Hard Cast Lead Bullets vs Soft Lead Bullets

What is a "Hard Cast" bullet? I try to explain and demonstrate what this means.
By the way, I'm having so much fun with my hammer that I don't think I mention it in the video, but the primary reason for hard cast bullets is that they are less expensive than jacketed or plated bullets and they also are easier on the rifling of a barrel if you shoot tens of thousands of rounds.
Generally speaking, soft lead needs a jacket or some sort of plating to prevent leading in the barrel. "Hard cast" lead bullets are a harder alloy, which helps to prevent so much lead accumulating in the rifling of the barrel. There are other factors, such as powder charge, exact barrel and bullet size, but harder bullets will usually lead the barrel less. It's better not to stoke them up to much over 1,000 fps or you can increase the amount of leading. With jacketed bullets, leading up the barrel is not a concern.
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Hickok45 videos are filmed on my own private shooting range and property by trained professionals for educational and entertainment purposes only, with emphasis on firearms safety and responsible gun ownership. We are NOT in the business of selling firearms or performing modifications on them. Do not attempt to copy at home anything you see in our videos. Firearms can be extremely dangerous if not used safely.

[@hickok45]

@erikwens, I've used a hammer quite a lot in my life; in fact, I meant to mention the hammer in the video. That old hammer is a prized possession; it was my dad's hammer that he used for many decades. It was always there handy in the tool box. It's my duty to keep it swinging now and then.

[@RobertoMattes]

I am knowing your channel just now. Amazing. Cheers from Brazil!

[@tylercrews1492]

Nothing like dads ol tools!!

[@Honestreview-om5hx]

I got one of those from my grandpa. The handle is finally falling apart after years of use and abuse. I'm going to try to find someone to help match the wood and restore it for the generations to come.

[@GapLordKwon]

That's a piece of railroad track that you're beating on. They're fairly hard. Most budget blacksmiths start out on one.

[@jimh3588]

Good to see you keep Dad’s hammer swinging . Thanks for the info.

[@andyostertag]

The section of rail track has been used in many shops, farms sheds, barns and by at least one horseshoer I know. Makes a great anvil as you mentioned. Thanks for sharing your decades of experience.

[@robertrobert7924]

I have a section of rail track that I have used for very rudimentary blacksmith work. I bought it in an antique shop decades ago after taking a blacksmithing course at my local Community College. I has served me well.

[@patrickslevin6424]

Back in the late 70's I cast 250 grain Keith type .429 caliber bullets for my Ruger Super Blackhawk. I would cast them out of pure linotype and what a beautiful bullet it made. I found many of them, spent down range, that would shatter on impact with anything hard. It wasn't unusual at all to find the nose split down the middle with absolutely no obturation of the lead. I ended up getting some very soft plumbers lead and mixed it 50/50 with the linotype which ended up giving me a perfect batch of #2 Lyman alloy. I guess it did, anyway. I guess this because every bullet I cast came out exactly the weight Lyman called out in their Cast Bullet Handbook. God I wish I had all that lead, my molds and sizer! I finally quit casting because I could buy lead bullets so cheap that I didn't figure my time was worth it. Boy was I wrong. Those bullets I case were some of the best bullets I've ever loaded. And, I could control the mix to give me expansion if I desired with the 45 acp or 44magnum. Casing bullets is an art, I sure do miss it.

[@jalan8171]

I miss my bullet casting and cartridge reloading gear too. Preferred mixing wheel weights with linotype for a good blend for hollow point projectiles. Always had feed issues with my AMT Hardballer Long Slide .45 ACP due to the ramp and shape of the magazine feed lips. Should of had a 1911 gun smith specialist work on it rather than trade it off decades ago. Those pistols are collectors items today. Really enjoyed the results I would get with Keith style Semi Wad Cutters from my .38 caliber and .44 caliber revolvers. Ah those were my 'salad' days as a gun enthusiast.

