lead/tin vs. Lyman #2

[laowho]

Hi All,

Figured I'd make this my first question. Just finished reading the pertinent articles over at LASC, but these tend specifically toward handgun loads. Have also come across considerations for twist and other factors. This will be strictly for target out of the Shiloh Sporter #1 (30") with OE FF, DGL lube and 3 moulds: SAECO #645, Lyman #457124, and Lyman #457125. Assume normal loads. Guess I understand the importance of appropriate obturation vis a vis bullet BHN, powder pressure, and lube. Given all of the aforementioned parameters, I'm wondering:

whether any use of antimony (apart from $ savings) is advantageous or even desirable;
what the ideal lead/tin ratio is;
whether distance or conditions are coming into play in any of this;
and whether by water cooling for increased BHN any other advantage accrues, and if so, whether it's worth a possible trade-off re: the possible loss of casting quality that a certain percentage of tin might afford.

My first casts will be of lead/tin only at 20:1, but I often see 30:1 and have also seen 16:1. I've checked the pages here but may have been looking at the wrong section. This is for reference and comparison, and I'd be tempted to purchase some Lyman #2 alloy. Not interested in cost factors here, just performance.

Oh, and if I'm completely overthinking this, just say so, and maybe mention what I should be looking for (beyond leading and groupings) as I try various recipes. Thanks,Doug

[Semtav]

Only advice I can give you is at this point, take the time to test them all. 30-1 worked great in my 40-65 with lower velocity loads. 20-1 worked good in a lot of my faster loads, then when I started pushing it 16-1 worked better. now with the PP load I'm working with 12.5-1 works great. I also use 50-50 ww/lead for BH 209. but haven't tried it with any BP loads, but it could work too. So once you get a load that works with the 20-1, then try the others to see if they are better..

[bruce moulds]

doug,
for black powder loads, generally no antimony is best.
there might be some applications where a little antimony can help, but experiments with lyman no 2 and taracorp magnum alloys have been dismal failures.
kurt has an antimony alloy that works well with long nosed bullets.
generally anything between 30/1 and 10/1 lead/tin is good, but you need to experiment.
bore riding noses can bump into the rifling causing leading, and harder alloys (16/1 and harder) can help here.
20/1 is a good place to start.
keep safe,
bruce.

[laowho]

Thanks Semtav and Bruce,

Figured I'd avoid WWs what with all the substitute materials they've been usin across various states, but all-in-all this is great news as I'd rather keep everything as simple as possible and cuz I won't have to buy the Lyman #2 alloy. The tin's already been ordered and I have 40 lbs pure lead to use. Cheers, Doug

[Hiwall55]

I would think with the moulds you mentioned 20-1 to 30-1 would work great.

[laowho]

Thanks Hiwall,

Will do. I'm guessin that I'm learnin that different profiles want different things according to the dynamics each generates. Also reckon that I can rule out hard casts. All seemed counter-intuitive at first but I think I'm startin to understand a little.

[Kurt]

A alloy I like other then using the no lead 95/5 solder added to 19# lead is using 1/25 T/L and add two 457/125 bullets cast using lino type. When I have Lino type or Mono, mono type is a lot harder then lino, but I cast a bunch of 457-125 bullets to add to my mix to hold consistency.
This makes a alloy that acts like 1/20 T/L but the antimony keeps the nose setback to a minimum.
Antimony is a plus to a bullet alloy if it's not over done.

Kurt

[Martini2]

Long time ago I was fortunate to acquire a large amount of Linotype. It is as used type and some is in blocks from print jobs. This is used sparingly with most lead combos on hand in amount to make molds yield their listed weight. I.E. 457125 = 528-530 grs. Only drawback is the type setter was from local area and if I start reading in reverse there are tidbits of historic dates or addresses that distract from work at hand ;-)

[Hiwall55]

I tried a different mix of alloy for my money bullets and it looks promising. You mix it 3-7, for my pot I use 3x7 of Lyman #2=21 pounds, then 7x7 of pure lead =49 pounds. 21+49 = 70 pounds of mix. Susposed to be 96-2-2 alloy. Seems to work well with no nose slump.
Bill

[laowho]

Thanks guys. Sounds like yer gettin just slight amounts of lino or antimony to help against nose slump. This is some serious alchemy to me, but easily doable. I'll come back and crunch the (2% and less) numbers. Came back here cuzza brass trouble and need to start a new thread. Thanks again, Doug