Lead Alloy Question

[918v]

I have a bunch of Hornady swaged lead bullets and a bunch of Laser Cast lead bullets that I don't want anymore. I'd like to melt them together to make a nice medium hard alloy for some .45 ACP 230gr LRN target ammo. The LC bullets are super hard. The Hornady bullets are soft, but still harder than my pure lead Remington bullets.

Could you guys help me out? At what ratio should I combine them?

 

[Robert Palermo /Penn Bullets]

At a ratio of 50/50 you should come close to the 2/6 mix at about an 18bhn good enough for about 1200 fps. or higher depending upon fit and lubrication. You can increase the ratio of soft lead by another 10-15% for a softer mix that would be sutible for loads up to 1000 fps. Mix small batches at first and then test cast for results.

 

[Walkalong]

Sounds reasonable. Fortunately the .45 ACP is not real picky about alloy. I would error on the soft side vs the hard side for .45 ACP if I were mixing soft and hard alloy. It doesn't need to be real hard for .45. 12 BHN is plenty for most .45 loads.

 

[918v]

10-4

Thank You both. I think I'll do 2:1