So today I intentionally tried to make some softer bullets by tossing some SOWW I’d been segregating from my wheel weight acquisitions and a few ingots of some old sheet lead I made a couple years ago. I’m casting these in order to try and use them in a .357 Benjamin Bulldog pellet gun that’s in the mail. I’ve had a .22 PCP air gun for a few years now and wanted to play with a (relatively) inexpensive big bore pellet gun. It’s not all that powerful but is roughly equal to a standard pressure .38 special. Based on my pencil test... these should be sitting around a 6-7 BHN (6B won’t mark them at 4-5 BHN (same as pure lead)... a 5B barely will at 7-8 BHN... a 4B scores them easily at 9 BHN). I’ll check them again after they rest a bit and see if they change a bit.
I just added a touch of tin to let them fill out and pop... but we’re talking a few inches of 50-50 solder. I’ve only used a hand pump for my .22 for the couple years I’ve had it but snagged a cheap 4500# pump and will eventually snag a carbon fiber bottle. It’s a direction I figured I’d eventually go with my casting that’s finally coming to fruition.
These are a mix of 358–105-SWCs that drop around .3585-359 and I’ll size down to .357. The others are my first run of 356-125-2Rs that look to have dropped at a perfect (for this application) .357. I’ve got a lot more reading and playing around with lube vs no lube... and if I do... what to use and whether the lube itself will build up in the gun. It seems like there’s no one answer as a lot of folks have had different experiences. Anyways... it’ll be my next thing to try out.
I’ve always liked pellet guns a lot and this gives me a path to shoot essentially for free (albeit with a large initial investment... in the realm of $1k for gun+pump) with my ability to cast my own and pack my own air. I’ll likely make a 2nd bullet catcher box to keep my soft lead and my harder lead segregated the COWWs I think will just be too hard even air dropped. I do still have some of this softer lead set aside and am hoping it turns out well.
I just added a touch of tin to let them fill out and pop... but we’re talking a few inches of 50-50 solder. I’ve only used a hand pump for my .22 for the couple years I’ve had it but snagged a cheap 4500# pump and will eventually snag a carbon fiber bottle. It’s a direction I figured I’d eventually go with my casting that’s finally coming to fruition.
These are a mix of 358–105-SWCs that drop around .3585-359 and I’ll size down to .357. The others are my first run of 356-125-2Rs that look to have dropped at a perfect (for this application) .357. I’ve got a lot more reading and playing around with lube vs no lube... and if I do... what to use and whether the lube itself will build up in the gun. It seems like there’s no one answer as a lot of folks have had different experiences. Anyways... it’ll be my next thing to try out.
I’ve always liked pellet guns a lot and this gives me a path to shoot essentially for free (albeit with a large initial investment... in the realm of $1k for gun+pump) with my ability to cast my own and pack my own air. I’ll likely make a 2nd bullet catcher box to keep my soft lead and my harder lead segregated the COWWs I think will just be too hard even air dropped. I do still have some of this softer lead set aside and am hoping it turns out well.