[@BrianClarkpharmd]

I’m learning to cast now, thanks to the panic buying as of late. It’s a hobby all it’s own. Lot of fun.

[@jacec5504]

Any tips or key notes to remember when casting 10mm an .357? Just now getting into casting since I now reload. Might as well cast too

[@robertrobert7924]

I believe 50/50 is way harder than #2 Lyman alloy. I use 01/20 for my hard cast bullets in 44-40, 45 Colt, and 45-70 with smokeless powder. Pure lead with black powder.

[@TehBr0]

I'm an experienced reloader and shooter, but seeing this demo reminded me of a few things. The visualisation of how hardcast vs regular lead deforms was great. Cheers!

[@hickok45]

@wayneuber, Actually, for plinking and shooting steel, a person generally just uses whatever quality bullet can be found at a decent price. Hard cast bullets are about the best for all-around bullet target shooting and such in a revolver, and with some slower velocity rifle rounds. For most semi-auto pistols, people use jacketed or plated bullets, but not all. The 1911 .45 ACP does very well with cast bullets. I've shot a million of them through 1911s.

[@hickok45]

@MrFaTaL1996, 300 Blackout round. Forgot to show it, but the recovered bullet lying next to the 300 Blackout round is a 220 grain Blackout round recovered. I meant to show it, because you rarely find center-fire, jacketed rifle bullets that are not totally destroyed. This one is subsonic, so it survived.

[@Afterburner245]

Even as a long time shooter and reloader I still find myself learning a great deal from your videos. Thanks Hickok!

[@hickok45]

@hellstudios, That was railroad track I cut out! Geez, so the train derailment over on that end of my county last year was MY fault? I feel really bad about that now and certainly hope nobody with CSX Railroad watches shooting videos.

[@anthonyiocca5683]

Not well enforced, but it’s illegal to take/ have railroad property to include spikes. The full 20’ rails are expensive and would get someone in trouble with the law if they have full rails. Rail road rails are not for sale nor available to anyone but railroads. They can tell what RR company any rail belongs to…

[@3resFR]

@@anthonyiocca5683you gonna snitch ?

[@billythekidd623]

@@3resFR he looks like hes about to go tell on someone right now -friday

[@DanielLogan-s9n]

Not sure about the accuracy of Anthony's reply above. But if he's right then I guess I have storage fees coming to me for the 200 yd of tracks that were on my property when I bought it 40 years ago. This is an old Long since abandoned spur line and the tracks have long since been pulled up from their side of it. Is pulled up the rest of it is anybody's guess. And I'm curious about the 2 abandoned box cars that are on there as well. In the meantime they make for great storage with a wooden loading dock attached.

[@wilkbor]

As someone relatively new to firearms, I find this very helpful. Thanks for posting.

[@jaylovett6018]

I love how Hickok teaches people with dignity. He remembers what it was like learning these things years ago, and he speaks to us with respect in lieu of speaking AT us as so many people do today. Hickok, your knowledge and your demeanor are incredibly valuable to the generations after you. God bless.

[@Hoodyhoo2121]

Just as a side note, manufactures use the element antimony to make lead hard. Hard lead is generally about 3-6% antimony. Thanks for the great info Hickok!

[@hickok45]

@matkilla454, Leading in the barrel. I didn't talk about that in the video, but I should have. See annotations and the video description.

[@jalan8171]

As for the issue of leading, the key factors are A) proper projectile size for a given gun chamber and barrel diameter. b) Metal alloy and hardness. c) Anticipated pressure and velocity considerations. A fine book to add to your library on these and many other gun related topics is found within Elmer Keith's master work SIXGUNS. Some of the information is dated, a lot is still as applicable as the day he wrote it. Any thoughts as to Keith's work is appreciated.

[@Maxid1]

I'm impressed that you were able to consistantly miss your soft cast fingers with that hardcast hamner. Your accuracy isn't only in firearms. My Dad, for the longest time, swaged his own bullets. Then I think he got tired of cleaning lead out of the barrels and he started to buy bullets for reloading.

