Really? nothing else added, just wheel weights and powder coating?
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Cast bullet advice/teaching
- Thread starter Tusker6N
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castboolits.com is a wealth of information. You can spend days on it.
Yeah, it is a great informative tool.
Nope. Was getting severe leading in 40 and 45 before PC. After PC, no leading and have a dead accurate load I found in the 40. Different animal, but with gas checks on the 7mm I am pushing 2150 with alox lube only and no leading. Have started using PC on 405 grain in 45-70 at about 1500 with no leading. All I have used thus far is straight clip on wheel weights.
I'm going to respectfully, sort of, disagree with Biker Bill, and respond a very definite " maybe".
Wheel weights MAY provide you a very acceptable bullet for your uses. OTOH, you may find that a little tin makes them even better.
Reading about how you want to shoot them, a little tin will harden the bullets up, and it makes so nice and shiny too. What I recommend do is cast some wheel weights, then take one of your ingots and add some tin, keeping a record of how much tin, and see what you do with that. Bottom line is that there are no real hard and fast rules, especially with unknown metal such as wheel weights. If you were starting with pure lead or Lyman #2, then you know what you are dealing with.
As to powder coating, I personally think that the benefits of it are grossly overstated especially compared to a good hard lube, and especially considering the extra work for powder coating.
I've shot hard cast bullets with hard lube at 1400-1600 fps and didn't have problems with leading.
I think that unless you got into the +P+ range of 9mm, and you have a sufficiently had bullet to start with, you should have any problem with leading.
Thanks for the input.
Ok, whag are your thoughts.
20 pounds Pure lead...what should I add to shoot a 9mm 125gr at 1000fps?
20 pounds Pure lead...what should I add to shoot a 9mm 125gr at 1000fps?
*what
I'll do it for 10 lbs. of pure lead (not wheel weights) so the math will be easier for me.
Add one pound of 60/40 or 50/50 tin/lead solder. This will give you approx. 5% tin and a Brinell of 10 - 12 which will be plenty hard (you have 10.5 lbs of lead, and 0.5 lbs of tin, if you want to do the math). The difference in the tin content of the two solders is insignificant for this use. I use solder as my example (and what I use) because it is consistent and reasonably accessible source of tin. I find an amazing amount of tin/lead solder at estate sales of older people. I have to grub around in the garage, and usually it doesn't cost anything if you start babbling about hazardous waste, asbestos mitigation, FLint Michigan and so on.
If you want to stretch your pure lead, and you should, then 50% wheel weights and 5lbs of lead, and a lb. of solder will make a slightly harder bullet.
or 10lbs. of WW and one lb/ of solder which will make a slightly harder bullet.
I'm an offering this as suggestions of what has worked for me. These are all very round numbers, based on commonly available materials.
I've shot a lot of .44 cal WC, 240 gr., 900-1000 fps, using Lyman tumble lube which is the absolutely easiest, cheapest way to lube bullets, with no signs of accuracy.
Note that tumble lube usually requires bullets made in appropriate molds.
Back in my younger GAS days, I actually ordered the the raw metals and made my own bullet alloys based on the latest sure fire formula being passed around by the professional keyboard jockeys before the internet. (check the prices on powdered antimony). Of course that was when plumbers lead (pure) .25 cents a .lb.
I came to the conclusion that like bore cleaners there are plenty of easier ways to accomplish the same thing.
I've been casting for over a decade. I've cast tens of thousands of bullets from wheel weights and range recovered lead. Never had a problem with impurities or poor performance that wasn't attributable to something else. I water drop them for rifle applications. With the right lube and correct sizing for the rifle, I've been able to push .30 cal wheel weight bullets past 2500fps, with non or minimal leading. I push air cooled, plain base 357 Mag to 2000fps out of a Rossi levergun; works beautifully.
9mm Luger is one of the tougher handgun cartridges to cast for. The high pressure and plain base bullets make it a bit tricky. This lube has made a world of difference for me when pushing for velocity with 9mm cast loads:
http://lsstuff.com/store/index.php?..._id=12&zenid=411c28292dd02694d13ee4a0c5f7ba12
The specifics of your guns' chambers and bores will have an impact on your results. Casting is one of those extensions to the shooting hobby where there is no set formula for success. You have to get into it and find out what works for you. Everyone's input should be treated as helpful hints, but not gospel.
Getting there is a big part of the fun.
9mm Luger is one of the tougher handgun cartridges to cast for. The high pressure and plain base bullets make it a bit tricky. This lube has made a world of difference for me when pushing for velocity with 9mm cast loads:
http://lsstuff.com/store/index.php?..._id=12&zenid=411c28292dd02694d13ee4a0c5f7ba12
The specifics of your guns' chambers and bores will have an impact on your results. Casting is one of those extensions to the shooting hobby where there is no set formula for success. You have to get into it and find out what works for you. Everyone's input should be treated as helpful hints, but not gospel.
Getting there is a big part of the fun.
