ingot markings puzzles

[Pistolero]

I bought a few hundred pounds of mixed SAECO and LYMAN home cast ingots from a guy who
got them from a friend's estate.
Most are marked with a stamp. LOTS have "333", many say "LEAD" (got that one figured), some
say "TIRE WT" (yep, figured that one, too). Some say "HV", thinking 'high velocity' maybe a harder
alloy? So, I finally broke out the LBT tester and filed a nice flat on a number of them and started
testing. Two "tire wt" ingots went at 13.5 and 14 BHN, right in there, as expected. The HV was 11.5 BHN,
hmmm, no clue what HV might have meant. I was guessing that the 333 might be alloy percentages,
3Sn-3Sb-3As ??, they tested 12 BHN, so kinda like low end WWts, IME. The LEAD tested well below 5 BHN,
so that was accurate!

Any ideas on "HV" or "333"? The guy was an old timer bullet caster, even older than me - I started in
the later 1970s. Maybe those might have been more common alloy designations way back when.

Bill

 

[RBHarter]

Maybe a paper patch alloy , maybe marked for a particular cartridge or gun .
It may be an alloy that heat treats harder for hunting loads . I use a 75/25 WW -1-20 that heat treats to about 18 but A/C is only about 12 .

 

[KHornet]

It is probably impossible to determine some one elses marking. I was long ago advised by a
very old head to not trust the markings of someone you did not know. His emphasis was on
powder, but I think it applies to any markings on components. He was also emphatic about
not trusting the recommendations of others regarding powder charges without checking/
verifying with at least one current reloading manual, and two are better than one. I have been
at the reloading/casting game well over 50 years, and I still remember the admonishments
of many of the loaders much older then me, and who are long gone now.

Paul

 

[Winelover]

I have devised my own marking code and most are pretty obvious.



WW = Wheel Weights (clip on)

PURE = Lead

LINO = Linotype

RA = Rifle Alloy (3-1 mix of pure to lino)

RBA = Recovered Bullet Alloy (my personal range recovered alloy)