Abstract: A method of a hardening a solid metal object consisting essentially of lead which has been swaged cold wrought, such as a bullet, and a hardened swaged wrought bullet are disclosed in which the bullet is formed from a lead or lead alloy blank by swaging the blank under high pressure in a forming die, heating the formed wrought bullet to a temperature near but less than the slump temperature of the metal, and then quenching the heated swaged wrought bullet in a liquid to rapidly reduce its temperature. The swaged wrought bullet as thus formed is seamless and has a hardness which exceeds at least 15 Brinell.