More accurately, fire up a muffler furnace to pre-heat the mold, and handle it with tongs. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?43011-BHN-of-lead-tin-antimony, The Ask the Pros & What's It Worth? The " stick on, double sided tape on" wheel weights are darn near pure lead, adding some of them to the batch should soften your harder alloy. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why both the MythBusters and Jack Lewis noticed that the silver bullets were smaller than they should be. Made some bullets from them but the consistency wasnt good. Only leading problems I have is in a couple of the old rifles with pitted bores. Can't tell you the Brinell hardness, but I used a mixture of one pound of Lino to two pounds of WW for many years for my high velocity magnum pistol loads, Up to 1500 FPS. Make sense? More importantly, when a gun is fired a pressure wave slams into the bullet, deforming its base and sealing it against the bore. You can ignore tin in your calcs. Both have higher resale values than wheel weights. You can blend any mix you want from any type of scrap. I prefer not to work with the temperatures required to melt Antimony (1149 F) because of the toxic exposure to antimony and lead fumes. Like wheel weights with an extra pinch of tin. I can do that anytime. Thanks guys for the input. While lead may be soft, many of the alloys commonly used are considerably harder. 
I am fortunate to have collected various lead and alloys over the years. That's real independence and that's really my message. You can safely assume that wheelweights contain 3% antimony. Linotype is harder to find because it is pretty muchobsolete in the printing trade. When I use it down, I will put 1 ingot of linotype to 4 ingots of wheel weight lead. In any case the diff can't be significant unless the quantity is quite high. I don't use it in my BPC rifles preferring instead a 25-1, lead/tin alloy. But it does take some time. Now its plumbers lead and superhard alloy for me. They also form sharper edges from the mold. Why Choose Us? It is one of those oddities of metallurgy. I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. Break out the hot-pads grandma, she's getting warm. I was blessed to come into a significant quantity of linotype and I mix it the same as mik, 50/50. billwnr wrote: I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. That would have the benefit of consistent supply because, as far as I can gather, wheelweights are generally available in the US but linotype is scarce everywhere because of the demise of traditional typesetting. The NRA's otherwise excellent book Cast Bullets contains a number of falsehoods, one of which is that you need a high temp furnace to melt antimony because of its high melting temp. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! That works out at about 6% antimony which is a good mix for handgun but soft for rifle above 1600FPS. as cast, hardness tested 18 BHN.
In fact, I'd need to add 11.7 thousands of an inch to the size of my mold cavity. Well, maybe you can't in the US because of the costs of various materials. Good shooting' to y'all. In many werewolf books, the hero or heroine melts down an old silver coin or piece of jewelry (usually with appropriate sentimental value) to make the bullet that ultimately kills the werewolf. As you say, it will dissolve in lead at half its own melting temp. The appeal of using ww alloy isgrowing dim but not because of the weak amount of antimony. I have been working with antimony ingots and find that they will disolve into soft lead alloy given enough time and the proper conditions. Lead does not give off fumes below 900F, but above 900 it does, and the fumes are odourless and colourless.I am perfectly happy to keep using WW type alloys and then when a harder alloy is required, I can heat treat to reach max hardness and anneal to bring that hardness back down to whatever is needed. I agree that it is not advisable to work with lead at more than 800F. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Not too surprisingly, different materials expand and contract at different rates. puts you right about 1% tin and 3% antimony. I have a twenty pound Lee pot which started out full of lead from wheel weights. Furthermore, the lead/tin alloys frequently used to cast bullets are also a few percent less dense than pure lead. Prepping to get into casting bullets. Tapping them on a hard object gave a tinny sound compared to lead. If I wanted it easy I would just buy the bullets. One could make a sizing die that's a little smaller than one designed for lead bullets, mount it in a press that's been modified to handle the higher pressures needed to form silver, and get good results. Learn from CBA members that have been casting their entire life. The harder the metal, the more energy is required to deform it. