Always watch Abom79 Utube videos. He bought a very high tech hardness tester at auction. Weekly video gave a demonstration,   Starts about 3 minutes in goes to 20 minutes.

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Who would think I could watch 15 plus min on a hardness tester, but I did. ASSRA ought to arrange with Adam. Test bullets for a flat fee.

Boats

I believe Rockwell to Brinell is easily convertable.  Adam Booth did not say how much he paid for the one in his Video. He did say he bid 20 bucks for anything he did not need and won a lot of the low bids.  He mentioned it’s able to read hardness with several standards. 

I just buy pre mix 1/30 and don’t think about it .

Boats

I've  used a Rockwell C scale hardness tester that used a diamond perpetrator. That is most likely what that instrument does, although I can't watch the video right now to confirm it.

If that is the case, the instrument won't accurately measure soft material like lead alloy.

I was looking up diamond perpetrators and realized there is a way. You use a ball perpetrator instead, and there is a direct conversion.

Here is my "High Tech" hardness tester. A 6B drawing pencil.  I buy scrap lead flashing from a local scrap yard for $1 per pound.  If I give them 30 days notice, they have set aside trimmings so I don't have to deal with the tar coated pieces.  Last time they had about 200 lbs set aside for me.  Take the pencil and sharpen it like a chisel.  If it can leave a mark when you scrape the lead then it is close enough to pure lead for my purpose.  Add some 'pure' tin (got some new old stock from Roto Metals relatively inexpensively).  I shoot 20-1 smokeless and 30-1 BP.
Here is one chart 

Jack

Why not use a tool designed for the purpose?

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I have used one for years and it seems to be relatively accurate. That is to say it is not a $10,000 machine, but it gets the job done.

Tin-Lead alloys tend to age soften. That is they lose some of their hardness over time.

I just measured three bullets I cast several years ago using a wheelweight + Tin alloy.

All three show BNH of 8-9 according to my Saeco tester. I also tested a commercial hard cast 9mm bullet and it showed around 17, so I suspect the 45 and 308 bullets are indeed 8-9.

Here is an article about time changes in hardness of lead alloys.

I believe I have read essentially the same info in bullet casting articles in the past. 

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     I have often wondered whether our commonly-used bullet alloys will "work-harden" or "work-soften" when subjected to deformation.   Anyone have any thoughts/information on this?   Maybe I will squeeze some ingots in the big vise and make some measurements.   If I get around to it, will post the results.

CHRIS
RGChristensen

For most of my competive shooting career now going on eighteen years. Starting after our last Match of the year in November and our first Match of the new year in February. I would take this off time to cast 2000 plus bullets in order to get a jump start on the new year of continued weekly practice outings test, outings and the upcoming Matches. Uusing 1-16 I have never realized any ill effects by having my pre-cast bullets sitting on the shelf all though that amount would generally be used by early April. I would also be shooting them in the original order as cast and would continually be casting bullets to try and maintain my inventory to get me through the rest of the year. I would be shooting around a thousand bullets a month and I would lube them a day or two prior to their use. During this time I was doing more serious testing than actual practice and for practice I would typically shoot four to five ten shot two hundred yard group targets at every outing more specifically towards learning to shoot all of the various conditions. The rifle for practice was always being maintained to shoot extremely competitively and when I found an improvement during testing I would then make the various changes if and when they would occur.