bullet mix

[wyattm]

What was the original lead mix for the 200 gr 44-40 bullet... I thought I read somewhere it was pure lead...would 16-1 work as a bullet in a hunting load.....winchester used 16-1 in the 1876 bullets and Springfield used 16-1 in the 45-70 405 and 500 gr bullets.
Thanks,
Wyattm

[Montana Slim]

What was the original lead mix for the 200 gr 44-40 bullet... I thought I read somewhere it was pure lead...would 16-1 work as a bullet in a hunting load.....winchester used 16-1 in the 1876 bullets and Springfield used 16-1 in the 45-70 405 and 500 gr bullets.
Thanks,
Wyattm

I've seen original boxes of 44-40 that stated "pure lead" for the bullet. They likely used a bullet swedging machine to form them.

Generally folks I know use 20-1 as the hardest lead for Smokeless cowboy loads.....a few use it with black (pistol bullets don't care much what the alloy is). More of the BP crowd uses 30-1, some like 40-1. Depends on your gun & load. Generally, I'd say 16-1 is too hard for your 45-70.

Slim

[wyattm]

Montana... I think you mean 16-1 is too hard for the 44-40.....Winchester used 16-1 in the 1876 calibers ...and Springfield used it for  45-70 bullets.....From my research ...on the net... all tin does is make the bullet a little hard it was what was used in the days of BP....what it was meant do do was keep the dross down and to make the bullets come out of the mould easier and make a better quality bullet....and most bullets with a tin mix will actually soften after about 60 days...according to what I have researched...a lot of bullet makers do not use tin but use antimony antimony is not tin and will harden as it cools....I have tested some so called 20-1 bullets made with antimony not tin and they are very hard.IMHO.
Wyatt

[JimBob]

Period WRA catalogs list pure lead for the .44-40 lead bullet loadings.

[Montana Slim]

A lot ofdifferent questions/opinions adressed in my post...yes, I'm leading to the conclusion that 16-1 is "harder", more tin, etc than the cartridge needs/prefers. I believe I correctly stated my view also that 16-1 has nearly 2x more tin than MOST BP shooters today would use with 45-70, etc. Agree tin helps fill-out a bullet when cast...doesn't matter when the factory uses a swedging machine - this process prefers pure lead - still used today. About any mix will be functional in 44-40 cast bullets...it's relatively low velocty / short range cartridge. Doubt you'll see any difference on a deer.

Slim
What doesn't care for very hard bullets...whether antimony-based or tin.
PS: I cast all my bullets.

[w44wcf]

What was the original lead mix for the 200 gr 44-40 bullet... I thought I read somewhere it was pure lead...would 16-1 work as a bullet in a hunting load.....winchester used 16-1 in the 1876 bullets and Springfield used 16-1 in the 45-70 405 and 500 gr bullets.
Thanks,
Wyattm

Wyattm,
Yes, it was pure lead.  See http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,39954.0.html

16/1 will make nice accurate bullets, but for a hunting load I like a bit of expansion, so I use 50/1 (2% tin) which, I find, casts better and are soft enough to expand a bit at 44-40 velocities.  

The reason for the harder 16/1 lead/tin in the 45-70, is that those heavier bullets have a higher sectional density.

w44wcf  

[wyattm]

Thanks fellas.