Post by sixshot on Jun 2, 2023 1:47:14 GMT -5
To be clear, Bob is using conventional lube & I'm powder coating so there are some difference's but the end result is pretty much the same as you can see. As I said earlier, it's because of him that we have many of these great mould design's and his temperature controls are critical to getting the correct finished hardness on his bullets with conventional lube, make note of this.
What I'm doing with powder coating is a bit different & my bullets are softer but they do have the powder coat shell on the outside which makes not only a diameter difference but also it encases the softer alloy & allows it to be driven much faster without giving up that pitfall of bullet casting (leading) In effect it allows us to cheat on hardness & drive soft bullets at speeds never before possible & when the bullet makes contact it gives big time reaction instead of giving up like a wet Kleenex! I've witnessed this so many times now that I don't even give it a second thought.
So is my way better, no, my way is different, if you follow Bob's guidelines you will end up with Bob's results, just be sure & not short cut on the age hardening, it's crucial to the finished product.
So again, what I do when I want a "hard" bullet, something like I used for the big solids in Africa was, I used 80/20 alloy & then powder coated & baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 13-14 minutes. Then I quickly water quenched in cold water until cool & as soon as they were dry I sized them, this is critical if you don't want to bend your handle, especially if you are using a Star machine. If you are, be sure to spray the bullets with Hornady One Shot Case Lube & let dry. You will be sorry if you don't!!! That 308 gr bullet that went through about 4 feet of Cape Buffalo still weighed exactly 308 grs when the trackers gave it back to me & after washing it off. I'm still in disbelief. But I've double checked it & I'll show it tomorrow. Also when I say 80/20 I do add just a bit of Linotype, this gives me just a bit more tin & also a bit more antimony, the tin being more ductile & the antimony being a good hardner but not too much, perhaps 1/2 lb. to a 20 lb. pot. When you see this water quenched bullet you will see the magic from a good alloy at 1340 fps taking on a Cape Buffalo.
Dick
What I'm doing with powder coating is a bit different & my bullets are softer but they do have the powder coat shell on the outside which makes not only a diameter difference but also it encases the softer alloy & allows it to be driven much faster without giving up that pitfall of bullet casting (leading) In effect it allows us to cheat on hardness & drive soft bullets at speeds never before possible & when the bullet makes contact it gives big time reaction instead of giving up like a wet Kleenex! I've witnessed this so many times now that I don't even give it a second thought.
So is my way better, no, my way is different, if you follow Bob's guidelines you will end up with Bob's results, just be sure & not short cut on the age hardening, it's crucial to the finished product.
So again, what I do when I want a "hard" bullet, something like I used for the big solids in Africa was, I used 80/20 alloy & then powder coated & baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 13-14 minutes. Then I quickly water quenched in cold water until cool & as soon as they were dry I sized them, this is critical if you don't want to bend your handle, especially if you are using a Star machine. If you are, be sure to spray the bullets with Hornady One Shot Case Lube & let dry. You will be sorry if you don't!!! That 308 gr bullet that went through about 4 feet of Cape Buffalo still weighed exactly 308 grs when the trackers gave it back to me & after washing it off. I'm still in disbelief. But I've double checked it & I'll show it tomorrow. Also when I say 80/20 I do add just a bit of Linotype, this gives me just a bit more tin & also a bit more antimony, the tin being more ductile & the antimony being a good hardner but not too much, perhaps 1/2 lb. to a 20 lb. pot. When you see this water quenched bullet you will see the magic from a good alloy at 1340 fps taking on a Cape Buffalo.
Dick
