The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

dodgyrog wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 8:03 pm 60 years shooting is NOT enough for me!

I have had at least 45 years at it and I am still addicted.

Alpha1 wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 10:52 pm Is the Lee lead hardness tester any good is it worth buying. What are you guys using to work out your alloys for casting for full bore rifle and underlevers. I don't do black powder.

Just bite it, that's what I do. :)

I don't know about the Lee, but I have an old hardness tester which pushes a needle into the alloy and gives a reading on a clock gauge. After thirty years of use, I know that 25;1 gives a reading of 32 and that pure lead gives zero. When recycling scrap lead, the devise allows me to determine whether the lead is really soft or if it should be hardened up a bit to use in cartridge loads. Despite the readings not being related to a proper Brinell number, the device is very useful.
Fred
y

i have aquired a lot of lead scrap which i believe contained a fair few kilos of range scrap and damaged pulled heads (probably including fmj) i want to use it for 12 bore slug and 44 ball .
should i be conceren about hardness and ideally what mix should it be ..

Ideally it should be pure lead with at most 2/100s tin.

If you can't scratch it with a fingernail, rings when you drop it on a concrete floor or when you flatten a lead ball with a hammer and the edge has cracks in it then it is way too hard for shooting use.

Slug especially needs to be soft lest there be any choke on the gun.

Soft lead bullets Good!

Hard lead bullets Bad!

Now repeat 'till it sticks in the head!

I use a Lee hardness tester to check cast batches and it can be a PITA to align the 20X magnifier on the indent.
My no cost solution.
ukrifleman

ukrifleman wrote: ↑Sun Jul 16, 2023 10:10 am SDC18768.JPG
I use a Lee hardness tester to check cast batches and it can be a PITA to align the 20X magnifier on the indent.
My no cost solution.
ukrifleman

NICE IDEA

dodgyrog wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 8:03 pm 60 years shooting is NOT enough for me!

Only because you still haven't managed to hit anything

Oh that's harsh.

phaedra1106 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:51 pm Only because you still haven't managed to hit anything