Thanks TD, that does help. Yes, definitely (on the towel dropping). To be honest that's one of the reasons I never took much to air cooling - my perception anyway, of course, of the hardening, but also the convenience of not worrying about dinging them up as much when dropping onto a towel in the water bucket (I also "slow their fall" some by dropping on a slit through an old t-shirt...they bounce and roll into the drink).
Interestingly, now that you mention it, even though I'm randomly dropping bullets into the drink, in all the years I've done it this way I can't recall ever seeing a bullet deformed by impact on other bullets.
So, thanks, I get it, softening. How's this look guys (adapted from above), and comments by another member, with regrets can't recall who).
- Cast
- Drop on towel and air cool
- Wait a couple days
- Push-through size and seat gas checks, with RCBS lube or similar
- Wash, rinse
- Oven-treat
- "age" a week or so
- Lube in my lubrisizer, which is 0.461, or +0.001 from the sized bullet (at 0.460).
Good?
(Or, given this is a 45-70 brush gun....quit fussing, cast, quench, dry, size and lube, all on the same day. Wait a bit, let them age, load and go to town at the range).