"TUFF TIN" What is it?

[DanM]

Got a half dozen ingots at an auction. All marked "TUFF TIN". Five 1lb. sections per ingot. Paid $1.00 each, but I don't know what I have. Maybe a tin/antimony alloy?

[felix]

Tuff Tin? Who knows. Antimony and tin would be a hard tin, not tough (comparatively). Now, copper and tin, that would be a TOUGH tin. Measure toughness by the amount of springback. If the alloy cracks when hit by a hammer, that alloy is hard. Yes, an alloy can be hard and tough at the same time. Measure that kind of alloy by the punch method (hardness testers), and by the squeeze method (sizing die) to find the yield point (where it does not bounce back). ... felix

[WKAYE]

DanM,
Tuff Tin is 84% Tin , 8% Antimony , and 8% Copper. I use 2 lbs. of Tuff Tin + 2lbs. of Magnum Shot , to 96 lbs of Wheel Weights. Works great air cooled or it can be heat treated to harder than the hubs of hail.

[DanM]

OK....I have been adding a one pound chunk to 50# WW when I melt them down for cleaning. Water quenched boolits from this mix measure 24.6bh with my new Lee tester. Hard enuff for my needs. Copper I did not expect....

[felix]

Dan, wait a week, and shoot them full power into a reasonably thick steel plate. If the boolit splatters, keep lowering the velocity by a 100 fps (estimated) via the book load(s) until the boolit remains intact. I would be curious what that velocity is. Add a 100 back for your hunting loads because no bone will be that hard as that steel. That velocity should be your striking distance. Calculate the estimated yardage you will be shooting using your muzzle velocity required to make that striking velocity at that yardage. I would think that that boolit will be unlimited in striking velocity at calculated range for max muzzle velocity/pressure-curve. ... felix

[DanM]

Sounds like an interesting excercise. I do have some nice hanging steel plate targets made from surplus scrape blade stock. I shoot them all the time, and my boolits mostly seem to shatter, but hard to be sure out in the woods.