[arkypete]

If I add a bit of magnum shot, with arsnic,  to my current hard alloy, which is 50/50 WW and linotype, would I pick up a bit more hardness? This is not a preparation for my grand African hunt but it would fun to play with during the fall and winter.
What is it that that the commercial guys are using to really harden their products. Will the arsnic add to the ability of the alloy to harden, the same as antimony maybe more so?
Jim

 

[mcassill]

You'd probably gain a little in hardness, although depending on the brand the magnum shot may not really be any harder than lino.  Brittleness would become a big issue for hunting applications; you'd have to check that one thoroughly with the ole' sledgehammer test...
Good shooting
Mark

 

[Contender]

Arsenic aids in the ability to heat treat an antimonial alloy TO A POINT.

I would be willing to bet that your alloy already has a small quantity of arsenic in it especially if WW metal is in there.

Increasing the amount of arsenic really does very little to increase hardness of the alloy and will become detrimental to it.

The harder alloys have an increased amount of antimony in them but become more brittle as that content is increased.

You would be far better off heat treating your current alloy to harden it and maintain it's ductility so it will be less prone to shatter.

Try this link for a cheap heat treating setup I have used with very good success and very little hassle.                                

http://beartoothbullets.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=2&topic=69


Regards

 

[Marshall Stanton]

Jim,

Save that shot for birds, rabbits, squirrels and trespassers of all descriptions!  Adding it to your alloy won't help nearly as much as heat treating, and as Ray has pointed out, as antimony content is increased, the bullet becomes increasingly brittle, not a desirable attribute when shooting game for the freezer!

Too, there is no appreciable gain in hardness, either in as cast state, or heat treated by exceeding 0.25% total content by weight of arsenic in your bullet alloy.

Just my two cents worth!

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[arkypete]

Thank you, Gents.
I will keep the magnum shot for the birds and other varmits, I have enough tree rats in my back yard that I could use a couple of drovers to round them up. May use some of the shot for tree rat reduction.
Jim