Lowdown on cast boolit hardness.

OK here goes, I know you need a certain hardness for certain velocities (lower pistol velocities=softer lead) rifle above 1500fps = harder lead. What is the softest I can go for velocities from 1500- 1900 fps? What works good for standard rifle hunting velocities?

That would probably depend on the caliber and what you are hunting. A 45/70 could use 20/1 lead tin (8 bhn) while a 30/30 may need Lyman #2 (15 bhn)

Strait wheel weights can eather be used soft or water quenched hardened.

It depends.

A 45-70 will allow softer than a 22. A gas check allows softer than plain base. Powder used matter, slow burn rate allows softer alloy.

Yeah, I just depends. Experiment and see how soft your rifle and load will allow.

What is the softest I can go for velocities from 1500- 1900 fps? What works good for standard rifle hunting velocities?You must provide caliber, rate of twist, number of grooves and bore/groove dimensions in order to get a reliable answer to that question. Also, you should be able to fill the chamber's throat (with the boolit) to get optimum results.

MJ

It's not about gun control, it's about people control. The progressives are using terrorists and the insane to further their agenda. If the socialist news media wasn't complicit, we could sit back and watch Fast & Furious and Benghazi-gate unfold.

Also, powder burn rate. IME, for moderate loads like under 1800 fps or so in rifles, you
can use air cooled wwts with the 2400 or other fast rifle/slow pistol powders with GC boolits.

For pistols, .357 and .44 mags do just fine with PB boolits, and as soft as 8 BHN has worked
fine for me with excellent accy and zero leading during testing. Normally, I use air cooled
wwts for everything, but sometimes I have range scrap alloy that is much softer.

Hardness is overrated as a variable. At best it is a secondary factor, and often a teriary or
lower item. Good design, good lube and GOOD FIT are usually much more important.

Bill

If it was easy, anybody could do it.

Bullet type may factor in too. A long unsupported nose on a "soft" bullet may slump more and a harder alloy could help.

I do not hunt so I err on the "harder is better" side for rifle bullets. I want an accurate load that will work for many shots punching paper.

But for a hunting bullet you will want to go as soft as possible. A bullet/load that leads after 20 shots is, in my mind, a better choice if it expands as desired and has acceptable accuracy. After all, how many shots will you take in the field? With most shots less than 100 yards even a 4 MOA load is going to be adequate.

Sure, a load that leads a bit and gives 4 MOA is not going to excite anyone here, but the deer/bear will be just as dead and the softer bullet will perform better on game.

For example. I am converting to a .40 for self defense and will use cast bullets. I will use "hard" plain base bullets for practice but use a much softer alloy and PB GC's for carry ammo. I want a load that will allow me to shoot a few hundred rounds without leading for practice sessions but I hope to never need the ammo I load for "social work". But if I do, I want something that expands well and reliably - and I know (hope?) two magazines worth will be all I need. By using the same mold to produce both, I will be able to have the same POI as well as confirm how well the bullet/load functions.

You must provide caliber, rate of twist, number of grooves and bore/groove dimensions in order to get a reliable answer to that question. Also, you should be able to fill the chamber's throat (with the boolit) to get optimum results.

MJ

I wasnt sure if there was a standard for all calibers in that range, I have read so many different views on Brinell hardness. I do know its not advisable to shoot pure lead bullets in any rifle but have also heard some people go as low as a 9 through standard velocities (1500-1900 fps) in rifles. Casting some 45-70 bullets yesterday we tried water quenching but they got very brittle. You could actually notice the cracks and voids in the bullets. Lead used was standard wheel weights.

I have run very soft booltis (8-9 BHN) up to 2200fps and still had good groups with no leading.
However, one of the really great virtues of cast lead is it's astounding killing ability without explosive expansion.
If you design a cast lead boolit with a flat nose, to expand on impact, and drive it fast also, the results can be.....shall we say over the top?
Observe the deer I shot last year:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?172689-I-believe-the-cast-lead-rifle-boolit-is-the-most-effective-projectile-in-the-world
This year, I'm going to make it easy on myself on so many levels by water dropping the same alloy.
I see other fellers shooting cast lead boolits slow as molasses and hard as marbles, and their deer drop like a sack of wet grain. There is no reason to get too wrapped around the axle with hardness. The WFN does enough damage without destroying half your deer in the process.
Anyway, for what it's worth.

