Casting WW's into #2 Alloy

[brad925]

I have never casted bullets before so i bought Lymans Casting handbook and went to reading. They seem to use #2 alloy for their testing and give a mix of 9 lbs ww and 1 lb of 50/50 bar solder to make #2 alloy. I mentioned this on another site and was almost tarred and feathered. Was told this was not any good for making bullets and then given a multitude of mixes as well as recipes for lube. Needless to say i came out with info overload and more confused and scared about casting than i started.

I geuss i just want to know what a good all around mix for hunting and plinking with my 45-70 using a 350 to 400 gr. FN bullet at between 1600 to 1900 fps.

[Graybeard]

Beware the casting "experts" they'll make you believe it's far too complicated for mere mortals to do successfully. 

Me I just use whatever I happen to have on hand and seem to make perfectly useable and accurate bullets in spite of it. 

Wheel weights make excellent bullets as does linotype, foundary type and monotype. Those are the primary alloys I have on hand but then I have a lot of "I have no clue whatsoever what that is" alloy also.

If I have decent batch sizes of any of it I'll happily use it as is and if not I just mix what I have to try to get a more homogenous mixture and then use it. I've been known to add a bit of tin from 50-50 bar solder that was given to me long ago but otherwise I just use the stuff as is. Danged if I've ever been able to see where it mattered that much so long as the bullets in any given batch were from pretty much the same alloy.

Mind you now I don't do benchrest competition with my bullets but they sure shoot well enough for all the uses I do make of them. I've won a lot of trophies shooting them in competition matches around here.

[D Crockett]

listen to what Graybeard says he knows what he is talking about I have cast thousands of ww bullets and they  shoot just fine I have even had friends win matches with the bullets I have cast for them out of ww I have even killed a hog or two with what I have cast D Crockett

[kitchawan kid]

Thank you Graybeard,I to was turned off by many people about casting till I just said the h--l with it and just started.It is one of the few things if you make a mistake you can through them back in the pot and start over.

[ButlerFord45]

Wheelweights make excellent bullets, it has all then necessary ingredients to do all sorts of things to them. Air dry, water drop or heat treat, that will take you from Brinell hardness of ~8 to 30 or anywhere in between.  IF and notice that is a big if, you aren't getting good fill out of your mould  after you get the mould and melt hot, add a bit of tin. It isn't Rocket Science, it's Piddlin' Business.

[Badnews Bob]

I've shot alot of plain WW bullets, killed plenty of deer and other critters with them and punched alot of holes where I was aiming.  My shooting pal hates it because I don't worry about pretty bullets either a few wrinkles and a little frosty.... Don't make any diffrence. They still shoot good and thats all that matters to me.

[AtlLaw]

I to was turned off by many people about casting till I just said the h--l with it

Look Kid, I've never cast anything but RB's, but if Bill says it I believe it!  And when the likes of D Crockett, ButlerFord45 and Badnews Bob join in, they ain't no doubt about it!  Listen to them not those other yahoos!   

[Lloyd Smale]

i use probably more #2 alloy then any other alloy. I is great for mag handgun and rifles to about 1800 fps. I used to use more 5050 ww/lino but the lino is just getting to tough to find to waste and i save it mostly for the linebaughs and high velocity rifles. #2 works on about anything and will usually shoot more accurately then softer alloys to boot. Anyone that tells you that #2 alloy is junk is someone to ignore as they havent casted or hunted with cast bullets period!!! Ive shot animals as big as a 1100 lb buffalo with #2 and have shot hundreds of matches with 45acps and 38 specials loaded with #2 bullets.

[jhalcott]

  Well Brad, those old buffalo hunters used 20to 1 (lead/tin) alloy to kill off the herds. So I think WW alloy is a fine alloy for you. It is a bit harder than 20/1. It's softer tan #2,WW is about 13BHN here, and Lyman #2 is supposed to be 15BHN. Linotype is at 22 when new and gets down to 18BHN when the tin is depleted from remelting. I use air cooled WW for most of MY hunting and shooting in rifles and handguns. I can get above 2000FPS and 2 to 3" groups at 100 yards. In my 45-70 I use either a 300 fnRCBS mold or an NEI 405 pointed bullet. The NEI mold drops a 420 grain bullet from a softer WW alloy, the deer that I've shot with it did NOT seem to notice the extra weight! I have shot this bullet thru a Siamese Mauser at targets at 200 yards with good to great results
    I also have a stash of "mystery metal" that I cast up for plinking and varmint shooting. IF it doesn't group under 3" at 100 yards, it gets remelted and mixed with a known alloy. I do test it for hardness before shooting and ,if neccessary, remelting!

[brad925]

Thanks for the replies. You all have instilled the confidence i needed to go ahead with casting and get to shootin. Will be ordering everything i need to do it today so as soon as it warms up here in Alberta i can get started.

[7 MM]

I agree with the others on w/w . I have used nothing else and have no complaints.
Hello Loyd Glad to see someone I reconize here.
Don't worry I won't tell on you as I am persona non Gratta over there.

7 MM

[mechanic]

I start with pure lead, mix some 50/50 solder and cast a few.  If they don't fill out the mold well after it is hot, I add more solder.  Once it flows well in the mold I leave it alone.  I've shot 223, 243, and 22-250 without barrel leading, and the accuracy is more related to the bullet wt. / powder than the fact that it is a cast bullet.

NO ONE shot jacketed bullets for many many years, and they about wiped the animals off North America.

Just cast some wheel wt. and have fun.

[haroldclark]

Brad, I'll take a good guess that you talked to died in the wool Black Powder Smurfs and they had a cardiac when you started talking Lyman #2 in the 45/70.

I have several good friends that are fanatics about BP Rifles and Bullets. They are fanatics about pure lead with 1% tin.  For 5 years I spotted and called sight settings for several Master shooters during practice and the monthly 500 meter Silhouette matches.  By the way, the tin really does little to alter the hardness, but it does cause the melt to fill in the mold better.

I always thought they needed a harder metal, but the belief amongst those critters is like a religious cult.  They get all tensed up with any input.

Like the rest of these guys before me have said, it is so simple. The other day, a guy asked me what my mixture of metal was.  He fainted when I said, "If it will melt, I will cast it".

Harold