Reeder Custom Guns - Casting without a hardness tester

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Here’s what a .454/300 grain bullet looks like after 15 pretty hard hits with a 2 pound sledge, on an anvil. It took the 3rd or 4th hit before it was no longer loadable. It ended up the size of two nickles, with no cracks, fragments or splits.

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put it nose to nose in a bench vise with the bullet I was testing. Close the jaws of the vise and see which bullet deforms the most.

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I don't stick to rigid alloy recipes either. I know some guys that weigh components of the mix to the gram. As long as my 20 lb. batch is good no worries. Typically my alloy is 80%+ wheelweights and that is fine for about any use. Straight wheelweights are plenty hard with just a trick or two to sweeten the pot. I've played with water dropping and that must work to some extend as the bullets ring, sound different handling them. But I have had accuracy issues with purpose made harder bullets. They can be a little tricky. The only time I deviate is when I purposely try for softer alloy. Oh I fiddle with a little tin to make things fill out better, more crisp, and a small amount of hoarded linotype really is nice. But that is only a few ounces to 20 lbs.

ML demand only pure soft plumbers lead. Unless you are toying with Sabots (delightful invention from Arkansas - for the application) which are a good way to get rid of unwanted cast bullets of 45 cal. or so.

I guess I have a too laid back attitude. Ditto for traditional size/lube, alox coating, or powder coating. I just do whatever the mood strikes and run with it. Doug don't complain either.

Soon I plan on trying almost pure lead in powder coating for my low velocity bellygun applications. .32, .38 Spec., and .380. I don't think it would lead, especially if I double the bet and gas check. Still mulling that over. Suitable JHP are hard to find so I'll just do something myself.

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discovered that for 99% of the shooting I do it ain't needed.

Powder coating the softer bullets should work until you push them too fast. I would think if they were under 1000 fps you should not have any problems. Be interesting to find out.

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bullets. Maybe 100-115 gr. in .32 and 125 gr. in .380, 180-200 gr. in .38 special. Pure lead, thickly powder coated, properly sized, and gas checked. Probably in the 700-800 fps range. I mainly just want it to function the semi's and hit close to POA at 7-15 yds. The RCBS 200 gr. in the .38 is pretty salty and much better than the old RNL.

My little .32 Muzzleloader hits HARD with that little .310"/45 gr. RB of pure lead running right under supersonic. For such an archaic rig it is surprisingly effective.

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with WB on anything that shoots. For around a hundred years now I have been casting. Mostly wheelweights with a piece of linotype about as thick and long as my litle finger. I cast one bullet, let it cool and put it on an anvil and hit it with a hammer, pretty hard. If it shatters, too hard. If it mashes way down, too soft. If the nose just deforms a bit, then it is OK for me.

I also try the thumbnail trick. If I can scratch it fairly deep with a thumbnail then it is too soft. If I can just make a shiny spot with my thumbnail then it is OK. I very seldom use gas check even though I have a gazillion of them. The standard bullets like the 44 mag 429421 I load for the 44 Special shooting here in the shop. It is a bit heavy but is accurate. Another one for the 44 Special is a 215 grain SWC. I don't remember the mold number but it works too. That is for guns that are lighter and a bit more fragile.

Like you mentioned I don't go by any special secret formula as most of that is BS anyway. lead composition changes just as wheelweight composition changes. If they were all the same a formula would be fine but they aren't. I used to buy the big 2 foot long 25 lb bars of linotype but those are really hard to find these days. I also found that monotype and linotype were different even though they were mostly used in type setting businesses. The monotype seemed a bit harder than the linotype. Years ago when I lived in Nashville I used to buy buckets of both monotype and linotype from the Methodist Publishing House.

Anyway, I know that my bullets are either too hard or too soft by the hammer and anvil test. Old fashioned but it works for me.

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Next to one of my hardcast on the anvil for a SxS test. I do gas check any bullet that I will load over 1100 FPS. I will be taking premium jacketed bullets to Africa though.

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With an even amount of hits, the cast performance Bullet started cracking. Granted this is being slammed between a 3 lb sledge and an anvil 15 times. Not sure what it proves, but I’ve never had one fail me.
Just used it at the HHC, and dropped a hog, one shot.

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it's not too hard or too brittle.

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Casting without a hardness tester

I would take a bullet of known hardness ..

It's never mattered much to me. Is what it is.

In the past I tried a lot of things also ...

I was thinking of using a little heavier for cal.

I am sort of the same mind. And I worry when I agree

I will try a cast Performance Bullet

Cast performance vs home cast

If you can smash it that far beforre it cracks