What is the accepted waiting time to make a hardness check after casting and then conclude the hardness that you see is THE settled down hardness?
The targeted hardness is 30:1 or about 9 bhn. I made a half batch or 15-pounds of lead and 1/2 pound of tin.
Wait 2-weeks, a month, or.......?
Thanks!
Tom
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I am sure this question has been addressed on the LASC.US web site but I can't recall which browser works to get one there. The site is not a secure site so most browsers abort the load.
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
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Lead tin alloys are hardest right after casting. I found after two weeks at room temperature the hardness had declined to a final value.
This was with comparison to linotype alloy, but the method is not as precise as industrial methods. Someone may have better data.
Steve
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Guys,
I'm pretty sure the answer resides in one of several bullet casting books out there. True, I'm a bit lazy but I wanted to see what the current thinking is by experienced casters who pay attention to details like thiis.
Tom
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My 20-1 alloy I use for breech seat I age for hours, not days. Often I'll cast Saturday AM for the Sunday shoot.If I have left overs I'll shoot them at later dates but have never noticed a difference in accuracy. I need to test the BHN to see where they are ending up.
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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Dennis Marshall has two articles on this near the back of the NRA's "Cast Bullets" by Col. E.H. Harrison. Evidently out of print. Available on evilbay for $$$.
Glenn
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Paul,
Nice chart, thanks for posting it!
When it says 1/10 and 1/16 that also means 1 part tin to 10 parts lead and 1 part tin to 16 parts lead. Also 10:1 and 16:1....my assumption.
This helps get a better sense for time induced hardness change.
Years ago when I fooled with making a harder bullet, I would put them in the freezer until I needed them, hoping to reduce the tendency of the bullet to migrate to a softer condition. Not sure that really worked.
Tom
Tom
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Tom, Dennis Marshall mentioned that you could keep heat treated bullets in the freezer to delay age softening, so you probably weren't wasting effort.
Glenn
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Similar maybe.....
The handgun silhouette Internationals (similar to the CBA National Tourn.) were often held in Ft. Stockton, TX. It gets really hot there in July. Those of us nutz enough to use CB's would store and transport our ammo in a cooler. This was to help prevent the lube from melting and migrating into the powder....at least that's what we told ourselves.
Tom
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by that chart if I extrapolate my 1/20 probably stays pretty uniform over a 30 day cycle.
"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!
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It appears that Cast Bullets by E H Harrison is available to down load on your computer. I have no idea about the reputation of this company or any added fees or charges. But it might be of interest to others unable to purchase the actual material in any other manner. Perhaps someone has experience with this company and can share their thoughts.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/225468029/Cast-Bullets-by-Col-E-H-Harrison-NRA-1979
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as mentioned above... Here's a couple more "free" sources, for "downloading" just in case:
https://archive.org/stream/225468029-cast-bullets-by-col-e-h-harrison-nra-1979/225468029-Cast-Bullets-by-Col-E-H-Harrison-NRA-1979_djvu.txt
https://archive.org/details/225468029-cast-bullets-by-col-e-h-harrison-nra-1979
And another to download if ya don't have it already .
https://www.scribd.com/document/607586865/From-Ingot-to-Target-A-Cast-Bullet-Guide-for-Handgunners-Glen-E-Fryxell-2011
Check out Chapter 3, of the last link, for possible help in regard to the OP request.
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r
Aaron posted this 4 days ago
I am sure this question has been addressed on the LASC.US web site but I can't recall which browser works to get one there. The site is not a secure site so most browsers abort the load.
Try here instead for Ricks most popular articles: https://artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/articles-from-the-pages-of-lasc-us.10104/
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I would shoot it next day, 30/1 is pretty soft. Veral Smith has verygood book.
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Correct, 30:1 is pretty soft. Prior to this endeavor, the softest I've tried was 25:1.
I've had Veral's book for many years. Over that time I've owned 6 of his molds. Today there is only one, a 180-grain .30 cal. I do use his hardness tester. A friend made me one similar to the one we see in Lyman CB books. However, it requires measuring the diameter of the indent in the sample, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions. With Veral's you have to stop consistantly with the pointer at the "set" position, not short of or past the "set" position..
So why 30:1? Two reasons....
A. I frequent the Shiloh Rifle and ASSRA forums. I've had a CSA Model 74 Sharps since 2009 which has never seen smokeless or jacketed/gc bullets. Only holy black and plain base cast. So to me that readership has a similar behavior as me. There seems to be no fear there of soft bullets (even softer than 30:1) with that crowd.
B. My next dive into the "new for me pool" will be breach seating. The coaching I get from other shooters @ the Scheutzen matches I go to, where everyone is breach seating, has frequently been to use bullets that are.....soft and tapered. Those characterustics help facilitate the seating of the bullet into the throat area of the rifle when breach seating.
Tom
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