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! I've been advised to at least 1/2 dozen different types including some home made ones. When I first got into casting a couple years ago I tried wheel weights and found a lot of them were zinc. Can any of you guys give me a basic ratio for mixing linotype with straight lead to make something similar to ww lead? Works fine for magnum bullets and slower rifle calibers like 30-30, 30-40, 35, and 32 Spl. I thought wheel weights were generally a little harder than lino? I found that if I use 4 parts WW to 1 part linotype, the leading is down to a minimum, they drive a bit deeper into the target, and they dont splatter. shastaboat wrote: I use 7 ingots of WW and 3 ingots of LT.. Works well for me. Anybody knowledgable as to the Brinell hardness I can expect? This has required that many of us hobby shooters work a little harder at alternative lead sources. I am not acompetition shooter, and I am not a hunter, but I do like to hit the mark I am shooting at. Density is critical to bullet performance. But I can. But generallyI don't disagree with anything you've said. I am beginning to think that if a bullet caster does not understand a little about the metallurgy of his materials he is going to be out of the hobby as sources and availability of materials either drys up or becomes restricted. Dicko wrote: billwnr wrote: I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. As long as the bullet is sufficiently hard to handle the pressures, I care little about the excessive hardness of the alloy. Lets be real here , Swiss cheese is only better on a burger when cheddar is not available. Its a spreadsheet that will let you plug in the values of weight for specific metals/alloys and will show percentages. The ideal bullet, therefore, packs a lot of mass in a small volume -- which is the definition of density. What you need to watch is that your linotype is not something else. At that point you have a hot bullet in the mold, which is going to shrink a little bit as it cools down to room temperature. Check here for other mixes. I see that one reply mentions monotype. Search on the CBA alloy calculator. Your campfire's going to need some help, and your soup can may not fare so well. Hard lead ships better, and is better able to handle things like being loaded into a tubular magazine with a stiff spring. The amount of rebound is different for different metals, and needs to be taken into account when building the molds and dies. hardness lubing gunsamerica So, old coins are out, we're working with pure silver! Getting the mold up to 207F for lead isn't too tough, but the silver mold needs to be nearly 600F. Wheelweights are still available locally for free at local gas stations. And that's for good wheel weights. And for a long time blended one part linotype with 3 parts WW which was fine for my revolver shooting, and light to moderate loads in center fire rifles like the 30-06. 12% Antimonial alloy therefore costs $1.19 a lb, more or less what you expect to pay for linotype. I am beginning to think that if a bullet caster does not understand a little about the metallurgy of his materials he is going to be out of the hobby as sources and availability of materials either drys up or becomes restricted. Silver rebounds more than lead, in fact quite a bit more. A BHN of 100 would require chamber pressures of over 140,000 psi to obturate, which is far higher than any handheld firearm is designed for. But my point about blending your own alloy is not just cost, it is the flexibility of being able to blend any alloy from any scrap lead source, anytime. During the last several years, the available linotype seems to be getting harder to find. And they are not available except in small quantities and sporadically at that. There are a number of problems that can occur when pouring hot metal into a cold mold. I thought wheel weights were generally a little harder than lino? bullets batches alloys superhard solder Before you can pour metal in a mold, you have to melt it. vBulletin v3.8.7, Copyright 2000-2022, vBulletin Solutions, Inc. Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting. harden tend freshly drop cast soft age then So is plumber's lead considered pure lead? I need to soften my linotype lead to a more desirable hardness level similar to WW lead. I personally shoot a 70/30 mix of lino/wheelweights as I use the same alloy I use for the 2000fps benchrest competition. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to do this? I have run into softer ones. I use linotype in my match bullets and pay over $1 per pound. If a cast lead bullet is a thousandth or two oversized, it's pretty easy to re-shape it. There are calculations showing the minimum pressure needed to properly obturate a bullet of a given hardness, and silver needs about 35,00 psi (242,000 kilopascals). I can calculate that I need to add about 2.4 thousands of an inch to compensate for the lead shrinking when it cools. Since I do a lot of indoor shooting, I don't use it anymore, but if you shoot outdoors most of the time, it works well and it's less expensive than Blue Angel. The problem is that what you're really doing is bringing the mold up to a reasonable fraction of the temperature of the molten metal. Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. Both have higher resale values than wheel weights. By the way, these hardness numbers do dispell one common silver bullet myth. Well the 500 gr. The home made lube known as "Felix Lube" on cast Boolits seems to be great, but I was never willing to go to through the hassle of making it. A bullet is expected to deform in response to pressure a couple of times. It gets cheaper with freewheelweights. It does nothing useful for bullets and is not needed. Unless your wheelweights are different from ours, they are not hard enough for decent handgun bullets and certainly too soft for rifle. I have quite a bit of Linotype that a printer friend gave me and it is harder than the WW lead that I have. Free and easy to use. I am not acompetition shooter, and I am not a hunter, but I do like to hit the mark I am shooting at. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Friction (air resistance) eats away at that energy, slowing the bullet as it goes down range. Our 6079 members have posted 84505 times in 5646 discussions. So is plumber's lead considered pure lead? Believe me, I'd be using it if I could get it. Nevertheless, if you add enough "plumbers lead" to your Linotype, it will result in a softer alloythat is the only way to soften it. This process is called obturation, and is critical to accuracy. That can safely be ignored and in any case if ignored it will simply increase bullet hardness slightly which can only be good. Since silver's melting point is much higher, the mold needs to be considerably hotter. I would also use them if I could get them for nothing but they are not free in South Africa, they cost the same as all scrap lead, about 50 US cents a pound. I still have three or four hundred pounds of the ingots I made out of the wheel weights I got from there. of linotype left, so I don't think I'll run soon. Some of the shooters believe a softer bullet is better for that disciplin than one with lino added. That is not helpful, unless we're talking money not bullets. Dicko wrote: Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. Silver probably won't make a great choice for small-caliber pistols with lower chamber pressures, but for large-caliber hunting rifles this pressure is easily obtainable.
Hardness is not just a problem for silver, it's also a problem for standard bullets. Jeez, the mould itself is older than I am, and I'm 63! As it turns out, lead melts at a relatively cool 621F. Offhand I forget the antimony content but it is a lot more than linotype. It is not "pure lead", but for bullet casting purposes it can be considered to be "pure" inasmuch as the small amounts of metallic elements present will not effect the casting of bullets. But the best approach is to use it when you can get it but be prepared to use other forms of lead when you need to. That's part of the enjoyment. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Meeting that standard is exactly my point. What we think of as linotype is 4% tin 12% antimony. Yes Lino is lighter and it throws a bigger bullet. I'm not sure what mixture it is. Silver shrinks quite a bit more than lead. I suggest 50/50 which will give you 6%. Linotype is sought after by bullet casters. Cast 200 RCBS 35-200 FN, they weigh 202 gr. 50/50 were wieghing out around 450 gr. As a very rough rule of thumb, the mold should be at least a third of the molten material's temperature to perform well. The molds are actually a cut couple of thousandths bigger than the desired bullet size, so that the cooled bullets work out to be the right size. And for a long time blended one part linotype with 3 parts WW which was fine for my revolver shooting, and light to moderate loads in center fire rifles like the 30-06. Yes, linotype metal throws bullets that are about 10% lighter than if cast with pure lead. I have about 50lbs. There is controversy over the BHN results it produces but it does basic math for you in calculating percentages of compounds perfectly and a lot faster that I can on paper. I'm I to assume that the linotype is lighter than soft lead? Many would be happy to trade wheel weights or plumbers lead for your Linotype. Wheel weights are generally soft, but contain Arsenic and Antimony which allows them to be heat treated to nearly the harness of Linotype. bullet Come join the discussion about optics, makes, models, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Elemental silver has a BHN of 24.5, but is too soft for jewelry and coins. Both its melting point and it's coefficient of thermal expansion are higher. If a man has nothing greater to believe in than himself, he is a very lonely man. Alox tumble lube is also pretty cheap and easy. From input in talking to others that cast their own, Lymans cast data, and other forums, I am going to try 25% linotype and 75% COWW. I think I answered it accurately but let me comment further on wheelweights and linotype. I am considering going to a softer alloy to test out some of the other shooters ideas. I used linotype for several decades because I was in the printing business from 1972 onwards. There are a number of ways to measure hardness, but most reloaders use the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN). I found that straight linotype would splatter on a metal target using my rcbs kieth 250gr GC. For WW equivilent, 3-to-1 lead to lino should be about right. If I cast a .444 Marlin bullet from lead, I want a final diameter of exactly .430 inches. The riflings also etch into the bullet, and begin rotating it. Will try that mix and look at the results and go from there. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. For proper performance, a silver bullet needs to be cast to higher tolerances than lead. But the problem with that is, weak solutions form easily (up to about 4%) As you work toward strongersolutions,it takes a lot longer for this to occur. So why is hardness a problem? A silver bullet might not be so accomodating, so we need to absolutely sure they don't exceed the bore diameter. In order to fire safely in an unmodified gun, and engage the riflings properly, a silver bullet needs to be fit to a much higher precision than a lead bullet. I have been working with antimony ingots and find that they will disolve into soft lead alloy given enough time and the proper conditions. It would consume some energy, so the bullet may not fly as far or as fast, but nobody's going to get hurt. Look for your answers in our Forum and in our bi-monthly publication the Fouling Shot.
I use 7 ingots of WW and 3 ingots of LT.. Works well for me. How can I tell? Linotype runs 21-22 BHN and pure lead is around 6. In fact, some of the lead alloys being used are very nearly as hard as pure silver. Twenty years ago their scrap value was 6 US cents a pound, so I could get them from gas stations for that price. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:22. Us cheapos try to get lino for no more than $1.25 per pound, preferrably $1. wes. Soon after that they started refitting them to cars and the supply dried up. Duane Mellenbruch wrote: Dicko wrote: Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. I have linotype and plumbers lead laying around for a rainy day. Have a question? But it depends on the availability of both materials and leads me to wonder yet again why there is so much reluctance to take control over accurate alloy blending so that any and all available sources can be used as and when available. But that is true only if the linotype is a true 4/12 and the lead is pure. There is, however, a line, beyond which tolerance ceases to be a virtue, The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?168373-simple-lube, Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. All that is required is a known temperature in the oven, a consistanttemperature in that oven and attention to the time. For sure.
The Cast Bullet Association is an organization of shooters who enjoy shooting cast lead bullets in rifles and handguns for competition, hunting, or informal target shooting. Duane Mellenbruch Topeka, KS. But I dunno why you think it gets more difficult at percentages higher than 4%. Both have higher resale values than wheel weights. In South Africa scrap lead costs 50 cents/lb. Any ideas. It's going to be a learning curve just to find the best lube, not to mention the best mixture of lead alloy. I don't know the exact ratio you should use, I can tell you what I do and it might not be the proper mixture. I have found the average antimony content accross the board to be about 1%. Silver is dense enough to make an acceptable bullet. Linotype is getting scarce because it is obsolete in the printing trade. OK for handgun and light rifle loads.As long as the bullet is sufficiently hard to handle the pressures, I care little about the excessive hardness of the alloy. Because there was enough linotype lead around me I always casted rifle bullets out of 100% pure lino, handgun bullets out of 50% lino and 50% pure lead. Everyone who's ever used a thermometer knows that things expand when heated and shrink when cooled. Thinking that my new scale was not right, I placed a 190gr sierra match king and it wieghed out 190 gr. It may have been a bit costly but was rewarding and certainly cheaper as FMJ's.
But the problem with that is, weak solutions form easily (up to about 4%) As you work toward strongersolutions,it takes a lot longer for this to occur. If a metal bar is extruded through a hole of exactly 0.5 inch, you won't actually get a 0.5 inch bar, you'll produce something a few thousandths of an inch bigger. 2 to 1 ratio will give you 4%. That's not a very good formula but that is what I do! Never had leading problems. I can't guarantee exact uniformity batch to batch but I get very close, within half a grain bullet weight, and I can get closer with some extra work. For the sake of not boring you or others, I put the answer in bold. The one we're interested in is "Resistance of metal to plastic deformation".
BTW, Tamarack lube worked well for me, but it's smoky. Us cheapos try to get lino for no more than $1.25 per pound, preferrably $1. What ever you are casting for make sure that you need to use Lino or you are wasting good alloy. However, that's a lot of money -- I'm going to try to accomplish the same thing by casting the bullet to the right size (or really, really close), and eliminiating the need for the resizing die to do much of anything. And that's where this is heading. You can't beat simple lube for it's simplicity. My point about cost was that you can blend it for the same cost or less.
I am fortunate to have collected various lead and alloys over the years. That's real independence and that's really my message. You can safely assume that wheelweights contain 3% antimony. Linotype is harder to find because it is pretty muchobsolete in the printing trade. When I use it down, I will put 1 ingot of linotype to 4 ingots of wheel weight lead. In any case the diff can't be significant unless the quantity is quite high. I don't use it in my BPC rifles preferring instead a 25-1, lead/tin alloy. But it does take some time. Now its plumbers lead and superhard alloy for me. They also form sharper edges from the mold. Why Choose Us? It is one of those oddities of metallurgy. I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. Break out the hot-pads grandma, she's getting warm. I was blessed to come into a significant quantity of linotype and I mix it the same as mik, 50/50. billwnr wrote: I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. That would have the benefit of consistent supply because, as far as I can gather, wheelweights are generally available in the US but linotype is scarce everywhere because of the demise of traditional typesetting. The NRA's otherwise excellent book Cast Bullets contains a number of falsehoods, one of which is that you need a high temp furnace to melt antimony because of its high melting temp. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! That works out at about 6% antimony which is a good mix for handgun but soft for rifle above 1600FPS. as cast, hardness tested 18 BHN. In fact, I'd need to add 11.7 thousands of an inch to the size of my mold cavity. Well, maybe you can't in the US because of the costs of various materials. Good shooting' to y'all. In many werewolf books, the hero or heroine melts down an old silver coin or piece of jewelry (usually with appropriate sentimental value) to make the bullet that ultimately kills the werewolf. As you say, it will dissolve in lead at half its own melting temp. The appeal of using ww alloy isgrowing dim but not because of the weak amount of antimony. I have been working with antimony ingots and find that they will disolve into soft lead alloy given enough time and the proper conditions. Lead does not give off fumes below 900F, but above 900 it does, and the fumes are odourless and colourless.I am perfectly happy to keep using WW type alloys and then when a harder alloy is required, I can heat treat to reach max hardness and anneal to bring that hardness back down to whatever is needed. I agree that it is not advisable to work with lead at more than 800F. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Not too surprisingly, different materials expand and contract at different rates. puts you right about 1% tin and 3% antimony. I have a twenty pound Lee pot which started out full of lead from wheel weights. Furthermore, the lead/tin alloys frequently used to cast bullets are also a few percent less dense than pure lead. Prepping to get into casting bullets. Tapping them on a hard object gave a tinny sound compared to lead. If I wanted it easy I would just buy the bullets. One could make a sizing die that's a little smaller than one designed for lead bullets, mount it in a press that's been modified to handle the higher pressures needed to form silver, and get good results. Learn from CBA members that have been casting their entire life. The harder the metal, the more energy is required to deform it. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! I've been advised to at least 1/2 dozen different types including some home made ones. When I first got into casting a couple years ago I tried wheel weights and found a lot of them were zinc. Can any of you guys give me a basic ratio for mixing linotype with straight lead to make something similar to ww lead? Works fine for magnum bullets and slower rifle calibers like 30-30, 30-40, 35, and 32 Spl. I thought wheel weights were generally a little harder than lino? I found that if I use 4 parts WW to 1 part linotype, the leading is down to a minimum, they drive a bit deeper into the target, and they dont splatter. shastaboat wrote: I use 7 ingots of WW and 3 ingots of LT.. Works well for me. Anybody knowledgable as to the Brinell hardness I can expect? This has required that many of us hobby shooters work a little harder at alternative lead sources. I am not acompetition shooter, and I am not a hunter, but I do like to hit the mark I am shooting at. Density is critical to bullet performance. But I can. But generallyI don't disagree with anything you've said. I am beginning to think that if a bullet caster does not understand a little about the metallurgy of his materials he is going