Re: Keyholing: 9mm lead 147gr. rcbs flat nose/flat base
Beladran said:
hmm are you using straight WW's? To me if they are dropping from the mold at .357 and your sizing them down to .356. thats not much. you need to spike the mix with some extra tin to try and get them to at least .358
More tin and antimony makes them drop bigger and harder
More lead makes them softer and smaller but heavier
I agree with this completely. I mike after I lube and size; I cast .003" over, and size to .001" over, and that's the regimen I generally stuck with unless I couldn't find reasonably-priced molds in my desired size.
The range of my ratio of lead to tin was more towards 93-7% or 95-5%. I was never real precise with my ratio--I only stopped adding tin when I was absolutely positively sure I'd added enough to easily surpass 5% tin. My bullets were
really hard and usually light, falling short by 1/2 - 1gr per 100gr bullet. Then again, all I used them for was target-shooting or steel plate, not hunting.
Slowing them down might help, too if you don't wanna change your tin content. Mine was high because I wanted at least 900fps out of my bullets.
to miking and measuring--I only ever checked my bullets for roundness when I took delivery and used a new mold for the first time or did the same with a new sizing die.
