Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Can it be possible to

victorj19
Cast bullets too hard?

I don't have a hardness tester. I cast quite a few 38s, 45s and 30 cal using about 2 ounces linotype per pound of cleaned up wheel weight lead. I can't score them with my thumb nail. Any negative eforts if I use them in reloads?

I'm going to have to save up for hardness tester. Do the one from Lee work reasonably well.

Thanks,

Jim
0

Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • charliemeyer007
    Short answer never to hard for paper, a little softer for hunting helps. Adding lino adds tin to make up for to much antimony in the wheel weights. I shot straigt bullets of each. Hard to find lino these days.
    0
  • andrewsw16
    They will always be softer than the steel rifling, so you aren't going to harm the barrel. That means target shooting will be okay. If you are going hunting, it depends on your target. Something big or dangerous might be better shot with a hard bullet to get the penetration you want. If it is something softer, then a softer bullet will allow for some more deformation in the animal.
    0
  • perry shooter
    When I first started casting Bullets I had a cheap supply of Linotype as well as Monotype Instead of trying to get the same MIX every time I used both of these metal alloys STRAIGHT . Never had any problems with straight Linotype in tens of thousands of bullets. How ever Monotype.
    if dropped from the mold just as it turns solid will Actually break into parts or crack off small parts. So bottom line it will not hurt
    to use straight Linotype, but Monotype might Fragment if it hit bone or hard object.
    0
  • bpost
    Your addition of the lino, with its tin content to the WW makes them very hard. You have a good bullet, ready to drive at warp speed without leading.
    0
  • mrbruce
    Ya gotta love those hard cast bullets, sure beats digging lead out of the barrel if it's to soft..
    0
  • SoreShoulder
    This is theory not experience but I read up on the issue a lot. The bullets I actually cast seemed to work OK but I did not try all the variables.

    If a bullet is on the harder side you want it to be a little bit oversize because it won't upset as easily as a soft bullet.

    If gas can race past the bullet where the sides of the lands meet the bottoms of the grooves, you'll have leading. Even if it's the right size bullet, it will rarely fill the grooves up to the corners.
    0
  • TaiChi
    Is it possible to tin the barrel using straight 50/50 bar solder bullets? They come out the mold real pretty, all edges filled out and hard as a rock. We shot some 44 mags thru 4 phone books, recovered the bullets and loaded them again.
    0
  • machine gun moran
    When I was young, I bought .45 Auto bullets from a caster who cast them so hard that they would shatter just about like glass whenever they hit rocks. I would often find the part of the bullet behind the lube groove as just a disc that had fractured away. The bullets were always about .001 over, and only left a grey wash in the barrel.
    0
  • Twowings2U
    My buddy and I just rec'd a couple of Lee testers from Midway--only 53.00 ea.---special--usually 80.00
    After looking at at several brands, we decided on Lee. It is exactly the same method that the Brinnell(sp?) test is done.

    I was going to build my own but couldn't find a microscope of the right
    power of magnification..
    The Lee tester is a perfect combination of size of Indenter ball, pressure of spring load and the softest lead nearly fills the field of view of the scope---which can be easily read to the nearest .001",
    and still gives a measurable indentation at a hardness of 35?

    Jerry
    0
  • victorj19
    Thanks all. At least I don't have to melt all the bullets and play with the mix.

    For lino I just keep watching Ebay for it at a reasonable price. Picked up 20 pounds for about $35 not long ago.

    Picked up 15 lbs of virgin lead for $7.50 at an estate sale today.

    When I get a tester, I'll be able to mix up some batches that aren't really really hard and save some of the lino while not have to worry about casting them too hard again.

    Jim
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?