[@hickok45]

@ICAUSELOTSOFANGER, Yeah, spent some time in Folsom Prison for it, too. Wasn't all that bad, though; I got a free Johnny Cash concert out of it. :-)

[@TomKappeln]

Hahahahaha ... lololol

[@TomKappeln]

Now he "shoots the line" ... hickhoks secret !

[@joaopaulorabelo9896]

lmao, great one hickok

[@GMdrivingMOPARguy]

I have always heard the terms hard and soft cast I guess I never bothered to really learn what they meant, thanks for teaching me something I didn't actually know I wanted to learn.

[@stinkyfungus]

ping ping ping... there is just something joyous about the sound of a hammer on an anvil that always brings a smile to my face.

[@meesterp]

and similarly, lead on steel!

[@commonconservative7551]

way better than the sound after hitting a thumb

[@normanmcneal3605]

Lee’s reloading book is quite extensive about pressure and cast bullet hardness. He gives tables to equate velocity with lead hardness. Using his information, you can load proper expanding lead to a desired velocity. He also explains leading barrels and obturation

[@abbeyglencircle]

Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you for this video. You have answered 99.9% of my questions about hard and soft lead bullets. I am a new shooter and never really understood the different in its use, now I do.

[@Flashblade]

61 people who disliked this video were killed in a train derailment.

[@Floridapirate1]

lol

[@imafriend1336]

Today they reside in Seattle

[@philippefrater2000]

92 today... 🖖🏻🇫🇷😎🇫🇷😇🇫🇷🖖🏻

[@kevind7617]

That's Effen hilarious

[@christopherkennedy8116]

LOL

[@hunterspistol]

The first time I water quenched lead bullets for hardness, I used an 8lb sledge from 12" (for ~8 foot pounds or so) to see the difference. The air cooled were bending and deformed half way down. The water quenched (hardened) ones would only deform the top 1/4" of the bullet. That's a dramatic difference. Glad you could give folks a visual representation of lead hardness. I pour lead bullets so, it's everyday stuff. But, thanks for showing this.

[@hickok45]

@ExtremeMorphs, I used to cast some of my own bullets. Wheel weights make pretty good bullets. They are harder to find now, though, at least for free.

[@TomKappeln]

good old days ...

[@hickok45]

@MockEmpire, Yes, he's right, and they actually use a .45-70 case for that. A friend of mine who worked for the railroad brought me an old box of them one time.

[@randyjohnson6845]

Flat hardcast lead with a small percentage of tin added has a incredible effect on large game.it really hits hard and puts alot of damage and penetration on big game.excellent on pistol hunting They make muzzle loader sabots with hardcast and those bullets have no bearings. Its flat nosed and smooth down the sides.penetration is awesome. It hits a hard bone and the bone is shattered and the bullet keeps going

[@michaelallen5440]

This is a very information rich explanation of "hard cast" in one of its primary roles. Oh yes and they reduce leading of the barrel as well. Thanks to the producer of this video.

[@hickok45]

@ZZRgirl11, The recoil of a revolver can literally "pull" the bullets out of the case of the ones left in the chamber. Think about the physics of the force. In fact, a famous story / event last year about a guy who barely escaped getting killed by a Big Brown Bear in Alaska detailed how that happened to HIM. His .454 Casull locked up on him after two or three shots. A heavy cast bullet came loose and blocked the cylinder from turning. Fortunately, one of his shots hit the bear.

[@dennischarles8976]

My Ruger LCR 9mm jumped the crimp when I was firing it with one-hand with my weak hand. I love the Ruger LCRs but I only carry 2 Ruger LCR 38s & one Ruger LCR 357. I use the 9mm for range work only just to be on the safe side. You don't get a second chance when you are fighting for your life.

[@WJS774]

I've read that's especially likely with a revolver chambered for auto rounds like a 9mm. They don't crimp them as aggressively as revolver rounds, since there's nothing pulling on the case in an auto. It happening with a revolver round like .454 Casull is really bad luck.

