pistol bullets - 10%,
rifle bullets - 20-25%,
pistol bullets - 10%,
rifle bullets - 20-25%,
Ta. Will start at 20. Can always add more.
Not knowing the tin content of any smelted lead was always a problem so Started of with a small amount of tin and worked it up until I got the results I wanted.
It was hit and miss and time consuming so I started doing a drop test.
I put a bullet of known hardness at the bottom of a tube and dropped a weight on it and then measured it with a micrometer. When I was casting I would do a few and do a drop test on a couple and did this until I had a similar hardness to the one I was using as the example.
Tim56
Think you will have to do as suggested - bit of suck it and see.
Does not take much Linotype to change the hardness so 10-20% would. Be a good starting point.
If you do a dig on the web you will find quite a lot of information. One thing to be aware of is some alloys change hardness over time (which can range from days to months) so testing a cast bullet might not indicate what it will be when you get round to using it.
Think you will find your old wheel weights had some arsenic in them which means you can heat treat bullets after casting should you so wish (caveat: from memory !)
Brgds Terry
Hi,
I have never heard of lead/tin alloy changing hardness. Copper age hardens as well as work hardens.
If you have any information about lead/tin alloy hardening it would be interesting to see it.
Wheel weights are made of zinc now. It shrinks unevenly when it cools and is not suitable for casting bullets.
Atb
Lead tin alloys age soften over time before stabilising.
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chap...Metallurgy.htm
I've been casting some hollowpoint bullets, massive hollowpoints, with recylced air rifle pellet lead and they are too soft.
The nose section collapses as I put them through the lubrisizer.
I have some pure lead and some linotype and so think some experimentation is in order.
"An infinite number of monkeys banging away at type writers for an infinite period of time will eventually reproduce Hamlet" Thanks to discussion forums we now know this to be untrue.
Enfield2B,
lead tin alloys do not to any degree change over time, at least the rations I use for BPCR's, between 16:1 for PP and 20:1 by weight for canuallared/GG bullets (but just starting to play with PP)
But the OP was talking Linotype,which has antimony and tin, all be it more antimony that tin.
If you look up articles by Dan Theodore you will find some good info. Bottom line if alloying lead, tin and antimony is never have more tin that antimony, (here you go, for some info: http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24564 )
Re. wheel weights - concur, that is why I said 'old wheel weights', zinc has no real place in cast 'boolits' IMHO
Brgds Terry