Quote Originally Posted by JiriK View Post
Do you know, what kind of lead alloy is used to make H&N round balls?
I got a bag of .330 rb from my clubmate few weeks ago. I have shot my best groups with those projectiles.
First test a couple of weeks ago gave really nice group, but it was a bit low.. Today I shot 96p and 94p targets.
Maybe it is in my head, but I have shot cast projectiles during same training sessions. H&N balls just seem to group better.

I measured that my own mould drops dia. .3294" balls (averange of 10 measured) vs H&N balls are .3331"
There is also small difference in weight. Is this difference big enough to be significant?

I used lead sheets I bought from local scrap yard to cast these balls. Are H&N balls pure lead or some kind of alloy?
If alloy, how hard is it?
1. H&N balls are not cast, they are swaged and are therefore more uniform than cast.

2. Naturally it matters if there is a difference in weight - H&N balls do not have a sprue that will inevitably differ from one to another. Remember that you are only shooting a light charge - not for velocity but for accuracy. Even a very small deviation from a common weight will make the ball fly differently, as will having the sprue not exactly centered every time in the bore on loading. With a swaged ball, there is no sprue, hence the increase in accuracy.

3. H&N claim that their balls are cast from pure lead - who knows what the composition of your scrap lead sheet might be? How much cr*p did you skim off the top when casting from it?

4. A couple of manufacturers make a simple point-impact lead hardness tester - not a lot - maybe around $2025 or so. In any case, this SIMPLE test will do well enough -

a. if you can scratch the ball with your thumbnail - it is soft enough.

b. if two balls roll together and make a dull sound on impact - they are soft enough. Thud = soft and clink = too hard.

There should be absolutely NO alloying of lead shot from a single-shot pistol of this design.

tac