[@davidcraig9938]

Sounds like a reload.

[@snookspalmer1857]

The anvil is a eight to nine inch piece of rail, from a rail track. The holes are for bolts, two four holed angle bars are used with four bolts to join the rail. High carbon is standard for rail, manganese is in the frogs. Rail road track- is the term for the rail, ties, plates, spikes ,bolts, bars, anchors, ballast, all joined together to facilitate the movement of a train.Comments are like saying if I cut one inch off my rifles barrel and show it to you, then refer to the one inch piece as a rifle.

[@hickok45]

+Snooks Palmer After all this time, I'm still amazed that people thought I was serious. :-)

[@deputydillhole]

+hickok45 lol...the only reason I scrolled down to read the comments was to see how many people actually answered

[@8literbeater]

+Scarce Logic Same here.

[@coryholmgreen1947]

+hickok45 gave me a good laugh!

[@itleglitch]

Snooks Palmer they work really well for the purpose. real cheap at your local scrapers

[@catholicseymour292]

Dear Mr 45, Yeah everybody knows that your anvil is a piece of railroad track. But it doesn't appear that anyone can tell you how the rail was used. I think this may be what Hickok is really asking. I believe your anvil is a piece of light to medium 90-100 lb/yard rail judging from its size, meant for slower speeds and smaller freight trains in days gone by. Of course I can't be sure unless I knew the actual measurements from the profile. All of the sizes come into play when calculating the strength and purpose of any particular rail. IE the width of the base, the height, the top width, the web, etc... Even though passenger trains are from an era long gone, heavier freight train will be with us for a while to come due to the volume they can handle and the return on fuel. My point? Your anvil truly is rocket science! You ask how do he know this thing? Ordinarily I wouldn't have any of this pointless and useless information. During my career as a machinist I helped invent measuring tools for a certain Rail Road to measure the amount of wear on the tracts to record data of wear vs usage. Never thought I would be posting this to KZbin. Enjoyed you video and learned a little more about cast bullets today. CS

[@gwubllu3384]

Typically, if it's 100lb track it is 100lb's for every 3 feet.

[@gwubllu3384]

G Wubllu Hick if your going to cut some more, try cutting across the head all the way, into the neck just a little as your crossing. With it propped up before the cut. Wack it with a sledge hammer. Should snap right off and save your torch fuel and time and energy, or the blades on your cut off saw. Any bars holding the rail together, just cut through one side of each nut, and rap them with the hammer, then knock the bolts out. I'm surprised you couldn't deduce what they were/are. You can see how the tops are mushroomed from use.... Speaking of metallurgy. Iv'e seen some very poor rail with a very short life span were the heads mushroomed very quickly.

[@jackwatkins7382]

I don't know what to say about railroad track. I am not as learned as y'all are. I remember my dad used one for an anvil for years as I was growing up and I think I still have it. But at one time Some of the grandkids had toted it off and it was missing for quite some time. I had picked up two or three pieces along the way and brought a couple to my dad and ask him which one he wanted and he took a smaller one. By the way one was a lot taller and wider than the other. I had no idea what the deal was on the two sizes, I assumed the smaller one would have been for a Spur Line but I couldn't figure out how if it was you would jump down a few inches going into the yard. But now this is just an old man telling me this, what he said was that the larger one was off of a Frisco Railroad and the smaller one was off of a southern. Like I say my dad was about 65 or 70 years old when he told me that and that's been many years ago. But maybe y'all can enlighten me as to whether or not that is right. Thank you have a good day.

[@hardrockminer-50]

I'm using the anvil, complete with horn, my Grandpa Jones, a Master Machinist, made from a piece of 90# rail. He even made a J in the web of the rail. He worked almost 10 years for railroad, first for Santa Fe in Gallup, NM then D&RG in Chama, NM. His personal lathe is still in the round house in Chama. He left there to work in the mines around Silverton, CO as machinist.

