I have cast some 358gc bullets out of some wheel weights & scrap lead. I was wondering how hard they so I can have an idea of how fast to push them. Wanting to load them up to full mag loads if I can
You can get a real good guess if you have some projos with a known hardness. you smash them together in a vice with a small ball bearing placed between them ( at the base) then pull them apart and see with your mic if one has a larger indention in it or if they are the same. same = approx the same hardness if one has a larger indention then the other then the larger one will be softer
If you were in the Tulsa are or BA I could check them for you.
Fit is more important. There is a lot of "voodoo" about hardness - the only way to know for sure is load and check barrel for leading.
From THR:
Walkalong April 29, 2010, 10:22 PM
The alloy has to be hard enough to grip the rifling without skidding at the velocity you are shooting. The alloy has to be soft enough to bump up from pressure to seal the gases from flame cutting the bullet as it passes through the throats and barrel. The pressure must be high enough to bump the bullet up.
If your throats are .001 or .002 above bore diameter, your bullets fit your throats, and the alloy is hard enough to grip the rifling on its journey while being soft enough to bump up and seal everything, it won't lead at all.
Nothing to it.
I guess I'll just load em & shoot them, they are gas ckecked & sized to .358, the black hawk cylinder has beem reamed to .3585. We will see what happens. I'm guessing the gas check should help slow down the leading
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