WW's is harder. The BHN value is about 12 and 1:20 approx. BHN10 depending on purity of the alloy. The only time I've used ww's is with smokeless ammo in pistols or if using H4198 or IMR3031 in the 38-55 Winchester. I prefer 1:20 or 1:30 in most all BPCR alloys as it will upset easily to seal the bore whether you're using 50 or 75 gr of BP. There are some that use 1:16. It depends on the rifle/bullet combination as to which may work best with a given rifle and load...just my 2 cents.

I spent a year exsperimenting with lead, tin, antimony alloys and was not able to reach any form of consistent success in regards to extreme accuracy. You would be better served to go to a harder lead and tin alloy, I found 1-16 to be the best for my use with spitzer bullets. You might need to go harder only your targets will tell.

I don't have a wide enough experience to give a definitive answer.  I use 20:1 most of the time.  I have leading problems occasionally with that mix, and the molds I use.  It certainly isn't the magic mix to prevent leading.  I've probably had less leading with antimony mixes than with tin mixes.

My most accurate load/rifle I have ever had was when I had a large batch of wheel weight/tin/scrap alloy and was using a particular mold.  That was when I first started shooting blackpowder in my .45-90.  I shot that batch of lead for 3 or 4 years with great success and no leading problems.  It was mixed to about the same hardness as 20:1.  When I switched to 20:1, that bullet leaded horribly and wouldn't shoot accurately.  I switched molds to a custom mold ordered to cast 20:1 to the exact same size as my previous mold, and corrected most of the problem and recovered most of my accuracy.  It still doesn't shoot as well as junk lead did in the other mold.

To experiment with that old mold again, I've made up a batch of scrap and ww lead suitable for casting several thousand bullets.    I'll know more after I cast and shoot a few hundred of them.

The biggest problem with scrap lead lots is that you can't consistently recreate the mix.  Find a batch that works, and you can't do it exactly that way again.  Good argument for consistent, known alloy.

Another problem is that wheel weight (antimony alloys) bullets change hardness with age.  What shoots good this month might not shoot good next.  I always used to shoot the bullets fresh from the mold within a few days.  Leave them sit a while, and they won't be the same.

dave

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I can vouch for that. I bought some ww ingots about a year back and checked them when they arrived...BHN11.5. Recently I checked them and they had changed to BHN13. Hopefully, they've maxed out or I'll end up with a Lyman #2 mix.

For basic BP shooting with the 45-70, 40-70 or 38-55, etc, I still prefer 1:20.

I've always found this most informative but lengthy. Scroll down not quite half way to see where he talks about the hardness issue.

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I've always been under the impression that with a BPCR such as the more common ones used today...45-70, 45-90, 40-65, 38-55, etc. that an alloy of 1:20 to 1:30 was necessary to obturate the bullet. And, that is a matter of fact. Mike Venturino mentions those ratios a lot in his book. However, if you size properly to match or cast/size to .001-.002 over groove diameter it doesn't seem to me that obturation is a key factor in bullet upset. The bullet's already going to seal the bore given you're not using something like Linotype. Like all things it pays to just experiment with your rifle/loads. I think I'm gong to mix a batch of 1:16 and see how that goes.

If you do the math, time, money, and most important results on target. There is no good reason to use unknown  scrap lead in bullets for fine single shot rifles.

Boats