[@albertapeet]

I like that Anvil . I see that around here on occasion as well , maybe I will harvest a chunk for myself

[@johnnycorona7249]

Nice hammer grouping, looks like most were in the A zone. Too funny, you just knew they would put the slow-mo of it at the end. Always great vids hickok, please never stop. Cheers from Cananda

[@k1hasard]

Great video! I didn't see in the comments that that piece or rail is a worn piece of used rail. You can tell by the ridge on the side of the top or it. That ridge would form on the inner side of the rail from heavy use, the many wheels passing over the rail deforms it the same way that hammer deforms the bullets into a mushroom. I'm catching up on the older videos on this channel, I think they are very well made and provide information that is explained in a way to be easy to understand.

[@krayzie769]

7:32 "here ill use my pointer" what a badass

[@PatriotPaulUSA]

Good old rail track has made more backyard anvils than anything. I'm not surprised Hickock has one!

[@reon1978]

7 people thought these were cartridges with primer and gun powder. I'm not sure how people can not like something that is just plain informative.... Great series of vids for "basics" keep up the good work.

[@strangefire1]

And for extremely fast loads I use a gas check which is a cooper base installed on the bottom of the bullet to seal off the hot gases preventing the lead from melting during the ignition and traveling down the barrel. Adding tin, antimony and a copper gas check to your cast bullets is easy and inexpensive process for the hand loader.

[@brianroberts62]

A real Question/comment about Hard Cast bullets.... (by now everyone know that's a piece of RR track. Hickok knew it all along- I, unlike others, have a great appreciation for his (extremely dry) sense of humor) Here's the question. Are Hard Cast bullets any less safe than other bullets when shooting STEEL? Your video emphasizes how the bullet is barely deformed on impact. I never thought twice about shooting hard cast at steel until I watched this video. Now I wonder if that bullet remains intact.... is there more danger of 'full weight' ricochet (vs typical fragmentation)?

[@ScubaOz]

Could not tell you how many hard cast 200grSWC I have shot or loaded, they are a great bullet, little to no leading. With todays technology of plating with copper and poly coating I have not used them as much, but in 45-70 and 45 colt they are still the mainstay! Great video as always, glad you did not hit your finger! :) Keep the great vids coming!

[@hickok45]

@Ionracas85, Yes, but perhaps that's not all bad. Just think about it; that person who hammers on a live cartridge is maybe less likely to meet your daughter or you, or me on the highway and cross the center line because they don't understand why some idiot painted two silly yellow lines right in the middle of the road. :-)

[@josephg.2988]

When I handloaded, back in the '70s, I wanted to cast lead, but I needed the tin and antimony you mentioned. At one point, I thought of continuing with the purchased "lead" bullets I was handloading, but to melt some down in order to cast them as I'd like them to be. An example would be a 200 grain bullet for .38 Special, just to experiment. I was accepted to grad school, so between work and grad school, the time wasn't there. If I could only turn back the clock! :)

[@martinadejaquiz2482]

that's why i like hickok45 channel.... i learn things. that's why. thanks again.

[@emaxhengst]

I learn something new every time I watch Mr. Hickok 45!

[@NCLUSA]

The best gun and shooting videos going. I really like your no nonsense gun views, a lot of gun people attach themselves to one type of firearm and then trash all others.

[@TheBgcheez]

Man every time you swung the hammer I was like - omg that would hurt if you hit your fingers! Great video!!

[@busyhands94]

Hickok, I'll level with you. I am kind of a cheapskate, I don't like spending a while lot of money on those fancy jacketed bullets, but I found that a $20 dollar Lee 140 grain bullet mold has paid for itself in hard cast .38 bullets. I'm getting a .30-30 Marlin from my uncle next weekend for some work, and you can bet I won't be spending a dime on pre-made jacketed ammo. I shoot hard cast bullets, they are my favorite and have the most bestest killing power! :)

[@bellakaldera3305]

Points for the railroad rail anvil, I made one myself! On the hard/soft lead issue, a buddy loaded soft lead round nose for his 1911, he regretted it, for all the lead fouling those bullets left in his 1911 .45, it turned it into a smoothbore! My understanding is that any bullet fired through rifling by smokeless powder needs either a jacket or must be hard cast, or such regrets will reoccur.

