lead

[Madd Mike #8595]

due to unexpected unemployment

making my own bullets seems to be in order these days

just to stay in the game

 

I like soft cast bullets

what is the lead recipe for that

and where does a feller find the LeaD product

at resonable pricing???

 

thanks

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

Howdy Mike! Sorry to hear about your employment situation -- lot of it going around these days. My wife got laid off last August after 15 years service, so I can empathize with you.

 

This should answer some of your questions about alloys, bullet casting, and related topics http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

"Soft cast" for smokeless is usually about what scrap wheelweights have in them now. That would be about 3% Antimony and 0.5 to 1% Tin, rest Lead. Will sometimes be hard enough to shoot in semi-auto pistol loads, but not always.

 

"Soft cast" suitable for black powder is often more like about 1:30 Tin to Lead. So, 3% Tin, rest Lead. Although for a cheap BP slug, 1/2 wheelweights and 1/2 soft lead works well for me.

 

Cheapest lead is often "ask for it" at tire shops where old wheel weights are sometimes discarded. Although now, with price of lead up high (close to a buck a pound), lotsa folks probably have already asked. Or salvage range lead from backstops of indoor or outdoor shooting ranges - ask permission first, and replace any dirt dug out of berms, of course.

 

Next places to try - larger plumbers shops or demolition companies that might have scrap lead sheet or pipe they have pulled out of remodeling or demo jobs. Sheet, roofing, or plumbing lead will typically be almost pure soft, 100% lead. Toss a little harder alloy into it to make it cast better, if you need to.

 

More expensive places - scrap metal dealers. Watch your wallet if you buy there. Prices are often very negotiable, but sometimes high and non-negotiable. Often depends upon who they are, who you are, and how much lead-based scrap they have. Here you can find wheelweights, soft lead and stuff that may be in between - you kinda need to know how to fingernail test it yourself. Wheelweights now have to be sorted to get the Zinc and Steel weights out before cleaning up the lead by smelting - smelly and hot work. Watch that you are not being sold zinc and Steel weights as if they were all Lead weights! Those other two have no real value for us.

 

Most expensive places - alloyed lead sellers like RotoMetals (google them). Usually have to buy from them in big quantities to make it worth while. Nice metal quality, though, and ready to use with exact alloys available.

 

Sometimes, it works out best to find whatever you can scrounge as cheap as possible, then '"correct" the alloy to make what you need by buying a little of a very hard alloy or a tin-solder bar.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

MM:

PM Muddy Creek Sam

He sells lead at good prices, delivered right to yer door.

--Dawg