to be out of the hobby as sources and availability of materials either drys up or becomes restricted. Dicko wrote: billwnr wrote: I would think this is a waste of good linotype and pure lead. As long as the bullet is sufficiently hard to handle the pressures, I care little about the excessive hardness of the alloy. Lets be real here , Swiss cheese is only better on a burger when cheddar is not available. Its a spreadsheet that will let you plug in the values of weight for specific metals/alloys and will show percentages. The ideal bullet, therefore, packs a lot of mass in a small volume -- which is the definition of density. What you need to watch is that your linotype is not something else. At that point you have a hot bullet in the mold, which is going to shrink a little bit as it cools down to room temperature. Check here for other mixes. I see that one reply mentions monotype. Search on the CBA alloy calculator. Your campfire's going to need some help, and your soup can may not fare so well. Hard lead ships better, and is better able to handle things like being loaded into a tubular magazine with a stiff spring. The amount of rebound is different for different metals, and needs to be taken into account when building the molds and dies. hardness lubing gunsamerica So, old coins are out, we're working with pure silver! Getting the mold up to 207F for lead isn't too tough, but the silver mold needs to be nearly 600F. Wheelweights are still available locally for free at local gas stations. And that's for good wheel weights. And for a long time blended one part linotype with 3 parts WW which was fine for my revolver shooting, and light to moderate loads in center fire rifles like the 30-06. 12% Antimonial alloy therefore costs $1.19 a lb, more or less what you expect to pay for linotype. I am beginning to think that if a bullet caster does not understand a little about the metallurgy of his materials he is going to be out of the hobby as sources and availability of materials either drys up or becomes restricted. Silver rebounds more than lead, in fact quite a bit more. A BHN of 100 would require chamber pressures of over 140,000 psi to obturate, which is far higher than any handheld firearm is designed for. But my point about blending your own alloy is not just cost, it is the flexibility of being able to blend any alloy from any scrap lead source, anytime. During the last several years, the available linotype seems to be getting harder to find. And they are not available except in small quantities and sporadically at that. There are a number of problems that can occur when pouring hot metal into a cold mold. I thought wheel weights were generally a little harder than lino? bullets batches alloys superhard solder Before you can pour metal in a mold, you have to melt it. vBulletin v3.8.7, Copyright 2000-2022, vBulletin Solutions, Inc. Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting. harden tend freshly drop cast soft age then So is plumber's lead considered pure lead? I need to soften my linotype lead to a more desirable hardness level similar to WW lead. I personally shoot a 70/30 mix of lino/wheelweights as I use the same alloy I use for the 2000fps benchrest competition. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to do this? I have run into softer ones. I use linotype in my match bullets and pay over $1 per pound. If a cast lead bullet is a thousandth or two oversized, it's pretty easy to re-shape it. There are calculations showing the minimum pressure needed to properly obturate a bullet of a given hardness, and silver needs about 35,00 psi (242,000 kilopascals). I can calculate that I need to add about 2.4 thousands of an inch to compensate for the lead shrinking when it cools. Since I do a lot of indoor shooting, I don't use it anymore, but if you shoot outdoors most of the time, it works well and it's less expensive than Blue Angel. The problem is that what you're really doing is bringing the mold up to a reasonable fraction of the temperature of the molten metal. Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. Both have higher resale values than wheel weights. By the way, these hardness numbers do dispell one common silver bullet myth. Well the 500 gr. The home made lube known as "Felix Lube" on cast Boolits seems to be great, but I was never willing to go to through the hassle of making it. A bullet is expected to deform in response to pressure a couple of times. It gets cheaper with freewheelweights. It does nothing useful for bullets and is not needed. Unless your wheelweights are different from ours, they are not hard enough for decent handgun bullets and certainly too soft for rifle. I have quite a bit of Linotype that a printer friend gave me and it is harder than the WW lead that I have. Free and easy to use. I am not acompetition shooter, and I am not a hunter, but I do like to hit the mark I am shooting at. