I just bought a 22 hornet 10" barrel for my contender. I want to load 40-45 grain cast with low velocity for squirrel hunting since the hording of rimfire is happening again. Can I use solid lead/ gas check or do I need to add to the lead..... Thanks
Pure lead
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Barbaroja
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I don’t have any experience with the 22 hornet but I am very interested in your project as it is exactly what I would like to do.
I would think if your shooting them at .22lr velocity you should be fine with a soft bullet. A bit of tin may help for with mould fill out. With a proper fit and lube,I’m not sure you would need the gascheck at those velocities.
I would say try it both ways and see what’s better for you. If you can get acceptable results without, save your money.
I would think if your shooting them at .22lr velocity you should be fine with a soft bullet. A bit of tin may help for with mould fill out. With a proper fit and lube,I’m not sure you would need the gascheck at those velocities.
I would say try it both ways and see what’s better for you. If you can get acceptable results without, save your money.
Alex Clayton
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Depends completely on what your idea of "low velocity" is. Lead works fine to a point. What point do you want to push it too? Is the lead you have actually pure lead or is it casting media? Some simple ways on the net to get a ball park idea of the hardness which will help you decide on the speed you want to push too.
BigBlue 94
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Pure lead is good to about 1200fps with no gas check. Add some tin and antimony, and you can stretch that figure a bit. With a gas check, you can speed it up to your hearts content.
Midway has pure tin and a 70%/30% bar of lead/ antimony if that interests you.
Good luck finding gas checks... Im about to start making my own.
Midway has pure tin and a 70%/30% bar of lead/ antimony if that interests you.
Good luck finding gas checks... Im about to start making my own.
Barbaroja
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For how much they cost, it’s the way to go.
.308 Norma
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You titled this thread "Pure lead." Wheel weights are not pure lead.
Nevertheless, I'd give gas checked bullets cast from wheel weights a try in your 22 Hornet. About the worst that can happen is they might lead up your barrel, and it's not all that hard to clean out. Believe me, I've cleaned lead out of a barrel or two myself.
There's some info the OP may find useful among the various manuals available at this link.
http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Reloading/Reloading Manuals/
http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Reloading/Reloading Manuals/
edwardware
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SOWW are softer than COWW (clip on wheel weight); neither are pure.
And you'll have tremendous difficulty reaching the ~3000FPS of 22Mag with any cast bullet. There's a reason 22Mag ammo is jacketed.
LASC Ingot to Target
My advice is to skip the disappointment of casting. I've been there, and it's very difficult to make anything beyond basic pistol bullets work; accurate rifle bullets are very time consuming.
Barbaroja
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I guessing the 3000 FPS was a typo and you intended to write 2000.
The link to “ From ingot to target” is a good idea. Great info in there.
OP do yourself a favor and use that pure lead to mix up a proper alloy. As mentioned figuring out a good cast load can take a lot of time and experimenting. Starting with less than ideal materials may just end up being a frustrating way to burn up precious supplies.
whughett
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By the time you locate and buy/order in the tin and antimony you’d be better off saving the sheet of lead and just buying the alloy. Assuming you have the molds and basic equipment to cast and size lead bullets.
jmorris
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Get a small amount of “certified” lead and cast a couple bullets using it. Now weigh them, they should be pretty close to what they should be. Use that as your standard.
For example one of my 230 grain molds casts at 230 with the correct alloy. Pure lead makes bullets that are 240 grains, wheel weights cast 232 grain bullets and silver solder casts 210 grain bullets. If I mix in Linotype to pure lead I can bring the weight down and make them harder. Wheel weights I generally use as is. The only thing I use pure lead with is my black powder stuff and it’s all patched anyway.
For example one of my 230 grain molds casts at 230 with the correct alloy. Pure lead makes bullets that are 240 grains, wheel weights cast 232 grain bullets and silver solder casts 210 grain bullets. If I mix in Linotype to pure lead I can bring the weight down and make them harder. Wheel weights I generally use as is. The only thing I use pure lead with is my black powder stuff and it’s all patched anyway.
BigBlue 94
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At midwayusa currently...
1 lb of tin is about 20 bucks
5lb of 70/30 lead/antimony is also about 20 bucks
Alloys and pure lead at midway are about 3bucks a pound.
whughett
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Buffalo Arms has #2 at 2.69 a pound. Lots of 40 grain bullets in a pound.
BigBlue 94
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Buffalo Arms has #2 at 2.69 a pound. Lots of 40 grain bullets in a pound.
175 to be exact... A lot better than the 35 200 grainers from a pound. Or 22 300 grainers...
whughett
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Yep. Can go quickly. I’m fortunate to have an abundant supply in my clubs back stop. Sometimes I’m recycling my own lead.
ThomasT
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You could use the pure lead and the advice to add some tin to it is a good idea. But I would keep the speed to a 1000fps or less. Squirrels don't take a lot of power to kill. I have killed over 200 squirrels and most of those were shot with a pump pellet gun in 20 caliber and then 22 when the 20 cal went belly up on me. And just 5 pumps was all the power needed.
The wheel weight lead would be a better choice. Drop it in a bucket of water straight from the mold and it will make some hard bullets. I cast a lot of wheel weight pistol bullets and quench all of them. Leading is not a problem for me. Adding a gas check just makes it even better.
Demi-human
maybe likes firearms a little bit…
If it’s X-ray shielding, it may not be pure lead.
Tin, antimony, and lead, as well as some other heavy metals, can all deflect or absorb radiation.
It may be ready to go, or it may be an alloy.
We have a few sheets laying around the shop, scavenged to be made into bullets, but the first ones were too hard and figuring out the blend was beyond the effort.
Or so I was told, I don’t cast, I buy my bullets. I think he thought it pure and wasted his alloys into it, ruining it. He was one to let bitter taste get to him. I would have tried it as is first...
And still could...
Hmm...
Check on ebay there are many sellers of lead pure and otherwise. Some around $2.00# with free shipping
clearcut
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If you powder coat wheel weight lead you can send them as fast as the RPM's will allow.
CC
CC
AJC1
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If you want to do it right, find a way to test current hardness. The cheapest option is the pencil tests I believe. I use the lee tester. Casting may save you some money down the road but just like reloading the startup costs can sting a little to do things correctly. Guessing can waste materials money and effort.
BigBlue 94
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Yup, bought 65 lbs for 130 shipped not too long ago. Supposedly melted from lead pipe. Its soft and shiney clean. Haven't melted any down yet though.
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