How do you harden pure lead?

[d_man2]

Yes, the boolits that you had already cast, although hot, do not pose any explosive threat, it is the water going into your lead pot that you have to worry about.

[popper]

Read an interesting article on hardening lead alloys (94/6/2). Heat it to 180C, swage (compress it by 15-20%), raise the temp to 220C, soak for a while then WD into chilled water. I didn't know lead was compressible. Not easy for us home guys to do but it raises the strength to ~15 times the normal WD strength. That should be about the same as a solid copper slug. Wow. Guess it might work for the lead wire swaging crowd.

[-Mischief]

Interesting. Also, is there a way to make lead heavier? Or is there a heavier alternative that can be used as a core? I have some .800" jackets from Corbin and the absolute heaviest bullet I can get out of them, with a bit of a larger "soft tip" than I would like, is 80gn. I can get a beautiful open tip at about 79gns. I'm shooting for 90-100gn. I have a gentleman locally, and I'm sure there are more out there, who is looking for a heavy 22cal bullet loaded light, to be shot subsonic out of a 1 in 6 twist, 22" .223.
I shot some open tip, 79grainers, out of my Savage model 12FV with 26", 1 in 9 and it didn't do too bad. I got it down to 1900fps and it was still close to 1 MOA. Anyway...any ideas on a heavier boolit core?

[SniderBoomer]

Read an interesting article on hardening lead alloys (94/6/2). Heat it to 180C, swage (compress it by 15-20%), raise the temp to 220C, soak for a while then WD into chilled water. I didn't know lead was compressible. Not easy for us home guys to do but it raises the strength to ~15 times the normal WD strength. That should be about the same as a solid copper slug. Wow. Guess it might work for the lead wire swaging crowd.

You have a link to that article?

[John Boy]

COWW (theoretically) = 10BHN

Garden variety COWW's now a days are eith Bhn13.5 or 15.3. Bhn 10 is totally old weights. Change the formula

[BAGTIC]

I have been casting HTWW bullets for over 25 years and have never had a problem getting any clip on WW metal up to at least BHN22. I would be afraid anything much harder might become brittle. I know BHN 22 will easily penetrate engine blocks and as I don't expect to ever take on anything bigger than a V-8 I am content.

[popper]

Snider. I'll get it to you, it is a patent doc. Legal to use as long as you obey the rules.

[Oreo]

.How can you tell Peweter from other metals . In truth, I really don't have a clue. Aluminum as opposed to peweter ?. Does it require a hotter flame?.

Tin (and real pewter) creaks when you bend it. Nothing else you'd mistake for tin does this.

I must look pretty odd in the local thrift shops going from goblet to goblet bending the stems a little.

[meeesterpaul]

there is an easy way to test - but - I hear these xray guns are shockingly expensive.