Lee Hardness Tester

NOTE: It has been correctly pointed out below that you should HOLD THE TESTER POINT AGAINST THE BULLET FOR 30 SECONDS, not just momentarily as I did in the video. This will definitely affect your results.
Also you should FILE A FLAT ON THE BULLET SIDE to measure.
Review of the Lee bullet hardness tester with tips and tricks, plus actual views through the microscope.

[@michaelclouthier2268]

Sir - thank you for your video. It always amazes me how many perfect people there are out there who insist on telling others how wrong they are. Your voice and articulation worked great for instruction and your humble responses to those who felt the need to correct you are characteristic of an honest well meaning gentleman. Cheers

[@RexRoach]

You’ve made my day! Thank you.

[@richardperry4115]

Nice one Rex . Brilliant idea.

[@MNP67]

Great instruction and review. Thank you.

[@BigGoad]

I believe the reason you won't want to do it on the base has to do with the fact that the sprue has been cut there and possibly the rate it would have cooled there will be slightly different than the rest of the mould.

[@453421abcdefg12345]

Rex ,you did very well filming this demonstration, I do like your plastic legs device, although most people that can shoot would not have shaky hands! The one thing that deviated from instructions was that you are supposed to leave the test specimen under the pressure of the ball for 30 seconds, but then you probably cut that bit out.

[@RexRoach]

+Englishman French Hey, somehow I missed your comment as well as 148DMC's. As always, you add good information to the party. No, I did not "cut that bit out." I confess that I totally missed that in the instructions. Next time, I will certainly hold it for 30 seconds.

[@Mav8887.]

Great video! I like my Lee hardness tester

[@druggles1]

Thank you, for the great video. If I could add one more thing, the scope should be against the surface and at the best right angle you can achieve to the material being tested. If the scope is positioned away from the surface the reading will be inaccurate. The scale is calibrated to the end of the scope, therefore, must be in contact with the surface being tested. Hope this information helps.

[@RexRoach]

Thank you for your excellent input. It makes sense to have the reticle calibration and the point of focus of the scope to occur at the same time. Very good point.

[@gruntspy44]

thanks Mr Roach. best explanation of this tool ive seen.

[@RexRoach]

+Vanilla Gorilla Thank you for the nice comment. It's a typically ingenious Lee tool.

[@gruntspy44]

Im a fan sir. I appreciate all the tutorials and tips. You have helped keep my hands and fingers attached. Thank you

[@RexRoach]

Vanilla Gorilla You bet. I always like to count ten of those pinkies at the end of each session.

[@biggun6658]

Hey a huge tip is to read the micro scope in the sun light. Also I bought a 3rd hand from a electrical goods store for holding the scope tube .

[@RexRoach]

Big Gun good advice. Thanks for contributing.

[@marka9484]

...Your voice and the way you talk reminds me of a narrator to a children's story...Again you forgot the 30 second rule!!!!!

[@RexRoach]

You are soooo right! As the little Indian guy said in some movie, "I stand here beside myself groveling in mortification." I will try to add some title information to warn people about the need for 30 seconds of pressure. I'm not sure if you approve of children's story narrators or not. Probably not. I guess that's just the way I do it.

[@rooster3019]

What caught my attention to your video as KZbin brought it up at random was the PRS boolit you show. NOE copied my design, which is perfectly OK as I gave it to my fellow cowboys right from the get-go. It is designed to allow real black powder in long rifle barrels without ever fouling out the barrel. Close, fast action use. Works well in revolvers and with smokeless powder too. Once I got used to looking at the results from Lee's tester, I can accurately eyeball alloys without the microscope. prs

[@RexRoach]

Wonderful to hear from the true source. It's a great bullet design, probably my all-time favorite. Since I have lots of classic bullet designs in Lyman, Ohaus and NEI moulds, that's saying something. It's interesting to me that so many people have remarked about how good the loaded round looks with this bullet. Now these are usually people with little gun experience, so it's just some sort of perfectly balanced form at work. I had wondered about this for a while, and I give lots of the credit to the perfectly designed crimp groove. Those folks are right: this bullet when loaded with the crimp groove correctly placed makes a gorgeous round...if "gorgeous" can be applied to a cartridge.

[@rooster3019]

The original design has been used by some pretty high classed shooter's in cowboy action (the intended purpose) and also in accuracy shooting, One of the enthusiastic accuracy shooters had the design tweaked to be more like an old original design, yet keep most of the depth of lube channel. That may be the version NEI is using. Enjoy! prs

[@148DMC]

Thank you for the demo. How long to you let the bullets cure for before testing them

[@RexRoach]

+148DMC I'm sorry I missed your comment (and Englishman's right after). As you can see above, Charles Irby gave you a very detailed reply. Thanks for your comment and my apologies for missing it.

