testing lead hardness

[Magwa45]

I have some lead ingots and would like to test it for hardness. It is not pure lead, may be linotype or contains other alloys. Is there a tool to determine hardness? This was from my father's collection and most of his lead was labeled, but not this stuff. Are there any good books on this topic, also about adding alloys to increase hardness for use in modern rifles. Most of my use of lead is for muzzleloading or pistols (9 mm or 45 ACP). But I have been thinking of casting bullets for use in my old Savage 99.

 

[wgaynor]

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=731364

The link above is for a Lee lead hardness tester. I've never used it, but it seems pretty straightforward. You're going to take the lead your testing and make an indention in it with a tool from the kit. Then using the magnifying optics, you'll match the indention to a chart to determine it's bhn.

So far, I've managed to cast my own without use of one. I might purchase it in the future, but my wheelweights seem to be doing the job just fine without any tinkering on my part.

 

[kelbro]

Thumbnail works pretty well . If you can gouge it, near pure lead. If you can't mark it, linotype. If you can make a mark in it, probably good enough for most cast shooting situations.

 

[41 Mag]

While it isn't the end all of tests, here is a link to what has become a pretty accurate and simple test, and has been checked against other testing equipment and found to be pretty accurate for a simple quick home check.
Testing Hardness With Pencils

If you read through there is even a chart that has been put together from the results of several people who have tried this and compared the results they got to the known hardnesses of their alloys. Follow the procedure and you can quickly get the hang of it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Shimitup]

If you've got an accurate scale and precision measuring tools ie dial caliper or micrometer here's a link that may help.

http://yarchive.net/gun/ammo/bullet_hardness_test.html