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Friction (air resistance) eats away at that energy, slowing the bullet as it goes down range. Our 6079 members have posted 84505 times in 5646 discussions. So is plumber's lead considered pure lead? Believe me, I'd be using it if I could get it. Nevertheless, if you add enough "plumbers lead" to your Linotype, it will result in a softer alloythat is the only way to soften it. This process is called obturation, and is critical to accuracy. That can safely be ignored and in any case if ignored it will simply increase bullet hardness slightly which can only be good. Since silver's melting point is much higher, the mold needs to be considerably hotter. I would also use them if I could get them for nothing but they are not free in South Africa, they cost the same as all scrap lead, about 50 US cents a pound. I still have three or four hundred pounds of the ingots I made out of the wheel weights I got from there. of linotype left, so I don't think I'll run soon. Some of the shooters believe a softer bullet is better for that disciplin than one with lino added. That is not helpful, unless we're talking money not bullets. Dicko wrote: Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. Silver probably won't make a great choice for small-caliber pistols with lower chamber pressures, but for large-caliber hunting rifles this pressure is easily obtainable.
Hardness is not just a problem for silver, it's also a problem for standard bullets. Jeez, the mould itself is older than I am, and I'm 63! As it turns out, lead melts at a relatively cool 621F. Offhand I forget the antimony content but it is a lot more than linotype. It is not "pure lead", but for bullet casting purposes it can be considered to be "pure" inasmuch as the small amounts of metallic elements present will not effect the casting of bullets. But the best approach is to use it when you can get it but be prepared to use other forms of lead when you need to. That's part of the enjoyment. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Meeting that standard is exactly my point. What we think of as linotype is 4% tin 12% antimony. Yes Lino is lighter and it throws a bigger bullet. I'm not sure what mixture it is. Silver shrinks quite a bit more than lead. I suggest 50/50 which will give you 6%. Linotype is sought after by bullet casters. Cast 200 RCBS 35-200 FN, they weigh 202 gr. 50/50 were wieghing out around 450 gr. As a very rough rule of thumb, the mold should be at least a third of the molten material's temperature to perform well. The molds are actually a cut couple of thousandths bigger than the desired bullet size, so that the cooled bullets work out to be the right size. And for a long time blended one part linotype with 3 parts WW which was fine for my revolver shooting, and light to moderate loads in center fire rifles like the 30-06. Yes, linotype metal throws bullets that are about 10% lighter than if cast with pure lead. I have about 50lbs. There is controversy over the BHN results it produces but it does basic math for you in calculating percentages of compounds perfectly and a lot faster that I can on paper. I'm I to assume that the linotype is lighter than soft lead? Many would be happy to trade wheel weights or plumbers lead for your Linotype. Wheel weights are generally soft, but contain Arsenic and Antimony which allows them to be heat treated to nearly the harness of Linotype. bullet Come join the discussion about optics, makes, models, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Elemental silver has a BHN of 24.5, but is too soft for jewelry and coins. Both its melting point and it's coefficient of thermal expansion are higher. If a man has nothing greater to believe in than himself, he is a very lonely man. Alox tumble lube is also pretty cheap and easy. From input in talking to others that cast their own, Lymans cast data, and other forums, I am going to try 25% linotype and 75% COWW. I think I answered it accurately but let me comment further on wheelweights and linotype. I am considering going to a softer alloy to test out some of the other shooters ideas. I used linotype for several decades because I was in the printing business from 1972 onwards. There are a number of ways to measure hardness, but most reloaders use the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN). I found that straight linotype would splatter on a metal target using my rcbs kieth 250gr GC. For WW equivilent, 3-to-1 lead to lino should be about right. If I cast a .444 Marlin bullet from lead, I want a final diameter of exactly .430 inches. The riflings also etch into the bullet, and begin rotating it. Will try that mix and look at the results and go from there. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. For proper performance, a silver bullet needs to be cast to higher tolerances than lead. But the problem with that is, weak solutions form easily (up to about 4%) As you work toward strongersolutions,it takes a lot longer for this to occur. So why is hardness a problem? A silver bullet might not be so accomodating, so we need to absolutely sure they don't exceed the bore diameter. In order to fire safely in an unmodified gun, and engage the riflings properly, a silver bullet needs to be fit to a much higher precision than a lead bullet. I have been working with antimony ingots and find that they will disolve into soft lead alloy given enough time and the proper conditions. It would consume some energy, so the bullet may not fly as far or as fast, but nobody's going to get hurt. Look for your answers in our Forum and in our bi-monthly publication the Fouling Shot.
