I'm going to load for a .357 mag. revolver with 158gr and 170 gr. bullets. I have shot some commercial bullets sized .358 and they seemed to do well. Loading the 158gr with 14 gr. of A2400 and the 170 with 13gr. Hope to increase both loads by a 1/2 gr. I don't have the tools to precisely measure the chamber throats down to a.001 ", but know they do vary. a .358 is snug in some but will pass through other with just a little force applied. The revolver is a GP100 w/4" barrel, many thousands of rounds through it since the 1990's( a lot of .38s) but still the cyl. gap has opened to .008 so think the chamber throats have eroded over time also. Might have to size them to .359? From what everybody is saying on this and different boards I will reduce the linotype to a 25% mix with 75% WW and see what happens. Thanks.
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Brinell hardness of wheel weights and linotype mixture?
- Thread starter dgang
- Start date
That will probably be satisfactory. The increase in the barrel/cylinder gap is either frame stretching or erosion at the back end of the barrel.
If you own a micrometer, you can get an inexpensive set of ball end small hole transfer gauges. You clean the cylinder, put the gauge in a chamber and adjust its expanding knob until the sides just barely kiss the sides of the throat when you move it through with the handle held straight (coaxial with the chamber). You then withdraw the gauge and measure it. I can get within about 0.0002-0.0003" that way, which is close enough for shooting purposes.
If you own a micrometer, you can get an inexpensive set of ball end small hole transfer gauges. You clean the cylinder, put the gauge in a chamber and adjust its expanding knob until the sides just barely kiss the sides of the throat when you move it through with the handle held straight (coaxial with the chamber). You then withdraw the gauge and measure it. I can get within about 0.0002-0.0003" that way, which is close enough for shooting purposes.
While I normally cast with wheel weights alone or by adding 1-2% tin for mold fill out and air cool them, I've found that with proper bullet fit (they need to fit the cylinder throats in a revolver and personally, I like them 0.001" larger), straight wheel weights will do nicely up to 1200 fps or a bit more. Air cooled wheel weights...and a good tight fit in the cylinder throat is the key.
But for rifle work, or the very rare times when I'm pushing the limits in .357, .41, & .44 Magnum calibers, I water quench my wheel weight alloy bullets. I simply drop them straight from the mold into a 5 gallon water bucket. This raises the bhn to the vicinity of 16 or so. And it works well up to ~1500-1600 fps loads.
In my use, in .357 Magnum, Lyman's 358156 bullet, without gas check, will do 1200 fps with straight wheel weights and using 2400 powder. That's in a several S&W's and a cpl of Ruger BH's. Adding a GC to that bullet makes it eminently suitable for use to 1700 fps in my Marlin 1894 CS, .357 Carbine. With 2400 doing the pushing, that combination will do 1-1/4" 3-shot groups at 100 yds, benched, with a 2.5x scope mounted and with carefully selected bullets. 50-50 is the lube from White Label.
As suggested by other posters here, save the linotype, and use straight wheel weights and size to the throats of the cylinder chambers, or at most 0.002" larger....it's cheap and there's a long history of success doing it that way.
Good luck and good shooting, Rod
But for rifle work, or the very rare times when I'm pushing the limits in .357, .41, & .44 Magnum calibers, I water quench my wheel weight alloy bullets. I simply drop them straight from the mold into a 5 gallon water bucket. This raises the bhn to the vicinity of 16 or so. And it works well up to ~1500-1600 fps loads.
In my use, in .357 Magnum, Lyman's 358156 bullet, without gas check, will do 1200 fps with straight wheel weights and using 2400 powder. That's in a several S&W's and a cpl of Ruger BH's. Adding a GC to that bullet makes it eminently suitable for use to 1700 fps in my Marlin 1894 CS, .357 Carbine. With 2400 doing the pushing, that combination will do 1-1/4" 3-shot groups at 100 yds, benched, with a 2.5x scope mounted and with carefully selected bullets. 50-50 is the lube from White Label.
As suggested by other posters here, save the linotype, and use straight wheel weights and size to the throats of the cylinder chambers, or at most 0.002" larger....it's cheap and there's a long history of success doing it that way.
Good luck and good shooting, Rod