New Haley 308
My new Haley 308 is finished and being sent.
To prepare for its arrival I cast some 308 bullets today.
All Replies
Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
Congrats Andy. Your off to a great start. Can’t wait to see your results and progress
Andy …
About tin,any hotter can cause loss of tin and tin’s benefit of reducing oxidation which occurs at about 750 degrees so at about 700 degrees will usually solve any wrinkle and fill out problem.
I agree with Roachcreek advice especially on brass mold.For best results, scrub the mould really well with hot water, dish soap, and a toothbrush, rinse, then heat cycle at least three times pull it out and let it air cool to room temp, repeat.
That way you will grow a native oxide onthe surface of the mold that will prevent the mold blocks from being soldered to each other. Brass must be very clean to solder,and a brad new mold is always even apt to this danger until you make some rounds on it.
Also the bullets drop easily on that method.
Wheel weight are Ok for this but be careful…clip on WW have 1% tin and 2% Antimony and 97 %lead rated at 12 BHN(Brinell hardness).
Stick on clips are pure lead and are rated at 6 BHN.
Now…depends the velocity and tolerance between bore and bullet you choose the right mix.
For under 900fps you need soft bullet…over that velocity you need a harder one except if you don’t size the bullets and are .03-.04 mm larger than bore diameter.
The greatest the velocity is the more the friction become.
So..you can use stick on WW and add some 2% tin to make 7-8 BHN for an average 900-950 FPS rifle, or mix 60% clip on WW with 40% stick on WW for a 9-10BHN if your bullets are pass 950 fps.
Over 1100 fps velocity just use only clip on WW.
Antimony make bullets hard as a rock and i prefer to harden them by add some more tin.
I follow the same process if i want lighter bullets with a larger diameter.
Also an overheated mold or a 800-850+degree molten lead(i avoid this) increase bullet diameter once getting cool 20 min after drops from the mold.
Don’ try water cooling for airgun bullets just let them cooling on air if you won’t your rifle spit diamonds.
Killerqueen33,
Wow! Thanks for all the pointers.
The bullets in the upper left of the picture are rejects I will remelt that are ,452 for my XP Ranger. I did not yet sit down and sort the 308s for rejects. I noted some wrinkled ones. At Roachcreek’s suggestion, I plan to wash the 45 mold with soap and water and smoke the cavity with a lighter afterwards, in hopes to avoid the wrinkles.
Am am just recently learning the bullet casting methodology and appreciate your advice. I have been casting my own fishing sinkers and jig heads for 15 years, so already had the equipment and supplies. Have been using tire weights, so do not know my % lead. I did not know that it was unsafe to heat tin over a certain temp. I had considered putting some solder with tin in it into my mix.
I did get a scale out and weigh 20 of those 308 bullets randomly, they all fell between 121.9 and 123.2, most hovered around 122.4, a consistency I am happy with. I hear you about the airgun community. I am glad to be a part of it, have extensive centerfire knowledge, and have hunted most game north American game animals by bow too. Thought I’d try a new hobby and plunged in feet first to the pcp arena, with shoebox, 2 carbon fiber tanks, and multiple fittings, and bullet molds. On the upward swing of the learning curve now because of folks like you sharing their knowledge. I am loving all the information and trying to play my part in what I can contribute as well. Taking pictures of my targets, and noting psi fills, ranges, and other factors. Just got a chrony in the mail yesterday so much more to come.
Thanks,
AK Andy
So???….whats wrong with the bullets?…they look good to me.
I see you have few rejections on the left and up corner of the picture…by the way i m seeing another wrinkled one near the right and down corner….Take care about them…they are inaccurate even if they don’t group terrible.(Don’t hesitate to reject them).
Always try to keep the pot full of lead and not below 1/2…dont worry if you leave some lead inside the pot after you finish.This prevents pot damage due casting start and pre-dry the already existed lead avoiding an accident if some moisture trapped .
According manufacturer instructions you must not power on the unit while it s empty,but throwing some lead bars inside and wait the pot came over heat is wrong….Always must be something inside and firmly to the wall of the pot when you fired up or unplugged it if you want a “live for ever” heater…Once you switch on the content will melt as usually does.
keep the mold as close you can(almost attached) to the pot nozzle during pouring in order to compress the molten lead into the mold cavity(especially on the small calibers with the 2mm hole on the sprue cutter).
Keep the pot to a temp so that the lead gets cold after you fill the last cavity.After that cut IMMEDIATELY the sprue( wait not even for a sec).You will notice that the bullet base being absolutely flat WITHOUT FLASHING in the core and rim too….bullet base is very very very important if you want .320″ group at 70 meters.
I use a custom made PID controller for my pot to keep the temp consistent to a level and a barbecue electronic thermometer with a sensor fitted inside a hole i made myself to the bullet mold to specify a temp limit considering the mold material .
That way i have minimal to none rejections…also each bullet is twin concerning the others at weight and size either.
And remember….if you use tin on the mixture,never and i mean NEVER dont exceed 750 degrees if you care about accuracy.
I do personally cast at 680-720 depends mold material.
Sorry about this…I m not telling you what to do because maybe be worst than you as a caster,but this is for educational purpose on young members who are afraid to cast and i think i find the opportunity while i saw your bullets…in airgun community we are a family and must share everything known better than the others in order to upgrade the hobby and let the new generation make one step further instead spend their time trying to find solutions that already discovered.
Gongrats for your new masterpiece..i m sure you ll love it…By the way..Did Jack came back to business?
Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Thanks guys,
John Bowman was fire lapping the 308 for me, and said he selected a spring for me that gets nice tight 4 shot groups. He mentioned he was shooting 130 grainers at out to 150 yards and putting them all into a 6″ steel plate. He said the shots start off at 850 fps and then drop to around 750. He jokingly said he wanted to keep that rifle since the stock matched the same stock colors (Royal Jacarundi) that he has his 257 Scandalous and his Haley 338 in. I can hardly wait to get my hands on it. Sitting on two carbon fiber tanks topped off at 4000 psi each, and a few hundred bullets. I appreciate all your support.
cheers,
AK Andy