Pistol Cast Bullet and Alloy questions

[theshootist]

Can anyone tell me what a 2/7/91 Tin/Antimony/Lead alloy may be good for?

I am considering buying a bulk quantity of it and wonder if it will be useful as it is without adding more tin.

Lyman #2 Alloy is 5/5/95. For each increase of 1% Antimnoy the BHN increases by 0.9. A 1% tin increase will increase the BHN by 0.3. My calculations predict the alloy will have a BHN of approx. 15.6 With water quenching the BHN should be more than adequate.

Will the 2/7/91 alloy be good as it is for rifles? I'll be loading for a .308 Win in a bolt, lever, and semi-auto action. I am also hoping to use it in a pistol chambered in .40S&W. Would it make a good handgun alloy?

One final question, is it neccessary to size the .40 cal pistol boolits in order to achieve "accuracy". I don't know how to quantify accuray in handguns. Not really quantifiable in MOA I guess. My plan is to tumble lube the pistol boolits, then hopefully skip the sizing step. I haven't tried it yet as I am deciding if I should by the .401 sizer.

I figure this post should be on the CastBoolits forum, but Im not a member there yet. I'd like to poll the CGNers to test the pool of knowledge on this forum as well. So far, the knowledge I have access to on this site has been outstanding.

Thanks for all of your constructive comments.

 

[barsik]

I've mostly only used reclaimed wheelweights for bullet casting so I have no info for you on the 2/7/91. if you are going to use that alloy in a rifle you may want to get some kind of gas check type bullet mold just to keep leading down to a minimum. don't be so hasty to discount cast bullet accuracy, if you are patient, and learn not to push the bullets too hard, you will be surprised at how accurate a lead bullet can be. as far as bullet sizing goes, I found that a relatively hot pot and a hot mold followed by a cold quench will make a smaller diameter bullet. I also had a bit of straight linotype and it would produce lighter, smaller bullets too. depending on your gun, don't be afraid to go up a bit on bullet diameter as lead is very forgiving. I really like casting my own bullets, haven't done it for a few years because of family, but am looking forward to picking it up again very soon. get yourself a copy of the Lyman lead bullet manual, that is the best book I have seen on lead bullets. Castboolits is also very good for info. I found casting to be actually quite relaxing and therapeutic. good luck.

 

[just having some fun]

Elimer Keith Liked to use a BHN of Around 11 bhn

More tin will make the mold fill out better ( but you can add tin in the form of lead free solder)

Tin content should be less than Antimony content or you get problems

You might not have to Water quench your bullets-- I have shot cast 30cal in the 11/12 bhn range at 100yds and got good results

Have you checked out h t t p://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php for cast bullet info ?

 

[Red Herring]

What you have is an alloy very close to "Hardball". Hardball is a modern version of Lyman No. 2 alloy with a Bhn of about 16. Its alloy is 92-percent lead, two-percent tin and six-percent antimony... (http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/how-to-cast-bullets-bullets-on-cheap/)... Because of the lower ratio of tin Hardball alloy is slightly less expensive than the original Lyman No. 2. These alloys can be used interchangeably.

I'd say what you have is damn good boolit material! Where are you getting it from, and how much per pound?