Rimfire ammo metallic content

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Dec 2, 2021
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The Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains NC
I know most modern center-fire ammo uses lead with Antimony added to harden it. Is this the case with .22 rimfire ammo as well? Reason I'm asking is I've actually recovered some non copper coated .22 LR projectiles from targets and carcasses and I was interested in melting them down and casting them into bullets. Been collecting everything I can find that is lead and making two piles, pure lead, and impure lead. Need to save the pure stuff for my BP guns.
 
22lr lead doesn't appear to be pure, even when plated.
I make 4 piles of lead.
Fired bullets.
Plumbing and roofing lead.
Old battery terminals.
Wheel weights.
I'll throw lead black powder balls in with the plumbing and roofing lead if I see them.
 
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My limited research showed me (bunch of years ago) the 22 LR bullets normally run 6-8 BHN. Pretty soft but not as soft as pure, about 5 BHN...
 
I just add them into my recovered bullet pile and melt it all down. I skim the jacket matetial off the top and cast into ingots. Seperate by sessions, test for hardness, and add plumbers silver solder to get hardness I want when I remelt to use. I do keep the mostly pure lead, old pipes and flashing seperate for use in muzzle loading balls and bullets.
 
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