Aging of Lead Bullets

[cannonball1]

This spring I molded some 45 Caliber, 500+ grain pure lead bullets and then sized them to .442. I tried to load one recently and it was too tight. They go thru the sizer twice and then thru my barrel template to put the Chase paper on. Everything was sized perfectly and you could see the smooth sizing mark so I know it was done. It didn't fit and had to be re-sized. Any one ever have a lead bullet grow after a few months?

Originally I thought it was the paper, but it wasn't. I weigh and throw out the bullet on each end of the scale so the weight should be close.

 

[springfield art]

This spring I molded some 45 Caliber, 500+ grain pure lead bullets and then sized them to .442. I tried to load one recently and it was too tight. They go thru the sizer twice and then thru my barrel template to put the Chase paper on. Everything was sized perfectly and you could see the smooth sizing mark so I know it was done. It didn't fit and had to be re-sized. Any one ever have a lead bullet grow after a few months?

Originally I thought it was the paper, but it wasn't. I weigh and throw out the bullet on each end of the scale so the weight should be close.

Maybe oxidizing? made them rougher on the surface?

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

I have had bullets "spring back" a couple thousandths, after sitting for a while. Pure lead and 40:1 lead:tin.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have had bullets "spring back" a couple thousandths, after sitting for a while. Pure lead and 40:1 lead:tin.

Wow I just learned something new!

LD

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

Seems to happen on bigger bullets. 350 and bigger for me.

 

[deerstalkert]

gravity. everybody and thing spreads with the years.

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

gravity. everybody and thing spreads with the years.

Oh yeah its definitely happening to me too

 

[dave951]

Bullets will "spring back" if sized and left for an extended time. That's why I only size what I need to shoot. The rest are just in storage. Good news is they don't gain any weight.

As for the "spring back", I was told it had to do with the crystalline structure of the lead moving and organizing over time. All lead does it.

 

[tom_in_vt]

Yup, I’ve had the same thing happen. You’re not crazy!

 

[SDSmlf]

Discovered early on that different alloys (and metals) have different ‘spring back properties’. One of the primary reasons I got an adjustable sizing die. Over time, have seen ‘pure’ lead seeming to grow a bit after sizing, much more so than lead alloys and other bullet materials that we don’t discuss here.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

Let us not forget too that lead contains trace elements that will help it harden up with time regardless of “spring back”. Harder bullets are harder to load.

 

[cannonball1]

You learn something everyday. Thanks all for sharing the information - guess I will re-size my bullets when I am going out to shoot. I am dumb-founded and never realized how much the bullet increased in size over several months.

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

For me, the lighter they are the less they spring back. 250 and smaller barely change. If i run them thru the sizer 3-4-5 times they hold longer. A mould that drops shooters 'as cast' is nice if you get one. Some mould makers can get you very close, but it ain't cheap. Got to know your bore size..

 

[nkbj]

Yep, it's compressed and springs back.
As observed above, the close to bore fitting paper patched get to be a problem.

 

[mooman76]

This was discussed on another board, both age hardening and spring back. If I remember right, after one week, it is pretty much done hardening and spring back, or at least for the most part.

 

[cannonball1]

I have been sizing the same day of molding. If I wait a month after molding can I expect the same result in the springback. Sounds like it could be considerably less. Is that correct? Any knowledge on that?
I've got a heck of lot of information to tell my left-handed son who will be inheriting my left-handed muzzleloaders and molds.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have had bullets "spring back" a couple thousandths, after sitting for a while. Pure lead and 40:1 lead:tin.

Really?

 

[Michiganmuzzy]

Yes

Really?

Yes, really. Sounds like im not the only one. I usually size them before i go shooting. But i dont always shoot everything i take. Sometimes they sit til next trip. They feel tighter so ive measured a few.

 

[mooman76]

I have been sizing the same day of molding. If I wait a month after molding can I expect the same result in the springback. Sounds like it could be considerably less. Is that correct? Any knowledge on that?
I've got a heck of lot of information to tell my left-handed son who will be inheriting my left-handed muzzleloaders and molds.

Sounds reasonable but I have never tried it. Try it and measure after a week or two and measure them and see.

 

[Kno-ie]

Cannonball 1,
Short answer, yes. I size after patching and sometimes they sit for weeks or months before they are shot. I take a hand held sizer to the range with me. How much spring back I don't know, don't care. They fit 3-20, don't fit 6-20.