| Posted: Sat Oct 31st, 2009 03:49 PM |
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21st Post |
miestro_jerry
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In recent years we have seen the reintroduction of coyotes from two different directions, some that came down from Michigan and others that have come thru Pennsylvania.
Recently a large natural gas pipeline was constructed in my area, this started in Colorado and will end in Clarington, Ohio which is on the Ohio river. So there is a 600 mile long path way from west to east for animals to follow. Plus when the construction started around here, we had fox showing up that I knew they were down the road in more wooded areas, but their lives were disturbed, so they moved.
People have seen Bob Cats that we didn't know if there were any left in the area.
Once in a while, the TV stations show where the deer are going across the bridges at night and once in a while they show a bear doing a night crossing. Why swim when humanity puts up these really great bridges for river crossings. Plus I won't swin in the Ohio river, it is contaminated with the by junk chemicals from the coal fired generator plants, all of the chemical companies waste products and the by gone days of the steel mills.
Getting back to the orginal subject, I can make very hard bullets, but I would rather increase the size of the bullet and cartridge than try to make a rifle have to get to boundry line where the bullet may not work properly for the intended use.
Jerry
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31st, 2009 04:44 PM |
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22nd Post |
cedarswamp1
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| Joined: | Sat Oct 17th, 2009 |
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| Posts: | 15 |
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miestro_jerry wrote:
Getting back to the orginal subject, I can make very hard bullets, but I would rather increase the size of the bullet and cartridge than try to make a rifle have to get to boundry line where the bullet may not work properly for the intended use.
I don't get carried away with hardness, but I heat treat to around 20.1 BNH, while my as dropped hardness is 14.3 BNH. The harder bullets for me increase the accuracy of my Casull loads(4.5 inch groups vs 3 inch at 75 yrds, both gas checked.) I've also heard too soft a bullet can damage the forcing cones on high pressure cartidges, so I'm sorta going harder for that reason also.
I heat treat and then size and gas check immediately and this doesn't seem to create the problem of work softening the metal as they continue to harden for weeks.
I tried size/gas check and then heat treat but wound up slumping 200 bullets. Won't make that mistake again. 
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31st, 2009 04:51 PM |
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23rd Post |
miestro_jerry
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Casting is constantly a learning process, just like loading and shooting, but it is so much fun.
Jerry
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The Cast Bullet Association
Bethesda Farmers and Sportsmen Club
ODNR Certified and Licensed Hunter
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daboone
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| Joined: | Tue Oct 6th, 2009 |
| Location: | Phoenix, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 84 |
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I've always heard how hard it is to alloy in antimony. With Linotype disappearing I decided to give antimony a try. I've had good luck adding granular antimony into my alloys to increase the hardness.
I measured the antimony, tin and lead on a digital kitchen scale. Get 18lbs of lead up to melt, fluxed, added the 1lbs of tin and fluxed. At that point the temp was about 630. Added 1/2lbs of antimony and more saw dust in. About 10 minutes I noticed a little of the antimony was mixing in! Added bees wax and things really got moving, fluxing saw dust, beeswax every few minutes. When the first half of antimony disappeared checked the temp, it was at 630. Added the rest of the antimony (1/2lbs) and repeated the fluxing. All was incorporated or alloyed in about 15 more minutes!!!!!
I took a mold off the hot plate poured and dropped 6 beautiful boolits! Took one inside to filed off a flat and did the Lee hardness test. The indent was .052 = 19.2 BHN less than 10 minutes out of the mold. YES that was WAY easier than anything I had read or heard!!!
Glad I had a respirator mask because it seemed like I had more fumes than usual, but then again I've never fluxed as much or a frequently as I did with this.
A friends suggestion to add wood ash as a flux was an excellent suggestion. I didn't have ash to add but as I said I did have sawdust so left it's ash floating on top. I was stirring the pot almost the whole time. I didn't get as much dross as I expected, if fact very very little. But I did leave the ash from the sawdust fluxing in till all the antimony was alloyed in before skimming ash off.
Excuse my rambling here but I was sure alloying antimony was going to be very difficult with out high temps and special fluxes. Total time was about 1 hour from start to first cast boolit!
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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. Thomas Jefferson
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miestro_jerry
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dabone,
You have dispelled a myth about alloying bullet metals. I buy antimony 10 pounds at a time, plus get a like amount of time and make up 200 pounds of Lyman #2 every month.
As that I have not gotten the power run to my foundry building yet, I am restricted on when I can work in it. If all else fails, I do my alloy work on the apron to my garage. You can get most of equipment from Walmart and Harbor Frieght, plus ingot molds that are available at one of our sponsor, Midway or you can make your own out of a muffin pan.
It isn't that hard to do, but you are doing extremely well for a beginner.
Jerry
Attachment: cookingleadalloy1a.jpg (Downloaded 33 times)
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The Cast Bullet Association
Bethesda Farmers and Sportsmen Club
ODNR Certified and Licensed Hunter
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daboone
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| Joined: | Tue Oct 6th, 2009 |
| Location: | Phoenix, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 84 |
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Here's mine:
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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. Thomas Jefferson
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miestro_jerry
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daboone,
You are ahead of many people with your casting arrangement. I will have to take another picture of where we actually cast bullets by hand. I use a portable welders table, when I am not welding.
One lesson I learned a while ago is to not use your casting pot for smelting, you can get some contamination doing that. But your pictures tell me that you already know not to do that.
Keep on casting,
Jerry
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No Goats, No Glory
NRA Benefactor Member
Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association Member
The Cast Bullet Association
Bethesda Farmers and Sportsmen Club
ODNR Certified and Licensed Hunter
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| Posted: Sat Nov 14th, 2009 07:34 AM |
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28th Post |
4570Ranger
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| Joined: | Sun Jun 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | Modesto, California USA |
| Posts: | 14 |
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Daboone,that deep bakers pan is a very good idea.
I do the same.It's a nice safety measure.
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| Posted: Sat Nov 14th, 2009 08:55 PM |
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29th Post |
miestro_jerry
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I cast on a welding table/bench.
Like this one: http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingdepot/783980.html?id=npqYe2PN
Mine has wheels. But I have the pot in a tray for spills.
This breaks down and is easily moved or stored. Except, mine has been setup for about 2 year now.
Jerry
____________________
No Goats, No Glory
NRA Benefactor Member
Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association Member
The Cast Bullet Association
Bethesda Farmers and Sportsmen Club
ODNR Certified and Licensed Hunter
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