Discussion Forums

Forum Index > Rifles general discussion > Annealing Hornady SST bullets

Annealing Hornady SST bullets

06 Sep 2012
@ 05:27 am (GMT)

Richard Storms

If the SST uses a plastic tip (it does) and that tip has a melting temperature of 370ºF (accordingn to Hornady) AND the candle method of annealing has a flame temperature of ~1100ºF —— how can the anneal be achieved without damage, when the temperatures involved MUST result in a melted tip ?

TIA

Replies

06 Sep 2012
@ 09:01 am (GMT)

Quote this

Nathan Foster

Re: Annealing Hornady SST bullets

Hi Richard, I think it does melt the tip but what happens is that the hollow point holds the form of the plastic so that when it cools, its still in place. If I anneal for too long, the tip simply spits out of the hollow point, all melted and gooey.

The main goal is to try and heat the section of the ogive shown in the video, hoping that the heat will disperse quickly on either side of the heat effected area.

All that is required is for the ogive to swage back against the bullet body after expansion, more readily than the standard form. The reduction in frontal area allows for deeper penetration- if deeper penetration is required. Results are as mentioned, greatly dependent on SD.

Interestingly, when I was experimenting with this (and other experiments) many years ago, Dave Emery, one of Hornady's ballisticians and metallurgists who was helping me at the time, mentioned to me that Hornady projectiles will anneal if left in a warm environment (such as a sunny window sill) gradually after a period of two years. But this anneals the whole projectile. I managed to obtain a second hand box of 175 grain 7mm Interlocks to test this. These had been sitting exactly as described for over a decade, the box completely sun bleached. The heavy projectiles were like varmint bullets, complete and utter disintegration. Many of the fragment sizes were not much bigger than course sand. The most they could handle (game weights) was about 60kg (130lb).