I really like it when it's like this:

[Skip Sackett]

Some say casting is a "black art". I'm not sure I agree with that but there seem to be times when things just go exceptionally well.

Tonight was one of those nights. The girls, wife and daughter #3, went to a Miche purse party and left me "home alone".

The other night I shot the last of my H&G #68 bullets, new load with SR4756, and needed some more.

One thing different though was this though; since the last time I cast, I purchased a Lyman lead thermometer.

My alloy for this bullet is just a tad harder than I normally use for other bullets. Reason being, they get shot out of a 1911 and I have had issues with too soft of bullets in that platform. The alloy was 3-3lb ingots of wheel weights to 3lbs of Linotype. That should make them hard enough to chamber well. What happens is this: they start up the feed ramp and if they are too soft they will hit the top of the chamber in the barrel and dent rather than slide past and chamber. This little "fix" of mine seems to work quite well.

I am going to load up some of these for the M625JM too. I want to push them hard and see what happens.

I have been working on my grip since seeing the Jerry Miculek videos from the Smith website to better control recoil.

The last load I worked on with these bullets for the M625JM consisted of a load of SR4756 that ran them to the 1000fps range from the 4" barrel. Serious medicine if you ask me!

Oh well, I guess I will quit rambling. Now all I gotta do is let them cool and lube them. Then ........................

 

[Skip Sackett]

Just weighed them up. 13lbs! @210gr each, that's what my mold throws with this alloy, that makes over 400 bullets in an hour and a half!

Even with a shortage going on!

 

[Rule3]

Just weighed them up. 13lbs! @210gr each, that's what my mold throws with this alloy, that makes over 400 bullets in an hour and a half!

Even with a shortage going on!

Well then, it sounds like you made enough to SHARE with everyone!

What a nice Karma to offer.

 

[Dale53]

The #68 H&G is my favorite bullet for the 1911 platform and my two 625's. In fact, I was shooting some today. Before it heated up today, I had a dandy "range day". Then, about noon it got too muggy to be comfortable.

A storm is pushing through tonight along with a cold front and we will have a wonderful day tomorrow (high in the seventies instead of the nineties).

I well know what you mean when you talk of a wonderful casting day. Since I got my MiHec six cavity #68 mould, every time I pick that mould up it seems I get one of those wondrous days. Bullet shortage? Not around here!!

I have been shooting WW's + 2% tin in my 625's and they are shooting very well. On the other hand, I would not hesitate to harden them up a bit if they needed it. I just let the guns tell me what they want and "give it to 'em">)).

Dale53

 

[epj]

I cast about 5-600 bullets yesterday myself. Took an hour or less. Also 200 gr. LSWC in .45. My mold is a Lee 6-banger and is is more of an H&G 68 "style". The bullet nose is just a tad longer and skinnier than a true #68. Still works in all the 1911's I've fed it to. I'm still using straight wheel weights. I'm looking for a local source of some reasonably priced linotype, 'cause i've got a full 5 gal. bucket of stick-on weights that I'm going to have to have something to alloy with. Where are you guys getting your linotype?

 

[Bullet Bob]

You guys make it sound like fun; too bad I'm so lazy.

I enjoy reading about your efforts though.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I have that mold too!

I cast about 5-600 bullets yesterday myself. Took an hour or less. Also 200 gr. LSWC in .45. My mold is a Lee 6-banger and is is more of an H&G 68 "style". The bullet nose is just a tad longer and skinnier than a true #68. Still works in all the 1911's I've fed it to. I'm still using straight wheel weights. I'm looking for a local source of some reasonably priced linotype, 'cause i've got a full 5 gal. bucket of stick-on weights that I'm going to have to have something to alloy with. Where are you guys getting your linotype?

I used an original H&G #68 for the casting session this time. I too have the mold you mention. It works very well and I like the bullet that comes from it. It does chamber in all of my firearms exceptionally well. I just got done shooting the last of mine that were cast from it.

As for Linotype, I stumbled onto mine. The scrap dealer didn't know what he had and there in the scrap lead area was over 100lbs of Linotype in long ingots! I scarfed it up right quick!

You can buy it from dealers on the web too. Check with local scrap yards in your area, you may get fortunate too!

 

[Skip Sackett]

Just back from the range.

Well,
I got just what I wanted!

A bunch of bullets that I could drive a little harder if I wanted to. These ones surely were!

I know I am going to start another hoorah for discussing the load I used though.

