311 247Gr. FN Hollow Point Moulds

[bangbangping]

What alloy?

That's a good question without an easy answer. It's a mishmash to which I added tin and antimony...approximately equivalent to WW.

Nothing wrong with that, as long as you can keep it consistent.

You could try changing the alloy a bit to keep more of the expanded nose attached (if you want that). More pure lead, and maybe more tin, should help. Anything more than 1-2% antimony is counter-productive for hollowpoints, in my experience, making the alloy too brittle.

I may try that. I'm guessing the bullet pictured is around 3%. I added the extra Sb to some of my "mishmash" in an attempt to correct a stability issue that had other causes. Could probably go a little softer with the new setup.

[bangbangping]

a lot easier then drilling each one out.

No doubt. I tried that, but quickly realized it wasn't enjoyable. The mold is awesome, and you can crank out a pile of bullets in no time. I'm somewhat surprised this thread is five months old and only a few pages long.

[tedscissors]

What alloy % would be "best" for a subsonic hp which will be powder coated ?

With goal of maximum expansion without breaking apart ?

[Boosted98gsx]

What alloy % would be "best" for a subsonic hp which will be powder coated ?

With goal of maximum expansion without breaking apart ?

That's the engineering part of it (material science). There is no "magic" alloy. Those two factors compete. If it's soft, it will expand, but it will also break apart. If it's too hard, it won't expand, but it will stay intact.

[yondering]

What alloy % would be "best" for a subsonic hp which will be powder coated ?

With goal of maximum expansion without breaking apart ?

That's the engineering part of it (material science). There is no "magic" alloy. Those two factors compete. If it's soft, it will expand, but it will also break apart. If it's too hard, it won't expand, but it will stay intact.

It's not that straighforward. Some softer alloys expand easier and stay together better, because they are more ductile. An alloy of pure lead and tin is good for this, although I don't normally use that for hollow points. Any more than a very small amount of antimony typically makes the alloy more brittle, causing it to fracture instead of stretch and deform.

With that said, the alloy you need is very dependent on the size and shape of your hollow point cavity. You'll have to experiment to find what works best. Try ww alloy with a bit of pure lead added (maybe 25%) and work from there.

[bangbangping]

So I tried again with another alloy that I call #2, simply because it was the second 100 lb batch I made out of range scrap, wheel weights, and assorted unidentifiable lead my dad collected over the last 50 years. It tests out about 10 bhn. Similar to my "wheel weight-ish" batch, but about 1.5% less Sb and .5% less Sn.

The bullet started out around 230 grains, with a .6" deep hollow point. It still came apart, but mostly into two pieces weighing 147 and 75 grains. They separated and exited the first jug about 1 1/2" apart, with the smaller piece stopping in the 4th and the larger in the 5th. A small bit (the remaining 8 grains) stopped in the third.

This is getting to be fun. Wishing I had the time and money to do a bunch of gelatin tests, but I suppose a pig will have to do for the next test. Hopefully some dead animal pics during October.

[gds]

nice

[bangbangping]

nice

I'm thinking it will do.

Probably could get it to hold together by lessening the depth of the hollow point, and I'll try that at some point in the future. But this should be pretty darned effective.

[Smoke]

Looks like that should do the trick for deer sized game

[Quiettime]

Fired from a 30-30 but subsonic nonetheless. Fired into sand at ~30 yds

Sized .310 and ESPC HF yellow, they weigh 236 gr for me cast from straight COWW