first time casting, looking for wizdom

[riverratt]

So i got my TL-430 mold from midway and got started. It took a bit to start produceing good bullets but i finally figured it out. I made 200 bullets useing about a 50/50 mix of lino type and pure lead (flashing from roofs). All bullets were water quinched. After visualy checking each bullet i weighed everyone of them, all were between 237gr and 242gr, and all calipered at .430. I have used a double coating of 45/45/10 mix.

My question is that the lead seems soft to me (remember that ive only shot hard cast from the lgs) so am i good to go? Did i miss something?

 

[243winxb]

Cast bullets

Your alloy would seem to have about 1 1/2% tin & 5 1/2% antimony. Should be ok air cooled for most cartridges. Your bullets with that amount of antimony should fully harden within 30 minutes water dropping. But dropping from the mould into water is a hit and miss process for harding. Oven heat treating the Lyman method is better,IMO. http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/faqs/bullet-casting.php

Q: Is there anything I can do to make the bullets harder?
A: Cast bullets can be heat treated to increase their hardness providing your alloy has some antimony present. To heat treat your bullets: Cast your bullets in the normal manner, saving several scrap bullets. Size your bullets but do not lubricate them. Place several scrap bullets on a pan in your oven at 450 degrees and increase the temperature until the bullets start to melt or slump. Be sure to use an accurate oven thermometer and a pan that will not be used again for food. Once the bullets start to melt or slump, back off the temperature about 5 to 10 degrees and slide in your first batch of good bullets. Leave these in the oven for a half hour. Remove the bullets from the oven and plunge them into cool water. Allow them to cool thoroughly. When you are ready to lubricate, install a sizing die .001" larger than the one used to initially size them. This will prevent the sides of the bullets from work-softening from contact with the sizing die. Next apply gas checks if required and lubricate. These are now ready for loading.

 

[Mike / Tx]

Those should get you out the gate and stumbling, if not up and running.

Seriously those should shoot fine. I wouldn't get all warm and fuzzy about working up to the top end of the load data which something like 110/296 though. I would start off using powders like 2400 or AA-9 which give you more latitude to work with.

What your going to find with cast is, you don't have to drive them as fast as jacketed to get equal if not better accuracy and performance. In fact most of my revolver loads are running south of 1300fps and most any of them, well in 41 and up, will usually plow lengthwise if not all the way through, within a couple of inches, of a 6 gallon plastic bucket full of the fine sand from my farm at 25yds.

The main thing you need to remember is that you load will need to be balanced between the pressure and the integrity of the alloy. If the size is right, and the lube holds up, you work up slow until you start to see leading and that is your top end. Usually before you get to that point though, you will find something that is punching some nice groups, and that is where I normally stop. IF I want to run full tilt, I have a shelf full of jacketed for that.

Hope that helps some, and stick around, post some results up.