[@148DMC]

+Rex Roach thank you Rex

[@RexRoach]

+148DMC My pleasure and apologies again for missing your comment when posted.

[@charlesirby9222]

Rex...Don't test on the end of the boolit…Lee says not to in the instructions, best testing by filing a wide flat on the boolits side hence the v-groove shell holder... They say also test for 30 seconds as the Englishman point's out. 148DMC…Boolits test @ 48 hours after birth. They continue to harden for a year and then after that will loose up to 1BHN and stabilize there. How much? It all depends on the lead mix. Generally they will pick up to 1-3 BHN in that 48-72 hours. My clip on wheel weights have been running 11.3BHN + 1 BHN. I've had these water dropped @ 16 BHN If you want significantly harder boolits drop them in cold water from the mold…keep the water far away from the lead pot or you'll have a 'steam explosion' in the pot…It ain't very pretty after that! Put a rag over the H2O container to minimize the splash, cut a slit in the center of the rag and they will roll down and fall through it. You really don't need harder than the 11 or 12 BHN for general duty in pistols non-magnum. Your cylinder/barrel fit along with the lube make up 2/3's of the equation for non-leading shooting. The instruction sheet gives you a working pressure for the BHN levels…stay equal to or less than as a general rule of thumb. There is a world of knowledge and searchable data base over at 'Cast Boolits.com' it's no cost to anyone and those boys over there know what they are doing for sure!

[@RexRoach]

+Charles Irby Excellent points, Charles. I think I've seen your name many times over on CastBoolits.com It is, as you say, a site with a world of knowledge. It's probably my favorite overall forum. I like your points: * hold for 30 seconds (I missed that one) * hardness will increase with time * quench in cold water for max hardness * 12 BHN is hard enough for non-magnum * cylinder throat fit and lube are equally important My only quibble is about testing on the nose. I'm being stubbornly uncooperative for right now. Yes, Lee does advise against it. I'm going to run some tests and check various spots on several bullets and see what happens. If it turns out that all spots read the same, then I'll continue with my "easy" method. If not, I'll confess my sins and repent. Having said that, do you or anyone else reading this, have an idea as to WHY one should not read the nose and should file a flat on the side for reading?

[@charlesirby9222]

Hey Rex…I think that Lee wants us to test inside of a larger area of lead that surrounds the indent so that it prevents the lead from spreading sideways under pressure on a narrow nose causing a deeper indentation and a false sense of low BHN. Also if that 'micro-measuring-scope' is not touching the surface of the lead that is being measured then you are magnifying the indention larger, getting somewhat out of focus and again getting the wrong results. Testing and measuring is an exact science that must be executed to exactness for consistent results. I'm with you…why not test the nose and I don't have to destroy one of my boolits, its quicker but I can see their point also…so I get the old flat bastard file out and have at them. It's habit now. When I was proving to myself about the lead getting harder with age…I filed a wide cut down the side of some test boolits and could take the time-test on the same boolit not just another one in the same batch. That forced me to put some color on the spot where I would make the second, third test to differentiate between test spots so I used a red Marks-a-lot and found that with color you are able to see the crisp edge of the crater making it easier to measure that tiny/wiggly boolit. SeeYa…charlie

[@RexRoach]

Charles Irby Charlie, this is excellent information. I can see their point now that you've 'splained it to me (like Desi and Lucy). These 45s have extremely wide points, but I am going to experiment. Having that larger area to "land" the microscope flange onto would be yet another reason to file the large flat. Speaking of bastard files, I've never had a moment's pause as to why they are called that. I REALLY like the idea of color for edge enhancement.

[@charlesirby9222]

It's nice to share that with you Rex…hey, your giving away our age mentioning Lucy and Riki!

[@RexRoach]

Oh, Lord, I'm older than Fred Mertz.

[@anthonyevans9486]

Two things you did wrong. You should file the bullet long ways and test the center of the bullet from the side. Also, you have to hold the press for 30 seconds to get an accurate measure. Your bullets are softer than you think because you did not allow the press tester to work properly. YOU NEVER TEST THE ENDS!!!!! Another tip: the opening at the end of the scope is for a flash light to shine on the bullet so you can see what you are doing. Clever idea for you makeshift scope stand.

[@RexRoach]

+Anthony Evans Thanks, Anthony. Between you, Charles and Englishman French, the correct methods have been revealed. I should probably delete this video and start really reading the instructions.