I use 7 ingots of WW and 3 ingots of LT.. Works well for me. How can I tell? Linotype runs 21-22 BHN and pure lead is around 6. In fact, some of the lead alloys being used are very nearly as hard as pure silver. Twenty years ago their scrap value was 6 US cents a pound, so I could get them from gas stations for that price. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:22. Us cheapos try to get lino for no more than $1.25 per pound, preferrably $1. wes. Soon after that they started refitting them to cars and the supply dried up. Duane Mellenbruch wrote: Dicko wrote: Wheelweights are a good and convenient material but it is not a good idea to rely on them or their content. I have linotype and plumbers lead laying around for a rainy day. Have a question? But it depends on the availability of both materials and leads me to wonder yet again why there is so much reluctance to take control over accurate alloy blending so that any and all available sources can be used as and when available. But that is true only if the linotype is a true 4/12 and the lead is pure. There is, however, a line, beyond which tolerance ceases to be a virtue, The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?168373-simple-lube, Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. All that is required is a known temperature in the oven, a consistanttemperature in that oven and attention to the time. For sure.
The Cast Bullet Association is an organization of shooters who enjoy shooting cast lead bullets in rifles and handguns for competition, hunting, or informal target shooting. Duane Mellenbruch Topeka, KS. But I dunno why you think it gets more difficult at percentages higher than 4%. Both have higher resale values than wheel weights. In South Africa scrap lead costs 50 cents/lb. Any ideas. It's going to be a learning curve just to find the best lube, not to mention the best mixture of lead alloy. I don't know the exact ratio you should use, I can tell you what I do and it might not be the proper mixture. I have found the average antimony content accross the board to be about 1%. Silver is dense enough to make an acceptable bullet. Linotype is getting scarce because it is obsolete in the printing trade. OK for handgun and light rifle loads.As long as the bullet is sufficiently hard to handle the pressures, I care little about the excessive hardness of the alloy. Because there was enough linotype lead around me I always casted rifle bullets out of 100% pure lino, handgun bullets out of 50% lino and 50% pure lead. Everyone who's ever used a thermometer knows that things expand when heated and shrink when cooled. Thinking that my new scale was not right, I placed a 190gr sierra match king and it wieghed out 190 gr. It may have been a bit costly but was rewarding and certainly cheaper as FMJ's.
But the problem with that is, weak solutions form easily (up to about 4%) As you work toward strongersolutions,it takes a lot longer for this to occur. If a metal bar is extruded through a hole of exactly 0.5 inch, you won't actually get a 0.5 inch bar, you'll produce something a few thousandths of an inch bigger. 2 to 1 ratio will give you 4%. That's not a very good formula but that is what I do! Never had leading problems. I can't guarantee exact uniformity batch to batch but I get very close, within half a grain bullet weight, and I can get closer with some extra work. For the sake of not boring you or others, I put the answer in bold. The one we're interested in is "Resistance of metal to plastic deformation".
BTW, Tamarack lube worked well for me, but it's smoky. Us cheapos try to get lino for no more than $1.25 per pound, preferrably $1. What ever you are casting for make sure that you need to use Lino or you are wasting good alloy. However, that's a lot of money -- I'm going to try to accomplish the same thing by casting the bullet to the right size (or really, really close), and eliminiating the need for the resizing die to do much of anything. And that's where this is heading. You can't beat simple lube for it's simplicity. My point about cost was that you can blend it for the same cost or less.