I have run very soft booltis (8-9 BHN) up to 2200fps and still had good groups with no leading.
However, one of the really great virtues of cast lead is it's astounding killing ability without explosive expansion.
If you design a cast lead boolit with a flat nose, to expand on impact, and drive it fast also, the results can be.....shall we say over the top?
Observe the deer I shot last year:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?172689-I-believe-the-cast-lead-rifle-boolit-is-the-most-effective-projectile-in-the-world
This year, I'm going to make it easy on myself on so many levels by water dropping the same alloy.
I see other fellers shooting cast lead boolits slow as molasses and hard as marbles, and their deer drop like a sack of wet grain. There is no reason to get too wrapped around the axle with hardness. The WFN does enough damage without destroying half your deer in the process.
Anyway, for what it's worth.Close to what I did with a 50-50 HP from my 45-70 revolver, not as nasty but still lost a lot of shoulder. I OVEN HARDENED them too. I had 20 BHN. They were around 1600 fps.

I have run very soft booltis (8-9 BHN) up to 2200fps and still had good groups with no leading.
However, one of the really great virtues of cast lead is it's astounding killing ability without explosive expansion.
If you design a cast lead boolit with a flat nose, to expand on impact, and drive it fast also, the results can be.....shall we say over the top?
Observe the deer I shot last year:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?172689-I-believe-the-cast-lead-rifle-boolit-is-the-most-effective-projectile-in-the-world
This year, I'm going to make it easy on myself on so many levels by water dropping the same alloy.
I see other fellers shooting cast lead boolits slow as molasses and hard as marbles, and their deer drop like a sack of wet grain. There is no reason to get too wrapped around the axle with hardness. The WFN does enough damage without destroying half your deer in the process.
Anyway, for what it's worth.

I cast some 45-70 then water quenched them (many didnt turn out too good but think I figured out the problem). Instead of dropping them directly into the water once set up we actually waited approx 1 minute then placed them into the bucket. These turned out very good and hardened up to the point that you cannot dent them with your finger nail. I wanted to cast the 45-70 harder than the 243's as you really dont need much expansion with that size bullet. trying to get the 243's a tad softer so they will perform well at 1700fps on coyotes. In my experiences from what I have seen coyotes are a super tough animal. Maybe even tougher that deer. I will need a semi soft 243 boolit to keep the energy retained in the coyote, but on the flip side do not want to tear the **** out of the hides.

Boolit Mold Join DateMay 2013LocationSouth LouisianaPosts1

I'm a rookie caster and with all the above factors and variables my head is starting to spin. Maybe I'm over thinking things. I just got a new Lyman die 429650 I believe it is, and have cast maybe 40 boolits with it. I too, dropped them into a 5 gallon bucket of water right out of the mold. I'm using 100% WW and I can't scratch them with my finger nail. My rounds will be used primarily for hunting South Louisiana Whitetail at distances of about 100-125 yards tops. I don't have a way to check the hardness. I'm thinking this should be decent for what I want to do with it.

Boolit Master Join DateFeb 2009Posts840

Don't sweat it. Everyone has to start somewhere. Start with boolit fit in your guns chamber/barrel, then work your way towards hardness. Try those ww's hard and try them soft (air cooled). You can soften them back down in the oven. It's easy to do. See where your accuracy is. Maybe explode some milk jugs to see how the boolit reacts at various speeds/hardness levels. Not too complicated. You have to experiment a bit.

Edit: One thing to be aware of is a hard boolit is less likely to be sized down by your brass and reloading dies (I've had issues with this) as a softer one will. No big deal. You just have to be aware of it and make adjustments.

I'm a rookie caster and with all the above factors and variables my head is starting to spin. Maybe I'm over thinking things. I just got a new Lyman die 429650 I believe it is, and have cast maybe 40 boolits with it. I too, dropped them into a 5 gallon bucket of water right out of the mold. I'm using 100% WW and I can't scratch them with my finger nail. My rounds will be used primarily for hunting South Louisiana Whitetail at distances of about 100-125 yards tops. I don't have a way to check the hardness. I'm thinking this should be decent for what I want to do with it.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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