Severe leading from 230 gr RN in 625-8

[GlennRasch]

Wow - thanks everyone. That's a lot of useful information.

I checked the diameter of both the 185 and 230 gr, and they're both 0.452", same as specified on the MBC site.

I'll try increasing the bell, clean out my barrel, and see if that makes these bullets shootable. If hardness is the real problem, I guess there's not much I can do but remember to try 12 BHN (or jacketed) next time.

Like I said be-4 , if you send me your info. I'll send you 50 you so of the Berrys Bullets in 185gr. hollow base. I know you would like them. You don't save much money shooting lead with all the clean-up after shooting.

[John Z Sr]

Might sound weird, but you can put them on a cookie sheet, raise the temp up to 200 or so just below the melting point of the lube and let them slowly cool. That will lower the hardness. I suspect the are hard because they are casting them into water not because of the alloy. Tin and Lead are cheap, Antimony on the other hand isn't.

Lee

That would be a wasted effort and wouldn't change anything, as the alloy we use determines the BHN. We use certified analysis foundry alloy in two hardnesses - the 12 BHN alloy is 1.33% tin, 4% antimony, balance lead. The 18 BHN alloy is 2% tin, 6% antimony. We actually sell this alloy in 60 lb. pigs to bullet casters and there is a photograph of one of the pigs on our website and I am surprised you didn't run across it when you were browsing our site (it's in the main navigation under "Bullet Casting Alloy."

FWIW, I don't know of a single commercial casting operation that uses water-quench in production, as the added operational load would be a nightmare. For example, we manufacture and ship a million bullets a month, on average, and the thought of adding the steps necessary to water-quench our output would cause nightmares. Number one, we would have water splashing under our five Bullet Masters with every drop from the double-cavity moulds (as you know, ahem, water and the proximity of molten lead is not a good combination), the temperature gradient of the water would change with every 250 degree bullet entering it, making a constant and predictable water temperature impossible, you would have to get the bullets utterly dry before sizing them, preferably using heat with a blower on small batches of bullets, then you would have to cool them to a consistent temperature before the lubrisizing operation, and then you would wind up with dull-looking, ugly bullets with inconsistent hardness.

No thanks!

Again, we regulate bullet hardness by working with the correct relative proportions of tin and antimony alloyed and certified at the foundry and we purchase this alloy in 22-ton truckload lots in both hard (2/6) and soft (1.33/4) form.

Brad

As a small scale caster for myself, son, girlfriend and a few other friends, I appreciate your response and info as to how you cast, thanks from a little guy

[imashooter2]

Jacketed FTW

It must be nice to have money.

[20nickels]

Wow - thanks everyone. That's a lot of useful information.

I checked the diameter of both the 185 and 230 gr, and they're both 0.452", same as specified on the MBC site.

I'll try increasing the bell, clean out my barrel, and see if that makes these bullets shootable. If hardness is the real problem, I guess there's not much I can do but remember to try 12 BHN (or jacketed) next time.

I've been using a Lee universal Expnder die lately to bell my cases as opposed to the supplied belling die or powder drop expander. It expands your brass wider and deeper making it easier and less messy to load lead. Sure it works my brass more, but It's worth it. Use it for jacketed as well.