[@Sizukun1]

I really like these educational/informative videos, sometimes its a nice alternative to shooting and review videos. Thanks for the reminder that life is good!

[@johnswoboda2986]

Hollow Point JHP = Hunting Mice // Full Metal Jacket = Hunting Humans // Hard Cast = Hunting Elephants // Depleted Uranium Core = Hunting Dinosaurs // Kryptonite Bullets = Hunting Superman //

[@adtorresitpro]

lmao.

[@Latinos4Trump]

Double tap has 200grain FMJ that's only 25fps less then the cast. Wouldn't this be better for stock barrel? Also what's better for auto glass and car doors, fmj or cast? In case aukmeid comes to murder people with vehicle.

[@bowlofrice8]

Lifter015 hard cast and jacketed will both cut through a car door like butter

[@scabbynack]

I never thought I'd see you destroy a perfectly good bullet without it getting up over a few hundred FPS first, Hickok45. I feel like I don't know you anymore. :)

[@timcenter569]

He is right about the metal hardness, because I work at a metal recycling plant. Keep up the good work good video.

[@CovenantAkama]

the only video on youtube that is permitted to show slow motion hammering

[@charlesauger7779]

it smaller than a train track, it looks like tracks for mining.

[@joel4491]

That's a railroad rail your banging on. My dad worked for the railroad for 45 years I saw a lot of those

[@tibora13]

Yep

[@bbunch44]

love the slow mo at the end! Thanks you Hickok i learned something tonight. i did not know the difference and the difference in use.

[@1guyin10]

For those with an interest: The material for the hard cast bullets is not pure lead, but rather an alloy. Most bullets use lead with a small amount of tin in it (tenths of a %). The softer cast bullets use lead with a bit more tin in them. The most popular alloy for cast bullets is known as linotype, which is a lead / antimony / tin alloy. Linotypes can even be heat treated to produce even higher hardness. A typical commercial linotype might be 4% tin, 12% antimony and 84% lead.

[@sixshooter4570]

looks like a railroad track to me.

[@alejandro1924]

I didn’t read other comments but I’m sure they told you that a railroad piece of steel. Great content always

[@kennywongsp]

I see alot of right answers ( rail road track ) but interestingly enough why is it so hard? Train wheels are very hot from friction and obviously they put alot of weight on wheels, now imagine whole trains going over rail for years. It's basically been forged.

[@Mrfizzlewizzletastic]

They're forged long before they're laid. It's just very high carbon steel.

[@MyREDTAIL]

Hard Cast Bullets are made up of a Lead, Tin, Antimony, Mixture, Is what gives them that not so easy to disform when hitting a solid target or Hunting Game, Using them etc Thanks for sharing As always Hickok, Great info etc.

[@ReluctantLightningForge]

I'm just getting into casting and hand loading and I still wasn't sure about what "hard cast" meant. Thanks for enlightening me. Keep up the good work hickock45!

[@reneschaap8091]

railroad track !!!!!

[@hickok45]

@TheMadMedek, The hardened steel shows no impact at all. Mild still might show a little dent. We have a video on that, too, we'll be posting soon. I'm trying to become the Professor of all things Lead and get a job teaching in the science department at Harvard. :-)

[@catholicseymour292]

Oh by the way... There weren't any train wrecks in your neck of the woods after you acquired this anvil of yours were there? With so much of it just laying around....CS

[@ShootingUtah]

Man I thought you were going to hit a finger there for a second! Good video! I didn't realize that the hard cast lead bullets were that much harder than the jacketed ones! I've been reloading hard cast lead in .45 acp for a long time now because it's about half the price of jacketed and works just as good the only problem is the lube gunks up my S&W 1911's extractor!

