I did a little reading and searching and I did not find a lot on this, just a few very old threads. For my purposes I am using an unknown alloy with a BHN of around 13, melted down bullets. The bullets are being cast and air cooled, then powder coated and air cooled.
From my reading my understanding is that air cooled bullets harden over time, vs water quench, which hardens right away then softens.
So a couple questions related to air cooled bullets.
How long should you wait before sizing?
How long should you wait before you shoot it?
How long for the lead to be fully stable in its BHN?
I understand you can short cut things sometimes, with minimal ill effect. Looking more for what is ideal vs what you can get away with although both would be good to know.
I have seen people say they size right away as the bullet are softer and it is easier. I have tried this and have flattened and or smeared grooves. I have seen advice on sizing to wait 24hrs to 3-4 days. I have seen people say to wait at least 1 month before shooting but not in detail as to why. But to my understanding this should be based on what the lead is doing which I have not seen explained.