Ed Harris
posted this
30 January 2009
Fred Sinclair wrote: ” But, no matter what others think, cast bullet shooting is an art, not a science. One of the reasons I left jacketed bullet benchrest shooting, is that is that there were few variables, that it became “monkey see, monkey do". Cast bullets have enough challenges that it will keep me researching, thinking, experimenting and shooting at targets for the rest of my life."
Damn, I wish I had said that.
Me too!
As to the question on alloys, I'll throw out an opinion, which you can consider or discard. For the same hardness level, the richer tin content alloys stay liquid longer and a large sprue can continue to feed the casting as it solidifies using an alloy such as 1:18 vs. a low tin Pb/Sb/Sn alloy, which sets up quickly. This reduces the effect of solidification shrinkage and the presence of small shrinkage cavities or voids in the casting. Minimal weight variation and selection of bullets in the center of the bell curve isn't the whole thing either. Casting technique, the rate of pour, whether you drop pour straight in or use a dipper and roll the blocks over all affect how the bullet solifies, and the placement of voids when they occur.
Anytime you cast a bullet in which the ratio of length to diameter is more than 2:1, especially in larger calibers, it is difficult NOT to get at least small voids. Dennis Marshall convinced me of this after mounting and sectioning in epoxy some of John Ardito's match bullets which I gave him. The voids were tiny, and were all uniformly located along the axis of the bullet, but they were still there.
What we are practicing, Gentlemen, is ALCHEMY!
We are trying to turn lead into gold!
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia