alloy advise requested

[freebullet]

I started out collecting any lead I could get about 6 years ago.

I have for use-
50/50 ww/lino
Pure
Same range scrap as Brad
Near pure waste pipe ingots that may contain a small amount of tin from the joints

I'd like to mix an alloy that I can push at the upper end of 30-30 velocity and a second later that would be good for pushing velocity up in 308 or 270. Any help or advise is appreciated.

 

[Ian]

Sweeten that range scrap slightly with your ww/lino and heat-treat it. Brad's getting over 2750 fps with decent accuracy in his .30 caliber, and that was just the first testing. I wouldn't go quite as hard as he did, though, for the .30-30 at least. HT to about 14-16 bhn for starters, should get your .30-30 up to about 2000 fps. To go to the ragged edge of what chamber pressure will allow, you may or may not need to heat treat at a higher temperature.

I use either WW+2% tin or that same mix cut with an equal part of soft scrap and water quenched from the mould. Either gets me to 2200 easily, though my pet load is about 2125 or so with the 50/50.

 

[Brad]

Water drop or heat treat that range scrap and age it for a month. My 30-30 seems pretty happy with nothing more than that.
For higher velocity you can add a small amount of Lino to the range scrap.
I am really amazed at how well lowly range scrap does in many guns.

 

[358156hp]

My range scrap runs about bhn 11 without "fortifying". I really wanted it to be around 8 or so, but it didn't happen. Soft lead is the dickens to find in my area.

 

[Rick]

I shoot air cooled CWW +2% Sn @ 12 BHN from both my 30-30 and 308 to 2000 fps with good accuracy and no leading. They are both easy cartridges to work with at those velocities and don't require anything special or particularly hard to get good results. The OP mentioned pushing the velocity in the 308 and a 270, quenching or heat treating would probably be a benefit there.

 

[JSH]

Size
Lube
Alloy
Proper size is #1 for me. I have never had my FWFL lubefail before the alloy.
I used to cast hard and water quench or oven. Did that for along time till I started shooting more wheel guns. I have since started adding a lot more dead soft and air cooling. Don't be afraid to add tin.
I have good luck with the softer alloy with 22 hornet all the way through 45-70.
I still believe proper size is king. Everything else seems to fall in place after that. One should slug the throat and the muzzle in order to know what is going on and understand what those measurements are telling you.
Jeff

 

[freebullet]

Today I tested some soft checked boolits in the 336w. I "think" the boolits were around 12-13bhn and 50/50 tl.

Mp312-159hp
Tested imr 4227 from 16.5-20gr. All loads performed well. I really liked the 18-19gr loads and think I will investigate that one more. All loads grouped inside 2.5" @50yds with 18-19gr being a pleasant clover leaf with 4 of 5 shots. Further testing in that area at 100 is the plan.

I also tested imr7383 from 26.5-27.5 in half grain increments. All loads left powder behind. With the later leaving the least and no pressure signs. I think this may work if I can get it to burn just a bit more clean. A boolit seat on the powder load is 30.7gr and I will work up to that slowly. All of these loads felt light. Just under the 4227 start charge for recoil. The groups were all great, however the velocity was likely low at around 1500fps.

We also tested 7gr of red dot under the naked base boolits. At 25yds they stayed under an inch making for a really pleasant pistol range/close pest round. I will load some of these in bulk for my wife to familiarize herself with the lever action.

I would like to heat treat some and push up the velocity with h335 and see what I get.

As far as my alloy question, I'd like to figure out how much of what to mix together for replicating a given alloy. With the lino and ww mixed in ingot from it complicates figuring out how much of each to use.

For volume auto pistol boolits it doesn't matter much, I just mix them soft and only harden if I get smearing in the push through sizer. As I get into pushing the rifle faster I need to get a better idea about the alloys I have.

 

[Brad]

Run some numbers thru the alloy calculator. I think something with around 2-2.5% Sb would work well for about anything. It would heat treat well and therefore fill about any need you might have.

As for the range scrap, do this.

You have a PID, right? Hook that sucker up to,your HT oven and set it for 450. Soak the bullets for a full hour, water quench, and let em sit a month. Oh, size and check em first. That will make your range scrap hard enough for anything the 30-30 can do.

I really think that with few exceptions range scrap from our club will do about anything I need to do.

 

[freebullet]

No pid yet. It's on my list. I've been giving some thought to building a 40-60lbs bottom pour that would allow ladle casting. I have 2 lee 10 lbs and a lee 20 and didn't want to pid them if I get froggy n build what I really want.

Waiting a month, ooo boy I might have trouble there lol. I don't have enough made to set a batch a side for a month yet.

Our range scrap does work dandy for everything I've used it on so far. I didn't collect much last summer due to the cataracts. Going to hit it hard this year now that I can see the bullets again. The mp159hp at 1100fps opens the berm up nice.

 

[Brad]

I got 500 pounds or so last year. That is on top of 1300 pounds the year before. My daughter won't be home again this summer and that reduces my yield. I figure that as long as I brimg home more than I take each time out all is good.

I need to get some bullets heat treated and aging soon. This waiting to shoot is sorta a pain.

 

[45 2.1]

A lot of alloys get you into the 2,400 fps range easily..... however, not a lot of them will expand there. That's not a problem when you're shooting inanimate targets, but is when hunting. Poking holes in live animals without expansion can kill the animal, but you may not find it either.

 

[freebullet]

Good point and welcome aboard.

My first addition of lino in the 270 made me think about that. They worked on paper but we're much too hard for hunting.

That's an nteresting topic.