Rmr lead

[AJC1]

Its 1.56 a pound for the excesses rmr lead. With a bhn of 12 I plan on grabbing some for making 45acp bullets. Has anyone here used this or am I overlooking a better option. Its about half the price of the cheapest option from rotometals.

 

[DukeConnor]

Shhhh........

 

[Phantom 309]

I've made ingots but not yet cast actual bullets. The RMR stuff is a good price but does not contain any tin, just a bit of antimony. I added a 1 pound roll of 95/5 (tin/antimony) solder to my 24# batch. But I get solder from a wholesaler, at full price it wouldn't be so cost effective. This was discussed a bit in another thread where a member was getting started in casting and somebody suggested hunting for pewter at the thrift store to alloy due to its high tin content.

I think I'll keep buying it from RMR and buy some pure tin from rotometals to alloy in as needed.

 

[reddog81]

$1.50 is higher than I like to pay but lead is only getting harder and harder to find. Should work perfect for 45 ACP. Your mailman will hate you...

 

[Erief0g]

my mailman hates me. the $25 christmas gift card probably didnt offset the 512 lb's I've received since October 2020.

 

[BCR#1]

I don't ever plan to cast bullets but there is lead lying everywhere on all the berms at our club. Would it be wise to start picking up those deformed projectiles if for no other reason than as trade fodder in the future?

Bill

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Would it be wise to start picking up those deformed projectiles if for no other reason than as trade fodder in the future?

Oh my, that is a tough question....I'll leave it at that.

 

[AJC1]

I don't ever plan to cast bullets but there is lead lying everywhere on all the berms at our club. Would it be wise to start picking up those deformed projectiles if for no other reason than as trade fodder in the future?

Bill

If I could I would but I wouldn't be trading

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

my mailman hates me. the $25 christmas gift card probably didnt offset the 512 lb's I've received since October 2020.

For a while there, my "mailman" was a little bitty gal that couldn't have weighed 100 pounds. She hated me too.

Oh well. The job description states one must be able to lift 'X' weight. If you can't do it, go find other work.

 

[wlkjr]

I use a combination of RMR lead along with some range scrap and wheel weights. I throw in a little linotype and a half a bar of lead solder, all in a 40# pot. Makes a great .45acp when Hi-Tek coated and sized to .452. I have not use RMR solely for my bullets.

 

[whughett]

My gun clubs 25 yard back stop is my lead mine.
I melt it bulk then cast into 1pound ingots. It is what it is, I don’t worry about alloys.

 

[AJC1]

I use a combination of RMR lead along with some range scrap and wheel weights. I throw in a little linotype and a half a bar of lead solder, all in a 40# pot. Makes a great .45acp when Hi-Tek coated and sized to .452. I have not use RMR solely for my bullets.

I have some superhard but if it's already bhn 12 it will be the hardest I've used so far. I aimed for 10 in 45acp and my last batch was 11. My only consern was if I needed any tin to help it fill out nicely.

 

[WestKentucky]

My first RMR purchase just happened. Hopefully it won’t be the last. 128lbs. Since I’m just starting to cast I figure that will last me a good while. I need to buy more molds. I was able to place an order for a Lee pot today as well so $275 later I have all the stuff to properly cast.

 

[AJC1]

My first RMR purchase just happened. Hopefully it won’t be the last. 128lbs. Since I’m just starting to cast I figure that will last me a good while. I need to buy more molds. I was able to place an order for a Lee pot today as well so $275 later I have all the stuff to properly cast.

Did you plan to wash the lead first or make ingots. I ask because the write up says that it has oil on the product from machine operations. I was curious how oily it was. I had considered trying to rinse it before or making ingots to keep the oil out of my casting pot

 

[WeekendReloader]

I recently bought 64lbs of RMR lead. I plan to add it as-is to the pot. Any oil should just burn off. Just like recycled/rejected bullets gets tossed in and the powder coating gets burned off.
If I have any problems with it, I'll post about it. Don't hold your breath though, it's too cold here to be outside casting in January. I'll get to it in the spring.

 

[Erief0g]

Did you plan to wash the lead first or make ingots. I ask because the write up says that it has oil on the product from machine operations. I was curious how oily it was. I had considered trying to rinse it before or making ingots to keep the oil out of my casting pot

Melted great, sawdust Flux, perfect. No issues no other prep work needed

 

[WestKentucky]

Melted great, sawdust Flux, perfect. No issues no other prep work needed
View attachment 973421 View attachment 973422

That’s what I expected to be the case but I was waiting to see how oily they are and what the oil smells like. I suspect it’s probably a pretty basic industrial oil which, if heavily soiled would clean up well enough with a quick rinse in Dawn and then flood it with water hose water to keep the soapy film down. If it’s a film then I will just melt it as is and when it gets
Fluxed with sawdust I will make a point of lighting it and letting it burn off, but since I will be melting for ingots in an old charcoal grill I suspect I won’t have to try to get it to light, it should happen naturally.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Did you plan to wash the lead first or make ingots. I ask because the write up says that it has oil on the product from machine operations. I was curious how oily it was. I had considered trying to rinse it before or making ingots to keep the oil out of my casting pot

Don't worry about oil on the lead. It will burn off during rendering, and it makes a good flux.

I sometimes add used motor oil when rendering particularly filthy lead scrap, a couple tablespoons is sufficient in a 75 pound pot.

Now I mostly use sawdust, into which I mix the used motor oil. Just enough UMO to change the color of the sawdust.

The whole idea with fluxing is to introduce carbon into the melt. That tends to get the nasties to cling together forming a scum that can be scraped off. Try not to flux in your casting pot if possible. It keeps the granular crap out of the pot. Only cleaned, fluxed, reduced metal should go in your casting pot.

Reducing is a different matter entirely. Folks say they flux with wax, when they are actually reducing with wax. The wax makes the separated metals (Sn - tin in particular) go back into solution with the lead. That way you don't lose the tin in the melt. Reducing can be done in your casting pot, but do it first in your bulk melt.

Flux, flux, flux. Then reduce.

 

[lightman]

I've always used scrap to cast with, mostly wheelweights. The only virgin alloy I ever cast with was a joy to use. $1.50 a pound is not a bad price for new alloy. Tin is expensive. A lot of casters scrounge for Pewter but there is a learning curve to knowing what to buy. Its also hard to find in some places. Wholesale price on solder may be the best way?

 

[larry7293]

MBC also sells ingots- BHN 18. The same alloy they use to cast their bullets. A little over $2 a pound and has the tin in it already.

 

[AJC1]

MBC also sells ingots- BHN 18. The same alloy they use to cast their bullets. A little over $2 a pound and has the tin in it already.

Does that include shipping like rmr???

 

[wlkjr]

I recently bought 64lbs of RMR lead. I plan to add it as-is to the pot. Any oil should just burn off. Just like recycled/rejected bullets gets tossed in and the powder coating gets burned off.
If I have any problems with it, I'll post about it. Don't hold your breath though, it's too cold here to be outside casting in January. I'll get to it in the spring.

I add it to my pot and it just burns off but it does emit quite a bit of smoke. I haven't encountered any problems.

 

[packetloss]

It's funny my mailman was delivering one of my bullet orders and he asked me if I reload. Turns out he shoots and goes to the same range and I do.

 

[RockRat64]

Did you add anything, such as tin? I was hoping to use RMR lead as is to cast 147gr 9mm and 225gr 300Blk subsonic loads.

 

[Austin Albright]

Melted great, sawdust Flux, perfect. No issues no other prep work needed
View attachment 973421 View attachment 973422

Look really nice. In the past I cast a lot in the winter with Hensley & Gibbs moulds. I think I need to get back into casting....been at least 15 years. Problem now is lead prices. Rmr would get me back in game. Maybe even try this new tangled powder coating.