IN NEED OF A RECIPE

[DON IN VA]

 
A Double Howdy to all,
Things are progressing slowly so far as my becoming educated to the whys and wherefore of BPCR ...the R bein' for RELOADIN'.   And no I must admit I haven't ordered the suggested books to read up on the subject yet but here's a preliminary query fer y'all.
In preparation I have acquired 10 lbs. of pure lead and 10 lbs. of linotype.
What is Linotype exactly and how much is required to be mixed w/X lbs of lead to get the recommended hardness of bullet?  Nope, ain't got a mold yet either.  I do have a bottom pour furnace and a little experience from moulding for my muzzleloaders but that's where it leaves off.
Fill me in on the linotype and I promise I'll be able to ask a more educated question next time.

[Charlie Detroit]

Lino is: 86% Pb, 3% Sn, and 11% SB. Brinell hardness is about 22. This info, and lots more, is available in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Also, if you buy ant Lyman mould blocks, in the box you will also find the Lyman Bullet Making Guide, a pamphlet that tells almost as much as the book.
Idon't know what hardness you are trying for (you probably don't, either), but Lyman #2 alloy is probably about where you want to be. That's a Brinell Hardness of about 15. I'm not sure how you can get that with what you have on hand, but there are many alloys with that hardness, and you might be able to get pretty close. Lyman's little table lists 1:1 Pb/Lino as BHN 15, for example...just mix equal weights of pure PB and Lino...see how it works. After that you can tinker.

[HWooldridge]

The antimony is what makes linotype hard.  Tin adds a bit of hardness but there is an upper limit, i.e. 50/50 bar solder (lead/tin) is not much harder than 90/10 but the latter is much harder than pure lead - so it doesn't take much tin to help the mix.  With what you have acquired, I would mix 2 lbs pure lead with 2 lbs linotype and decide if that works for your application and then play with the ratios to give a harder or softer bullet as you need.

[DON IN VA]

:?:  :?:  :?:
Thanks fellars,
Now lemme see,  if I'm decoding correctly your replys, you've each suggested I start with a 1:1 ratio and that's followed by "see how it works".  How do I know if my boolet is  too hard or too soft?  What's the things to look for to tell me which way I need to go?
I did pick up a cast bullet handbook by RCBS by the way and part of what I've read so far would seem to indicate that regular old wheel weights after the results have been fluxed and cleaned up might offer just about the right hardness by themselves with the additives they already contain.
Any idears or suggestions about that?  Is it necessary one invest in a hardness tester?  They seem pretty expensive for just starting out.

[Charlie Detroit]

Lots of leading, and in extreme cases, loss of accuracy from stripping the rifling, means it's too soft. Leading screws up your accuacy, too.
Best way to tell if a target bullet is too hard is by softening it bit-by-bit (different alloys) and see if accuracy improves. Also, larger-than-normal diameters (less shrinkage) and difficulty in sizing can indicate too much hardness.
In a hunting bullet, of course, lack of expansion, and even shattering, mean your bullet is too hard.