Casting my own bullets - need some advice.

[Dark Skies]

I just bought a Lee bullet mold for casting 125 grain flat nose .357 bullets for putting through my Winchester 1894 carbine. The only place I'll be shooting these loads are on a 25 yard indoor range. We can only shoot lead rounds on this range and aren't allowed to use gas checks - so my loads will be pretty light.

Eventually I'll be using lead gathered from the range trap but it's just been cleaned out and so I won't be able to grab any till the next clean up in a few months time. In the meantime I'm planning to use alternatively sourced material.

Somewhere in my garage I have a four inch square box of wheel weights kicking around. I was also planning to go scrounging more wheel weights from the local car breakers yard. Finally, I have a big tin of various bits of lead pipe and old airgun pellets I figured I could utilise.

I've had a look on the net and there's a confusing array of favourite mixes including the use of tin to get hardness up. After a lot of reading into the subject I soon found myself in a can't see the wood for the trees scenario.

So ... bearing in mind I want to keep things simple and don't fancy having to buy in tin ...

Could I just use wheel weights on their own or will they either be too hard or not hard enough for my use? If I were to lump in my scrap lead and wheelweights in a 50 / 50 mix would this be too soft and likely to lead the barrel?
All advice gratefully received.

 

[243winxb]

The bullet diameter as it drops from the mould should be .357" to .358" or larger. If your going to size them, .3575" +.0005 is good. Use a good lube and you should do fine.

 

[bullseye308]

Wheel weights will be fine on their own. No need to add anything to them.
If you want to load light or load 38 wadcutters, you could use the pure sheet or pipe lead for that. If you have some tin, 2% is all you need and it lowers the melting point of the lead and helps it flow into the mold better. Tin will not noticeably harden the mixture. Any more than 2% is just wasting tin.

 

[Slamfire]

I tried casting rifle bullets straight wheel weight. I got wrinkled bullets. They did not lead.

I did not like the wrinkles and bought 50/50 bar soldier. No wrinkling.

I don't think modern wheel weights are all that hard. The wheel weights used in the old classic receipes must have had more arsenic.

Don't cut the W/W too much with pure lead.

 

[Dark Skies]

Thanks. The instructions with the mold reckon I need not size them and I'm happy to go with that (simpler). I'll check they're right on that before reloading. I also got some Saeco alox bullet lube in stick form with the kit so I have the lubing angle covered.

The wheel weights I have at present are the modern style chocolate square stick on types. But the car breakers near me have a lot of 70s / 80s cars kicking around with all the wheels stacked up in a corner of the yard. A lot of these have the old style wheel weights on - the type that are clamped on to the rim. They have much duller look to them. Are they likely to be more lead than whatever is in the newer style?

 

[243winxb]

Bullet Sizes & Weights – How to Vary Them

if you bullets drop from the mould undersize using 50/50, you will need to add more wheel weight to increase there diameter. Lead shrinks more as it cools in the mould then wheel weights. Linotype can be added to increase bullet diameter also.

The bullet diameters and weights presented in this list
are based on the use of Taracorp’s Lawrence Magnum
bullet alloy (2% tin, 6% antimony, 1/4% arsenic,
91.75% lead).
Bullet diameters and weights will vary considerably
depending on the lead casting alloy used. This variation
can be as much as 1/2% on the diameter, and 8% on
the weight among the most commonly used casting
alloys. For example, a .358-158 grain bullet might
show a diameter variation of .002", and a 13 grain difference
in weight.
Of the most commonly used alloys, wheel weights (.5%
tin, 4% antimony, 95% lead) will produce bullets having
the smallest diameter and heaviest weight, with
such bullets running approximately .3% smaller in
diameter and 3% heavier than bullets cast with
Taracorp's metal. Linotype will produce bullets with the
largest diameter and lightest weights. This alloy will
produce bullets approximately 1/10% larger and 3%
lighter than Taracorp. Other alloys of tin and antimony,
with antimony content above 5%, will produce bullets
with diameters and weights falling between those cast
from wheel weights and linotype.
Alloys containing little or no antimony will cast considerably
smaller than wheel weights and in some cases
will produce bullets too small for adequate sizing.
Within the limitations given above, the weight and
diameter of a cast bullet can be adjusted by varying the
alloy’s antimony content.
The size and weight of bullets of a given alloy will also
vary according to casting temperature. Higher temperatures
will result in greater shrinkage as the bullet
cools, thereby producing a slightly smaller and lighter
bullet than one cast of the same alloy at a lower temperature

 

[bullseye308]

Stick on ww's are treated as pure. Just so you know.

 

[greyling22]

+1 to just using wheel weights. at 25 yds and low velocities a wrinkled bullet or softish bullet is not a big deal.

 

[fecmech]

The older wheel wts will have more antimony in them which will make them harder and larger as antimonial alloys expand slightly when cooling. I think you will be better off not sizing them for your rifle as the Lee moulds usually drop .358-.359 with wheel wt metal. As long as you can chamber the round bigger is better from an accuracy standpoint. If you can get the Lee liquid alox just pour a little in a zip loc bag with the bullets and mush them around a bit to spread the lube on them and pour them out on some paper to dry. A quick way to lube with the lube stick you have is to put your bullets on an old cookie sheet. Put them in the oven at about 180-220 deg. F. Once they are hot just rub the lube stick over the bullets. The lube will melt and flow around the bullet and when cool ready to load. Don't overdo the lubing, you just need a thin film. Good luck, Nick

Ps.. The previous poster who mentioned wrinkled bullets, he was not running his lead hot enough. Adding the tin just masked the problem by lowering the melt point of the lead. You can cast perfect bullets with straight wheel wt. metal, I've been doing it for 35 years.

 

[Dark Skies]

Cheers lads. That's all good stuff.

 

[kanook]

don't forget to take out the zinc weights.