Idaho Ron
58 Cal.
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2007
- Messages
- 2,729
- Reaction score
- 1,218
necchi sent me some lead to test for him.
Before I get into the hardness of the lead I want you all to know what kind of tester it is. This tester is a Cabin Tree tester.
This next picture is the chart to cross reference the hardness with.
When a guy tests the lead the dial indicator will go up. I have seen the lead so soft that is actually reads less than the .015 on the dial. I have read that as lower than 5 BHN. Some guys will argue that you can’t be under 5 BHN. OK then lets say there is such a thing as a soft 5 and a hard 5. I compare it to testing water quality from parts per thousand (PPT) to parts per million (PPM) to parts per billion (PPB)
This tester will allow for a level of testing that some guys have a hard time understanding. Especially the guys with the Lee hardness testers. So with that in mind we go to the results.
Neicchi sent me 4 samples of lead. He gave me three samples of each type which was WAY cool so I could run each sample three times. This gives me an idea of the uniformity of the lead sampled. With the lead balls I hit them with a hammer to give me a flat edge to test. A round edge will sometimes slip. This also gives me a second edge for each sample so in reality I could do each of the samples twice for a total of 24 tests.
Sample #1 Hornady RB.
#1- .025
#2- .026
#3- .026
This reading is smack dab in the middle of 5 BHN hardness.
Sample #2 Speer RB
#1- .038
#2- .052
#3- .047
The reading on this lead was all over the chart. .038 is probably about a 6 BHN. The .052 is a HARD 8.5 BHN. And the .047 is in the middle of 8.5 BHN hardness. I ran the test twice and the same results were found.
Sample #3 was marked Xray sheet that he cast into RB’s.
#1- .036
#2- .039
#3- .035
With this reading I am going to give it a 6 BHN. Some guys could argue it could be a HARD 5 BHN but I am going to say 6 BHN.
Sample #4 was four small lead plates smashed together marked Virgin sheet age unknown. Since this was a sheet so to speak I tested it three times on one side so I could have three total tests on this side of the lead.
Sample
#1- .042
#2- .044
#3- .043
I am going to call this sample a 7 BHN.
Over the last few months of testing and shooting loads in my rifles. I have found a few things. First my rifles like conicals that are a little on the hard side. By that I mean .035 to .042 about 7 to 8 BHN. Now a lot of guys are saying I like stick on wheel weights, Lead pipes, roof flashing, Xray lead from walls. As I am amassing this info I am finding out that these types of lead while some think they are pure are not. They are alloyed but to a small degree. This alloyed lead is PERFECT for large conicals. The hardness of these types of lead are between .032 to .050 so between a hard 5 BHN and a 8.5 BHN.
Maybe it helps with nose slump, maybe the stars just align. I don’t know but for quite some time you guys have said use this and from what I am finding YES this is VERY VERY good lead. I have been playing with adjusting the alloy in the pure lead lead I have for the best groups for a couple of years. Right now the pipes, flashing, Wall Xray, and stick on WW are about as good as it gets. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. Ron
Before I get into the hardness of the lead I want you all to know what kind of tester it is. This tester is a Cabin Tree tester.
This next picture is the chart to cross reference the hardness with.
When a guy tests the lead the dial indicator will go up. I have seen the lead so soft that is actually reads less than the .015 on the dial. I have read that as lower than 5 BHN. Some guys will argue that you can’t be under 5 BHN. OK then lets say there is such a thing as a soft 5 and a hard 5. I compare it to testing water quality from parts per thousand (PPT) to parts per million (PPM) to parts per billion (PPB)
This tester will allow for a level of testing that some guys have a hard time understanding. Especially the guys with the Lee hardness testers. So with that in mind we go to the results.
Neicchi sent me 4 samples of lead. He gave me three samples of each type which was WAY cool so I could run each sample three times. This gives me an idea of the uniformity of the lead sampled. With the lead balls I hit them with a hammer to give me a flat edge to test. A round edge will sometimes slip. This also gives me a second edge for each sample so in reality I could do each of the samples twice for a total of 24 tests.
Sample #1 Hornady RB.
#1- .025
#2- .026
#3- .026
This reading is smack dab in the middle of 5 BHN hardness.
Sample #2 Speer RB
#1- .038
#2- .052
#3- .047
The reading on this lead was all over the chart. .038 is probably about a 6 BHN. The .052 is a HARD 8.5 BHN. And the .047 is in the middle of 8.5 BHN hardness. I ran the test twice and the same results were found.
Sample #3 was marked Xray sheet that he cast into RB’s.
#1- .036
#2- .039
#3- .035
With this reading I am going to give it a 6 BHN. Some guys could argue it could be a HARD 5 BHN but I am going to say 6 BHN.
Sample #4 was four small lead plates smashed together marked Virgin sheet age unknown. Since this was a sheet so to speak I tested it three times on one side so I could have three total tests on this side of the lead.
Sample
#1- .042
#2- .044
#3- .043
I am going to call this sample a 7 BHN.
Over the last few months of testing and shooting loads in my rifles. I have found a few things. First my rifles like conicals that are a little on the hard side. By that I mean .035 to .042 about 7 to 8 BHN. Now a lot of guys are saying I like stick on wheel weights, Lead pipes, roof flashing, Xray lead from walls. As I am amassing this info I am finding out that these types of lead while some think they are pure are not. They are alloyed but to a small degree. This alloyed lead is PERFECT for large conicals. The hardness of these types of lead are between .032 to .050 so between a hard 5 BHN and a 8.5 BHN.
Maybe it helps with nose slump, maybe the stars just align. I don’t know but for quite some time you guys have said use this and from what I am finding YES this is VERY VERY good lead. I have been playing with adjusting the alloy in the pure lead lead I have for the best groups for a couple of years. Right now the pipes, flashing, Wall Xray, and stick on WW are about as good as it gets. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. Ron