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Mixing my casting lead.....update, success!!!
robsguns
Member Posts: 4,581 ✭✭
I've been working on a load for my 454 Casull, and the biggest work of all has been trying to perfect the lead mix. I went from a wheelweight/ founders type mix of 50/50 to a 3:1 ration of the material. Having finally shot the 3:1 ratio I have found that the bullet performs well on 4x4 posts. I would like to have examined the bullet and weighed it to determine exactly how it did perform, but I hadnt anticipated it blowing through two 4x4s and then bouncing of the tree behind them. I want a bullet that will not expand but not fragment. I have shot 2 of the bullets into newspaper, and found that they would penetrate 11.5" of compressed newspaper, and did not deform, or fragment, but lost 33 gr. of 315 gr. weight. I think thats good, but not great, I dont expect to lose that much weight when firing into newspaper. The velocity on these bullets avg. about 1430 fps. I also have a concern that there was a little more leading in the barrel than I'd like, I'd like none. Today I've changed the mix to a 70%/30% mix, of the same material. I'm also increasing the powder charge a grain. The bullet is running 3 gr. lighter now out of the mold, giving me a 313 gr. bullet. I'm powering this bullet with 28.0 gr. of H110 out of my SRH 9.5" bbl. We'll see what the velocity increase amounts to. I'm hoping that this will give me results of less leading and more retained bullet weight. I will be firing the bullets into more wood tomorrow, but this time I'll be sure to recover them, and hopefully they will perform as expected, greater weight retention, no expansion, no fragmenting, and less leading of the barrel. I'll keep you updated on this thread. Any information pertaining to my goal would be appreciated, post it right here on this thread, or email me robsguns@hotmail.com Thanks
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
Edited by - robsguns on 06/06/2002 23:00:29
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
Edited by - robsguns on 06/06/2002 23:00:29
Comments
What are you using for lube? I used to push 215gr of 95% pure lead at a chroned 1585fps avg. with little or no leading, using Lee Lube (Alox and Beeswax), out of my 44mag SBH. I started with the old cakecutter method (stand them in a pan of melted lube, let the mess cool down, cut the bullets out) before sizing, and progressed to a Lyman sizer with the same lube.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
Side note: The leading occurs at the end of the barrel, in about the last 1.5" of it near the muzzle. That is also the tightest spot of the barrel, tighter than any of the rest of the barrel. I've also thought about fire lapping the barrel to alleviate that tightness, and possibly some tooling marks, but that might work itself out with some firing, in time.
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
Edited by - robsguns on 06/04/2002 23:31:56
That your getting lead in the last 1 1/2 suggests, to me, that you don't have enough lube on the bullet.
If you would like to try the alox/beeswax (soft lube) I can send you a stick (I have a couple extras), just need your mailing address.
Tailgunner@M33Access.com
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
Thats a very interesting theory, and one which I take seriously. I'm going to see if I can make the bullets hard enough to suit me first, and then if I still have the lead problem at the end of the barrel, ruling out the lead being too soft, I'll change the lube type I'm using, as you suggested. I really appreciate the offer of the lube, but it would be more cost and trouble to send it to me than for me to just tack it on to my next order of gun stuff, (seems like I'm ordering something everday), thank you very much, your offer is sincerely appreciated. Your advice and comments are even more valuable, thank you, I'll let you know what happens with this project of mine, and will email you if you like, with all the more particular details.
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
My experience w/ alox/beeswax mirrors Tailgunner's. At least twenty years ago, the NRA did a study of the lubes then on the market (many new products since) & concluded it was the best combination. May well be something more recent that will work as well or better, but I've never had any reason to change.
I finally got out to shoot again tonight. I have my mix set at 70% wheelweights and 30% founders type, remember? I will make this short. I shot at point blank range 3 rounds into a 4x4 with a newspaper backstop this time, so I could catch the bullet. The bullets did not expand, I lost everything from the front driving band forward. I shed 1/3 of the weight and I dont care! Why? Because I was firing a bullet into a 4x4 at a speed of 1500 fps avg., at point blank range-about 15 feet away from it, and I am still left with a .45 cal bullet weighing over 200 gr. that will plow through whatever I am shooting at, AND, virtually the most minimal leading of the barrel you could ask for. It only took me about 5 minutes to clean it out spotless with my Butch's Bore Shine, only ran the brush through it about 20 times, the patch took everything else out, no problem. Thats how I measure success. Shoot, my 30-06 wouldnt end up with 210 gr. left after punching through a 4x4, if I shot the heaviest bullet I could through it. Anyway, thought I would let you know how it turned out.
Oh yeah, it was getting dark, and I was shooting throught the chrony faster than I should have to beat the darkness. Good thing I have extra uprights, from the firstchrony I blew up, cause tonight I got a wake up call, AGAIN. Success had its price tonight, my ego suffered a casualty with a wounded chrony upright.
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC