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Offline jlwilliams

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What lead tester to use?
« on: July 24, 2011, 02:46:14 AM »
  Just getting into casting.  What lead hrdness testing tools should I be looking at getting?
 
  I have some pistol and rifle molds that will probably want hard bullets and I have a slug mold that says in bold print on the instructions that I gotta use pure, soft lead.  Combine that with the lead scrap I have a big pile of.  Some if it's WW, some of it is miscelaneous lead scrap of undetrmined origins.  I really need to have myself a melt party and do some testing to see just what I heve and what should get poured into which mold.
 
  So, I ask you who have been doing this a while; which lead testing tools are good, which are bad and which are ugly?
 
Thanks.
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Offline bulletstuffer

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2011, 03:19:35 AM »
jlwilliams,
 
I have only been casting about 4 years now.  The only lead tester I have used is from Veral and it works great.  I also use the lbt blue soft in my sizer and have since I started casting.  Haven't read his book yet but it is on my to do list :)   I shoot 90+ % cast bullets now out of everything. 
 
Good luck,
 
Bulletstuffer 
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Offline hornady

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2011, 06:50:27 AM »
I have read good things about the LBT as well as the cabin tree, both run about $100.00, I own the Saeco its more expensive and I don’t know its worth the extra money, I have had it for years and it works good for me.

I don’t know how old you are, I know a lot of guy’s say the cheap Lee tester works ok, they do say it’s hard to read. If your eyes are getting old, I would not waste my money on the Lee.
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Offline calvon

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2011, 08:59:15 AM »
+1 on the LBT tester.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2011, 02:46:39 AM »
Ive owned the seaco and the lbt and know own a cabin tree and the cabin tree is hands down the best tester and cost less to boot.
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Offline gypsyman

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2011, 03:50:26 AM »
I've got an LBT, and like it better than the Saeco. gypsyman
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Offline anachronism

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2011, 10:02:41 AM »
I had Saecos tester, sold it, and bought the LBT. It was a major improvement for many reasons. You can even test ingots with the LBT if you want, just remember that the different cooling rates between a bullet size sample & an ingot sized sample will give different readings. The Cabine Tree tester looks good, but does not read directly in bhn. The LBT reads directly in bhn, and doesn't require any charts, formulas or translation. The information is just there.
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Offline Bob J

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Re: What lead tester to use?
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2011, 05:06:58 PM »
Cabine tree hands down as well!  Great tester!  Easy to use and very repeatable!
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