[joshlm]

scrap yard in my area has 1/8" sheets of pure lead for .20 per pnd.is this a good deal, and what would i have to add to it to cast 357, 44mag, 45acp bullets.new to casting and any help would be appreciated.

[LAH]

For standard magnum loads use 16 pounds of your lead and 1 pound of tin. This was the alloy used to build the 44 Magnum.

[Hutch]

If it really is pure lead, it's a great price. I'd get a bunch of it, and you can prob'ly trade it off pound-for-pound for linotype, which makes fine bullets. The only folks I know of that cast pure lead are blackpowder enthusiasts, and they're all touched in the head from breathing the fumes anyway. If you really want to cast it, as you've noted, you need to alloy it with tin and/or antimony. The linotype is high enough in those that you can prob'ly mix lead and linotype 50:50 and get decent bullets for low velocity applications.

[Quantrill]

I echo the above comments. Pure lead is for black powder folks and it must be alloyed with tin or antimony to harden it for smokeless purposes. Quantrill

[Poodleshooter]

Just use wheelweights. You should be able to get used ones for nearly free from local tire shops (check around by phone). They're have a low antimony and tin content that can be beefed up with linotype or solder.
Pure lead is also used for shotgun slug casting (they're usually undersized and require expansion in the barrel as do muzzleloading conicals.)

[LAH]

A one to one mixture of lead and linotype will produce 92% lead, 2% tin, and 6% antimony. This will test 15 BHN when air cooled. As I said Mr. Keith's alloy of 1-16 will test 11 BHN.

FWIW most wheelweights, though certainly not all contain 95.5 % lead, .5% tin, and 4% antimony. This mixture will test 9 BHN and fine for most uses the way it is. It does however reponse well to tin. According to Lyman a mixture of 9 pounds of wheelweights and 1 pound of 50/50 solder makes their No. 2 alloy which test the same 15 BHN.

[Cactus]

LAH,

I do not cast my own but would like to find Keith style bullets that are cast with a 16:1 alloy. Does anyone know of someone that sells these? The softest I can find are around 18 brn. and are too darn hard for anything less than full house loads.

[Sven]

Where is Paul "Fitz" Jones when we need him?

John? He's an expert on this stuff. I'm sure he'll post shortly.

[joshlm]

thanks guys for the help. thats good info and just what i needed.

[Lloyd Smale]

try Mount Baldy Bullets mtbaldybullets@wyoming.com Frank may be able to help you.

[John Ross]

Cast bullet alloys do not need to be nearly as hard as most people believe if the bullets are the proper size for the throat.

I use straight wheelweights quenched in icewater and get 1800 FPS with plainbase bullets and no leading (Alox/Beeswax lube) in the .500 S&W. I don't cast rifle bullets and that's my fastest pistol ctg. See no need for gaschecks in any pistol round.

Do a usenet search for "Norman Johnson" and "throat" and you'll get good info.

JR

[Cactus]

John,

Aren't quenched wheel weights something like 22 - 25 brn.?

[Quantrill]

Cactus,
The BHN of quenched lead bullets depends upon what alloy you start with and the temperature of the bullet at the exact moment of quenching. The close the temperature is to the "melt/deform" temperature, the higher the BHN will be. Apparently, a little arsenic is also necessary for the bullets to harden. Arsenic must also be in the original alloy as to add it to molten lead is dangerous. After the bullets are quenched they will continue to harden for a few weeks and then begin to soften for a few months. Only the outside of the bullets actually harden (kind of case hardening) so sizing the bullets after quenching is counter productive. You must either size the bullets BEFORE heating and quenching or load the bullets "as is" to keep all of the benefits of quenching. Done correctly, the BHN of bullets can reach up to 25-28 BHN. Quantrill

[LAH]

Most wheelweights I've water quenched tested 15-18 BHN. As has been stated wheelweight metal varys a bit.

Cactus we normally cast from 1-20 when someone wants a softer bullet. If you would contact us off line I'm sure we could work something out for the 1-16.