Wheel Weight Alloy

[johnwayne]

Hi Veral,

In an earlier topic you mentioned that WW contain about 1% antimony. Can your Bullet Hardness Tester be used to determine Antimony content? 

Also, with only 1% Antimony how would you recommend casting for 1200, 1600, and 2200 fps with respect to water dropping, heat treating, air cooling, or adding more Tin or Antimony?

Thank you.

[Veral]

  I strongly recommend that you purchase my book "Jacketed Performance with Cast bullets' so you have  answers for all the questions you asked and many more, all in one little booklet.

  However,  a brief answer would be.  Wheel weights with their low alloy content will perform well in all magnum revolvers, all auto loading handguns which I'm aware of, at full throttel, and in rifle loads with speeds to 2600 fps.   All the above with water drop hardening, and use of LBT bullet lubricant.  Use any other lubricant and the above statement doesn't apply.

  Water dropping will produce a hardness of 20 bhn or higher in about 24 hours after the quench.

  The LBT hardness tester measures hardness only, which is all that any hardness tester can measure.  The lowly wheel weight metal can be made to reach hardness up to 30 bhn, and if air cooled comes out at around 12 bhn, after a two week hardening time. (called hardening cycle)

[azvaquero]

My water dropped WW bullets come out to 16 or so, using an LBT hardness tester.  This is the case over many batches of alloy.  How do you get 20?

[Veral]

  Hardness of a piece of lead alloy is not an indicator of it's alloy content.

  Wheel weight metal hardness possibilities range from  about 12 bhn when air cooled and aged two weeks up to as high as 35 bhn when oven heat treated.  With this hardness range one can make loads for about any thing that can be done with lead alloy.

  You'll find much information regarding the other questions you asked by reading this forum, and will get a compact instruction source if you purchase my book Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets.
  Available from    LBTMoulds.com         Price is $30 with prepaid shipping to any US address.  Write for foriegn shipping quote.