[@randytory4484]

its a rail road track cant you tell

[@hickok45]

+Randy Tory Gullibility is a wonderful thing. :-)

[@mannys9130]

get rekt

[@rcflightseeker3488]

Randy Tory yep definitely a piece of rail track. I think he knows that he was just trying to boost the comments LOL

[@geonerd]

LOL!

[@BCUMF03]

Railway RAIL is designated partially by it's weight every 3 foot length. example: if a 3 foot length is 70 pounds it is 70 pound rail. there are lighter weights too. most common nowadays in mainline rail is 124 pond and 136 pound. your piece looks like 100 pound, which was the standard on many North American railways from the 1960's until the late 1980's.The most common rail used in steam days was 70 and 85 pound. i always enjoy your videos. Thanks.

[@cr500mike]

Thanks Hickok45 ! I just did a youtube search of whether hard cast bullets expand - now I know ! Bought my first bigger bore rifle a while back H&R 444marlin , looks like the heavy jacketed bullets would expand and hit harder on deer and pigs . Liked .

[@NHBackcountryGuide]

I guide black bear hunters in NH and hard cast bullets are one of the better loads. Especially over bait where the hunter is shooting under 20 yards generally. Most high powered rifle bullets break up at those velocities at close range. They will still do the job, but a cast bullet from a big bore revolver or rifle is preferred. I like the video, hickok, very good demonstration.

[@musicismyyydrug]

I watch a ton of your videos. The slow-motion hammering at the end was very humorous. Lol.

[@aridian7787]

One of the first lessons I learned with my .45 Colt Vaquero was to GET THE HELL RID OF soft lead bullets! I could see the difference in barrel leading with just 100 rounds.

[@Point221b]

Appreciate the very informative lesson. Man that hammer is a beauty! looks like a Hickory handled claw. I have had one like that for 45 years, had 4 new handles and 3 heads.

[@Spoderman5000]

I loved the slow mo hammer strikes at the end lol

[@h455566hh]

The sight of bullets being squished by a hammer - mesmerising.

[@theKGB65]

Hickok 45 - skilled at: firearms, darts, knife throwing, basketball, speed typing, archery, hatchet throwing, mountain-bike riding, action tractor shooting, zombie hunting, talking, and now... precision hammering. Watching this was like watching NASCAR, you don't really want to see anyone get seriously injured but you pay strict attention to what's going on just in case.

[@SteveCebu]

That anvil is a piece of railroad rail. Our company was located right next to the tracks and those were lying around. They are generally pretty long and are hardened steel. You must have had fun cutting through them.

[@tlhouser88]

I wish you would do more of these type videos. They are great

[@texbud23]

thanks for all you do hickok, i hope long after your gone i hope these videos still live on, your a great man god bless you and god bless america

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

Hickock, This was very informative to me. Thanks for taking the time to make the video and explain the concept. Best, Dan

[@webfox1]

I always enjoy your reviews, but I really love when you teach.

[@951bryan]

I used to make expanding cast bullets for my 45-70 by using two different lead alloy's First I would pour the nose of soft lead and let it cool down a little then pour the back part of the bullet with a hard linotype I used the lyman 457124 this is a 400 grain bullet and driven to max safe velocity in my Marlin 1895 they are accurate and deadly and expand like crazy dropping large elk in their tracks. This also works well with 44 mag bullets.

[@SurlyBob1]

Hickock 45: Your anvil is a piece of rail from a railroad. We had a few on the farm. They work pretty good. We also used a few of those to weigh down our 14' implement disc for the field. They are heavy!

[@ayush274]

gr8 video sir!! i never liked soft lead bullets and i was awaitied 2 c such a video which regained the soft bullets my respect. i jus love yor channel: have a nice day! have a nice day.........

