Sorry, my train of thought got interrupted by dinner! Where were we? Oh yeah. . . .
What the guys are saying is that the fit of the bullet to the pistol is important--and it is easier to work on than theoretical considerations about hardness. Sometimes BHN can matter but you can get to the same BHN in different ways that produce different results, and those different results can affect bullet fit. As 358156 hp said, he went to 20:1/30:1 for cast HPs for consistency--something he wasn't getting with a mix of wheelweights and salvaged pewter.
One problem (a BIG problem from a shooter's perspective) with salvaged lead is that when you work with small batches there is no way to get consistency--and that lack of consistency can mess up your bullet fit. Sorting range scrap visually doesn't tell you a lot. (I shot an informal match last weekend. Looking at the fired bullets under the plate rack you couldn't tell my 20:1 bullets from the commercial "hard cast" bullets or the wheelweights.
As Bret wrote, you can melt it all in one batch and adjust to meet your needs. As a starting point, in an auto size to match the chamber throat. In a revolver, size to match your cylinder (or up to .001" over). From there you can adjust diameter. If need be, you can add soft(er) lead or harden it by adding harder lead.
What the guys are saying is that the fit of the bullet to the pistol is important--and it is easier to work on than theoretical considerations about hardness. Sometimes BHN can matter but you can get to the same BHN in different ways that produce different results, and those different results can affect bullet fit. As 358156 hp said, he went to 20:1/30:1 for cast HPs for consistency--something he wasn't getting with a mix of wheelweights and salvaged pewter.
One problem (a BIG problem from a shooter's perspective) with salvaged lead is that when you work with small batches there is no way to get consistency--and that lack of consistency can mess up your bullet fit. Sorting range scrap visually doesn't tell you a lot. (I shot an informal match last weekend. Looking at the fired bullets under the plate rack you couldn't tell my 20:1 bullets from the commercial "hard cast" bullets or the wheelweights.
As Bret wrote, you can melt it all in one batch and adjust to meet your needs. As a starting point, in an auto size to match the chamber throat. In a revolver, size to match your cylinder (or up to .001" over). From there you can adjust diameter. If need be, you can add soft(er) lead or harden it by adding harder lead.