standard" it makes no sense in terms of hardness or economy. If you want bullets hard and well cast Lino produces a harder bullet and for castability it is hard to beat. For less demanding uses a 1/1 mix with plain lead will produce bullets adequately hard for all but the upper end loads. My experience with range scrap, COWW, or COWW sweetened with a little tin has shown little or no difference in performance or castability.
Easy enough to make:
4# linotype
5# pure lead
0.5# 62/38 solder
Don
NRA Certified Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor
NRA Life Member
You could try some Hardball (2% tin, 6% antimony) from Missouri Bullet for $2.18/lb plus $16 priority shipping per 66 lbs.
https://missouribullet.com/details.p...=12&secondary=
Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952
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 |