[@2ndefender]

I'm glad you posted the video, Hickok. The hammer is a popular weapon for street thugs, and I've been searching for a hammer resistant round. Maybe I'll switch my "soft" hollow points out for hardcast lead... :)

[@Conan568]

I did not know this little gem and I've been casting for my Sharps rifles for years. I just mix a bit of tin into my lead pot and start making bullets. I've been really lucky with lead fouling too, I' don't get much at all.

[@WebWheeler]

Jacketed soft cast. Self defense rounds (hollow points, etc.) are meant to spread which soft cast does much more effectively than hard

[@MOtherNature790]

Every time I ask a question about guns I wind up on this channel lol keep up the good work very informative

[@runeski74]

I saw that rail track piece as soon as the vid started! Thats good stull to keep around the garage. The price of steel these days,.. it may be an idea to scrap some and buy more ammo with the money Great vid

[@freestylekyle]

Its Narrow gauge railroad track. Used in old mining operations and was used in Europe in the early days of rail transportation.

[@pseudopetrus]

Thanks for explaining hard cast bullets

[@duramax3388]

Great video good info one of the other things about cast bullets is most are a flat nose which creates a vary large shock wave when it hits enters something.

[@littleteethkeith]

Railroad track makes wonderful boat anchors as well.

[@andrewtrembly3884]

Excellent video cleared up all my questions. Thanks for the video outstanding

[@ElTerrible666]

Well sir, that stretch of metal looks to be railroad track. Great vid, glad you didn't smash any digits while demonstrating the difference between hard cast and soft lead.

[@EIBBOR2654]

From everything I've been told and have read, the main reason for a hard cast lead was to keep the barrel from leading up when the bullet was being driven at higher speeds. Using soft lead bullets in say a .38 or .357 Mag driven at the .38 Spl Mid range MV will cause the soft lead to be stripped as it travels down the barrel. Even in rifles like the .30-30 and using hard lead cast bullets, if driven too fast, will cause the barrel to lead up. True, hard lead bullets will penetrate deeper but they also stop lead fowling in the barrel. If you have ever experienced a barrel that was leaded up and the chore of having to try to clean it you will know what I mean. Gas checks also help too but shooting the hard lead bullets requires the MV to be much lower than what a jacketed bullet can be driven at. Doing some research on bullets I found some articles on Hydraulic Bullets. Back when they were starting out with smokeless Powers and all they had at first was the hard lead, bullet expansion was a problem. So they came up with kind of a sealed hollow point were the cavity was filled with water and some other materials like wax to control or help with the expansion. Interesting to research it though.

[@deadeye2658]

There are always people that try to find the opposite of conventional wisdom. You are correct. Hard cast, for me that is BHN 22, will not lead your barrel. The softer they are the more they will lead. Bullet obturation is a myth.

[@DennyRec]

This was very interesting to me. It was something I was unaware of, at the time. You always gave good information to give your views. Thank you for tge knowledge.

[@hickok45]

@mattff200, see description.

[@stevelyautey7339]

Mr. Hickok 45 as accurate with a hammer hitting between his fingers as he is hitting the target!!! Great reminder lesson, thank you.

[@27Turo]

Hah! Love the slow-mo hammering. Another great basics video Hickok! I've been shooting for a good 19 years and I've never really looked into the difference between hard cast and regular lead bullets, but now I know! -27Turo-

[@jffrocks]

Those last few seconds remind me of the old TV Dragnet show ending with the steel hammer... "A Mark VII Production"

[@richardplug]

What a greatly informative video, Hickok. Not that your other videos aren't, but this is a nice educational interlude to the shooting videos.

[@hickok45]

@friedmeat, YES, and it was in the same area where I found those two long rails of this stuff that I cut from! :-)

[@mdr8088]

I've gotten into casting for my muzzle loader, 9mm, .30-30, 12 ga slugs, and 00 buckshot. It's really fun, I'm looking forward to getting a .308 and use my cast bullets for that. I want to take a deer this year with my own bullets. There's so much that comes together to get a bullet that's the right hardness, sized right for the rifle your useing, lubed right, etc. When it comes together it's sweet... It adds a whole new demension in reloading.