Water quenching cast bullets

hartman · Post by **hartman** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:02 pm

When you water quench a wheel weight cast bullet it hardens. I have not been quenching my cst bullets and have gotten along pretty well but have not been driving them very fast. I'm wondering if quenching is worth the effort since I am sizing my bullets and knocking off?? the surface hardening?

If anyone has any input I'd be thankful for listening to your input.

Hartman

Comal Forge · Post by **Comal Forge** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:08 pm

I used to sit on a stool and drop hot bullets into a tub with a towel in the bottom. The tub had 3-4 inches of water and the towel kept them from being dented. Every 50 or so bullets, I'd stop casting and pick them out of the water. The only thing you have to watch is to make sure no wet bullets go back into the melt.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:48 pm

I don't bother with it for most of my shooting. Handguns up to 1200-1400 fps I get along just fine. Leverguns up to 1800-1900 do fine also. When I want some really hard I cast them, size them, then heat them in a wire mesh basket in the oven at 475 degrees for a half hour. Pull them out and drop the whole basket in a sink of cold water. They get very hard! I'll then lube and gascheck them.

Proper bullet fit and quality lube are more important than hardness of the bullet.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:19 pm

I do the same as TedH. I found water droped bullets were not very consistant in their hardness. Oven heat treating can make them too hard for hunting but they shoot very accuratly in my rifles.

BAGTIC · Post by **BAGTIC** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:36 pm

I also find that water dropped are not as consistent as oven treated.

One can control the hardness of oven treated simply by not heating them so hot.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:37 pm

I run some straight wheelweight air cooled bullets to 1700 fps, with no problem. So I never saw the need to try dropping them in water.

Jeff Pitts · Post by **Jeff Pitts** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:38 pm

I've went up to a bit over 2200fps in the .308 and .348 with straight WW's, no hardening. Just use a good lube and you'll be fine.

Jeff

hartman · Post by **hartman** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:39 pm

Thanks fellas, I'll just keep on going the way I've been.

Hartman

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:45 pm

Size them within 24 hours of casting and quenched ones won't work-soften.

My WW + 2% tin is around 13 BHN air cooled and 21 quenched.

Do you or don't you want the bullet to deform on impact? If the bullet fits, neither will lead to 2000fps.

My last 45/70s were air cooled and did way too much damage on whitetails, next time on the whitetails I'll quench them. Smaller hole.

My 357 harvested deer with quenched. Looked like a 3/4" apple corer ran through the animal. Might anneal the noses of next batch for comparison.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:51 pm

I water quench everything, mostly because its a lot easier. I don't have to keep playing around where the past dropped bullets are so you don't dent 'em up. I fill a 5 gallon bucket with about 4 gallons of water and bungie cord a piece of towel with about a 2" hole in it.

I always cast with two moulds, so I use two buckets. I get no leading in any of the guns I shoot. I match the alloy to the velocity used and I size the bullets proper.

I never get dented bullets and my hardness's are the same as I quality control test 'em evry couple of hundred with a hardness tester. In order to keep consistency with weight and hardness, you have to scrap all bullets until you get a hot mould. The mould be be ready-to-go when the bullets sizzle when dropping them in the water.--------Sixgun