Author Topic: Too brittle ? (Read 587 times)

Tad Houston · « **on:** May 06, 2003, 02:37:01 PM »

I read about casting soft nose bullets in the latest Handloader magazine, and it sounded like a great idea! I made a bunch up- took a little time to perfect it, but i got some really nice looking bullets! I was just wondering if plain WW metal is too brittle for heavy bone at around 1400 FPS. The caliber is 44 mag. and the bullet is the Lee 310 gr. FRN. The artical said to Quench them, But i thought this might make them even more brittle, so i just let them air cool. The mould needs to be very hot to mate the two metals, so the WW metal comes out very frosty. thanks- Tad

Nobade · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2003, 03:34:05 PM »

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The few wheelweight bullets I've seen recovered from deer and one pig were still in one piece. Most go on through though. I don't like to water drop bullets for hunting, just to get some expansion out of them. I need to read that article and see how he did it, I've tried softnoses by melting a muzzleloader ball in the ladle, pour it in, and follow up with wheelweight metal. You can also temper the noses if you stand them up in a plate of water, heat the noses, and let them cool slowly.

HBL · « **Reply #2 on:** May 07, 2003, 02:11:33 AM »

I have tried casting noses from pure lead and welding them together with WW metal. The bullets looked great and using pliers and a vice, I could not separate the two parts from each other.

But, this past hunting season, I shot a doe at 60 yards and the bullet separated into two projectiles. The main body went on through the shoulder but the 95 grain nose decided to travel through the torso and exit through the opposite ham, tearing up half of the back strap and that ham on it's way out.

Honestly, with the size and diameter bullet you are using and the 315gr. LBT LFN bullet I use, there is really no need for a pure lead nose, unless you want to tear something up. These bullets are very capable of knocking a deer flat or hog for that matter, out to 100 yards.

Just heat treat these things in an oven at 450 degrees for 1 hour and quench in ice water. The BHN should be somewhere in the range of 30-35 for WW metal. Mine usuall test out right at 35. Never had one fragment.

Good Shooting,

HBL :grin:

Joe Kool · « **Reply #3 on:** May 09, 2003, 12:30:53 AM »

The meplat on the Lee 310 gr. bullet is so large, it don't need expansion, it will blow a large enough hole through critters.. To harden them, just drop them from the mold into a bucket of cool water. If you want to get expansion, anneal them. Put them in the oven at 350 deg. for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave them cool to room temperature in the oven. If your bullets are casting very frosty, mic them. I found when the bullets drop that frosty, the diameter will be up to .003" under size. And they are not uniformly under size around the diameter of the bullet. They are off balance and will not shoot as well as bullets that are not frosty. Also be careful casting a Lee mold that hot. If over heated they will warp and not close right.