[craigspic]

Hi , I have always cast my own bullets but looking at the selection of bullets available from Beartooth I am going to start buying instead of making !
  There are several things that I would like to know about .
  I have always used LBT Lube since it was first introduced and always liked the lube , is this the lube used for beartooth bullets ?
    I am also curious as to the annealing Process.
  once the bullets are annealed how long before they return to original Hardness? 2 days - week ??
    I appreciate the info and have a good day , Craig

 

[Contender]

Craig,

As far as the lube used on BTB. Marshall came up with a different formula in the late winter so I don't know what it is anymore. I agree with you that LBT blue is a very good lube. But, alas, it's no longer available. There are supposed to be some copies of it though.

Bullet Hardness in the case of an Antimonial Alloy that is heat treated will decrease over a period of time. The amount is variable as to the composition of the alloy AND THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THEY ARE STORED. Cooler storage results in less hardness loss. Warmer storage accelerates the hardness loss to a certain level where it will stabilize but could be quite softer than what you started out with.

Annealing is the process of obtaining a maximum softness of an alloy.

What you are referring to is Drawing. Which is the process of softening an alloy to a certain hardness. This involves heating an alloy to a certain temp for a certain period of time and allowing it to cool slowly. The time it is heating for is directly related to the amount of softening that occurs. It is in affect, an acceleration of age softening.

Age softening with a heat treated alloy will probably be measured in a years time or more give or take. The cooler the storage, the slower the hardness loss.

A Drawn (softened) alloy that was originally heat treated will not return to the original hardness it came from.  It may even soften somewhat more as time passes.

An Antimonial alloy that was originally air cooled, then age hardened will age harden again relatively quickly after it is either fully annealed or drawn to reduce it's hardness.

All the above refers to lead alloys with an Antimonial content and the necessary Arsenic content which is critical for Heat Treating.


Regards,



(Edited by Contender at 2:32 am on May 26, 2001)

 

[craigspic]

Hi , I really appreciate the info.
               Have a good day ., Craig

 

[James Gates]

Concerning the new lube that Marshall had developed...I frankly believe it is better tham the LBT lube. I shot this new lube in some hot rifle loads and it seems to me to hold up even better than LBT. Another thing...I have seen LBT get brittle in cold weather when the bullets were shipped all the way down here to Florida, having pieces broken out of the bullet's groove and in the bottom of the shipping box.
Best Regards, James

 

[craigspic]

Hi James , thanks for the info.
           have a good day, Craig