Lee Lead Hardness Testing Kit

Amazing. I use the Los Angeles Silhouette Club website's cast bullet notes by Lee Fryxell for much reference as well as Lee Modern Reloading II for alloy creation. The hardness tester has proved itself to be accurate per the findings of many others and known average BHN values of specific alloys. It is easy to use and consistent. I have tracked air cooled and water cooled alloys in various virgin alloys and "pot luck" mixes. The expected hardness levels are exact!! I can watch the air-cooled WW with added antimony age harden over 48 hours and can watch "bumped up" water quenched WW with monotype climb over 96 hours AS EXPECTED. Flat file a bullet side, stick in the press, hold for 35 seconds, measure BHN. It is a scientific tool, not a gimmick!! Lee, you folks are awesome and as affordable as any reloader can ask!

The hardness testing kit worked great for me the first time. I was concerned about the microscope because of other reviews. The instructions for steadying the bullet in a small vise and resting the microscope on the vise worked perfectly for me. You need a close lamp light. I tested 10 bullets from the same casting session and the results were very consistent within .002 in. on the scale for all. Now, comparing those results to the included chart, I am very sure of the hardness of that metal. My bullets were not strong enough for the pressure of my loading. I will adjust with confidence, and get some linotype for my next batch of .308 bullets. I am sure I will be able to adjust my load to that alloy also.

This is yet again another great product from Lee!! It is functional, affordable and the quality is first-rate! I find it easiest to hold my bullet in a pair of needle nose vice grips with the filed (and indented) side of the bullet flush with the jaws. This gives me the necessary surface on which to rest and steady the microscope. It also helps to use a bright flashlight to illuminate the indent when you are measuring it.

You cannot beat this product for the price. Set up is easy and simple. The microscope takes a little practice to master but seems reliable and accurate. I would recommend this product to anyone casting bullets.

This is the greatest gadget for bullet casters since the invention of the electric lead pot. It's a little tricky to use but nothing that can't be mastered. Results appear both repeatable and consistent. Be sure to get the Lee Reloading Manual, second Edition if you get the Tester. This is where Richard Lee explains the relationship between bullet hardness and pressure and how this relationship relates to theoretical accuracy. I've been reloading for over 40 years and casting bullets for over 25. Lee's book and Hardness Tester taught me more in an evening than 25 years of guesswork. A "must have" tool for the serious bullet caster!

This simple tester took the guess work out of determining the hardness of my castings. It is based on sound scientific principles which sets it apart from other so-called hardness testers. I have waited years to obtain a simple, accurate and affordable way to determine the hardness of my castings. Although the microscope takes a bit getting used to, once one gets the hang of it, obtaining the accurate hardness of their bullets makes casting more interesting and satisfying. Anyone who casts bullets should get one for safety sake. Along with the Lee Loading Manual, they can determine the safe pressure limits their cast bullets will withstand. Used with their reloading press, the tester sets up easily and testing becomes a simple process. Need a gift idea for the holidays? This is it!

I started casting bullets about a year ago, and I wish I had ordered this tester then. It is very easy to use. Instructions were simple and clear. Yes, it's tricky getting used to moving the magnifier in the opposite direction of the image, in order to line up the ruler. But that's a LOT easier than scrubbing lead out of your bore because your alloy was too soft. The reference chart easily converts your observed measurements of the indentation to Brinnell hardness, and also goes a step further and tells you the maximum pressure which that hardness can withstand. I found that my bullets were much softer than I had guessed. I'm going to pull a bullet from each batch, and test them. I'll most likely be recycling all with some linotype added, but that beats scrubbing lead all day, and wasting components on poorly performing loads. I am excited to finally have a scientific handle on my leading problem. My only complaint is that the reference table only goes as soft as BHN 8.0. If you want to test some metal to make sure it is soft enough for your muzzleloader, you will have to do a little math, and expand the table down to BHN 5.0 (pure lead). No biggie, it's easy to figure out. If you cast bullets, you need a hardness tester. This one, in my opinion, is a great choice.

I have on hand various lead bullets I stock piled over the yeas. NONE of these include any information regarding hardness or suggested load data. With the Lee Lead Hardness Testing Kit I labeled every box of bullets with the maximum chamber pressure for each! This tool has just paid for itself in spades.

I've been casting rifle and pistol bullets since the late 70s. Being the cheap scrounger that I am, I always had to guess at what I was blending in terms of bullet alloy. Results were often unpredictable, resulting in excess leading, poor accuracy, and hours spent scrubbing bores, throats, and forcing cones. I'd looked at several hardness testers over the years but could never seem to make the purchase a priority because of price. This Lee tester is a real bargain, however. I've had it now for about 4 months. I've casts about 5K bullets for various calibers using different blends of alloys, from WW to range scrap, to pure lead. I find that in testing a batch of bullets, it is simple to use. Just file a flat on a bullet; place the bullet in the holder, and make the impression using you reloading press. Place the indented bullet in a small vice (albeit it does help to have a strong lamp illuminating the bullet) and measure the indentation with the pocket microscope. The scale is easy to see. The tester provides consistent, repeatable results. The printed charts save you from having to remember your math skills. This is a real gem. Lee Precision, Inc. has done it again in terms of marketing a product that meets the needs of their customers at very reasonable price.

I have used this product for several years now. As a home caster I don't think you can beat the value of this product. It is priced right and it does work. I use it maybe three times a year but it is great to be able to test alloy hardness when you want to. As mentioned in the previous reviews there is a learning curve you will go through in learning to use it. There has already been some good advice given on the use of this product.

I bought this tester from Midway a couple of years ago - neglected to post a review until now. This product works very well. It was great to find out that my alloy blends were really the hardness that I hoped they would be. This is a tool that I only use infrequently, but it is certainly worth the (very reasonable) cost when blending new alloys or testing "mystery" lead. While intended mainly for use on a bullet placed in the ram mounted cradle, you can carefully hold a brick or "chunk" of lead alloy on the ram and get a hardness reading (Saves the bother of casting a bullet to test an unknown alloy).

Besides testing my casts for the BHN, I use this to purchase my alloys from various scrap dealers and also private individuals. At times my sources will claim their alloys to be pure lead, wheelweights etc. I would usually take a sample of their stock, test it and it will give me a reference as to the basic composition of the material. If they claim it to be "pure" lead and it tests at a 22 BHN then I would say it is a good buy. On the other hand, if they claim for it to be linotype etc and tests at less than 9 BHN I would either get out of the deal or negotiate a lower price. This product is a great tool, very reliable and always give consistent results.

hard to keep the microscope steady when reading the indent. still, for the money, its a gem. Has seemed to be accurate.

It is very easy to use and pressure chart provides easy determination of alloy hardness. Fits in existing Lee Press. Only complaint is the microscope is difficult to get the scale to focus on the dent. So it is hard to read.

This is a gem of a product! I wish I had it years ago, when I had what I thought was pure lead and couldn't figure out why my casted black powder bullets and shotgun slugs were not accurate. The microscope will drive you nuts trying to figure out which way to move it, but it is easy to read once it is on the indent.

Requires a little setup work and the setup requires you to use your reloading press so it's really meant to be used on bullets, or similarly sized pieces that can fit on there, not on large ingots. You have to file a flat side on the bullet. You then press the unit against the flat side you made on the bullet and measure the size of the indentation. The only downside is that the little microscope is a little hard to get used to, and it's hard to focus on the scale in the microscope and the indentation at the same time. It gets easier with practice though. Not as fast as other alternatives, but you get the same info and you can't beat the price.