That's alright, I never shied away from something like that anyway!

To preface this report, I have 4lbs of SR4756 I have to use up so..........................

Guess what powder I used for this one!

I bet you can even guess what manual I got the data out of!

If you have a Speer #8 and look in the 45AutoRim data you will find the load I used. I started out using the minimum data and had some terrible results. That weight of powder is within current data listings from several sources for this powder/bullet combination. It just wasn't very consistent at that level. I thought about "THE LOAD" and my first attempt at a 45ACP load at that weight charge. Sure was dismal results!

I decided I needed some more bullets to try, hence the casting session last night. Took the chronograph and about 100 rounds to the range today and thought I would share the results with you fine folks, so here goes:

Again, this load is outside of current published data, not by much, but it is outside of it. Don't use it if you are unsure or your firearms aren't in perfect working order. I'm not recommending this load, just reporting on my findings, as weak as that may be!

The bullets weight right at 210gr from my alloy. I used the middle of the Speer #8 data for this load, plus .1gr.

From the M625JM:
Low 1034fps
High 1084fps
Avg 1053fps
ES 49.9fps
SD 16.8fps

From the PT1911:
Low 1013fps
High 1048fps
Avg 1033fps
ES 34.6fps
SD 12.9fps!

I have decided to change my accuracy test to be more real world.

@ 25 yards, it was "hand sized rock" accurate. What that means is, most shots shot at a target of that size at that distance made the rock move. Some even made it jump straight up. That was kind of cool to see!

 

[jgh4445]

Just a thought, but have you tried water dropping them and letting them sit for a couple of weeks? I've heard that will increase hardness considerably.

 

[BruceM]

I think you'll find that 3:2 wheelweights to linotype will be hard enough for most anything you want to do including dealing with the feed ramp of an autoloader.

Water dropping will harden cast bullets if the alloy has enough antimony in it but I personally do not like the idea of water & molten lead in close proximity- especially since I almost smoked part of my face off by "sweating" into the pot many moons ago. Cast bullets can safely be heat treated in your oven also without the use of water to quench them.

A lot of ink has been dedicated to cast bullet being made from too hard an alloy which causes leading. My experience has been somewhat different in that with hard alloys, close attention has to be paid to bullet diameter vs bore & chamber throat diameter. Bullets with too high a surface hardness-heat treated for example, can become so brittle that engraving by the rifling becomes an issue when velocities increase. Mainly stripping the bore riding surface of the bullet. When bullets are quenched or heat treated, the as-cast bullet diameter must be correct because running them through a sizing die to swage them down to the correct diameter destroys the heat treated surface.



Bruce

 

[Noah Zark]

. . . A lot of ink has been dedicated to cast bullet being made from too hard an alloy which causes leading. My experience has been somewhat different in that with hard alloys, close attention has to be paid to bullet diameter vs bore & chamber throat diameter. Bullets with too high a surface hardness-heat treated for example, can become so brittle that engraving by the rifling becomes an issue when velocities increase. Mainly stripping the bore riding surface of the bullet. When bullets are quenched or heat treated, the as-cast bullet diameter must be correct because running them through a sizing die to swage them down to the correct diameter destroys the heat treated surface.

Spot-on info that's overlooked by many. Thank you, Bruce.

Noah

 

[Beans]

The morning temps have finally dropped enough to make casting bearable. for a couple of hours.

I have fired up the Magma Caster the last three mornings and have cast 1000, 200 Gr FNRP .45’s, 1500, 180 Gr LTC .40 S&W. and 1000, 270 Gr, SWC, .45 bullets, the latter leave the mold weighting in 280 Grs.

The alloy I am using is straight wheelweights with 1% tin (from lead free solder) added for fluidablity. The bullets are dropped straight from the mold into a container of water.

The top of the 40 Lb pot is top of the head high, the casting handle in just below shoulder lever and the water container is 2 1/2 feet below the molds. Not much chance of contamination of the HOT lead by water

Not only do I quench the bullets but I also allow them to set for 6-8 weeks before loading. I don't BIN test every batch but when I do test, it runs around 12-15 BIN hardness. This is hard enough for my uses to prevent leading in my pistol and revolvers.


Lubing and sizing starts on Monday.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Some say casting is a "black art". I'm not sure I agree with that but there seem to be times when things just go exceptionally well.

You obviously haven't gotten the memo. "Black" Art is no longer allowed. It's now "Mysterious" Art. Let's be carefull out there amigo