I'm back. This cast bullet project continues to move at a snail's pace.
In the interim, I have acquired a Lee hardness tester. I wanted to test it out. What I've found is that that the bullets I cast three weeks prior have a BHN of about 24.5. I then went on to test a few other things to make sure I was doing it right. A pure lead ingot I keep on my gunsmithing bench measured 8. Some Minie-balls that I had trouble jamming down the barrel of my Hawken 20 years ago measured 11.
Assuming the 24.5 measurement is correct, I'd like to know:
1) Is this TOO hard? If I'm going to load the 200 grainers for the 35 Whelen, I figure this should be just fine. I'd have to anneal the tips if I wanted to take them hunting.
2) Is this too hard for loads for the Marlin lever? For my Blackhawk?
The recipe I used to get to where I am now (24.5 BHN) was as follows:
1 ingot of pure lead
1 ingot of the mystery WW alloy
1 50 cal round ball of pewter
1:1:1
Cast and dropped into a bucket of water.
In adjusting the recipe, what BHN should be the target?
What would you suggest as a next step? 2:1:1? 3:1:1 ?
