Two Alloy Bullets

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Glen Ring
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Two Alloy Bullets

Post by Glen Ring »

Bored, surfing the old inter web and read some back and forth about two part cast bullets.
The nose poured with one alloy and the rest of the bullet with a different softer or harder alloy.
Sounds like an interesting experiment. Have any of you tried this?
The lead ladles/dippers would need to be custom made I reckon.
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bpcr shooter
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by bpcr shooter »

I thought about it a while back, making a ogive to nose tip "bullet", then placing it in a mold to be filled with 30-1 lead and finish the bullet. I have now settled on tempering them instead as it will be much easier and the bullet will be more true.

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bruce m
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by bruce m »

doing it for hunting it is probably ok just using a mould, but for serious target shooting you actually need to swage the 2 parts together using some pretty sophisticated gear.
bruce.
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ian45662
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by ian45662 »

A friend of mine has a 2 piece bullet which requires 2 moulds. It’s a paper patch rig. Cast the shank out of pure lead and the nose with wheel weights. Then the 2 pieces are swaged together. He has been wanting me to try it but that means twice the amount of casting and still having to swage the 2 together. I struggle to keep up with my bullet consumption as it is.
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Distant Thunder
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by Distant Thunder »

I have read a bit about this and even used this type of bullet and there is something to it for hunting, but not target use. Done right they are just as accurate as single alloy cast bullet and if gas checked can be push as fast as any similar cast bullet.

I used these in my leverguns and done properly you end up with a soft nose bullet that expands easily and penetrates deep. All you need is just about any ordinary base pour mold, two lead pots and two ladles.

For the soft lead of the nose you need a ladle of a specific size to pour just enough soft lead to fill the nose. The harder lead alloy of the shank can be poured with any ladle that will finish filling the mold completely.

The small ladle for the nose is easily made from a pistol casing of the correct size and you can file it to a more exact size if needed. Cases like the .32 ACP, .380, 9mm and maybe the .45 ACP for .50 caliber bullets.

You just make a handle to hold the pistol case using a reasonably stiff wire by forming a loop around the rim recess and twisting the ends into a handle long enough to be useful. You can make a wooded handle for it by drilling the end of a wood dowel and screwing the twisted wire into the hole. Maybe some epoxy to hold it if needed.

For this process to work well, so the nose stays stuck to the shank, the mold and both lead pots need to be run hotter that with normal single alloy bullets. You need to be organized and move quickly to keep everything as hot as possible while casting.

With your mold preheated really well you first scoop the soft lead up in your "custom" ladle and pour the entire ladle into the mold and very quickly scoop up a ladle full of your hard shank alloy and pour that in the mold filling it completely as you would with normal casting. Then wait until the bullet has cooled completely, push your sprue plate aside and drop your finished soft point bullet from the mold is the usual manner.

Patch or lube, if you're into greasy kids stuff, and load 'em up.

If you're really good at it there won't be very much if any separation line where the soft lead and hard alloy come together, but if you look closely you'll see the color change between the two leads.

You end up with something that performs much like a Nosler Partition bullet, in nose that expands very well and controlled and the shank punches through everything in most critters. You can water quench these also if you use pure lead for the nose and an alloy for the shank that hardens when WQ. The pure will remain soft.

It's a little trouble to setup and casting is just a bit slower but you can end up with a very good soft nose cast bullet that is excellent for hunting.
Jim Kluskens
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gunlaker
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by gunlaker »

Two part bullets have definitely been used specifically for target shooting. Read up on long range muzzle loading slug guns. These guys are very serious about accuracy. This article might get you interested.

https://www.blackpowdermag.com/blackpow ... machinery/

I have not used or owned one. I will bet that Kenny W. knows more than a little bit about this stuff.

Chris.
bruce m
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by bruce m »

the target bullets have a soft shank and a hard nose to reduce setback.
bruce.
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Kenny Wasserburger
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by Kenny Wasserburger »

Chris, I do.

Played with slug Gun some 10 or more years, 16-1 nose, 60-1 base. Hammer swage die two piece moulds. Nothing I can tell Glen, I am more than willing to share with anyone, just not him.

Kenny W.


PS slug Guns are very accurate, my best group @200 is well under 2 inches. They are definitely for the process oriented individual. The history is incredibly rich, and interesting, real rifle crank stuff, before cartridge rifles came to be. Carlos Gove built one that he shoot in a money match $500 entry fee, and he won $5000. This was at a time when $500 was a skilled tradesmen’s salary for a year. I have personally seen the gun and handled it. Has all the tools and dies. 43 caliber.
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bruce m
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Re: Two Alloy Bullets

Post by bruce m »

and there was a guy called doc pardee.
somewhere is an article, possibly by steve garbe about a match he was in.
a lot of money involved.
and as much a psychological battle as a shooting comp.
bruce.
ventum est amicus meus
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